The first time I tried to do Da Nang in a weekend, I treated it like a checklist. Beach, bridge, Hoi An, My Son, dinner, repeat. By Saturday afternoon I was standing on a pavement outside Hoi An's old quarter with a sunburnt neck, a phone at four percent and no idea where my driver was parked. Nothing went badly wrong. But I had spent more of the weekend in cars and queues than I had looking at anything, and that is the thing nobody tells you about central Vietnam: the sights are close, but the days are shorter than they look.
This guide is the plan I would give a friend flying in from Singapore on a Friday night. It is a real weekend, two full days plus a half day either side, built around Da Nang as the base with Hoi An and My Son as the big day trips. I have tried to be honest about what is worth the early alarm and what can wait for your second visit. Prices quoted come from live HolidaySG listings and move around, so treat them as a guide.
One correction before we start. Older versions of this page mentioned a waterfall as a main stop. Non Nuoc is in fact a beach and stone-carving village beside the Marble Mountains, not a waterfall trip, so I have left the waterfall out of the plan and put Non Nuoc where it belongs, as a quick stop. Everything below is something you can actually do in two days.
How a Da Nang weekend really works
Da Nang is a long, flat coastal city with a river down the middle, a wide beach on the east side and a hump of mountains and a peninsula to the north. Hoi An is south, about 30 to 45 minutes by road depending on traffic. My Son sits inland, roughly an hour from Da Nang and a little less from Hoi An. Ba Na Hills is in the hills to the west, again around an hour. Draw those on a mental map and you can see the problem: three good directions, and only two full days.
The way I solve this is to pick one big day trip per day and let the rest of the weekend breathe. Saturday is the heritage day, My Son at first light, then Hoi An for the afternoon and evening. Sunday is the Da Nang day, a slow morning, the Marble Mountains or Son Tra, a late lunch, and a night on the river. If you have an energetic group and a Monday off, Ba Na Hills or the Cham Islands can be added. I will cover those in their own section.
Where you sleep matters more than people think. If your priority is the beach and a quick taxi to the airport, stay on the My Khe side of Da Nang. If you want evenings in lantern light and do not mind a longer ride to the airport, sleeping in or near Hoi An is a lovely choice, though you will lose easy access to the Han River nightlife. For a first weekend I would stay in Da Nang for both nights and treat Hoi An as a day trip. It keeps the packing simple and the airport run short.
| Place | From Da Nang | Typical time needed | Best slot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoi An Ancient Town | About 30 to 45 minutes | Half to full day | Late afternoon into evening |
| My Son Sanctuary | About 1 hour | 3 to 4 hours on site | Early morning, around 7 am |
| Marble Mountains | About 20 minutes | 1 to 2 hours | Morning, before the heat |
| Son Tra Peninsula | About 30 minutes | Half day | Morning or late afternoon |
| Ba Na Hills | About 1 hour | Most of a day | Open time, arrive early |
| Han River promenade | In the city | 1 to 1.5 hours | After dark |
Getting there and getting your paperwork sorted
Da Nang International Airport is small and refreshingly close to the city, usually 10 to 20 minutes to most beachfront hotels. From Singapore it is a direct flight of roughly three and a half hours on most days, which is why a Friday evening arrival works. Landing late is fine as long as you have your transfer sorted. A fixed-price pickup such as the Da Nang airport transfer from S$9.42 saves you the haggling at the kerb, and if you are heading straight to a resort, there are dedicated runs like the airport to InterContinental Sun Peninsula transfer from S$20.63.
Visas deserve a paragraph of their own, because they are the one thing that can sink a weekend before it starts. Singapore passport holders can enter Vietnam visa-free for up to 30 days at the time of writing, as long as the passport has at least six months of validity and two blank pages. Many other nationalities need an e-visa, which in our current records costs about USD 25, is valid for up to 90 days, and takes roughly three working days. I would apply five to seven days before you fly. Rules change, so check the latest on our visa requirements page and confirm against the official source before you book flights.
Some visa processes also ask for proof of onward travel or a flight itinerary before they will issue a visa. If that is you and you do not want to buy a full ticket early, our flight reservation service gives you a reservation document for that purpose. It is a reservation, not an issued ticket, so do not treat it as one.
Finally, get data sorted before you land. Roaming from Singapore works but is pricey for a weekend of map-checking and ride-hailing. A Da Nang pickup SIM like the Vietnam 5G SIM at Da Nang airport starts from S$8.73 and is collected opposite the arrivals hall. If you prefer to stay digital, install an eSIM at home. Either way, having a working map on Saturday morning is worth far more than the few dollars it costs.
