Day Trips From Da Nang, Ranked: Distance, Cost and the Cheapest Way to Each
Da Nang is underrated as a base and overrated as a destination, and this page is why. Within about 100km sit two UNESCO World Heritage sites — both of which have been inside the city limits since the 1 July 2025 merger — a 496m coastal pass, a marine reserve, a cloud forest national park and Vietnam's most expensive attraction ticket. Hoi An is the one to do first: 28–30km, 40–55 minutes, and about 30,000₫ on the yellow Bus No. 1 against 250,000–350,000₫ for a Grab. After that it depends on what you came for — My Son for history at 150,000₫, the Hai Van Pass for the road, Hue for the imperial capital at 200,000₫. The Cham Islands run March to August or September only, and Bach Ma has been vehicle-limited since 2025 typhoon damage.
Every day trip from Da Nang, compared
Distances are one way from the beach strip. “Cheapest way” assumes you are willing to be slow and to sort your own tickets; “best way” is what this site would actually book. The gap between the two columns is often five times the price, which is exactly the comparison nobody else publishes.
| Trip | Distance / time | Time needed | Cheapest way | Best way | Season | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoi An | 28–30km · 40–55 min | 6–10 hrs, best in the evening | Yellow Bus No. 1, ~30,000₫, every 20–30 min, 05:30–17:50 | Shuttle or private transfer out ($15–25) and a booked car back — the bus stops at 17:50 and the lanterns start at 18:30 | Year-round; floods in the monsoon | WORTH IT |
| My Son Sanctuary | ~69km · 1–1.5 hrs | 5–7 hrs | Shared shuttle or a bus-and-boat combo from ~$20 | Sunrise small-group tour, $33–45 — the site opens 06:30 and the heat and the coaches both arrive later | Year-round; brutal at midday June–August | WORTH IT |
| Hai Van Pass | 21km of pass · 496m | 4–8 hrs | Self-ride on a rented manual bike, 120,000–200,000₫/day — but read the licence rules first | US Army jeep, ~$75–120, or the heritage train from ~$24 if you would rather not ride | Views die October–January | WORTH IT |
| Ba Na Hills | 35km · 45–60 min | 6–8 hrs | Public bus ~120,000₫ plus the 950,000₫ gate ticket | Pre-purchased ticket (from ~750,000₫) plus a round-trip shuttle, on the 08:00 cable car | Fogged September–February, no refund | DEPENDS |
| Hue | ~95–100km · 2.5–3 hrs | 12–13 hrs | DIY train from ~90,000₫ (2h48) plus 200,000₫ for the Imperial City | The train-and-bus day trip at ~$49 — 4.9 out of 5 from about 3,000 reviews, and the format that survives a 12-hour day | Year-round; wet and grey October–December | DEPENDS |
| Cham Islands | ~15km offshore · 30–45 min by speedboat | 7–9 hrs | Public boat plus the 70,000₫ conservation fee | Small-group speedboat, $32–63 — not the cheapest mass-market snorkel trip, for reasons below | March to August/September ONLY | DEPENDS |
| Bach Ma National Park | ~60–65km · 1.5 hrs | 8–10 hrs | Own vehicle plus 65,000₫ / 25,000₫ entry — but see the access warning | Guided tour, $60–90, because the summit road access changed after the 2025 typhoons | February–September; wet and leech-prone otherwise | DEPENDS |
| Than Tai Hot Springs | ~30km · 45 min | 5–7 hrs | Grab out and back plus from ~450,000₫ entry | Day tour with transfers, $40–60 — the family alternative to Ba Na at roughly half the ticket price | Year-round, and better in the rain than out of it | DEPENDS |
Prices checked August 2026 against operator listings and published gate prices. Grab fares are indicative — the app quotes before you ride. The two UNESCO sites on this list, Hoi An and My Son, are legally inside Da Nang since 1 July 2025, so “day trip” is now a geographical description rather than an administrative one.
Pick by what you came for, not by what ranks first
Four of these are excellent, three are conditional and one is closed for half the year. The conditions are the useful part.
If you only do one, do Hoi An. It is the closest, the cheapest to reach and the one your friends will ask about. Go late and stay late: the Old Town between 10:00 and 16:00 is hot and commercial, and after 18:30 the lanterns turn it into the place from the photographs. The honest caveat is overtourism — this is one of the most visited small towns in Southeast Asia — and flooding, because it sits on a floodplain and Da Nang does not.
