3 Days in Da Nang: City Plus Hoi An
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Three days covers Da Nang’s city sights plus a Hoi An day trip, the single most popular add-on from here. It’s still tight, this plan leaves out Ba Na Hills and My Son, both genuinely deserve their own day. For those, see the 4-day or 5-day versions. See the full Da Nang guide for the wider context.
Book these before you go
- Vietnam’s e-visa , $25-50, apply 3-5 business days ahead
- A My Khe/An Thuong beach-strip hotel, $30-70/night in shoulder season
- A Grab or private car to Hoi An booked the morning of day 2, 45-60 minutes each way
Day 1: My Khe Beach, the Marble Mountains, and the Dragon Bridge
Check in on the My Khe/An Thuong beach strip, then spend the morning at My Khe Beach, free and calm most of the dry season. After lunch, Grab to the Marble Mountains (about 15-20 minutes, entrance roughly 40,000 VND), climbing to Huyen Khong Cave’s natural skylight. In the evening, if it’s Friday through Sunday, watch the Dragon Bridge’s fire-and-water show around 9-9:30pm, free from the riverbank, and have Mi Quang for dinner, the real local signature dish.
Day 2: Hoi An Ancient Town
Grab or a private car (roughly 250,000-350,000 VND, $10-$13.50 one-way, verify) covers the 45-60 minute drive to Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. Spend the day wandering the lantern-lit streets, the Japanese Covered Bridge, and old merchant houses turned tailor shops, and stay for an evening lantern walk along the river before heading back to Da Nang.
Day 3: Son Tra Peninsula and the Cham Museum
Grab up to Son Tra Peninsula (about 20-30 minutes) for Linh Ung Pagoda’s 67m Lady Buddha statue and the coastline views from Vietnam’s only remaining coastal rainforest reserve. On the way back, stop at the Museum of Cham Sculpture (a low entrance fee), useful context if a future trip adds My Son. Close with a final seafood dinner near the beach.
Should Hoi An be a day trip or an overnight?
A day trip works fine for a 3-day plan, but if you have the flexibility, an overnight in Hoi An lets you see the Ancient Town’s evening lanterns without a late drive back. See our day trips guide for the full comparison.
One concrete tip: book your Hoi An transport the night before, not the morning of, Grab surge pricing on that route climbs with same-day demand, and a private car booked in advance locks in a flat rate instead.