Friday night: arrive, eat, and go to bed
Resist the urge to do anything ambitious on the first night. You will want to be in bed by 11 pm because Saturday starts early. Walk to the beach if your hotel is close, have a bowl of mi quang, the turmeric-yellow noodle dish Da Nang is proud of, and call it a night. If you land earlier, an hour on the Han River is a gentle way to begin. More on those cruises later.
A small tip that saved me last time: tell your hotel on arrival that you are leaving at 6:15 am and ask them to leave breakfast boxes or a coffee at reception. Vietnamese hotels are very good at this, and it means you reach My Son before the tour buses do.
Saturday morning: My Son Sanctuary before the heat
My Son is a cluster of Hindu temple ruins built by the Champa kingdom, with the oldest structures dating to around the 7th century, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It sits in a green valley ringed by hills, and a good part of it was damaged during the war. What survives is a set of brick towers, some leaning, some restored, with carved sandstone fragments laid out under shelters. It is not Angkor Wat, and I would not oversell it, but it has a quiet that Hoi An cannot offer.
The single most useful thing I can tell you is to go early. Arrive by 7 am and the site is cool, the light is soft across the brick, and you will often have a tower to yourself. By 10 am the coaches have arrived and the heat has settled in. Allow three to four hours including the short shuttle ride from the car park to the main area, and carry water, a hat, and insect repellent. Wear shoes with grip because paths are uneven after rain.
There are several ways to do it. The easiest for a short weekend is a private car and driver, because you can leave at 6:30 am and decide how long to stay. The private car charter to My Son and Hoi An starts from S$74.21 and covers both stops in one run. If you prefer the late-day light to the morning one, the My Son sunset tour and cruise from S$21.04 leans into the evening and includes a river segment. I would pick based on whether you are an early riser or a late one.
Entry fees to the sanctuary are normally paid separately on site, and in our listings they usually sit around 120,000 to 150,000 VND per person. Bring some Vietnamese dong in small notes. Cards are not reliable at every ticket window.
| Option | Style | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private car, My Son plus Hoi An | Flexible, door to door | Couples, families, photographers | Entry fees paid separately |
| Shared group tour | Fixed schedule, guide | Solo travellers, tighter budgets | Midday crowds on some departures |
| Sunset tour with cruise | Late-day timing | People who hate early alarms | Less time to explore ruins slowly |
| Self-driven or taxi | Maximum freedom | Confident travellers | Negotiate fare and waiting time first |
What to wear and bring
- Closed shoes with grip. The brick paths are uneven and slippery after rain.
- A hat, sunscreen and a refillable water bottle. Shade is patchy.
- Shoulders and knees covered. It is a former religious site and some visitors still make offerings.
- Insect repellent. The valley is damp in the wet season.
- Small cash in dong for tickets, tips and snacks.
Featured experiences in this guide
Plan the heritage day with one car
Your driver can take you to My Son in the morning and Hoi An after lunch. E-tickets are emailed after our team confirms your booking.
See the full-day My Son and Hoi An carSaturday afternoon and evening: Hoi An Ancient Town
After My Son you will be hungry and a little hot. Hoi An is the cure. The old town was a busy trading port from around the 16th century, with Japanese, Chinese and European merchants settling along the river, and the survivors of that era are the narrow lanes of low yellow shophouses you see today. Cars are kept out of the core in the evening, which makes the whole district walkable and, by lantern-lighting time, honestly beautiful.
Start with lunch. Cao lau, the thick noodles served with pork and greens, is the local signature, and banh mi from a stall in the side streets is often better than the one with the famous name. Eat first, then walk. Most visitors need a combined ticket to enter the main heritage sites, sold at checkpoints around the old town, and it lets you visit a set number of houses, halls, bridges and museums. Choose a few rather than ticking them all.
The Japanese Covered Bridge is the one everyone photographs, and it is genuinely pretty, but it is also the most crowded. Go a little before dusk, take your picture, then move on. I prefer the assembly halls, with their ornate ceramic dragons and incense coils, and the old merchant houses where you can see how families lived above their shops. Give each half an hour at most. The charm of Hoi An is not any single building but the walk between them.
A tip on bikes: renting a bicycle to ride out to the rice fields or An Bang beach is a classic Hoi An move, and it is lovely in the late afternoon. In the old town itself, though, wheeling a bike through pedestrian crowds is more hassle than pleasure. Park it and walk.
