Da Nang Airport, officially Da Nang International Airport with the code DAD, is the gateway to both Da Nang and Hoi An. The airport sits right in the middle of Da Nang, only around 3 kilometres from the Han River, so you can be at a hotel in the city centre or on My Khe Beach in about fifteen minutes.
If you’re travelling from Da Nang Airport to Hoi An, it’s around 37 kilometres, and the drive takes 45 minutes to an hour. There are no trains or metro services from the airport, so most people take a Grab, a taxi or a pre-booked transfer.
Here you’ll find all the options with prices, journey times and exactly where to find them at the airport: Grab cars and scooters, taxis, the Hai Van bus to Hoi An, city buses, private transfers, hotel pick-ups and car hire.
I also explain the difference between the domestic and international terminals, and how to carry on to Hue and Ba Na Hills.
Prices are given in Vietnamese dong, and 100,000 dong is roughly £3.
Contents
Quick overview: Da Nang Airport to Hoi An and the city centre
- Grab: 70,000 to 120,000 dong (around £2 to £3) to the city centre and roughly 250,000 to 350,000 dong (around £7 to £9) to Hoi An. You’ll see the price in the app before you book.
- Taxi: the meter fare plus an airport fee of 10,000 to 30,000 dong (well under £1). To Hoi An, expect to pay around 300,000 to 400,000 dong (around £8 to £10).
- Hai Van bus to Hoi An: 120,000 dong (around £3) per person. It runs from the airport during the day and terminates at the harbour in Cua Dai.
- City buses: Danabus routes 06 and 12 for 8,000 to 22,000 dong (well under £1), but there’s no direct city bus to Hoi An.
- Private transfer: from around 180,000 dong (around £5) per person to a hotel in Hoi An, booked in advance.
- Journey times by car: around 10 minutes to the Han River, 15 minutes to My Khe Beach and 45 minutes to an hour to the Old Town in Hoi An.
Arrival: the domestic and international terminals
Da Nang Airport has two terminals side by side. Domestic flights land at Terminal 1, known as T1, and international flights land at Terminal 2, known as T2. According to Da Nang’s official tourism portal, the two terminals are linked by a covered walkway, so you can walk between them. If you fly via another major Asian city, you’ll land at T2, and if you arrive on a domestic flight from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, you’ll land at T1. Airlines can move a flight to the other terminal, so always check your ticket.
After passport control and baggage reclaim, you head out into the arrivals hall. According to the airport’s own guide for arriving passengers, you can buy SIM cards at the counters in the baggage area, and there are cash machines in the ground-floor arrivals hall at T1. There are also bureaux de change at the airport. Keep some cash in dong, as many taxis only take cash, and if your phone supports eSIM, you can buy one before you leave home so you have data as soon as you land.
Remember too that you may need a visa for Vietnam. The rules are set by the Vietnamese authorities and can change, so read the official travel advice for Vietnam well before you travel. If you’re coming from Hanoi and need an overview of the transport there, I’ve written a guide to getting from Hanoi Airport to the city centre.
1. Grab from Da Nang Airport (car and scooter)
Grab is South-East Asia’s answer to Uber, and it’s the easiest way to get from the airport to your hotel. You see the price in the app before you book, so there’s no haggling, and you can pay in cash or by card in the app. According to Grab’s own page about Da Nang Airport, a ride between the airport and the city centre costs around 70,000 to 120,000 dong (around £0.40 to £0.70) and takes 10 to 15 minutes. To My Khe Beach, you should expect to pay around 100,000 to 150,000 dong (around £0.55 to £0.85).
To Hoi An, a standard Grab car typically costs around 250,000 to 350,000 dong (around £1.40 to £2), and a car for up to seven people, GrabCar 7, costs a little more. Prices go up when it’s busy, when it rains and late in the evening, so compare with the taxi fare if the app shows a high amount.
Where are you picked up?
According to the airport’s page on transport from the airport, you need to select T1 or T2 in the app when you book. At T2, you walk out of the arrivals hall towards pillar 3, where signs show the way to the ride-hailing pick-up point in front of the glass building in the car park. At T1, cars pick up in front of the arrivals hall, while scooters wait in a separate signposted area. Always check the number plate and the driver’s name in the app before you get in.
GrabBike is a scooter with a driver, and you’re given a helmet. It’s cheap and quick through the traffic, but only a good choice if you’re travelling with a small rucksack. To Hoi An, a GrabBike costs around 120,000 to 180,000 dong (around £0.70 to £1), but 45 minutes on the back of a scooter after a long flight isn’t something I’d recommend. Besides Grab, many people also use Xanh SM, which runs green electric cars and is available both as an app and as taxis at the rank.
If you’re staying by the beach, the Grab car will take you right to the door. HAIAN Beach Hotel & Spa is on the beach road Vo Nguyen Giap facing the southern part of My Khe, a few minutes’ walk from the restaurants in An Thuong, and has a rooftop pool, so if you’d like to stay with the sea just across the road, you can see prices for HAIAN Beach Hotel & Spa here.
2. Taxi from Da Nang Airport
The taxi ranks are just outside the arrivals hall at both terminals, and taxis run around the clock. When you come out of the arrivals area, walk straight ahead or follow the signs towards pillar 3, and the taxis wait in the second lane, where staff can help you get a car. The airport lists the companies Mai Linh, Tien Sa, VinaSun, Hai Van, Datranco, Danang Taxi and Xanh SM. Only take a taxi with a clear company name from the rank, and say no thanks to drivers who approach you inside the arrivals hall.
