u mean from airport?
shuttle van
refer to klook

i stayed at nhat linh hotel, should be walking distance

Day 4

Woke up to a rainy morning again but at least it's just a breeze, not really heavy rain
We had booked a half day(6 hours) private car for hue via klook
Link : https://www.klook.com/activity/6271-private-car-charter-hue/
there are other half day to full day tour offered in klook but when i saw the itinerary, it's a completely waste of time because they only take you to 1-2 places at the same price
We wrote down where we wanted to go when we booked which is Imperial Citadel, Khai dinh tomb, Tu duc tomb and Thien mu pagoda
You can buy ticket at each of these places that require tickets to enter but it's advisable to just buy the bundled ticket which cost 360k VND that allows you entry to the imperial citadel, khai dinh tomb, tu duc tomb and ming mang tomb. It's cheaper to just buy the bundled ticket rather than single entry ticket for each location.

After breakfast, we went down around 7.50AM and surprisingly our driver is already waiting for us at the lobby. he arrived early before the scheduled time
First stop, he took us to Khai dinh tomb 1st as he said it was the furthest away in our itinerary. The imperial citadel will be the last stop because it's the nearest
After arriving at Khai dinh tomb, we bought out bundled tickets and entered
It was not what i was expecting when i was told it's a tomb, the compound is big and well designed






The interior is the most mind blowing part of the tomb, it's so beautiful inside

After finish walking around khai dinh tomb, next stop would be tu duc tomb
If you think khai dinh tomb's compound is big, tu duc tomb's compound can be called huge
It would take roughly about 1-1.5 hours to finish walking the whole tu duc tomb's compound
There are multiple tomb inside the tu duc tomb's compound, the tomb design is much simpler as compared to khai dinh tomb which is very high class











Next stop would be Thien mu pagoda
This place is pretty crowded compared to those tomb due to it's free admission
But still a beautiful place nonetheless
you will be greeted with a very steep stair before the entrance
The first view that greet you after the stairs is the pagoda




A very cleat stream with koi inside

After finishing thien mu pagoda, we're taken to our last stop which is also the main attraction of hue which is the Imperial citadel
The compound is so huge that it will require around half a day should you choose to explore the whole compound
Since no cars are allowed within the imperial city compound, our driver drop us off near the fort with a big flag and we have to walk to the entrance


The map of the imperial city compound, it has suggested route from short route, to medium long route and full route
The map is just located near the main entrancee


The main entrance


A pond after the main entrance










After like 2-2.5 hours inside the imperial city, we exited..we didn't walk the whole compound due to time constraint
We ask the driver to drop us off at the hotel, we then walk to a famous restaurant nearby famous for their bun bo hue
Sadly it's closed, we then walk to the other side of the city for com hen(baby clam rice) and it was also close
Apparently the restaurants in hue has a weird operating hours
they would open early in the morning(6AM) and then close at 10AM, then reopened at 3PM till 6PM
I also don't know why
So we just walk around to see any restaurant that is opened since we're hungry
We spotted a local restaurant that is opened and serve both com hen and bun bo hue so we just entered
Com hen(baby clam rice) - it will somehow remind you off nasi lemak but there is no sambal


Bun bo hue(beef noodle) - as the name suggest, hue is the origin of this dish..so it's a must have here

After lunch, we walk around and back to our hotel
We then took the 4PM bus to danang
The bus drived through the hai van tunnel when on the way to danang. So, it's clear you need a private transport to enjoy the hai van pass
We reach danang at about 6.30PM
Proceed to check in our hotel which is Nhat Linh Hotel, it's located at the center of danang city
It's in the middle of cho con and cho han
After check in and dropping our bags, we then proceed to dinner
We went to a place call "Bun mam ngoc"...as the name suggested, they serve bun mam which is noodles in fermented sauce
their special part is they top it off with crispy roasted pork aka siew yok
Taste is absolutely delicious but the fermented part, i don't think everybody can accept it