As the light drops, the lanterns come on. Float a candle on the river from a small boat if you like, find a rooftop cafe for a view, and stay for dinner. Order white rose dumplings and grilled pork skewers, avoid anything with a laminated menu on the main riverfront, and walk two streets back where prices drop. Be ready to haggle politely at the lantern stalls and for any tailor you visit. A fitted shirt in a day is possible, but do not commit in the first hour of the first day.
Getting back to Da Nang at night is the part people forget. Ride-hailing apps work but can surge after 9 pm, and taxis queue at the edge of the old town. If you do not want to think about it, a charter like the private car for sightseeing between Da Nang and Hoi An, 6 to 12 hours from S$46.06 keeps the same driver waiting, and there is a simpler Da Nang to Hoi An city transfer from S$15.05 if you only need one-way rides. The Da Nang shuttle bus is the cheapest, from S$11.28, though it runs on fixed times.
| Hoi An must-do | Time | Cost sense | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walk the old town streets | 1 to 2 hours | Free to wander, ticket for entry to sites | Do it at dusk |
| Japanese Covered Bridge | 15 minutes | Included in the combined ticket | Go early or late |
| Assembly halls and merchant houses | 1 hour | Included in the combined ticket | Pick two, not five |
| Lantern boat on the river | 30 minutes | Small fee, bargain first | Worth it once |
| Dinner in a side street | 1 to 1.5 hours | Modest | Skip the riverfront menus |
Sunday morning: Marble Mountains and Son Tra Peninsula
Sunday is meant to feel slower. After a lie-in and a long breakfast, spend the morning on the south-east edge of the city at the Marble Mountains, five limestone and marble outcrops named for the five elements. There are caves with Buddhist shrines, lookout points over the coast, and pagoda gates you climb to by stone steps. It takes about an hour and a half if you do not rush, and it is hot by 10 am, so be there at 8. A lift exists for part of the climb if your knees complain.
At the base of the mountains sits Non Nuoc, the stone-carving village. This is the place to browse marble statues and ornaments, and you can watch the carvers at work. Prices are high at first and fall with polite bargaining, and large pieces can be shipped, though shipping costs can surprise you. I would only buy something small enough to fit in a suitcase.
If the Marble Mountains do not appeal, the Son Tra Peninsula is a green headland north of the city with winding coastal roads, a tall Lady Buddha statue, and, if you are lucky, a glimpse of the red-shanked douc langur, a rare monkey. The roads are steep, so go by car with a driver rather than scooter unless you are experienced. The full-day private car to Ba Na Hills and Son Tra starts from S$34.49 and covers the peninsula as part of a longer day, and the Da Nang sightseeing private car charter from S$37.17 is more flexible if you only want the city and the headland.
I like to finish the morning with a long, slow lunch. My Khe beach has plenty of seafood places with plastic chairs and real fish on ice, and a grilled squid with chilli salt is very hard to beat. Check prices before you order, because tourist-facing seafood stalls sometimes quote per kilo and the numbers add up fast.
Sunday afternoon: eat your way through Da Nang
If you only do one food experience in Da Nang, make it a guided one, and do it in the afternoon when the stalls are running at full speed. A local guide shows you the places a visitor would walk past: the banh xeo pancake shop in the alley, the grilled pork skewer place with the line, the sweet soup stall that has been run by one family for decades. The Da Nang food tour from S$24.17 is the easiest way in, the street walking food tour from S$33.84 keeps it on foot, and the street motorbike food tour from S$52.55 is for people who like their dinner with a bit of wind in their hair.
If you would rather learn to make it yourself, the home cooking class from S$37.15 and the coffee making workshop from S$18.17 are both good rainy-afternoon options. I have always found that a cooking class changes how I eat the rest of the trip, because suddenly the herbs on the side plate have names.
Five Da Nang dishes to try
- Mi quang, turmeric noodles with pork, shrimp and peanuts, served with very little broth.
- Banh xeo, a crisp turmeric pancake you wrap in herbs and rice paper.
- Banh mi, the baguette sandwich, ideally stuffed with grilled pork and pickles.
- Bun cha ca, fish cake noodle soup with a tomato-sweet broth.
- Che, a sweet dessert soup made with beans, jelly and coconut.
A note on street-side drivers: agree on the fare before you sit down, or use a ride-hailing app so the price is shown in advance. Do not feel awkward about walking away from a quote that is far above what the app shows. Honest drivers are far more common than the scam stories, but the stories exist for a reason.
Sunday night: the Han River after dark
This is the bit of the weekend I look forward to most. Da Nang at night is a different city. The Dragon Bridge glows, and on weekend nights at a set hour it breathes fire and water, which sounds gimmicky and is, but crowds still gather and cheer. Riverside cafes fill, the Love Bridge turns heart-shaped, and the air cools off to something you can actually enjoy.
