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Da Nang is the gateway to the ancient town of Hoi An. The two towns are well connected making it easy to get from Da Nang Airport to Hoi An.
Distance between Danang Airport and Hoi An is 40km. And it takes about an hour or 90 minutes to get to Hoi An from Da Nang Airport.
There are a number of options to get from Da Nang Airport to Hoi An. From Da Nang you have a whole array of transport options – both public and private. But the best way to get from Da Nang airport to Hoi is shuttle bus, it’s cheap and efficient.
Da Nang Airport to Hoi An – My Experience
My flight from Ho chi Minh to Da nang was at 1750 hrs. The flight landed in Da Nang at 07:10 PM. A total travel time of 1 hour 20 minutes, in comparison the train takes a whooping 14-16 hours!
Not only that, flights in Vietnam are cheap too! If you book maximum by couple of days (maybe a few more days ahead in peak season) before you travel to Da Nang, you will get it at aroung $30 USD only!
At the Da Nang International Airport I booked the hostel with the airport wifi. Wifi doesn’t require registration but you need to press yes button agreeing with the terms. Problem is Wifi in Da Nang International Airport keeps expiring every 15-20 minutes and you need to click ‘agree’ repeatedly.
WiFi speed is good though, use it to download the Hoi an and Da Nang map. It took some time for me to figure out things – it was 08:30 when I (finally) left the airport.
Da Nang airport to Hoi An by Shuttle Bus
The best way to get from Da nang airport to Hoi An is by shuttle bus. The shuttle bus service which is actually a mini bus, runs from Da Nang International Airport to Hoi An everyday at a timing of 6 AM to 11 PM.
Hoi An Express Shuttle Bus is convenient and fits well within the budget. You can take the same express shuttle bus back from Hoi An to Da Nang Airport.
Da Nang Airport to Hoi An by Bus
The cheapest way to travel from Da Nang Airport to Hoi An is by the public bus. But the problem lies in finding that public bus, and problem compounds as you will hardly find anyone on the road who speaks English.
I, of-course, decided to take the public bus to Hoi An despite the fact that I was late to arrive to the city. I knew the risk but I rationalized, I was taking a calculated chance, or so I thought. Big mistake #2!
So, I hired a moto taxi from Da Nang airport to train station, which cost me 40k Dong. That’s about $2 USD, for 2 km distance. I tried to negotiate and this was the best deal I was offered.
Da nang to Hoi An public bus fare is about 20k Dong but foreigners are often overcharged to 30-40k VND. You can argue but I believe even at 40k Dong ($2) it is way cheaper than taking a taxi from Da Nang airport to Hoi An (300k VND).
The bus stop for Hoi An bus is near the Da Nang railway station, and is bit tricky to find. Unfortunately, there is no signboard at the bus stop and the locals nearby didn’t know any English.
I waited at the bus stop for about an hour but didn’t see any bus. It was already late around 9:30 PM and I was beginning to wonder if I even was at the right place.
Now you see how tricky it is to get from Da Nang aiport to Hoi An by bus, and I wouldn’t advise it to the rookie travelers.
Finally, I swallowed my pride and took the taxi from the bus stop for 300k VND. I offered 250k VND but the driver didn’t budge. It was around 10 in the night, and I had to make a quick decision.
The only other option for me was to stay back in De Nang. The hostels in Da Nang were nearby, I had already marked a few in Google Maps, thinking that just in case I decide to stay in the city for the night.
I could walk to any of these hostels and get a bed for the night. To my surprise, the wifi hotspot from the nearby Tea House was working spotlessly and I could even book a local hostel if needed. But I decided to proceed to Hoi An anyway.
Lesson learnt! If you are arriving late at Da Nang airport or for any airport in the world for that matter, don’t take stupid chances. Waiting for the bus from Da Nang airport to Hoi An to save few bucks landed me nowhere.
I should have just taken the shuttle bus from Da Nang airport to Hoi An by inquiring at the counter before coming out the airport exit.
Also, save time by booking your hostels at least a day ahead, rather than sitting at the airport or train station and looking for options.
Plan ahead if you are arriving late. Public bus from Da Nang to Hoi An might not be available and if you don’t want to take private transport, book an accommodation in the city of arrival itself.
If you are backpacking Hoi An only for a day and arriving late, I’d suggest staying in Da Nang. By avoiding travel in the night you’d save the taxi fare or the shuttle bus fare. Instead take the public bus the next morning.
The Da Nang to Hoi An bus starts early in the morning. While returning you can take the Hoi An airport shuttle bus which costs about 100k Dong.
Finally, by booking an accommodation in Da Nang I could have saved $7-8 easily, not to mention the convenience part of it.
Da Nang Airport to Hoi An by Taxi
Da Nang International Airport to Hoi An Taxi fare is around 30,000 VND. I say this from my own experience as at the Da Nang International Airport I got offered for a taxi ride to Hoi An at 300k Dong but I refused. Neither, did I try to negotiate the taxi fare, and it turned out to be a big mistake.
Da Nang Airport to Hoi An by shared taxi
Dichungtaxi provides shared taxi services from Da Nang Airport to Hoi An. You can book in advance on their website, choose that you want to ‘share’. You will find the Dichungtaxi’s shared taxi in the airport upon your arrival. The shared taxi fare is about 150.000 VND ($7 U.S.).
Da Nang Airport to Hoi An by Motorbike or Moto Taxi
You can easily spot a motor taxi right in the airport. These motorbike taxis are not really that cheap as compared to regular taxi. A trip from Da Nang to Hoi An by motorbike will cost you around 200,000 VND.
It’s only good if you are doing a solo travel in Vietnam. Alternatively, you can stay in Da Nang, and hire a motorbike for yourself and ride it to Hoi An. It is fun as well as cheap this way!
from Da Nang railways station to Hoi an
To get to Hoi An from Da Nang train station you either take the public bus or the private cab. The Da Nang train station is located centrally on Hai Phong Street.
The Da Nang ticket office is open till 11 PM at least. This is verified by me as I waited for my 11 PM train at the station and ticket window was open, with many passengers booking the ticket. You can book the ticket on the spot for your train, there is no need to do advance booking in Hoi An, paying hefty commissions to the travel agent.
You can get to Da Nang railway station from Hoi An by the same airport shuttle bus. And this is exactly what I did.
Hope you now know about enough options to get from Da Nang airport to Hoi An, and plan as per your budget and time.
wow, very detailed and useful travel information! Really love this article! Thank you