We spent 8 days in Central Vietnam in September 2017, just before the rainy season (October to February) which usually causes floods in Hoi An. We flew into and out from Da Nang city. Da Nang is the gateway to Hue and Hoi An, known for their UNESCO World Heritage sites. It is also the gateway to many beach-front luxury resorts, with Banyan Tree Lang Co being one of the best.
We spent 2 days at Banyan Tree Lang Co, 2 days in Hue and 4 days in Hoi An. Most people will prefer to spent more time in beautiful and historic Hoi An and skip Hue. I decided to stay a couple of days in Hue, a UNESCO World Heritage city well-known for its historic imperial city (Citadel) and imperial tombs.
Like Hue, Hoi An has plenty of history still intact. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Hoi An was a small scale trading port in Southern Vietnam. The old town has many well-preserved buildings that reflects both indigenous and foreign cultures, especially Chinese, Japanese and later European. These places include houses of prominent people, assembly halls, communal houses, shrines, temples, bridge, market and wharf. Hoi An was included in UNESCO World Heritage list in 1999.
Most visitors to Hoi An planned at least a 3-days stay. There is plenty to do at Hoi An. For those looking to make cheap and good suits, Hoi An has many tailor shops that can provide custom-made suits within 3 days. A beautiful beach is within reach by bikes or taxi from the town center. The rural countryside around the Hoi An town is also nice to explore using bikes.
Since we had already spent some time at a beach resort and had already seen a bit of rural Vietnam, we skipped these activities in Hoi An. Our activities included an early morning private tour to Mỹ Sơn, a half day cooking class at Thuan Tinh Island, sampling the local Hoi An cuisine, shopping and exploring the ancient town.
The following summarises my itinerary and where we stayed.
Day 1 (23 September 2017)
This day was spent travelling from home to Da Nang International Airport. We were picked up by staff from Banyan Tree Lang Co and transferred to the beach-front luxury resort for our weekend of bliss and pampering.
Banyan Tree Beach Villa
Where we stayed: Banyan Tree Lang Co
Trip report – Our stay at Banyan Tree Lang Co
Day 2 (24 September 2017)
There are plenty of activities to keep guests occupied within and outside the Banyan Tree resort. These include cooking classes, golf, yoga, excursions to Hue or Hoi An, cycling, water sports or just enjoying the villa facilities.
My wife did “yoga by the beach” at 6 AM, followed by breakfast. As part of the Banyan Tree Community Reward Stay programme, we were treated to an eco-tour of Lang Co.
Exploring rural Vietnam in an eco-tour.
The itinerary included a visit to a nearby fishing village in Canh Duong where we learnt about the hard life of the local fishermen, navigate through mangroves in a traditional basket boat, see the beautiful Lap An lagoon and also travel along a winding road up the Hai Van Pass, a journey made famous by an episode of a popular TV programme Top Gear.
Where we stayed: Banyan Tree Lang Co
Day 3 (25 September 2017)
More free and easy activities at the Banyan Tree Resort before checking out. The award-winning Banyan Tree Spa is not to be missed.
We used the private car transfer service provided by the resort to travel to Hue.
Entrance to the Imperial Palace at the Citadel, a UNESCO world Heritage site.
After checking into our hotel in Hue, we did the walking tour of the Citadel, a UNESCO world Heritage site.
Where we stayed in Hue: Saigon Morin Hotel.
The Saigon Morin Hotel is a historic, French colonial-era hotel, located next to the Truong Tien Bridge and Perfume (Huong) River. On Le Loi Road in the city center, it is ideally located for walking to the Citadel, Dong Ba market, shopping, restaurants & bars.
Trip Report - Visit to the Citadel in the city of Hue at Central Vietnam
Day 4 (26 September 2017)
Lake at the tomb of Tu Duc or Khiem Tomb.
We allocated our second day in Hue to visit three of the most impressive tombs of Nguyen emperors. Some of the tombs actually served as palaces and living spaces for their families when they were very much alive.
The best way to visit the tombs was to hire a private taxi with an English-speaking driver for the whole day so we could visit these places at our own pace, while the taxi waited for us outside. In addition to the 3 tombs, we also made a stop at the Thien Mu pagoda.
Where we stayed in Hue: Saigon Morin Hotel.Trip Report – Our stay the Saigon Morin Hotel
Trip Report - Three Tombs and a Pagoda. Must see sights in Hue, Central Vietnam
Day 5 (27 September 2017)
After Hue, our next destination in central Vietnam is Hoi An. The best way to travel between Hue and Hoi An is to hire a private car with a driver for a day to take us through peaceful rural landscapes, scenic coastal route across the Hai Van Pass and make sightseeing stops along the way.
