Da Nang et Hoi An, Vietnam Guide de voyage

Da Nang is a fast-growing beach city with an airport, a long sandy shore at My Khe and some of central Vietnam's best cheap eating; Hoi An, about 40 minutes south by car, is the lantern-lit UNESCO old trading port. Most travelers do best basing in Da Nang's beach district and spending at least one night in Hoi An.

The recurring traveler complaint runs both ways. Da Nang can feel like beaches, bars and construction with little old-town charm, while Hoi An's Old Town is pretty but crowded, vendor-heavy and priced for tourists. The fix is to use each town for what it does well: Da Nang for the beach, food and nightlife, Hoi An for an evening in the Old Town, a tailor and the countryside across the river.

This guide focuses on the three things people ask about most: which town to base in, how to get clothes tailored without getting burned, and which beaches are still worth it now that coastal erosion has eaten into Hoi An's shoreline.

The best of the area sits just outside the two famous centers: a car-free river island, a fishing village with moss-covered rocks, a quiet art museum, three kitchens that local guides and food critics keep naming, and a beachfront brewery.

Cam Kim Island and Kim Bong carpentry village. Across the Thu Bon River from Hoi An, Cam Kim is a flat, mostly traffic-free island of rice paddies and woodworking villages, and travelers describe it as the easiest escape from Old Town crowds. A bridge from the south-western end of An Hoi (Nguyen Phuc Tan Street) means you can ride straight over, and Local Vietnam notes small boats also run from the dock near the central market. Kim Bong carpentry village is listed at 35,000 VND, 8:00 to 17:30, on the city's January 2026 price list. Cycle it early morning or late afternoon; Rusty Compass warns it is busier than it used to be.

Nam O fishing village and reef. About 17 km north-west of central Da Nang at the foot of the Hai Van Pass, Nam O has a rocky shore that turns green with moss in February and March, an early-morning fish market where boats land their catch, and a fish sauce craft that goes back more than 400 years. Go at low tide around sunrise. The catch: when photos of the moss went viral in February 2023, Tuoi Tre reported thousands of visitors, unlicensed stalls and litter, so weekdays are calmer, and take your rubbish with you.

Da Nang Fine Arts Museum. At 78 Le Duan, about 1 km from the Han River, this three-floor museum of lacquer, silk and oil painting, wartime art and Central Highlands folk carving is the quiet counterpart to the busier Cham Sculpture Museum. Entry is 20,000 VND and it opens 8:00 to 17:00 daily. Plan about 1.5 hours and go on a weekday; guides advise avoiding weekends.

Banh Xeo Ba Duong. A 30-plus-year-old shop at the very end of the alley at 280/23 Hoang Dieu, serving small, crisp banh xeo pancakes, pork skewers and a minced pork and peanut dipping sauce that the Michelin Guide calls a must. You wrap everything yourself in rice paper with herbs; skewers are charged by the stick. Open 9:30 to 21:30 daily.

Thia Go. A two-storey garden restaurant tucked away from the An Thuong strip at 53 Phan Thuc Duyen, holding a 2026 Michelin Bib Gourmand. Order the pho with the mixed beef cuts, or the southern-style banh xeo. Open 10:00 to 22:00, and staff will show first-timers how to eat the pancakes.

Madam Khanh, the Banh Mi Queen. A tiny stall at 115 Tran Cao Van in Hoi An, run by the same family for decades, whose banh mi comes soaked in a rich house sauce. Banh mi eaters are divided over whether it beats the far more famous Banh Mi Phuong, which has the Bourdain fame and the long queue. A sandwich was 20,000 VND in early 2026.

East West Brewing on My Khe beach. The beachfront taproom at 1A Vo Nguyen Giap pours its own rotating craft beers and ciders with burgers and mains, and Da Nang bar guides single out its terrace for sunset. The weekday happy hour runs 13:00 to 18:00; expect prices closer to Western levels than local beer halls.

Most of the traps here are about timing and price rather than outright scams: skip the peak-hour versions and the famous names with long queues.

Skip: Sun World Ba Na Hills on a short trip. Instead: Son Tra Peninsula and the Lady Buddha at Linh Ung Pagoda. Ba Na Hills was listed at 1,000,000 VND for non-resident adults on the city's January 2026 price list, and Indie Traveller found it more of a photo stop for the Golden Bridge than a full day out. The road over Son Tra gives sea views for the price of a Grab ride (around US$6 from the center).

Skip: the queue at Banh Mi Phuong. Instead: Madam Khanh on Tran Cao Van. Phuong is the most famous banh mi in town thanks to Anthony Bourdain, and the queue regularly spills into the street. Banh mi eaters are split on which is better, so try the one without the line.

