Hoi An

Getting there and away

Train

The nearest train station is in Da Nang. Heading to Hoi An, you won't have any trouble catching a xe om willing to take you to Hoi An -- if anything, you'll likely have to fend off willing drivers. Expect to pay around $5, including a stop at the Marble Mountains on the way.

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Bus

There is a bus station in town -- on Nguyen Tat Thanh at the corner of Le Hong Phong. One might assume, as we did, that you can save big by catching a regular bus rather than booking something in town. But we learned otherwise. There are departures from this station to the north and south, especially Da Nang, which costs locals 10,000 VND and foreigners 20,000 VND. But by the time you factor in a ride to the bus station, the fact that these are packed local buses that take two hours to cover 35km, that tour buses pick you up at the hotel, cost only US$3 and take just 40 minutes -- the beaten path suddenly becomes the most attractive way to go.

Some sample Open Tour tickets:

Da Lat: takes 18 hours and costs US$15
Da Nang: takes 45 minutes and costs US$3
Hue: takes 5.5 hours and costs US$7
Mui Ne: takes 17 hours and costs US$15
Nha Trang: takes 12 hours and costs US$10
Qui Nhon: takes 6 hours and costs $7
Saigon: takes 21-22 hours (depending on via Mui Ne or Da Lat) and costs US$18

Through buses to Laos are also available:
Savannakhet: US$21
Vientiane: US$22

If you're headed elsewhere than the major destinations, you can get the Open Tour bus to drop you off, but the arrival times may be in the middle of the night. To catch a regular bus, you'll need to get to the nearest town along Highway 1A, Vinh Dien, 10km away. You can reach it by heading west out of Hoi An on Hung Vuong. There is no bus service to the town from Hoi An, but a xe om should cost 20,000 VND. From there, you have to stand by the road and flag down a south-bound bus for most alternate destinations. Otherwise, just head to Da Nang and get the bus where you want to go from there.

You can also get a motorcycle to Da Nang for around US$5.

Updates from Travelfish readers

update: bus price 15000 dong for full distance between da nang and hoi an. No different prices for foreigners, price next to front door outside on bus.
In danang, nearest bus stop for train station on le duan street, near crossroads with street opposite train station.
In hoi an, bus station only 500m from crossroads with hai ba trung and ly thuong kiet. Did 50' From danang to hoi an on a friday morning and not too busy bus.

Update by sjoelbak (1)
Written on 23rd October, 2011

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Getting Around

Hoi An is small enough that you can hoof it around the Heritage Town without difficulty, and even if you're staying up on Hai Ba Trung, it's only a kilometre walk into town itself. Bicycle rentals make life a bit easier a and extend your range -- cheap, too, at 10,000 VND per day. Many hotels simply throw in the use of a bicycle for free. There are so many motorbikes for rent, prices are good -- US$4 is pretty standard, but bargaining, especially if you need a bike for more than a day, will get you far. Be sure to check the bike out -- many are falling apart.

Getting to and from Cua Dai and An Bang beaches during daylight hours can cost as little as 10,000 VND, but most drivers try hard to charge at least a dollar. And in this case, bargaining won't get you very far. Late at night these prices go through the roof, particularly at Cua Dai. If heading to the beach on a rented bike or motorcycle, you may be stopped by a uniformed guard, who will show you where to park. From there, it's only a five minute walk to the beach. The guards seem a little inconsistent though, and we saw numerous foreigners pulling their bikes right up to the sand.