Day trips from Hoi An
The 6 day-trips from Hoi An — My Son, Cu Lao Cham island, Marble Mountains, Hue via Hai Van Pass, Tra Que herb village, Ba Na Hills.
How day trips from Hoi An work
Hoi An sits in a convenient pocket of central Vietnam. Da Nang airport is 30 km north. Hue is around 120 km further north. The cluster of attractions within a two-hour radius makes Hoi An one of the better bases for day trips in the country.
Most visitors spend two or three nights here and fill their days with a mix of the Ancient Town, tailors, and food. If you have four or more nights, day trips start to make sense. The six options below cover the realistic range — from a quick half-day to a full eight-hour round trip.
Getting around: hired motorbike drivers (xe om) and private cars are the standard options. Tour operators in the Ancient Town sell group day trips that bundle transport and a guide for most of the destinations below. Private hire gives you more control over timing and is worth it for anything involving a mountain road.
My Son Cham ruins
My Son is a UNESCO-listed complex of Cham Hindu temples in a jungle valley about 40 km west of Hoi An. It takes roughly an hour to reach by road. The site was heavily bombed during the war and several towers are in poor condition, but the surviving structures — brick towers built between the 4th and 13th centuries — are genuinely impressive.
Plan for a morning visit. The site gets hot and crowded by midday. Most group tours leave Hoi An around 8am and return by noon. Entry is around 150,000 VND (roughly 6 USD) as of early 2026.
A few towers are cordoned off for conservation. Go with realistic expectations: this is an archaeological site, not a fully restored complex. The jungle setting adds atmosphere.
Cu Lao Cham island
Cu Lao Cham is a small island about 15 km off the coast of Hoi An, reachable by speedboat from Cua Dai pier in 20 minutes or by slower wooden boat in around an hour. It sits inside a UNESCO biosphere reserve and the surrounding waters have reasonable snorkelling.
The island has a fishing village, a few beaches, and basic seafood restaurants. It works well as a beach day if you want to get off the mainland. Most day trips run from around 8am to 4pm. Tour prices typically include the boat, snorkelling gear, and lunch, and run roughly 350,000 to 500,000 VND per person in a group setting.
The island is closed to day visitors from roughly October to March due to rough seas. Check conditions before booking.
Marble Mountains
The Marble Mountains are a cluster of five limestone and marble hills about 9 km north of Da Nang and 25 km from Hoi An. Each hill is named after a natural element. The most visited, Thuy Son (Water Mountain), has caves containing Buddhist shrines, viewpoints over the coast, and stone carving workshops at the base.
You can reach the Marble Mountains by hired motorbike in under 45 minutes from Hoi An. Entry is around 40,000 VND. An elevator to the upper level costs an additional 15,000 VND. Plan two to three hours on site, then continue into Da Nang if you want to extend the day.
This works well as a half-day combined with a lunch stop in Da Nang.
Hue via Hai Van Pass
Hue is the former imperial capital and one of the more historically significant cities in Vietnam. The drive from Hoi An passes over Hai Van Pass — a mountain road with ocean views on both sides — which makes the journey itself part of the attraction.
By private car or motorbike the drive takes around two hours each way. Group tours exist but a private driver gives you flexibility to stop at the pass and at Lang Co beach below it.
In Hue: the Imperial Citadel is the main site. Entry is around 200,000 VND. The royal tombs outside the city are worth adding if you have the time, but two tombs plus the citadel is a full day and involves additional entry fees.
This is a long day — expect 10 to 12 hours door to door. It is manageable but tiring.
Tra Que herb village (half-day)
Tra Que is a working herb farm village about 3 km north of the Ancient Town. Farmers here supply fresh herbs to Hoi An restaurants. Most visitors join a short guided walk through the plots, try their hand at basic farming tasks, and then take a cooking class using produce from the farm.
This is a half-day activity, not a full day trip. It pairs well with an afternoon in the Ancient Town or a cooking class in the evening. Prices for a combined farm visit and cooking class run roughly 500,000 to 800,000 VND per person depending on the operator.
Ba Na Hills
Ba Na Hills is a French colonial hill station turned cable-car theme park, operated by Sun World, about 45 km from Hoi An in the Da Nang mountains. It is the site of the Golden Bridge — the bridge held up by giant stone hands that circulates widely on travel photography feeds.
Be clear about what this is: a large commercial mountain resort with rides, a wax museum, restaurants, and themed zones alongside the colonial-era buildings. It draws large domestic tour groups and can feel very crowded on weekends and public holidays.
Entry plus cable car is around 750,000 to 900,000 VND per adult as of early 2026. Transport from Hoi An adds to the cost. Allow a full day.
Pricing reality
A rough guide for 2026, in USD at current rates:
- Group day tour (My Son or Cu Lao Cham): 15 to 25 USD per person, usually including transport and basic lunch
- Private car hire for a full day: 50 to 80 USD total depending on destination and negotiation
- Ba Na Hills entry: 30 to 35 USD before transport
- Hue private driver day: 60 to 90 USD for the car, plus site entry fees
Prices quoted by tour operators in the Ancient Town vary. It is worth comparing two or three operators before booking. The difference between operators is often the quality of the guide rather than the itinerary.
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