Da Nang & Hoi An Self-Launched: Ancient Towns, My Son & Ba Na Hills
4 days · Da Nang & Hoi An, Vietnam
Asia Focus Travel charges £252
No-markup version: ~£196 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A 4-day self-launched version of Asia Focus Travel's Da Nang & Hoi An group tour. Book your own budget hotel in Hoi An's old quarter, take a cooking class and My Son tour through GetYourGuide or Klook, ride the Ba Na Hills cable car on a self-purchased ticket, and use cheap Grab rides, local buses and shuttle transfers instead of a private coach. Same sights — Hoi An Ancient Town, My Son Sanctuary, Golden Bridge and the Marble Mountains — for roughly £180–200 solo instead of the operator's discounted $320pp. All costs are approximate and based on backpacker/mid-budget rates.
Day-by-day
Arrive Da Nang, transfer to Hoi An & walk the Ancient Town by lantern light
Da Nang → Hoi An
Land at Da Nang International Airport and skip the tour pick-up — pre-book a Grab/Be car or shared airport shuttle to Hoi An (about 45 mins, £6–9 by Grab car, or £3–4 on a shared shuttle/Minibus booked via Klook). Check into a budget hotel or guesthouse inside or just outside Hoi An's old quarter (e.g. a Vinh Hung-area guesthouse; dorm beds £6–9, private doubles £18–28). Late afternoon, buy the Hoi An Old Town entrance ticket (120,000 VND, ~£4) which covers the Japanese Covered Bridge, Tan Ky Ancient House, the Cantonese Assembly Hall and the Museum of Trade Ceramics — all self-visitable on the same ticket. Evening: see a short traditional performance at the Hoi An Traditional Performing Arts House (included in the ticket, show times posted at the door), then browse Hoi An Night Market and pay a local boatman directly on the Thu Bon River for a 20–30 min lantern boat ride with a flower lantern (~£3–4, negotiate on the quay). Dinner: try cao lau, white rose dumplings and Hoi An chicken rice at a local street-side restaurant (£4–6).
🚌Grab/Be car from Da Nang Airport to Hoi An £6–9 (solo), or Klook shared shuttle £3–4; walk everywhere in Hoi An
🛏Budget guesthouse/hotel in Hoi An old quarter (dorm £6–9 or private double £18–28)
- →Old Town entrance ticket (bridge, Tan Ky house, assembly hall, ceramics museum)
- →Traditional art performance at Hoi An Performing Arts House
- →Hoi An Night Market
- →Self-arranged lantern boat ride on the Thu Bon River
Market-to-table cooking class at Cam Thanh & afternoon My Son Sanctuary
Hoi An / Cam Thanh / My Son
Book a small-group Hoi An cooking class via GetYourGuide or Klook (approx £22–28, includes market tour, boat transfer to Cam Thanh coconut village, class and lunch). Morning: meet your chef at Hoi An Central Market to shop for herbs and vegetables, then take the short boat or shuttle to Cam Thanh and cook four to five dishes (pho, banh xeo, fresh spring rolls, cao lau) in a palm-fringed garden setting — lunch is your own cooked meal. In the early afternoon take a shared minibus or Grab to My Son Sanctuary (40 km, ~1 hr; Klook My Son sunrise/afternoon tour ~£12–15 including entry and guide, or do it yourself: Grab car ~£14 each way plus 150,000 VND entry). Explore the Cham temple ruins with a local guide and catch one of the free Champa traditional dance performances staged near the main tower group. Return to Hoi An by tour bus or Grab; if you do it independently, hop on the local shuttle boat down the Thu Bon River back to town (~£3). Dinner on Bach Dang or Tran Phu street (£4–6).
