10 Days in Central Vietnam: Our Da Nang, Hoi An & Hue Itinerary

We spent 10 days exploring Central Vietnam, travelling through Da Nang, Hoi An and Hue.

Our trip combined beaches, history, local food, Vietnamese coffee, scenic road journeys and a little shopping. We planned enough activities to see the major highlights, but also left some time unplanned so that we could explore at our own pace.

This was our actual trip, including our 10-day itinerary, flights, Vietnam e-Visa experience, accommodation, transport, food, activities, approximate costs and what we would do differently.

Trip duration: 10 days / 9 nights
Route: Da Nang → Hoi An → Hue → Da Nang
Travelled from: India
Airline: Vietnam Airlines
Travel style: Comfortable, experience-focused and value-conscious

✈️ Flights: How We Booked Our Vietnam Trip

Our trip was planned fairly last minute, so we used Skyscanner's Flexible Dates feature to compare fares around our preferred travel dates.

Instead of checking just one date, we looked at nearby dates to see whether shifting our trip slightly could give us a better fare.

We eventually booked our flights with Vietnam Airlines.

Our Central Vietnam Route

🛂 Vietnam e-Visa: Our Experience

We applied for our Vietnam e-Visas online through the official Vietnam e-Visa portal -> https://evisa.gov.vn/

The Standard fee is:

• US$25 — Single entry

• US$50 — Multiple entry

Our visas were approved in 4 working days.

We received our visas in 4 working days.

For the application photograph, we simply captured our portraits using a mobile phone and uploaded them after making sure they met the application requirements.

We didn't use a professional photography studio for the visa photograph.

Our tip: Keep your passport and travel details ready, double-check the information before submitting, and apply well ahead of your trip rather than relying on the minimum processing time.

Our e-Visa tip

We kept our passport and travel details ready before starting the application and double-checked all the information before submitting it.

Although our applications came through in four working days, we wouldn't recommend planning around the minimum processing period. Applying well before the trip gives you some buffer in case additional processing is required.

The official portal is the best place to check the current requirements and fees before applying.

Staying Connected in Vietnam

We pre-booked our eSIMs before the trip.

We chose an unlimited-data plan because we were going to use our phones extensively for maps, bookings, Grab, translations and general travel.

For phones that didn't support eSIM, physical SIM options were also available for airport collection.

Having connectivity from the moment we landed made navigation and getting around considerably easier.

💵 Cash, Cards and  Currency

We carried around US$500 / ₹50,000 for four people for the 10-day trip, in addition to our zero-forex credit cards.

Since we had already pre-booked most of our day trips and activities, a portion of our major expenses was already paid.

Vietnam still involved a fair amount of cash spending during our trip, so we kept some Vietnamese currency available.

We exchanged USD in Da Nang and Hoi An. We found the exchange rates in Da Nang better than those we received later in Hoi An and Hue.

Our practical takeaway was to avoid waiting until the last destination to exchange all our money.

Day 3 — Da Nang → Marble Mountains → Hoi An

We started Day 3 with a half-day tour covering some of Da Nang's major sights.

Our route included:

Son Tra Mountain → Linh Ung Pagoda → Marble Mountains → Am Phu Cave

The highlight for us was exploring Marble Mountains, particularly Am Phu Cave.

Day 1 — Arriving in Da Nang

We arrived in Da Nang in the afternoon and kept our first day relatively relaxed.

After checking in, we explored the surrounding area and spent some time around the Han River. 

In the evening, we took a short Han River and Dragon Bridge cruise.

It was a good way to start the trip without trying to fit several attractions into our first few hours.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at Fivitel Boutique Danang, which was within walking distance of the Han River and Dragon Bridge.

Our room cost was approximately ₹2,500 per night.

Day 2 — Ba Na Hills & Golden Bridge

Day 2 was one of the best days of our trip.

We visited Ba Na Hills, including the famous Golden Bridge, French Village and the cable car experience.

We also tried the Alpine Coaster, which was one of the highlights for us.

We booked the Ba Na Hills tickets in advance and arranged a private round-trip transfer from Da Nang.

Our costs

• Ba Na Hills admission: approximately ₹3,500+ per person

• Private SUV transfer: approximately ₹3,000 for 4–5 people

We could also have used the shuttle-bus option - which has been recently made free for tourists. 

