Ho Chi Minh to Hoi An: Best Ways to Travel

Ho Chi Minh to Hoi An is approximately 823km (526 miles) to 937km (594 miles) depending on which route you take. To most travellers’ surprise, the shortest route is not the fastest! Still, wondering how should you travel from Ho Chi Minh to Hoi An? Let’s see which is the best transportation for you on this route.

1. By flights

Flight is the fastest way to travel, even though there’s no airport in Hoi An. The closest airport to Hoi An is Danang International Airport, it only takes about 45 minutes to travel by car from Hoi An city to the airport. Because of the convenience of this transportation, the flight is the most popular way travellers choose to travel this route. 

You might want to know the transfer from Da Nang airport to Hoi An.

Travelling by plane is the quick, no-hassle option for travellers as the flight time is only 1 hour and 20 mins (to arrive at Danang Airport). Prices will vary depending on how far in advance you book them, the airline, the day of the week, and the season (March through August is prime tourist season). You can expect to pay at least 40 USD for a flight if you book it very early, or if you travel in the low season, or maybe both. 

And remember that the traffic in Ho Chi Minh is quite crazy, and you should be in the airport around 1.5 - 2 hours before your plane starts boarding, so be well prepared and book the taxi soon.

2. By train

There’s no train station in Hoi An too, and you also need to travel a 30km distance to Da Nang city to catch the train. This is always the safest way to travel, we all know that. But the train from Ho Chi Minh to Da Nang offers you far more than just safe transportation. Travelling by train on this route, you will have chances to see the stunning beaches of the South Central Coast, huge and magnificent dragon fruit fields in Binh Thuan at night, or the peaceful villages of Phu Yen, etc. From urban to rural views, you can see the images of Vietnamese local life passing through the windows.

Travel by train takes about 17-20 hours, including nearly 1 hour from Da Nang train station to Hoi An city. There are some seat options for you to consider: the soft seat, hard sleeper berth, and soft sleeper berth. For this long journey, we recommend you book the sleeper berth. Usually, A one-way ticket costs you 15 - 50 USD depending on the seat type and class you chose, but with this route, the train is worthy enough to give it a try.

3. By bus

The bus is the most popular way to travel short distances. However, around 900km from Ho Chi Minh to Hoi An is absolutely not a short distance, so if you are considering choosing a bus as the transportation for this route, think about it thoroughly. 

Most of the buses travelling this route are sleeper buses. There are 2 options for you to consider: regular sleeper bus and cabin sleeper bus. Basically, they are quite similar: both provide you with a bunk berth with a pillow and a blanket. The regular sleeper bus is kind with three rows of bunk beds running from the front to the end of the bus. The last row is a wide bed for more seats and the total capacity normally is 38 - 42 seats. Cabin sleeper is a little bit more expensive, but it offers you more privacy with cabin berths separated from each other by a thick curtain, TV, reading lamp, and charging ports for your convenience.

Catching the bus from Ho Chi Minh to Hoi An is definitely the cheapest mode of transportation. A straight-through bus will cost around 500,000 VND (21.50 USD) and can be made overnight or throughout the day. All buses from Ho Chi Minh to Hoi An will depart from Mien Dong station, located North of District 1, at 292 Dinh Bo Linh, Phuong 26, in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. 

Ho Chi Minh to Hoi An Bus Schedule and Price

• Book the flight as soon as possible, probably. The sooner you book your ticket, the lower the price you can get.
• If you are not in a rush, the train is an adorable way to enjoy the miraculous views of Southern Vietnam.
• Train and bus have similar travelling times, so depending on your budget or your interests in different experiences, you can consider choosing a train for the good view, or a bus for a cheap price and a strange experience.
• To book the bus ticket, you should ask a local travel agent, or your receptionist to book it for you to avoid misunderstanding. The staff of bus companies mostly do not speak English well.

Hope that all the information we provided above is useful for you and your trip to Hoi An. Any other questions, or Vietnam tour packages, tickets, and accommodations booking, you can contact us any time, we will be happy to support you.

Hue Pham

Image source: Internet