Lap An lagoon
The 128 km journey would take about 3 hours of driving, excluding stops. With stops for lunch, sightseeing and taking photographs along the way, we could depart Hue in the morning and arrive at Hoi An in the evening.
Most private taxi operators’ itineraries include suggested stops at My Khe Beach in Da Nang, Marble Mountains, Lang Co beach, Lap An lagoon, top of Hai Van Pass or even an optional stop (with additional fees payable) at a swimming place called the Elephant Springs.
The famous tiled-roofed Thanh Toan Bridge.
I requested for an additional stop at the famous tiled-roofed Thanh Toan Bridge, located 8 km east of Hue city. Tour From Hue – Family Car Transfers & Tours was happy to include that into our itinerary without additional charges.
Spent the evening at Hoi An riverside. Not to miss is the night market with many stalls and colourful lanterns for sale.
Night market with many stalls and colourful lanterns for sale.
Trip report - Scenic road trip from Hue to Hoi An, via Hai Van Pass, Da Nang and Marble Mountains
Day 6 (28 September 2017)
We attended a half day cooking class in Hoi An on our first morning. There are many cooking schools providing half day classes in Hoi An. I signed up with Thuan Tinh Island Cooking School, partly because of good reviews and partly because of recommendation from my relatives who visited Hoi An before.
The rest of the day was spent free and easy exploring the sights and cuisine of Hoi An.
Trying the street food in Hoi An
Where we stayed in Hoi An: Tea Garden Homestay.
Trip report - Visit to Hoi An’s morning market and cooking class at Thuan Tinh Island
Trip Report - What and where to eat while in Hoi An
Day 7 (29 September 2017)
Ruins at My Son Sanctuary
A visit to Hoi An would not be complete without a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage cultural site of Mỹ Sơn. My Son Sanctuary was once the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom who ruled Central Vietnam from 4th to 15th century.
It is best to go early in the morning when it is much cooler and there would be less people at the site. We signed up for the Sunrise My Son Tour with Tommy Dao Tours with pick up from our hotel at 5 AM! Sacrificing a bit of morning sleep is well worth it.
Exploring Hoi An ancient town
We arrived back to Hoi An at about 10 AM in the morning. The rest of the day was spent exploring the cuisine and shopping in Hoi An at a leisurely pace. The ancient town and Thu Bon river side area is very beautiful at night when the lanterns are lit.
Hoi An riverside in the evening.
Where we stayed in Hoi An: Tea Garden Homestay.
Trip report - Visit to My Son Sanctuary, Champa ruins near Hoi An and Da Nang
Trip Report - Enjoying UNESCO World Heritage Hoi An in the evening
Day 8 (30 September 2017)
This is another free and easy day for us to explore Hoi An ancient town. One of the highlights of visiting Hoi An is to explore the insides of some of these places.
Insides of one of the assembly hall.
We bought a ticket for the ancient town with 5 coupons that allows entry into 5 historical places of our choice.
Where we stayed in Hoi An: Tea Garden Homestay.
Trip Report - 5 places to visit while exploring Hoi An’s UNESCO World Heritage old town
Trip report - 4 free and easy days in Hoi An
Day 9 ( 31 September 2017)
Travel from Hoi An to Da Nang Airport for our morning flight home.
Other trip planning tips and considerations
Buy a Data SIM card in Da Nang International Airport
A 30 day data SIM with unlimited data, LTE, from Viettel cost USD 5.5, a fraction of the price compared to what we had to pay in most countries. The card can be purchased in the luggage collection area of the airport. The staff even helped us to install and activate the card.
Buy a combo ticket when visiting the Citadel and the Imperial tombs in Hue.
Entry to the Citadel and the various Imperial tombs are chargeable. We saved some money by buying a combo ticket instead of paying the entrance fees to each place separately. This combo ticket is sold at the ticket booths outside these places.
Note: Entry to the Thien Mu Pagoda is free.
While there are group tours to the above places that cost less, we prefer to travel at our own pace. Public transport within Hue is almost non-existent and imperial tomb sites are distributed all over the outskirt of Hue city. It made sense to hire a private taxi with an English-speaking driver for the whole day so we could visit these places at our own pace and with less hassles.
Stay near the Hoi An ancient town
While there are many places to stay in Hoi An, the best way to explore and enjoy Hoi An is on foot or bike. Hence, we felt that the ideal place to stay should be within walking distance to the ancient town and riverside area. The September weather in Hoi An is hot, humid and unpredictable. Once the weather gets too hot in the afternoon, we would seek shelter in a cool cafe or head back to the cool air-con comfort of our nearby hotel to rest before venturing out again in the cooler evening.
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