Day 4 — My Son Sanctuary & Vietnamese Coffee

We spent the morning visiting My Son Sanctuary.

The site gave us an interesting insight into the history of the Champa civilisation in Vietnam.ry.
We had booked this early morning half day tour via GetyourGuide.

We had booked this via Klook with Hotel pickup and drop and lunch included. Check my Klook Kreatorshop for tour reference.

After the sightseeing, we continued towards Hoi An. Booked last minute transfer via Klook for this since it was cheaper than Grab.

We checked into our accommodation and kept the evening relatively relaxed.

Would we stay overnight?

In hindsight, Ba Na Hills could easily justify an overnight stay if the weather and atmosphere are important to you. The French Village and surrounding setting looked particularly beautiful, and a day trip felt slightly rushed.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at Hoianese Tranquil Guest House. Highly recommended for the Hoianese cultural and local experience. The hosts are brilliant.

Cost per room - ₹3600-4000/night

Later, we joined a Vietnamese coffee workshop.

The workshop went beyond simply making coffee. We also made lanterns and rice paper, which made it a more interesting cultural experience.

The combination worked well for us—half a day exploring history and culture, followed by something much more relaxed.

Our approximate costs

• My Son Sanctuary experience: ₹591 per person

• Coffee workshop: ₹1,660 per person

🎟️ Tour we booked

My Son Sanctuary / Hoi An Coffee experience via GetYourGuide

Day 5 — Exploring Hoi An

We kept Day 5 relatively relaxed.

We spent time exploring Hoi An Ancient Town, walking through its streets, visiting historic buildings and taking in the atmosphere.

Some of the places we visited or explored included:

• Japanese Covered Bridge

• Museum of Folk Culture

• Fujian Assembly Hall

• Old House of Tan Ky

• Local temples and markets

Our accommodation also offered us a complimentary walking tour of Hoi An. 

Cam Thanh Coconut Village

We also visited Cam Thanh Coconut Village and experienced the traditional basket boats.

The experience included activities such as crab fishing, and we even got spun around in the basket boat.

It was one of the more playful experiences of the trip.

Evening was spent exploring the lanes of Hoi An and sinking in the vibes! 
If you are looking to get coffee to carry back home, check this shop - Trí Long Coffee in Hoi An.  

Day 6 — Hoi An → Hue via Hai Van Pass

One of our favourite travel days was the journey from Hoi An to Hue.

Instead of taking the most direct route, we travelled by road via the Hai Van Pass. Booked this tour via Getyourguide.

Our route was roughly:

Hoi An → Lang Co Beach → Lap An Lagoon → Hai Van Pass → An Bang Cemetery → Hue

The journey itself became part of the experience.

Hai Van Quan

Our first major stop was Hai Van Quan, where we got panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.

Lap An Lagoon

We crossed the area around Lap An Lagoon and saw the local oyster-farming setup.

We stopped there for lunch and had fresh seafood, including BBQ oysters, prawn rolls and rice.

An Bang Cemetery

Our final major stop before Hue was An Bang Cemetery, known for its elaborate tombs.

We then continued to Hue and checked into our accommodation.

Where We Stayed in Hue

We stayed in a three-bedroom Airbnb in Hue.

The accommodation cost approximately ₹6,000 per night.

Day 7 —Exploring Imperial Hue

Hue was very different from Da Nang and Hoi An.

Our focus here was mainly on history, architecture and the imperial heritage of Vietnam.

We explored:

• Imperial City

• Thien Mu Pagoda

• Khai Dinh Tomb

• Other royal monuments

🎟️ Tour we booked

Hue Discovery Full Day tour — Klook 

Day 8 —A Slower Day in Hue

We intentionally kept Day 8 less structured.

After several busy sightseeing days, we wanted time to explore Hue at a slower pace.

We did some shopping, explored parts of the city and visited shopping malls.

We had considered taking a day trip to Phong Nha and Paradise Cave, but ultimately decided against adding another long journey.

We were glad we did.

Our travel lesson

We don't think every day of a trip needs to be completely planned.

Leaving some breathing room gave us time to slow down, explore spontaneously and simply enjoy being in Hue.

Day 9 — Hue → Da Nang by Train

For our return to Da Nang, we chose the train instead of another road transfer.