If you have two days, add My Son or Hai Van. My Son is the historical answer: a UNESCO Cham sanctuary, 150,000₫ including the buggy and the Apsara dance shows, open 06:30–17:30. See the Cham Museum in the city first for 60,000₫ and it goes from a field of brick stumps to something legible. Hai Van is the scenic answer: 21km of coastal pass at 496m, Top Gear-famous, with the summit gate restored and reopened in 2024 — and views that simply are not there from October to January.
The three conditional ones. Ba Na Hills is 950,000₫ with no weather refund on a mountain that fogs in for months. Hue is a 12- to 13-hour day for 95–100km each way and is better as an overnight. Bach Ma has an access problem: 2025 typhoon damage means vehicles stop at Km12, motorbikes are banned on the summit road, and the shuttle to the top runs 1–1.2 million₫ per group — re-check the position before you commit a day to it.
The Cham Islands run a March to August/September season only. From October to February the sea state cancels 40–60% of departures against roughly 5% in season, so treat the winter months as closed rather than risky. Book the small-group speedboat operators: the cheap mass-market snorkel day trips have been nicknamed “Scam Island” in more than one Reddit thread for overcrowded boats and bait-and-switch inclusions.
Which day trips work in which month
Da Nang's year splits into a dry half and a monsoon half, and the day trips split with it. The scores below are for getting out of the city, not for lying on the beach.
Rain figures are monthly averages. Typhoons here typically pass in one to two days and the city drains fast — a wet month is not a write-off, but it is a month to keep every booking flexible.
Day-trip categories, and what each one is for
Nothing here is a single product, because the right booking depends entirely on which trip you pick. These are the three listings worth browsing, with the gate prices to judge them against: Hoi An heritage ticket 120,000₫, My Son 150,000₫, Hue Imperial City 200,000₫, Ba Na 950,000₫.
Match a trip to your schedule
Da Nang day trips FAQ
What is the best day trip from Da Nang?
Hoi An, for most people and on the first free day. It is 28–30km and 40–55 minutes, it costs about 30,000₫ each way on the yellow Bus No. 1, and the evening — lanterns, the river, the night market — is genuinely worth the trip. My Son is the better answer if you care about history, and the Hai Van Pass if you came for the road.
How much does a day trip from Da Nang cost?
Doing it yourself: Hoi An about 150,000₫ including the bus and the heritage ticket, My Son about 150,000₫ plus transport, Hue about 290,000₫ by train with the Imperial City ticket. Booked: $20–30 for Hoi An, $33–45 for a My Son sunrise tour, about $49 for the Hue train-and-bus day, $60–90 for Bach Ma.
Can you do Hoi An and My Son in one day?
Physically yes, and several operators sell it, but it is a compression that costs you both. My Son is at its best at the 06:30 opening and Hoi An is at its best after 18:30 — a combined tour usually gives you My Son at 09:00 in the heat and Hoi An at 15:00 in the crowds. If you only have one day, take Hoi An.
Which day trips are seasonal?
The Cham Islands run March to August or September only — from October to February, 40 to 60% of departures cancel against about 5% in season. The Hai Van Pass loses its views from October to January. Bach Ma is best February to September. Ba Na Hills is open year-round but fogs in regularly between September and February, with no weather refund.
Do you need a tour, or can you do these trips yourself?
Hoi An is trivially DIY on the 30,000₫ bus. The Marble Mountains and Lady Buddha are a Grab ride and a 40,000₫ ticket. My Son, Hue and Bach Ma are where booked formats start winning on price as well as time, because the distances are long and there is no useful public transport to any of them. The Hai Van Pass depends entirely on whether you can legally ride.
Are Hoi An and My Son still separate from Da Nang?
Not administratively. Da Nang absorbed Quang Nam province on 1 July 2025, and both UNESCO sites are now inside the city limits — the city went from about 1,285 km² to 11,860 km². Practically nothing changes for a visitor except that any post-2025 visitor statistic covers the merged city and cannot be compared with older figures.
Which day trip is best with children?
Than Tai Hot Springs or Ba Na Hills. Than Tai is about 30km southwest, from roughly 450,000₫ an adult with mud baths at 250,000–300,000₫ extra, and it is the family alternative to Ba Na at around half the ticket. Ba Na wins if the forecast is clear, because Fantasy Park's 100+ indoor rides are inside the 950,000₫ ticket.
What is the cheapest day trip from Da Nang?
The Son Trà peninsula, which is free and 9km away, followed by Hoi An at about 60,000₫ return on the bus before you buy the heritage ticket. The Marble Mountains at 40,000₫ are technically not a day trip at all — they are 11km down the same road you take to Hoi An, which is why almost everyone combines them.