About the route from Hoi An to Da Nang
Hoi An is a small town with no airport and no train station of its own, so anyone continuing their journey almost always makes a short hop to Da Nang first. The drive covers about 28 kilometers and takes 40 to 45 minutes, either along the quicker, more scenic coastal road or the slightly slower inland highway. Whether you are visiting Da Nang for its own sake or just passing through for onward transport, the options below are the same. What changes is where you want to be dropped, and how much time you should leave.
Da Nang is the big coastal city just north of Hoi An, and the transport hub for the whole central region. Beyond that role it is worth time in its own right, with a long city beach, the Dragon Bridge, and the Marble Mountains on its southern edge, and it makes a more urban, faster-paced contrast to quiet, low-rise Hoi An. Whether you are stopping to explore or simply passing through, our Da Nang travel guide covers what is there. If you are still shaping your time in the old town first, our Hoi An travel guide has that end covered.
Heading to Da Nang airport or railway station
Most people making this trip are aiming for one of two places. Da Nang Airport is the region’s main air hub, with domestic and international flights, and sits about 45 minutes from Hoi An by car. If you have a flight, leave plenty of margin: allow for traffic on top of the drive, plus the usual check-in time, so aim to depart Hoi An around two to three hours before a domestic flight and more before an international one.
Da Nang Railway Station, close to the city center, is the nearest station to Hoi An and your starting point for trains up and down the coast. Taxis, ride-hailing cars, private transfers, and most shuttles will take you straight to either one; the local bus, as noted below, will not.
Option 1: By taxi from Hoi An to Da Nang
A taxi is one of the simplest ways to make the trip, especially if you are heading to the airport or station with luggage. You can pick one up at your hotel or from a rank in Hoi An and be dropped exactly where you need to be in Da Nang. The two names to trust are Mai Linh and Vinasun, both metered and reliable. Avoid unmarked cars and any driver who quotes a flat fare well above the going rate.
A metered taxi from Hoi An to Da Nang usually runs between 300,000 and 400,000 VND, roughly $12 to $16, depending on your exact pickup and drop-off and the time of day. The airport and the station, both a little beyond the center, sit toward the top of that range. The main downside compared with the apps below is that the final price only appears at the end of the ride. Have cash ready, though some taxis now take cards.
Option 2: By ride-hailing app
Booking through an app is usually the smarter version of a taxi, because you see the exact fare before you commit and there is nothing to settle at the end. Grab is the one most travelers use and works much like Uber. Xanh SM runs electric cars and is often a little cheaper, though signing up can need a Vietnamese phone number, and Be is a local alternative worth checking for price. You will need internet, so a local SIM makes this far easier.
Fares generally land between 250,000 and 350,000 VND, around $10 to $14, a touch under a metered taxi at normal times. The catch is that prices track demand: quiet periods are cheaper, but rain or rush hour can push a fare above what a taxi would cost. For the airport the app drops you right at the terminal, so this works well for a flight, as long as you build in extra time during busy stretches.
Option 3: By pre-booked private transfer
A private transfer is a car and driver arranged in advance, at a price fixed before you travel. It is the most relaxed choice when you are catching a flight or train and would rather not leave anything to chance, since the driver meets you and takes you straight to the terminal or platform. You can arrange one through your Hoi An hotel, a local agency, or an online platform, and our guide to renting a car with a driver in Vietnam explains how it works.
Private transfers usually start from around 250,000 VND, roughly $10 to $11, for a standard car, rising with vehicle size. It costs more than a shared shuttle or the bus, but for a fixed price and a door-to-door ride with luggage, many travelers find it worth the difference. If you book a full trip with Local Vietnam, a private car to or from Da Nang is often already part of the arrangement, with a driver waiting for you by name.
Option 4: By tourist shuttle
Shared tourist shuttles run set routes between Hoi An and Da Nang in comfortable, air-conditioned minivans, and they sit nicely in the middle on price. Companies such as Barri Ann Travel and April Adventure run several departures a day, picking up in Hoi An and dropping at the Da Nang center, the airport, or points around town. You choose a fixed departure time and book ahead, online or through your hotel.
A seat costs somewhere between 120,000 and 250,000 VND, around $5 to $10 per person, with airport runs at the higher end. Because the van makes several pickups and drop-offs, it takes a little longer than a private car, and you are tied to set times rather than leaving when you please. For solo travelers and couples who want comfort without the cost of a private car, and especially those heading to the airport, it is a solid pick, as long as you choose a departure that leaves enough buffer before your flight.
Option 5: By local bus from Hoi An to Da Nang
The local public bus is by far the cheapest way across, and also the least straightforward. This is ordinary public transport used mostly by locals, not a tourist service. In Hoi An you board along Ly Thuong Kiet Street, near the Old Town, and the bus takes an inland route into Da Nang, ending at the Central Bus Station with stops along Tran Phu Street in the center. The ride takes about an hour.
The fare is only around 30,000 to 35,000 VND, roughly $1 to $1.50, paid in cash to the driver, so it helps to carry small notes. Be aware that the service has changed over the years and the route numbering is confusing, currently run as route LK-02, with stops that are not always clearly signed. One thing matters in particular: the bus does not go to the airport, only as far as the bus station a few kilometers short of it, so it is a poor choice if you have a flight to catch. For a cheap, unhurried trip into the city, though, it does the job.
Conclusion: Best way to travel from Hoi An to Da Nang
The best way from Hoi An to Da Nang depends on what you are doing and how you like to travel.
If you are catching a flight or train and want no stress, book a private transfer. A fixed price, a driver who meets you, and a door-to-door ride to the terminal or platform take the guesswork out of a day when timing matters.
If you would rather sort it out on the spot, use a ride-hailing app like Grab, or a metered Mai Linh or Vinasun taxi if you have no internet. Both take you exactly where you need to go, with the app usually cheaper and clearer on price.
If you are on a smaller budget but still want comfort, take a tourist shuttle. It is affordable, air-conditioned, and runs to the airport too, as long as you pick a departure with time to spare.
And if you are counting every dong and not in a hurry, the local bus will get you into Da Nang for about a dollar, as long as you do not mind hunting for the right stop and are not heading for the airport.
In short: for a flight or train, pre-book a transfer; for flexibility, a taxi or app; for value with comfort, the shuttle; for the lowest price, the local bus.
