My wife and I were glad to join our old school mates for a trip to Da Nang and also Hoi An without having to do much planning ourselves. This is because one of the couple has relatives living in Da Nang and hence had visited Da Nang and Hoi An many times. So they volunteered to plan the itinerary for our trip. They also help to buy the tickets to Ba Na Hills, and arranged private vehicles with local drivers to ferry us around on some days. They even managed to secure some discounts for our stay at New World Hoiana Hotel in Hoi An.
We chose to go in March since March in Da Nang features pleasant, dry spring weather, making it one of the best times to visit. March is supposed to be the dry season but the weather forecasted was rain almost everyday during our stay. Fortunately, the rain in South East Asia is heavy but short in duration.
Getting to Da Nang
We travelled to Da Nang from Singapore via Vietjet Air. One key reason for choosing this airline was that Vietjet Air is not operating the dreaded Boeing 737-800 Max on this route. This was the first time we had tried this budget airline and all was good. The only letdown was that Vietjet did not use the aero-bridge when we arrived at Da Nang International Airport.
Disembarking from our plane at Da Nang International Airport.
Our hotels in Hoi An and Da Nang
We stayed at the New World Hoiana Hotel for the first 2 days. This hotel is one of the 4 hotels within the Hoiana Integrated Resort located by the coast near Hoi An. We enjoyed the facilities of this luxury Integrated Resort and used it as a base to explore the Hoi An area.
Casino at the Hoiana Integration Resort.
More details of our stay at this resort are described below:
Trip report: Our Stay at New World Hoiana Hotel in Hoi An.
After Hoi An, we returned to Da Nang and stayed at the Crowne Plaza Danang City Centre by IHG. We chose to stay near the city centre for easy access to shopping, restaurants and this hotel is close to the Han River, Han Market and Dragon Bridge.
View from my room at Crowne Plaza Danang City Centre Hotel.
This was how we spent our 6 days in Da Nang and Hoi An.
Day 1 (5 March 2026) – Arrival and travel to Hoi An
Our direct flight from Singapore to Da Nang took about 3 hours. We arrived as scheduled at about 1 PM.
Our private van with driver picked us from the airport and brought us to Da Nang for lunch at An Thoi Restaurant. Our friends, who organised this trip, had dined at this restaurant before and told us this is a must-try restaurant when in Da Nang.
The restaurant serves authentic Vietnamese cuisine like Banh Xeo, various kinds of Vietnamese Spring Rolls, White Rose Dumplings, and seafood.
Trip report: Lunch at An Thoi Restaurant in Da Nang
After lunch, we proceeded to Hoi An. The drive from Da Nang to our hotel took about 1 hour. After check-in, we spent some time enjoying the facilities at the Hoiana Integrated Resort before having our dinner in Hoi An Ancient Town.
Dinner at Morning Glory Signature Restaurant in Hoi An
Hoi An Ancient Town is beautifully lit at night and we had time to enjoy a walk by the riverside after dinner.
The iconic Japanese Covered Bridge at the Ancient Town.
Trip report: Dinner at Morning Glory Restaurant in Hoi AnDay 2 (6 March 2026) – Coconut Boat Tour and Hoi An Ancient Town
After breakfast in the hotel, we went to check out the private beach. We had the whole beach to ourselves.
Private beach at Hoiana Integrated Resort.
It was late morning when we travelled by private van to the Bay Mau Coconut Forest area. We did the Coconut Boat Tour in Hoi An in the late morning. This is one of Hoi An’s popular tourist activities.
We rode the iconic Vietnamese basket boat through serene waterways and coconut forest.
Trip report: Experiencing the Coconut Boat Tour in Hoi An
After our adventure riding the coconut boat, we proceed to Hoi An Ancient Town.
We had lunch at Madam Khanh (one of the best Banh Mi restaurants in town) and dessert at a roadside stall.
Madam Khanh’s banh mi – amongst the best.
Thereafter we spent the afternoon and evening exploring the old town.
The spa in Hoi An is quite affordable and having a foot massage is a good activity to do at the end of the day.
We enjoyed local cuisine at the MẸT Vietnamese Restaurant & Vegetarian Food located by the riverside.
Many visitors enjoying boat rides on the Hoai River that flow through the old town at night.
The Hoi An Ancient Town is especially beautiful at night, when lanterns are lit all over.
Trip report: Afternoon and Evening in Hoi An Ancient Town.
Day 3 (7 March 2026) – Travel from Hoi An to Da Nang. Shopping, Seafood dinner and see the Dragon Bridge.
We travelled by chartered van from Hoi An to Da Nang in the morning.
After check-in, we had time to explore Da Nang city for the rest of the day by ourselves. We spend some time shopping for local products at Vincom Plaza before enjoying dinner at Moc Quan Seafood. Da Nang is an excellent place to enjoy a value-for-money seafood feast and one of the best seafood restaurants in town was MỘC Quán Seafood.
Must eat the seafood at Da Nang.
At night, we went to see the Dragon Bridge and enjoyed the fire and water show that takes place at 9 PM every weekend.
Da Nang’s Dragon Bridge that breathes fire and spew water every weekend at 9 PM.
We also had time to check out the Son Tra Night Market, located next to the Dragon’s head.
Day 5 (8 March 2026) – Shopping and Sightseeing in Da Nang
This is the day to explore Da Nang city on foot and by taxis. We planned to do more shopping and sightseeing on this day. Plus, enjoying the good food that this vibrant Vietnamese city has to offer.
After breakfast at Banh Mi Co Tien, we did shopping at Han Market, one of the largest traditional markets in Da Nang with lots of things to buy.
We had lunch at An Thoi Restaurant (again). This restaurant is located next to Han Market.
After lunch, we visited the Ling Unh Pagoda located in Son Tra Peninsula and My Khe Beach by taxi.
Linh Ung Pagoda is a famous spiritual site in Da Nang. The most important and visible highlight of the Linh Ung pagoda is the statue of Lady Buddha.
Impressive statue of the Lady Buddha or Guan Yin at the Ling Unh Pagoda.
My Khe Beach is located on the east of Da Nang City and it made sense to see this beach after our visit to the Son Tra Peninsula.
Enjoying a stroll at My Khe Beach.
We had more of Da Nang’s cheap and good seafood for dinner at a restaurant near My Khe Beach.
Trip report: Exploring Da Nang – Shopping, Sightseeing and Good Food.
Day 6 (9 March 2026) – Day trip to Ba Na Hills
Ba Na Hills is a popular tourist destination in Vietnam featuring a replica of a France medieval town with beautiful flower gardens and the famous Golden Bridge.
The Golden Bridge has two giant hands holding the walkway and is one of Da Nang’s most famous attractions.
As it is an extremely popular attraction, we chose a weekday to visit Ba Na Hills so as to avoid the massive crowds on weekends.
Ba Na Hills is located 1,487 meters up in the Da Nang mountains and about 25 kilometres from Da Nang city center. We booked a private van with local driver for our daytrip to Ba Na Hills.
Trip report: Ba Na Hills and the Golden Bridge
We ended the day with Korean BBQ dinner back at Da Nang city.
Trip report: Korean BBQ in Da Nang
Day 7 (10 March 2026) – Free and easy morning before leaving
We had a nice breakfast at Bun Cha Ca 109 and coffee at La Bicicleta before leaving Da Nang.
Bún chả cá 109 is actually a Michelin Bib Gourmand awarded restaurant and only serves Bun Cha Ca(Vietnamese Fishcake Noodle Soup), their house specialty.
Bun Cha Ca with a mixture of fish cake, crab cake and crab paste.
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