A river cruise is the neat way to see it. The Han River night cruise by Dragon Cruise from S$10.21 is the popular family option, usually around an hour, with cultural performances on board. Cheaper boats such as the Tau Rong Song Han cruise from S$8.00 or the My Xuan cruise from S$6.33 run similar routes with a simpler experience. If you are celebrating something, the Poseidon Cruise from S$30.13 is the one that comes with a bit more comfort. Weekend departures are when the fire and water show is on, so pick Friday, Saturday or Sunday if you can.
If the river is not your thing, a theatre evening is easy to add. The Ao Dai show from S$15.97 is a pretty, short performance built around the traditional Vietnamese dress, and the Charming Danang show from S$24.53 is a longer production with music and acrobatics. For a guided evening that mixes the lights, a ride and some street snacks, the Da Nang By Night tour from S$49.16 is a decent bet.
| Night plan | Length | Typical price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Cruise on the Han River | About 1 hour | From S$10 or so | Families, first-timers |
| Budget river cruise | About 1 hour | From S$6 to S$8 | Couples on a budget |
| Ao Dai or variety show | 1 to 1.5 hours | From S$16 to S$25 | Rainy-night plan |
| Da Nang By Night tour | 2 to 3 hours | Around S$49 | Groups wanting a guide |
If you have a third day: Cham Islands, Ba Na Hills or Hue
A weekend usually stops at Sunday night, but if your Monday is free, here is how I would spend it. The Cham Islands, about an hour offshore by speedboat, are a marine park with coral and clear water. The Cham Island speedboat day tour from S$52.72 is the straightforward snorkelling day, the Cham Island walking under water and snorkelling tour from S$65.28 is the one for people who do not want to swim, and the budget Cham Island day tour from Da Nang starts from S$32.92. Seas are best between roughly March and August, and boats can be cancelled in rough weather, so keep the day flexible.
Ba Na Hills is the big theme-park-style mountain with the famous Golden Bridge held up by giant stone hands. It is busy, it is commercial, and it is undeniably photogenic. If you want to try it, go early on a weekday. The Ba Na Hills Golden Bridge day tour from S$80.08 is the guided option, and the Alpine Coaster ticket from S$48.91 is a fun add-on if you travel with teenagers.
Hue, the old imperial capital, is a long day from Da Nang. The private car charter for Hue sightseeing from S$104.25 is the comfortable way, and the Da Nang to Hue bus transfer from S$13.00 suits people staying overnight. The road over the Hai Van Pass is half the point, so ask your driver to stop at the lookout. If you only have two days, skip Hue and save it for a longer trip.
Money, timing and getting around
Vietnam is easy on the wallet, and our itinerary notes for the country suggest a rough daily budget of about 500,000 to 2,000,000 dong per person. That sounds huge until you remember that 1,000,000 dong is only a few tens of Singapore dollars, so the low end is a very comfortable weekend for a solo traveller and the high end gets you a nicer hotel and a couple of guided days. Exchange rates move, so check on the day.
For getting around, ride-hailing apps are cheap and reliable in Da Nang and Hoi An. Within the city you rarely need more than that. For the big day trips, a private car with driver saves a lot of back-and-forth, and for anything with a time, like My Son at 7 am, it is worth paying for the certainty. If you want flexible daytime hours, the car charter with driver, hourly rate from S$33.61 gives you a car by the hour, and the private car to hot attractions from S$15.00 is a cheap way to cover a short hop.
| Item | Rough cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Street meal | About S$2 to S$5 | Banh mi, mi quang, a bowl of noodles |
| Seafood dinner | About S$10 to S$25 | Check per-kilo quotes before ordering |
| Ride-hailing in the city | About S$2 to S$6 | Usually cheaper than metered taxis |
| Private car, full day | About S$55 to S$110 | Depends on route and car size |
| Combined heritage ticket in Hoi An | Check at the gate | Pick a few sites |
| Night cruise on the Han River | From about S$6 to S$30 | Weekends are busiest |
A weekend packing and safety checklist
Pack light but pack sensibly. Da Nang is hot and humid for much of the year, and the wet months, roughly September to December in central Vietnam, can bring heavy showers and the occasional typhoon warning. The best months for a weekend are February to May, when the weather is warm and dry. Bring a compact rain jacket either way, and quick-dry clothes.
- Comfortable walking shoes and a pair of sandals for the beach.