There are absolutely no tourist at all here, all are locals
After finishing dinner and waiting the rain to stop, we then walk to the big C in danang
It has a huge crowd of tourist inside
We picked up a few stuff then walk back to our hotel
On the way back to our hotel, we spotted a bakery shop near our hotel...specifically a bakery shop that sells chinese style pastry
we bought a few and it was really good...it was so good that we end up buying there everyday when we're on our way back to our hotel
After some googling, we found out the name of the shop is called "Thanh Phat cake"(Location)
Most people would say oh,nothing special..malaysia also have..it's the same
I always say it's not and it is really not
None of which is the same as we ate in malaysia
The appearance might be the same but the ingredient used to made is totally different and that make the texture different when you're eating it


Egg tart but the crust is different and the egg is like semi-cooked..it's gooey...not solid like malaysia's egg tart


This is a must try, it is so good that i bought 6 to take back malaysia on the last day

Thanks

Danang to HoiAn cheapest option:

1st take Public bus at this location near to Danang Cathedral
https://goo.gl/maps/M1amj7NpxsP2

Danang to HoiAn route 01. Each person just 20k Vietnam Dong. 50 - 60 minute journey

Day 5

Woke up to yet another rainy day and today we're heading to Bana hills which is an outdoor theme park
Finish our breakfast and the bus arrived on time to picked us up

OTW to bana hills...can see the road is wet but it's not raining....YET


once reach the base of bana hill, we took 1 of the world's longest cable car up to the 1st station
the cable car is so long that the whole journey took like 15 minutes or so(i guess)




and look at what cart number we got


when we reached the 1st station, we got 1 hour to explore around there thn it started pouring...heavily with strong wind
we're all given raincoat(supplied by bana hills) but that ain't gonna stop the rain and wind
once i stepped out, my whole shoes are totally wet and the bottom part of my pants are wet
but thankfully the rain stopped after like half an hour and we use the last half an hour to explore around(not everywhere)
it was like silent hill...it's foggy everywhere but a great experience nonetheless


this is the legendary hand of the golden bridge(can see how foggy it is)


not much picture here because my phone isn't waterproof

After returning back to the check point but nobody has returned yet, we're not willing to lose any time waiting for them
and since the guide told us that we can go on our own...we then told the guide to give us our "lunch voucher" and we gonna be on our way(just have to meet up at check point at 4PM)
i suggested that you go on your own..why?
because their original itinerary is to have lunch 1st when they reach the top then only explore but our plan is to explore 1 round 1st before going for lunch at around 1PM thn continue to the indoor theme park
so, we grabbed our lunch voucher and took the 2nd cable car trip up to the top
Thank goodness that it has stop raining so we quickly walk around(although it's very foggy)
NOTE : when taking this section of cable car, you'll be handed a "free beer voucher"..if you don't want it...just give it to other people inside the cable car










Copy universal studio




After finished rounding for 1 time, we go back to the check point for our buffet lunch
i really suggest you guys take the buffet lunch because food there is priced like genting, more expensive than ordinary restaurant
i saw that they're selling their hotdog bun for RM30...tempting due to the cold weather but too expensive
the buffet lunch is only RM30 addition to your ticket anyway and the food being served is in nowhere to be cheap at all and the food selection is massive
there are a few restaurant there that serve buffet too like japanese restaurant but have to pay on the spot(cannot bundle with ticket)
After finish feeding our empty bellies, we went for the indoor theme park..everything inside is free to play
but you have to queue for some of it though


After finishing the indoor theme park, we went to claim our free mug of beer
The beer is claim at the furthest part of bana hill inside a building call beer plaza
inside is a huge complex for beer drinkers and a live irish band

After that, we walk back to the check point and back to danang
When we reach danang, it's already night and it's dinner time
So, we went to Bun Cha Ca 109 for dinner, bun cha ca basically means fish cake noodle with tomato broth(similar to the ones we eat in sabah)



After dinner, we went and explore the 3 main bridges of danang
Han river bridge(it changes colour every few seconds)