The Hue–Da Nang train journey took around three hours and became another experience in itself.

We pre-booked our tickets via Klook and paid approximately US$10 per person.

After reaching Da Nang, we took a Grab from the railway station to our accommodation near My Khe Beach.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at Nguyen Gia Hotel near My Khe Beach.

The views from our room were one of the highlights.

In the evening, we spent some time by the beach and later had dinner at Pizza 4P's.

We booked a tour with hotel pickup, drop and lunch included, which made the day easier to manage.

Day 10 — Beach Sunrise & Home

On our final morning, we headed to the beach for sunrise.

We deliberately didn't schedule any major sightseeing because we had a flight to catch.

After breakfast and checkout, we headed to the airport.

For us, keeping the final day simple worked much better than trying to squeeze in one last attraction.

☕ Our Vietnamese Coffee Experience

Vietnamese coffee became one of the highlights of our trip.

We tried:

• Egg coffee

• Coconut coffee

• Salt coffee

• Traditional Vietnamese coffee

The coffee workshop in Hoi An gave us a better understanding of how Vietnamese coffee is prepared.

We also bought some Vietnamese coffee to take home.

How Much Did Our Trip Cost?

Our approximate major trip cost came to ₹96,000 per person, excluding variable expenses such as food and shopping.

The figure included our major pre-planned expenses such as flights, accommodation, visa, insurance, transport and activities.

Because our trip involved four people and several shared costs, the per-person figure can change significantly depending on group size.

What can change the cost?

• Flight dates

• Hotel category

• Number of travellers

• Private vs shared transfers

• Activities selected

• Exchange rates

• Food and shopping

• Discounts available at the time of booking

So we would treat ₹96,000 per person as a reference for our trip, rather than a fixed price for a 10-day Central Vietnam holiday.

💡 How We Saved on the Trip

We didn't try to make the trip as cheap as possible. Instead, we compared options and looked for good value.

Flights

We used Skyscanner Flexible Dates to compare different travel dates before booking Vietnam Airlines.

Accommodation

We compared accommodation options before booking rather than choosing the first option we found.

Activities

We compared tours across Klook and GetYourGuide and booked the options that worked best for our itinerary.

Transport

We used a combination of:

• Grab

• Private transfers

• Pre-booked tours

• Train

depending on the route.

Our biggest takeaway was simple:

Compare before booking.

A few minutes spent comparing flights, hotels, transfers and activities can make a noticeable difference to the overall trip cost.

Planning A Vietnam trip  from India

For us, travelling from India, the main planning items were:

1. Finding suitable international flights

2. Applying for the Vietnam e-Visa

3. Comparing accommodation

4. Planning transport between Da Nang, Hoi An and Hue

5. Pre-booking major attractions

6. Carrying some cash along with zero-forex cards

7. Arranging connectivity before departure

The advantage of planning these items beforehand was that we didn't have to spend much time figuring out basic logistics after landing.

Final Thoughts

Our Central Vietnam trip gave us a good mix of sightseeing, food, culture and downtime without making the itinerary feel too rushed.

If we were planning the trip again, we'd keep the overall Da Nang → Hoi An → Hue route largely the same.

Each destination offered something different, and the combination worked particularly well for a 10-day trip.

Our biggest takeaway was that a good itinerary isn't necessarily one where we see the maximum number of places.

It's one where we have enough time to actually enjoy the places we visit.

This was our personal itinerary and experience. Prices, visa requirements, availability and travel conditions can change, so we recommend checking the latest information before planning your own trip.

🍜 Food We Tried in Central Vietnam

Food was an important part of our trip.

We tried or looked for:

• Bun Bo Hue

• Banh Beo

• Banh Khoai

• Nem Lui

• Cao Lau

• White Rose dumplings

• Banh Mi

• Vietnamese BBQ

• Local desserts and snacks

We also found that vegetarian food was reasonably easy to find.

Our Central Vietnam Trip at a Glance

✈️Destination: Central Vietnam
📅 Duration: 10 days / 9 nights
📍 Route: Da Nang → Hoi An → Hue → Da Nang
🏨 Nights: 3 Da Nang + 3 Hoi An + 3 Hue
💰 Approx. cost: ₹96,000/person
✈️ Airline: Vietnam Airlines
🛂 Visa: Vietnam e-Visa
📱 Visa photo: Captured using mobile phone
🏛️ Highlights: Ba Na Hills, Marble Mountains, Hoi An Ancient Town, My Son, Cam Thanh, Hai Van Pass and Hue Imperial City
🚆 Special journey: Hue → Da Nang by train

Is 10 Days Enough for Central Vietnam?