- A light scarf or shawl for temples and air-conditioned cars.
- Sun protection: hat, SPF 50, sunglasses.
- A power bank, because a day of maps and photos eats battery.
- A small day bag that zips, for crowded markets.
- Some dong in small notes, plus a card for hotels and bigger restaurants.
- A copy of your passport photo page and your hotel address in Vietnamese.
Keep an eye on your phone in busy Hoi An streets, where bag-snatching from motorbikes does happen, and cross roads slowly and steadily. Motorbikes will flow around you if you do not suddenly stop or sprint. Drink bottled or filtered water, and be careful with ice from unknown sources in the first day or two, until your stomach has adjusted.
Featured experiences in this guide
Build your own Da Nang weekend
Mix a My Son car, a food tour and a night cruise. E-tickets are emailed after our team confirms your booking.
Browse multi-day private car optionsTwo sample weekend schedules
Here are two ways to lay out the days. The first is the one I would do with a friend who likes culture. The second is for a family with children who need an easier pace.
The heritage weekend
| Time | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| 6:30 am | Car pick-up, drive to My Son | Slow breakfast |
| 8:00 am | My Son Sanctuary | Marble Mountains |
| 12:00 pm | Lunch in Hoi An | Seafood lunch at My Khe |
| 2:00 pm | Old town walk, houses and halls | Food tour |
| 6:00 pm | Lanterns, dinner | Han River night cruise |
| 9:30 pm | Car back to Da Nang | Pack and sleep |
The easy family weekend
| Time | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 am | Breakfast, beach | Cooking class |
| 11:00 am | Marble Mountains | Pool time |
| 1:00 pm | Lunch, rest | Han River stroll |
| 4:00 pm | Drive to Hoi An | Ao Dai show |
| 6:00 pm | Dinner, lanterns | Early night |
In both versions I have left a gap at lunch on purpose. The weekends that go wrong are the ones with no gaps. Build in a long lunch and an hour back at the hotel, and you will enjoy the evenings far more.
Where to stay and how to book it all
A short note on hotels. For a weekend, stay close to the thing you want most. For beach and city, My Khe is easy. For resorts and calm, the Son Tra side and the resort strip south of the city are lovely. For a romantic night in lantern light, Hoi An wins but costs you easy airport access. In every case, check the exact distance to where you will meet your driver at 6:30 am.
When it comes to booking, I like to lock the early-morning and timed things first, My Son, the cruise and any shows, and leave the wandering parts free. Our site lists live prices for each experience, and every website or app attraction booking is checked by our team before the ticket is issued, so you will get your e-tickets by email once it is confirmed. Book a few days ahead for weekends, because popular departures fill.
Frequently asked questions
Is a weekend enough for Da Nang and Hoi An?
It is enough for a good first taste. Two full days lets you see My Son, Hoi An and the best of Da Nang itself, though you will not do Ba Na Hills or the Cham Islands as well. If you can add a Monday, you can.
Do I need a visa for Vietnam?
Singapore passport holders can currently enter visa-free for up to 30 days. Many other nationalities need an e-visa, which in our records costs about USD 25 and takes about three working days. Check our visa requirements page and the official source before you travel.
What is the best time of year to go?
February to May is the sweet spot, with warm, dry weather. September to December is the wettest stretch in central Vietnam, so expect rain and keep plans flexible. Always check the forecast before a boat day.
How early should I get to My Son?
Be there by around 7 am. The site is cooler and quieter before the coaches arrive, and you will take far better photos.
How do I get between Da Nang, Hoi An and My Son?
A private car with a driver is the most flexible, and ride-hailing apps work well for city hops. Shared shuttle buses are cheaper but run on fixed times. Agree prices before you ride in any taxi.
Is this itinerary good for kids?
Yes, with tweaks. Hoi An is flat and walkable, and the river cruise and food experiences are child-friendly. My Son can be hot and uneven underfoot for very small children, so a car and an early start help.
How much should I budget?
A comfortable weekend is possible on a modest budget, with street meals in the low single digits in Singapore dollars and a private car day costing somewhere around S$55 to S$110. Add the entry tickets and a night show on top.
Can I do a day trip to Hue instead?
You can, but it is a long day. If it is your first visit, I would keep Hue for a longer stay and focus on Da Nang and Hoi An.
That is the weekend, written the way I wish I had planned my own. Start early on Saturday, finish late on Sunday, and leave a few gaps. The best moments in central Vietnam are rarely the ones on the schedule: the noodle stall you stumbled on, the lantern boat you almost skipped, the driver who stopped at the Hai Van lookout without being asked.