Skip: Cua Dai beach. Instead: My Khe beach in Da Nang. By December 2025 erosion had gouged 3 to 5 metre drops into parts of Cua Dai, and more than 3 km of Tan Thanh beach was severely eroded too, according to Dan Tri. An Bang still draws beachgoers, but it is on the same erosion list. My Khe has a long, wide beach with loungers under US$2.

Skip: tailors your hotel, driver or a friendly stranger walks you to. Instead: pick a shop yourself from recent reviews. Travelers report being steered to shops by drivers and new 'friends', guides warn that referral commissions get built into the price, and people who rushed an order in two days report clothes that couldn't be fixed. Give yourself three days and several fittings.

Skip: Hoi An Old Town between mid-morning and late afternoon. Instead: early morning and after dark. The most common complaint about the Old Town is crowds and vendor pressure in the middle of the day. After 5:30pm, Phan Chu Trinh closes to traffic and the evening is calmer and cooler.

Avoid building a tight trip around October and November: that is when the 2025 record floods hit Hoi An, and when storms and monsoon waves do the most damage to the coast. February and March are the months for Nam O's green rocks.

October and November. Floods are not a theoretical risk. In late October 2025, record rain put Hoi An under its highest water since 1964, covering about 70 percent of homes and forcing evacuations by boat; the town reopened to visitors within days, but museums and businesses needed weeks of cleanup. If you travel now, keep plans flexible, book refundable rooms and base in Da Nang, which recovers faster.

February and March. The time for Nam O's moss-covered rocks, which are greenest in these months; go at low tide early in the morning.

Any time of year. Start sightseeing early: Indie Traveller notes tour groups reach the Marble Mountains around 9am, two hours after they open at 7am, and the Old Town is calmest before 9am and after 5:30pm.

September to March. Prime surf season on My Khe, with lessons under US$40 according to Indie Traveller. The Cham Islands boats stop for part of the year when seas get rough; guides disagree on the exact months, so check with the operator before you plan around them.

Use ride-hailing apps: Grab and Xanh SM cars are the default way to move around Da Nang and between the two towns, and the ride from Da Nang to Hoi An takes about 40 minutes and cost roughly US$13 each way in 2026.

Inside Hoi An. The Old Town is a walking-and-cycling zone from 9:00 to 21:30 in summer and 9:00 to 21:00 in winter, and Phan Chu Trinh Street closes to traffic from 5:30pm. Rent a bicycle for Cam Kim Island and the rice paddies; the island's roads are flat and quiet.

Old Town tickets. Officially you buy the ticket before entering. The 120,000 VND ticket covers the streets plus five sites (the Japanese Covered Bridge or Quan Cong Temple, one museum and three more of your choice), and the 80,000 VND ticket covers three sites. Keep the stub: one ticket covers repeat entries for up to three days. Under-16s go free.

Scooters. Popular for the Hai Van Pass and Son Tra, but you need a valid licence, and Son Tra's roads are rough in places. For the pass, many travelers book a motorbike tour with a driver instead.

Day trips. My Son Sanctuary (150,000 VND, 6:00 to 18:00) is easiest from Hoi An; go at opening time to beat the heat. Hue is about 100 km away, 2.5 to 3 hours each way.

Base in Da Nang's An Thuong and My An area for beach access, walkable restaurants and bars, then add one or two nights in Hoi An so you can see the Old Town after the day-trippers leave.

An Thuong and My An (Da Nang). The easiest first base: a block or two from the beach, packed with cafés, restaurants and bars, and close to Thia Go and East West Brewing. Indie Traveller recommends it for first-timers.

My Khe (Da Nang). Right on the main beach, slightly busier with hotels; good if you want to swim every morning.

Hai Chau (central Da Nang). More local and busier, near Han Market, the river and the Dragon Bridge, and walking distance to Banh Xeo Ba Duong, the Fine Arts Museum and the Cham Sculpture Museum.

Hoi An Old Town and An Hoi. Stay here for at least one night if you are having clothes made or want to walk the lantern-lit streets after dark and before the morning crowds.

Long stays. Construction noise and karaoke are common complaints; ask about building sites nearby before booking a long stay, and consider viewing apartments in person after a night or two.

Da Nang has the stronger everyday food scene, with 47 Michelin-recognized places in the 2026 guide, most of them cheap family shops; Hoi An's specialties are banh mi, com ga (turmeric chicken rice) and cao lau noodles, and the Old Town has the tourist premium you'd expect.

Banh Xeo Ba Duong. Crisp mini pancakes, pork skewers and peanut-pork dipping sauce at the end of an alley in Hai Chau, the old center where many of Da Nang's Michelin-listed noodle and pancake shops cluster; Michelin-selected in 2026.

Thia Go. Garden seating near An Thuong; order the mixed beef pho or southern-style banh xeo. 2026 Bib Gourmand.