Dragon bridge(This bridge will breath fire on saturday at 9PM)


Tran Thi Ly bridge


it's a long way down but it's well worth it
Afterward walk back to hotel, not forgetting to buy the addictive chinese pastries on the way and call it a day

Day 6 (Last Day)

Last full day in Danang and it's a free and easy day
Decided to walk all the way to my khe beach through the dragon bridge thn walk all the way down to lotte mart
Essentially a big circle

1st stop will by my khe beach
we walk from our hotel toward the dragon bridge, crossed it and walk all the way straight to my khe beach
it's a long walk especially under the hot sun, be sure to apply sun screen before u start the walk
you can also rent a bicycle to cycle around, i see this especially popular on the other side of the bridge but not so at the city part of danang
most are rented/supplied from their hotel as there is a hotel name sticker in front of the bicycle

view when crossing the bridge


the end of the dragon bridge where the dragon head is located


reaching my khe beach


the beach is very long from side to side but the main attraction part is only 1 part of the beach which is where all the high end hotels and seafood restaurants are located


after walking around the beach for quite some time and then took some shade because of the scorching sun
we walk all the way down passing bac my an market to the last bridge, crossing over to lotte mart
it is a long walk under the scorching sun, do bring an umbrella if needed
do visit the lotte mart if possible because they do sell some quite different stuff than the big C
most of the patrons here are mainly koreans, not sure are they tourist or are they living in danang
After spening hours in lotte mart, we started to walk back up back to our hotel....passing though the 3 main bridge along the way

before we reach our area that our hotels are located, we stop by banh mi ba lan for their banh mi
this is the only banh mi stall i have listed in my itinerary
and this is single-handedly the BEST banh mi i've ever tasted
why?...it doesn't have any fancy ingredients at all
it has 2 thing that most banh mi stall do not have in their banh mi
1. the banh mi sold here is served warm...yes...they put the banh mi through a toaster before handing it to you
it is literally warm when you eat it
2. the price, it only cost 18k..by far the cheapest banh mi i've ever bought
it is so good, i return after few hours to buy another one so that i don't leave danang with regret
and their operating hours is also unlike other stall, they open from evening till night





After buying our banh mi, we stop by the highlands coffee nearby our hotel to kill time by drinking their special green tea frap
i know their vietnamese coffee tasted aweful but this is pretty good
lesson is don't try their vietnamese coffee, try their special menu that is limited


After that, went to big C for last round shopping and dinner before calling it a day

Places recommended to eat that is in my list but end up didn't go
Danang
- Bep Hem Restaurant – Vietnamese Dishes
- Mì Quảng Lê Hữu Trác(Quan My Quang) - 79 Lê Hữu Trác street, Sơn Trà district, Đà Nẵng
- Mi Quang Ba Vi - 166 Lê Đình Dương, Hải Châu 2, Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng(6AM-11PM)
- Mi Quang 1A - 1 Hải Phòng, Thạch Thang, Q. Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam
- My Quang Ba Mua - 95A Nguyễn Tri Phương, Thạc Gián, Thanh Khê, Thạc Gián Thanh Khê Đà Nẵng

- Bánh Canh Đường Ray( Bánh canh bột lọc/bột gạo- Tapioca/Rice Thick Noodles) - K77A/09 Lê Độ street, Thanh Khê district, Đà Nẵng

- Bún thịt nướng Lê Độ(Grilled pork noodles) - 48 Lê Độ street, Thanh Khê district, Đà Nẵng

- Bún mắm Ngọc(Anchovy and roasted pork noodles) - 20 Đoàn Thị Điểm street, Hải Châu district, Đà Nẵng

- Bún chả cá 109 - 109 Nguyễn Chí Thanh, Hải Châu 1, Q. Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam
- Bun Cha Ca Ba Phien - 63 Lê Hồng Phong, Phước Ninh, Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam

- Bánh Xèo Bà Dưỡng - 280/23 Hoàng Diệu, Bình Hiên, Q. Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng
- Banh Xeo Mien Trung - 280/14 Hoang Dieu St., Da Nang
- Quán Ăn Cô Mười - 23 Châu Thị Vĩnh Tế, Bắc Mỹ Phú, Ngũ Hành Sơn, Đà Nẵng

- Bánh Bèo Bà Bé - 100 Hoàng Văn Thụ, Q. Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng

- Quán Bún Bà Diệu(Bún Bò) - 17 Trần Tống, Thạc Gián, Thanh Khê, Đà Nẵng(2PM-7PM)

Chao vit(Duck Porridge)
- Cháo Vịt Thuỷ - 41 Ngũ Hành Sơn, Mỹ An, Ngũ Hành Sơn, Đà Nẵng
- Cháo vịt Bà Thôi - 8 Nguyễn Thái Học, Hải Châu 1, Q. Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng
- Cháo vịt Bà Thôi - 80 Lê Hồng Phong, Phước Ninh, Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam
- Quán 48 - 48 Trưng Nữ Vương, Bình Hiên, Q. Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng

Sup cua(Crab Soup)
- 169 Đường Trần Phú, Hải Châu, Q. Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng
- Súp Cua Sài Gòn - 54 Đống Đa, P. Thuận Phước, Quận Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng

Bo ne(Vietnamese Steak and Eggs)
- Bò Né 3 Ngon - Nguyễn Văn Linh - 20 Nguyễn Văn Linh (Số Cũ) hoặc 66 Nguyễn Văn Linh (Số Mới), Quận Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng
- Bò né Quốc Minh - 28 Phan Đình Phùng, Hải Châu 1, Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng
- Quán Bò Né Khanh - 41 Hoàng Văn Thụ, Phước Ninh, Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng

Bo Kho(Beef Stew)
- Bò Kho Ốp La - 144 Huỳnh Thúc Kháng, Bình Hiên, Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam

Dessert
- Chè Xuân Trang - 31 Lê Duẩn, Hải Châu 1, Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam


Hue city

- Chè Hẻm - 1 kiệt 29 Hùng Vương, Phú Hội, Thành phố Huế, Thừa Thiên Huế
- Quán Hạnh Huế - 11-15 Phó Đức Chính, Phú Hội, Thành phố Huế, Thừa Thiên Huế, Vietnam
- Cam Store(Bun Bo Hue) - 45 Lê Lợi, Phú Hội, Thành phố Huế, Thừa Thiên Huế, Vietnam
- Cơm Hến(Clam Rice) - Quán Nhỏ - 28 Phạm Hồng Thái, Vĩnh Ninh, Thành phố Huế, Thừa Thiên Huế, Vietnam

Hi all,

I am going to Da Nang with my family (total 6pax) in June for 4 days 3 nights. Planning to cover Hue, HoiAn and Da Nang.

What would be the best way to explore these places? Tour or self planning?

Thanks

4D3N for all 3, i can tell u right now it's not possible

What's your suggested itinerary and how should I travel around then?

Thanks

4D3N might be only danang and hoi an only
hoi an 1 night and danang 2 nights
danang -1 day for city, the 3 bridge, the beach, big C supermarket...another day for ba na hills

follow my itinerary
go to hoi an 1st from airport...there is a cheap shuttle van that goes there from airport
thn come back danang for the rest of the night
have to skip hue and hai van pass

This post has been edited by MR_alien: Jan 5 2019, 04:26 PM

i've been looking up online but it seems like there is no bus going from hoi an to danang city at night ?

the local bus runs until 5.30pm only.

so is hiring private transfer from klook the only way ?

yes, if not wrong...that's as late as they can go for bus because it will be dark when they reach danang or hue
if night, only 2 choice...train or private car

oh well. i guess no choice then since im doing custom made suit and i have only about 30 hours in hoi an.

how long will the suit be done based on the shop?
i got 1.5 days in hoi an as well
they completed my shoe within like 12-15 hours