🚌Walking in Hoi An; cooking class boat transfer; shared minibus or Grab to My Son and back included in tour (£0 extra if booked as a tour); independent option ~£10–14 transport
🛏Same Hoi An guesthouse/hotel
- →Hoi An Central Market visit with chef
- →Cooking class in Cam Thanh village with meal
- →My Son Sanctuary with local guide
- →Champa traditional dance performance
Ba Na Hills & the Golden Bridge — self-ticketed cable car day
Ba Na Hills / Da Nang
Buy your Ba Na Hills cable car ticket directly online or at the gate (approx 900,000–950,000 VND, ~£28–30 — includes all cable car lines, Golden Bridge, French Village, Linh Ung Pagoda, the Fantasy Park amusement zone with the 5D/4D rides, Lava Train, Helios Waterfall, Moon Kingdom and the carnival-style shows). Organise your own transport: a Klook/GetYourGuide Ba Na Hills shared shuttle from Hoi An or Da Nang runs ~£8–11 return, or take a Grab car (~£18–22 each way from Hoi An) — a shared shuttle is much cheaper for a solo traveller. Arrive early (aim for 8am) to beat the Golden Bridge crowds and the midday cloud. Lunch: buffet at one of the in-park restaurants or cheaper food stalls inside French Village (£8–12). Late afternoon ride back down and transfer to Da Nang — check into a budget hotel in the My Khe Beach area (the operator uses Sea Front Hotel; equivalents £15–25 private, £8–10 dorm). Evening: swim at My Khe Beach and eat seafood or mi quang at a local Da Nang spot (£5–7).
🚌Klook/GetYourGuide shared shuttle Hoi An–Ba Na Hills–Da Nang ~£8–11 return, or Grab ~£18–22 each way; local Grab in Da Nang £1–2
🛏Budget hotel near My Khe Beach, Da Nang (£15–25 private / £8–10 dorm)
- →Ba Na Hills cable car & Dream Stream station
- →Golden Bridge
- →Le Jardin d'Amour gardens and Linh Ung Pagoda
- →French Village, Campanile and carnival shows
- →Fantasy Park rides, Lava Train, Helios Waterfall, Moon Kingdom
Son Tra Lady Buddha, Marble Mountains & departure
Da Nang (Son Tra Peninsula / Marble Mountains)
Check out and leave bags at the hotel. Take a Grab to Son Tra Peninsula (15–20 mins, ~£2–3) to visit Linh Ung Pagoda and its 67-metre Lady Buddha statue, with free viewpoints over Da Nang bay — entrance is free, dress modestly. Then head south to the Marble Mountains (Ngu Hanh Son): pay the 40,000 VND (~£1.30) entry plus 15,000–20,000 VND for the lift, and walk up to Huyen Khong Cave, Tang Chon Cave, Am Phu Cave, the River View and Ocean View towers. Pop into Non Nuoc stone-carving village at the foot of the mountains for the sculpture workshops (free to browse). Lunch: a bowl of mi quang and banh xeo at a local Da Nang eatery (£3–4). Allow 2–3 hours before your airport transfer — Grab to Da Nang International Airport is ~£2–4, so book a flight departing mid-to-late afternoon.
🚌Grab/Be around Da Nang £2–4 per hop; Grab to Da Nang Airport £2–4
🛏N/A — departure day
- →Linh Ung Pagoda & Lady Buddha, Son Tra Peninsula
- →Marble Mountains (Huyen Khong, Tang Chon, Am Phu caves)
- →Non Nuoc stone carving village
Self-launched vs. Asia Focus Travel
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Asia Focus Travel | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£196 | £252 |
| Duration | 4 days | 4 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £56 per person (22%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Asia Focus Travel-style trips? Check them out here.~£196
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Da Nang & Hoi An Self-Launched: Ancient Towns, My Son & Ba Na Hills cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £196 per person for 4 days in Da Nang & Hoi An, Vietnam. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Asia Focus Travel?+
Yes — Asia Focus Travel charges around £252 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £196 — a saving of roughly £56 (22%) per person.
How long is the Da Nang & Hoi An, Vietnam trip?+
This itinerary runs 4 days, covering 4 day-by-day stops through Da Nang & Hoi An, Vietnam.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, foodie, budget trip through Da Nang & Hoi An, Vietnam, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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