Bep Hen. A family kitchen at 47 Le Hong Phong with 1990s memorabilia on the walls, run since 2015 with mum at the stove. Order the caramelized braised pork with eggs and the stuffed eggplant; Jetsetting Fools paid under US$12 for two mains, rice and two beers.

Mi Quang Ba Mua. A long-running local shop for mi quang, the region's turmeric-yellow noodles served with just a little broth; the original shop is at 19 Tran Binh Trong, and the mixed-meat bowl is the one to order.

Madam Khanh and Banh Mi Phuong. Hoi An's two banh mi legends. Phuong is the famous one with the queue; Madam Khanh, on Tran Cao Van, is the local favorite with the saucier sandwich.

Com Ga Ba Buoi. Hoi An chicken rice since the 1950s, at 22 Phan Chu Trinh: shredded chicken on turmeric rice with papaya slaw and broth. Portions are small and service is brisk, so go early to beat the lunch rush.

Morning Glory. A sit-down Old Town restaurant at 106 Nguyen Thai Hoc for trying several Hoi An dishes in one go, including cao lau and white rose dumplings.

Drinks and nightlife. In Da Nang, East West Brewing is the beachfront craft-beer pick; The Craftsman at 48 Phan Tu is a small speakeasy near An Thuong with themed music nights (recent reviews are mixed since its renovation); The 1920's Lounge at 53 Tran Quoc Toan has live bands every night with no cover; and On The Radio Bar at 76 Thai Phien draws a mostly local crowd for live bands and DJs. In Hoi An, Mango Mango at 45 Nguyen Phuc Chu does craft beer and cocktails with a counter overlooking the night market across the river in An Hoi.

The most common mistakes are rushing tailoring, seeing Hoi An only at midday and ignoring the flood season.

Ordering clothes on your last day. Tailors need at least three days for a consultation, a fitting and a final check (four to five around holidays and weekends). Fix: order on day one, schedule fittings over WhatsApp, and do your final check of the fit before you leave town.

Letting someone else choose your tailor. Drivers, guides and hotel staff can earn a commission that ends up in your price. Fix: shortlist two or three shops from recent reviews and compare fabrics yourself; silk and linen cost more than blends.

Treating Hoi An as a midday stop. Day trips from Da Nang often arrive at the hottest, most crowded hours. Fix: arrive late afternoon, stay for the lanterns, or sleep over.

Assuming the Hoi An beaches are what they were. Erosion has hit Cua Dai, Tan Thanh and An Bang hard. Fix: plan beach time in Da Nang.

Booking non-refundable trips for October and November. The 2025 floods closed the Old Town for days. Fix: keep refundable bookings and build in buffer days.

Losing the Old Town ticket stub. It is your re-entry pass for three days. Fix: keep it with your phone.

One day

Start in Da Nang with a swim at My Khe, then visit the Da Nang Fine Arts Museum when it opens at 8:00 and lunch at Banh Xeo Ba Duong. Ride to Hoi An in the late afternoon, buy the Old Town ticket, and stay through dusk for the lanterns. Dinner at Com Ga Ba Buoi or a banh mi from Madam Khanh.

Two days

Day one as above, but sleep in Hoi An. On day two, cycle across to Cam Kim Island early, stopping at the Kim Bong carpentry workshops, and order clothes from a tailor you chose yourself if you plan to. Head back to Da Nang for dinner at Thia Go and a sunset beer at East West Brewing.

Three days

Add a dawn trip to Nam O fishing village for the fish market and the rocky shore (best in February and March for the moss), then drive back over Son Tra to the Lady Buddha at Linh Ung Pagoda. Finish with dinner at Bep Hen and live music at The 1920's Lounge. If you ordered clothes in Hoi An, this is your final fitting day.

Should I stay in Da Nang or Hoi An?

Base in Da Nang if you want the beach, a wider choice of food and nightlife, and easy airport access. Add one or two nights in Hoi An to see the Old Town at dusk and early morning, which is when it is at its best.

How long do I need for a tailor in Hoi An?

Allow at least three days for a consultation, a fitting and a final check, and four to five around weekends and holidays. Choose the shop yourself rather than through a driver or hotel, and leave time for a final fitting before you leave town.

Do I need a ticket to walk around Hoi An Old Town?

The heritage authority's January 2026 notice says to buy a ticket before entering: 120,000 VND for five sites or 80,000 VND for three, with re-entry for three days. Children under 16 enter free.

Is it safe to visit Da Nang and Hoi An in October or November?

You can go, but expect heavy rain and flood risk: the October 2025 floods were Hoi An's worst since 1964. Keep bookings refundable, watch the weather and base in Da Nang if a storm is forecast.

Which beach is best near Hoi An?

Hoi An's own beaches, Cua Dai, Tan Thanh and An Bang, have been badly eroded. My Khe in Da Nang is the more reliable choice for a long, wide stretch of sand.