One week in central Vietnam, and what the extra days buy
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One week in central Vietnam is generous rather than tight, which is unusual in this country. The classic route from Hue to Hoi An covers about 140 km. The extra days over the standard five go into staying put rather than into new towns.
What does a week buy over five days?
Time to stop. The five-day route moves every second day; one week in central Vietnam lets you spend four nights in Hoi An and still see everything.
The extra nights matter here more than in other regions, because Hoi An rewards being slept in. The old town is worth having before nine and after seven, and no day trip reaches either hour.
| Days | Where | Nights | What it holds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Hue | 2 | Citadel, two tombs, the river |
| 3 | Da Nang | 1 | Hai Van pass, My Khe, Son Tra |
| 4-7 | Hoi An | 4 | Old town, beach, My Son, a class |
Why that order?
North to south, ending near the airport. Hue is the history and it goes first while you are still in a museum mood. Da Nang breaks the journey and holds the pass. Hoi An is the one you will not want to leave, so it goes last.
Flying into and out of Da Nang makes this the least awkward region in the country to arrange. The airport is in the city, thirty minutes from Hoi An.
Days one and two: Hue
The citadel on the first morning, before the heat. One or two royal tombs follow on the first afternoon: Khai Dinh for the blackened stonework, Tu Duc for the setting. The second day goes to the river, Thien Mu and the market.
Things to do in Hue covers which tombs and how to reach them, and where to stay in Hue covers which bank of the river to sleep on.
Day three: the pass and Da Nang
Take the Hai Van pass rather than the tunnel. It climbs about 500 m over the headland with the sea below, costs an hour more, and is the best road in the region.
A night in Da Nang buys My Khe beach in the morning and Son Tra at dawn, when the langurs are out. The things to do page ranks the rest, including which attraction to skip.
Days four to seven: Hoi An
Four nights, and they fill themselves. The old town at either end of the day, An Bang beach in the middle of it, and a cooking class on one morning.
A tailor is the other use for the time. Two fittings need two days, which is exactly what this length gives you and what five days does not.
My Son goes on the first bus at seven on one of these mornings. The things to do page sets the hours out, and where to stay covers old town against the beach.
What if you have a day spare?
Two options, and they pull in opposite directions. The DMZ sites around the seventeenth parallel are a long day north from Hue, covered in the war sites guide, and they are the serious choice.
The other is Ba Na Hills above Da Nang, which is a theme park with a genuinely striking bridge held up by two stone hands. Go at opening or not at all.
A third possibility is to spend the day doing nothing on An Bang beach, and on a week in this region that is a defensible use of it.
When is the centre at its best?
February to August, and this region has a narrower season than the rest of the country. The central coast takes its rain from September to December, Hoi An floods most years in that window, and the pass spends those months inside cloud.
If your dates fall there, the north or the south is the better trip. The month-by-month guide sets out why Vietnam never has one season at a time.
What does the central week cost?
Roughly 350 to 700 US dollars per person on the ground, excluding flights, which is close to the national average because Hoi An sits above it and Hue below.
The route carries no internal flights and no transfer longer than about two and a half hours, which is the other saving. The cost guide has the daily figures, and the one-week national route compares this against the northern alternative.
FAQ
Is one week enough for central Vietnam?
More than enough, and that is the point. The classic route from Hue to Hoi An covers about 140 km, so a week lets you spend three nights in one place instead of moving every second day. The extra days go into the countryside, the beach and My Son rather than into new towns.
What is the best one week route in central Vietnam?
Two nights in Hue, one in Da Nang, and four in Hoi An, travelling south. That order puts the history first, the city in the middle and the town you will not want to leave at the end, and it ends within thirty minutes of the airport.
Should you take the Hai Van pass or the tunnel?
The pass, unless the weather has closed it. It climbs about 500 m over the headland with the sea on one side and takes an hour longer than the tunnel. The train takes the same coast lower down and is the effortless alternative.
Is My Son worth a day?
Worth a morning rather than a day. The Cham temple ruins sit about 40 km from Hoi An and are modest by regional standards. The first bus at seven is what makes the trip: mist, birds and no coach parties.
When is the best time for central Vietnam?
February to August. The central coast takes its rain from September to December, Hoi An floods most years in that window, and the Hai Van pass loses its view to cloud. That is a narrower season than the north or the south.
Where should you fly into and out of?
Da Nang for both, and it is one of the easiest regions in Vietnam to arrange. The airport sits in the city, thirty minutes from Hoi An and about two and a half hours from Hue over the pass.