Yes. Based on our experience, 10 days worked well for Da Nang, Hoi An and Hue.

We spent three nights in each destination and used the remaining travel time for the journey back to Da Nang.

Our route was:

Da Nang → Hoi An → Hue → Da Nang

This gave us enough time for major attractions such as Ba Na Hills, Marble Mountains, My Son Sanctuary, Hoi An Ancient Town, Hai Van Pass and the Imperial City of Hue without making every day completely packed.

A small Lotusmiles tip

Since we were flying with Vietnam Airlines, we also signed up for Lotusmiles.

At the time of our registration, a 1,000-mile new-member/referral offer was available. Such promotions are subject to their respective terms and validity periods, so the offer should be checked when signing up.

Our approach was simple: if we were flying anyway, we wanted to make sure we were collecting the available airline miles.

Our tip: If your travel dates are flexible, compare a few days around your preferred dates before finalising your flights.

Ended the day with beautiful lantern ride. This is not to be missed

🗓️ If You Only Have 7 Days

If we had only seven days, we would simplify the itinerary rather than trying to fit everything in.

Days 1–2: Da Nang
Days 3–5: Hoi An
Days 6–7: Hue

We would remove some of the slower activities and probably skip Phong Nha.

🗓️ If We Had 14 Days

With four additional days, we would add another destination rather than simply extending our stay in the same cities.

Depending on interests, possible additions would include:

• Phong Nha

• Nha Trang

• Hanoi

• Ho Chi Minh City

• Phu Quoc

We would particularly consider Phong Nha if we wanted to continue exploring Central Vietnam.

❓ Central Vietnam Itinerary FAQs

Is 10 days enough for Da Nang, Hoi An and Hue?

Yes. We spent three nights in each destination, which gave us enough time to cover the major highlights without making every day too busy.

How many days should I spend in Da Nang?

We spent three nights in Da Nang. This gave us time for the city, Ba Na Hills, Marble Mountains and some beach time.

How many days should I spend in Hoi An?

We spent three nights in Hoi An. This worked well for the Ancient Town, My Son Sanctuary, Cam Thanh Coconut Village and our coffee experience.

How many days should I spend in Hue?

We spent three nights in Hue. Two days were enough for the major sights, while the additional day allowed us to explore at a slower pace.

What is the best route for Central Vietnam?

The route we followed was:

Da Nang → Hoi An → Hue → Da Nang

It worked well because Da Nang was our arrival and departure point, while Hoi An and Hue formed a natural overland route.

Is the Hai Van Pass worth visiting?

For us, yes. The journey from Hoi An to Hue via Hai Van Pass was one of the most memorable parts of the trip because the transfer itself became a sightseeing experience.

Is the Hue to Da Nang train worth taking?

We enjoyed it. The journey took around three hours and gave us a different perspective of the landscape.

How much does a 10-day Central Vietnam trip cost?

Our approximate major trip cost was ₹96,000 per person, excluding variable expenses such as food and shopping. Actual costs can vary considerably.

Do Indians need a visa for Vietnam?

Indian passport holders need the appropriate Vietnamese entry permission. We applied for Vietnam's e-Visa online and received ours in four working days. Current entry requirements should always be checked before travelling.

Can the Vietnam e-Visa photograph be taken on a phone?

We captured our portrait photographs using a mobile phone and uploaded them successfully. The photograph still needs to meet the requirements specified by the official e-Visa application system.

🧭 Our Central Vietnam Experience

Looking back, we liked the balance this itinerary gave us.

Da Nang gave us beaches, city life and major attractions.

Hoi An was slower and more atmospheric, and we spent a lot of time walking through its streets and exploring local experiences.

Hue was different again, with its imperial history, architecture and monuments.

The journeys between destinations also became part of our experience, particularly the Hai Van Pass road journey and the Hue–Da Nang train.

If we had to summarise our trip:

History + Beaches + Food + Coffee + Shopping + Scenic Journeyscking the latest information before planning your own trip.

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