What would you think of when Central Vietnam comes to mind? Perhaps the beautiful lavish royal architectures lying on the banks of the romantic Perfume River of Hue or lovely small colorful houses forming the ancient town of Hoi An are what you think of first.
To the North lies Hue, the capital of Nguyen dynasty- The last imperial dynasty of Vietnam. The imperial citadel consists hundreds of grand architectures such as palaces, gates, royal gardens, royal opera house. This doesn’t include royal tombs of Nguyen kings situated in the outskirts of the city.
122 km to the South, separated by the magnificent Hai Van Pass, lies Hoi An. Hoi An used to be a keypoint to the trading routes in the region, contributing to the wealth the town possessed. Now that the glorious past was over, the town is one again emerging as a popular travel spot for tourists all over the world thanks to the buildings and the unique atmosphere of the ancient trading port.
Hoi An
Although the two destinations are quite far from each other, it’s possible to combine both in your travel. Here are possible means of transport we recommend to you so that your Hue-Hoi An trip would be as comfortable and convenient as expected.
Hue to Hoi An by Motorbike
Are you adventurous? Do you prefer exploring the trip by your own? If yes, then motorbike is perfect for you.
PROS: Perhaps the best thing about motorbike is that you do it according to your own will. You can hire a motorbike at a motorbike shop in the city. Vietnam is a country of motorbikes, which means motorbikes are everywhere. The price, therefore, is quite cheap (around $5/ day). However, an amount of earnest money would be required. Another great thing is that you are able to enjoy the beautiful landscapes of Vietnam as you go, which may be hard if you travel in a bus. It’s great to ride for a while then stop a little bit for sightseeing, then continue your journey.
CONS: Although riding a motorbike may sound really interesting, the actual experience sometimes is not, especially in a country like Vietnam. Vietnam’s traffic conditions can be quite bad due to the quality of the roads and traffic congestion. Vietnamese people also really abide with the law, so accidents may easily occur if you pay attention. Therefore, be careful! In addition, be cautious with the map. Google may be very accurate in you country, but in Vietnam it may be not. Vietnam is notorious for complicated, unplanned roads, meaning it may be very hard to find the right road you should go. Therefore, beside relying on Google Map, it’s recommended taking some advice from the locals.
Hue to Hoi An by Bus
If you are looking for an inexpensive and convenient option, then bus is the candidate.
However, there is no direct bus route from Hue to Hoi An. The only choice is take a bus from Hue to Danang and then from Danang choose either bus, taxi, motorbike or private car to Hoi An. For more details, real your article on How to get from Da Nang to Hoi An.
So how to get from Hue to Danang? There are in total 33 different bus lines from Hue provided by various companies. You can easily purchase you ticket from Phia Nam Hue bus station. You may have to face the language barrier while buying the ticket, so prepare a piece of paper telling the type of ticket you want to bay and show it to the ticket seller. Learning some Vietnamese also would help.
The cheapest price is at $5.94 but the price for more luxurious ones can be much higher. However, it’s important to look at the price table to see the exact price as there used to be some cases of overcharging in the past.
Also bear in my that buses in Vietnam are not as comfortable as in your home country. The seats can not be as comfortable and it can be very overcrowded, especially during holidays. Therefore, if you can’t stand these, then opting for some more expensive but comfortable options is better.
The earliest bus starts at 1:30 and the last one starts at 23:30. In average, it may take 3h16’ so it’s not too long.
Hue to Hoi An by Taxi
If you want a more comfortable, private experience, then a taxi is not a bad idea. Taxi is also good if you want to start the trip from the airport.
When arriving at the airport, there would be crowds of taxi drivers offering you a ride. But don’t easily choose any of them. They may not come from a trustworthy taxi company and may force you to pay several times higher than the actual price. Therefore, it is better to call big companies. Here are some trustworthy ones that you may contact:
- Taxi Thành Công 0234.3.57.57.57
- Taxi Hoàng Sa 0234.3.75.75.75
- Taxi Mai Linh 0234.3.89.89.89
- Taxi Hương Giang 0234.3.78.78.78
- Taxi Phú Xuân 0234.3.87.87.87
- Taxi Thành Đô 0234.3.85.85.85
- Taxi Thành Lợi 0234.3.845.845
- Taxi Thừa Thiên Huế 0234.3.81.81.81
- Taxi Vàng 0234.3.79.79.79
Also, when paying, look carefully at the payment screen in the bus. If the number the driver tells you is much higher than the number from the screen, then contact the company to give your complaint and receive explanation. In this case, compensation is often provided.
Hue to Hoi An by Train
The same as bus, there is no direct train route between Hue and Hoi An, so you would have to take a train from Hue to Danang and then then from Danang choose either bus, taxi, motorbike or private car to Hoi An. For more details, real your article on How to get from Da Nang to Hoi An.
Buy your train ticket at Hue Train Station. The basic price is around $5 but if you prefer, you can ask for more options. The options include hard seat, soft seat and cabin. Hard seat is the cheapest one but also the least comfortable one. It would be a good choice if you’re on a budget. Soft seat is quite comfortable but a little more expensive. Lastly, a cabin which consists of either 4 soft berths or 6 hard berths is quite costly but perfect for a group, especially when you want to keep privacy.
