How to travel from Hoi An to Da Lat?

Hoi An is a small and stunning city in the middle of Central Vietnam, while Dalat is a little far away, the city is located at the end of the Central Highland area. The travel distance from Hoi An to Da Lat is approximately 635 km. Depending on the route, the length may be more or less, and you have two options to travel: taking a flight or a bus.

By flights

From Hoi An to Dalat, there’s no direct flight but you can absolutely make a short transfer to Da Nang from Hoi An, then catch the flights to Dalat. The transfer would cost you about 45 minutes by taxi but the flight is very fast (only 1 hour). So the total travelling time is around 2.5-3 hours, including airport check-in time. Flying this route, you can easily book flights from different airlines like Vietnam Airlines, Bamboo Airways, or Vietjet Air. 

There is normally just 1 direct flight provided by each airline leaving from Da Nang to Dalat Airport (known as Lien Khuong Airport) daily. And the ticket fare for this route starts from around 35 USD if you book weeks in advance. There are also several direct flights operating on this route, but they are normally more expensive. They make a stopover in Ho Chi Minh and take more than 4.5 hours.

By bus

The bus is the cheapest way to travel everywhere in Vietnam. It’s not really convenient, but that’s the best way to save money, and immerse yourself in local life. There is only one type of bus running the route Hoi An to Da Lat - Sleeper Bus:  regular one is the type of double-deck coaches equipped with fixed berths and capacity for 40–46 passengers. These are quite comfortable so you can sleep during most parts of the journey. There’s also a sort of luxury sleeper bus with separate cabins for each passenger, with only 22 cabins per bus. This kind of bus will be more comfortable, but more expensive too.

And the price of the bus ticket from Hoi An to Da Lat varies depending on the type of vehicle that you choose. It starts from 285,000 VND (USD 12.2) for an approximately 18 hours ride. Keep in mind that some bus companies in Vietnam increase the price on weekends and national holidays, that’s absolutely understandable. 

Most buses from Hoi An to Da Lat will pick up from the bus station. Please arrive at the point of departure at least 30-60 minutes before the scheduled departure time. And note that some bus companies will organize the transfer of passengers from the point of departure to the bus terminal by shuttle bus, therefore you must show up in advance or risk missing the bus.

• Traveling in the peak season, remember to book your flight ticket as soon as possible, or at least 2 weeks in advance to make sure you can have the ticket exactly the day you want. There are not many flights going this route.
• Flights in the early morning and late-night are always cheaper than the other time of the day.
• If you choose to travel by bus, don’t forget to ask if there are charger ports for passengers on board or not. It’s always equipped on cabin or luxury sleeper buses, but on the regular buses, charger ports are not available sometimes.
• Some snacks and water will be necessary for a very long bus route like the Hoi An - Dalat route. They will have some stopover somewhere in Nha Trang and Quy Nhon and you can buy food there, but the travel time from Hoi An to Nha Trang is far enough to make you starve.
• Books, a power bank, earplugs, and earphones are highly recommended. You’ll need them to entertain yourself during a boring 18 hours bus ride from Hoi An to Dalat.

From Hoi An to Dalat, there are the 2 most popular ways to travel. No matter what kind of transportation you choose, it’s amazing that you can visit both of these cities because all Vietnamese people will proudly introduce to you all the breathtaking places of our country, and Hoi An and Dalat are 2 of the most outstanding destinations that we definitely will recommend. If you have ever come to these places, please share your experience, and if you are planning to come, or come back to Vietnam again, you can contact us to get the best Vietnam tour deals with thousands of discounts waiting. Let’s go and discover Vietnam.

Hue Pham

Image source: Internet