Train is perfect for enjoying the landscapes. Contrast to bus or car, you don’t need to worry about traffic jams or accidents as the train system in Vietnam is quite good. Also, you can utilize available services on train, including toilets, snacks, steward service, air conditioning, which makes you trip much more comfortable.
However, sometimes train can be very crowded out even out of tickets, especially during holidays. Therefore, if your trip coincides with a holiday and you don’t , maybe considering another option would be better.
A train to from Hue to Danang would take more than 3 hours.
Hue to Hoi An by Private car
Besides those basic options, you may choose something more expensive but comfortable such as a private car.
Opting for a private car would also be perfect especially if you want a private and cozy trip and don’t mind the price at all. There are many different travel agents providing this kind of service but we proudly present you our private car tour which offers you the best quality at the most reasonable price.
Using a private car would be very helpful for travellers who would like to receive pick-up service from hotel or want to visit famous locations during the trip. Private car is also ideal for people who value private space as you don’t need to share with anyone. Another advantage of private car over other options is that you have the flexibility to travel as you’re under no fixed schedule and have the privilege to choose whenever to go .
There are 3 types of cars that you can choose according to your needs including a 4-seater, a 7-seater and a Limousine D-car with 16 seats.
A 4-seater would be suitable for 2 passengers as a seat would be spared for the luggage and another for the driver. The price is $59 for a One-way and $85 for a Round-trip .
Minus one seat for the luggage and another for the driver, a 7-seater would be perfect for 5 passengers and the price is $69 for a One-way and $95 for a Round-trip.
For bigger groups, choosing a 16- seat van would be ideal as it can deliver up to 12 passengers excluding several for the luggage and another for the drivers. The price is $84 for a One-way and $110 for a Round-trip.
One the way, you can ask the driver to stop at famous locations for sightseeing and getting to know more about the locals’ life. Apart from passing by Lap An Lagoon, Lang Co Beach and Hai Van Pass, you may pay additional fee to stop by and visit Elephant Springs (upon request +10 USD), Linh Ung Pagoda (upon request +12 USD), My Son Sanctuary (upon request +27 USD), Ba Na Hills Da Nang (upon request +26 USD), Cam Thanh coconut village (upon request +15 USD) (Entrance fees to these places are not included).
It take more than 3 hours to get from Hue to Hoi An using private car but may vary if you stop in mentioned locations.
For private car, you may get pick-up and drop-off anywhere in the city.
Hue to Hoi An by Limousine
Apart from the aforementioned private car options, we also provide our Limousine Bus transfer service.
The bus is comfortable with soft berth seats. Other highlights include free wifi and friendly, professional driver.
The main difference between private car and Limousine Bus is the price. Limousine Bus is much less expensive but a little bit less comfortable. It, therefore, is more suitable for big groups of people who want to save money for their trip.
There are two types of seat: Normal seats ($8) ($16 for a round trip) and VIP seats ($). A typical limousine car would contain 9 seats, 2 at the front, 4 in the middle and 3 at the back. VIP seats are much softer, hence more comfortable. They also have better view so that you can enjoy your journey as much as possible.
The trip is divided into 2 phases.
- Phase 1: Hue to Danang
- Phase 2: Danang to Hoi An
Therefore, when you have finished the route from Hue to Danang, you would be wait at the transfer company’s office, get in another Limousine bus and head to Hoi An.
The journey time may vary but in average, it takes 2.5 h for phase 1 and another for phase 2. Therefore, it would take 3.5 hours in total.
However, a layback of Limousine Bus is that you must wait for the bus at a fixed location and time.
For pick-up and drop-off locations:
- Hue ⇔ Da Nang route:
- Hue: 26 Ha Huy Giap Street, Hue city, Thua Thien Hue province.
- Da Nang: 445 Hai Phong Street, Chinh Gian, Thanh Khe District, Da Nang.
- Da Nang ⇔ Hoi An route:
- Da Nang: 445 Hai Phong Street, Chinh Gian, Thanh Khe District, Da Nang.
- Hoi An: Any location within Hoi An city center
For the time fixed schedule, please read the table below:
From Hue to Hoi An:
| From Hue to Hoi An | Departure Time | Arrival Time |
|---|---|---|
| First Route:
Hue to Da Nang (Duration: 2.5 hours) |
07:00 AM 10:00 AM 12:00 PM 14:00 PM 16:00 PM 18:00 PM |
09:30 AM 10:30 AM 14:30 PM 16:30 PM 19:00 PM 20:30 PM |
| Second Route:
Da Nang to Hoi An (Duration: 1 hour) |
09:30 AM 10:30 AM 14:30 PM 16:30 PM 19:00 PM 20:30 PM |
10:30 AM 11:30 AM 15:30 PM 17:30 PM 20:00 PM 21:30 PM |
From Hoi An to Hue:
| From Hue to Hoi An | Departure Time | Arrival Time |
|---|---|---|
| First Route:
Hoi An to Da Nang (Duration: 2.5 hours) |
06:00 AM 07:30 AM 10:30 PM 12:30 PM 14:30 PM 17:00 PM |
07:00 AM 08:30 AM 11:30 AM 13:30 PM 15:30 PM 18:00 PM |
| Second Route:
Da Nang to Hue (Duration: 1 hour) |
07:00 AM 08:30 AM 11:30 AM 13:30 PM 15:30 PM 18:00 PM |
09:30 AM 11:00 AM 14:00 PM 16:00 PM 18:00 PM 20:30 PM |