Taxis use the meter, and an airport fee of 10,000 to 30,000 dong (around £0.05 to £0.15) may be added on top, depending on the company. At pillar 2 there’s a price list for the most common journeys, so you can see roughly what the ride costs before you get in. A ride to the city centre typically costs around 60,000 to 100,000 dong (around £0.35 to £0.55), and to Hoi An you should expect around 300,000 to 400,000 dong (around £1.70 to £2.30).
Bring cash, because according to the airport, only a few companies, including Tien Sa and VinaSun, accept Visa and Mastercard. To be honest, Grab is often a little cheaper, but a taxi is a good choice if your phone isn’t working yet or you don’t fancy hunting for the pick-up point. The Foreign Office also recommends that you only use licensed taxis or well-known ride-hailing services.
If you’re staying by the Han River, the ride is short and cheap. Novotel Danang Premier Han River is on Bach Dang at the northern end of the riverside promenade, and from the upper floors you can see both the river and the sea, so if you’d like a central stay with a view, you can see prices for Novotel Danang Premier Han River here.
3. The Hai Van bus from Da Nang Airport to Hoi An
The Hai Van bus is the only direct bus from the airport to Hoi An that the airport itself mentions. It’s a minibus run by the bus company Hai Van, and according to the airport’s guidance it runs daily from around 7.30am to 4pm and costs 120,000 dong (around £0.70) per journey. Departures are timed around flights rather than a fixed timetable, so if you land in the evening, the bus isn’t an option.
According to Hai Van’s own page about the airport bus, staff wait in yellow uniforms with the Hai Van logo. At T1 they stand opposite exit A4 by pillars 6 and 7, and at T2 they stand by pillar 8. The bus runs along Duy Tan and over the Tran Thi Ly Bridge to the beach road, then on along the coast past the resorts at Non Nuoc to the harbour at Cua Dai. You can book in advance on the company’s website or in their app, and Hai Van itself warns against fake sites using its name, so only book through the company’s own channels.
The bus is cheap, but it doesn’t end in the Old Town. The harbour at Cua Dai is out on the coast around 6 kilometres east of town, and Hai Van also lists a stop on Hai Ba Trung in Cam Pho, so ask when you book where you can get off closest to your hotel. You’ll usually do the last stretch by Grab or taxi. The bus is therefore best if you’re travelling solo on a tight budget and landing in the middle of the day.
4. City buses from the airport
Da Nang’s city buses are called Danabus, and two of the routes stop at the airport. According to the airport, they stop at pillar 2 at T1 and at pillars 7 and 8 at T2, and they run from early morning until the evening. Route 12 costs 8,000 dong (around £0.05) and runs through the city centre to the bus station on Pham Hung, while route 06 costs 15,000 dong for up to half the route and 22,000 dong for the full route (around £0.10) and runs towards the bus station at Non Nuoc.
To be honest, the city buses are only a good choice if you’re travelling light and have plenty of time. Outside rush hour there can be 20 to 30 minutes between departures, and the buses aren’t designed for large suitcases. There’s also no practical, direct city bus from the airport to Hoi An. In theory you can change your way there on local buses, but with luggage and after a long flight, the Hai Van bus, Grab or a transfer is far easier.
5. Private transfer and hotel pick-up
A private transfer is a pre-booked car with a driver who waits for you in the arrivals hall with your name on a sign and takes you straight to your hotel. It’s especially handy if you land late, are travelling with children, or are staying in Hoi An, where the driver needs to find a hotel close to the pedestrian streets. On GetYourGuide, the popular transfer I link to below starts at around 180,000 dong (around £1) per person, and it runs from the airport to your hotel in Hoi An and back again when you head home.
Book a private transfer from Da Nang Airport to Hoi An here.
Many hotels and resorts in both Da Nang and Hoi An also offer airport pick-up for a fee, and Da Nang’s tourism portal recommends arranging it in advance. The hotel’s price is often a little higher than a Grab, but the driver knows the way, which is handy if your hotel is on a small side street. Include your flight number when you book so the driver can keep track if your flight is delayed.
6. Car hire and scooters
You can compare prices on car hire at Booking.com, but think carefully before you get behind the wheel yourself. Traffic in Vietnam is dense and chaotic, with thousands of scooters, and official travel advice notes that the traffic rules aren’t always followed. For the journey between the airport, Da Nang and Hoi An, a hire car rarely makes sense, because Grab and transfers are cheap, and a car can’t drive into the pedestrian streets of the Old Town.
If you still want to drive yourself, the UK government’s travel advice for Vietnam says you need both your national driving licence and an International Driving Permit under the 1968 Convention, and this applies to both cars and motorbikes. It’s illegal to drive without third-party insurance, and both rider and passenger must wear a helmet on a scooter. Also check that your travel insurance covers driving a hire car or riding a scooter, and never leave your passport as a deposit with the rental company.
Lots of travellers hire a scooter in Hoi An to get out to the beaches, but there are many serious accidents, and local rental companies rarely have insurance that covers you. If you’ve never ridden a scooter before, don’t learn in Vietnam. A bicycle is a good alternative in Hoi An, where distances are short, and if you want to go over the Hai Van Pass, a car with a driver is the safe middle ground.
From the airport to the Han River, My Khe and An Thuong
Because the airport is right in the city, the journey to most hotels in Da Nang is short. Here are the travel times by car outside rush hour:
- The Han River and the Dragon Bridge in Hai Chau: around 10 minutes, as the airport is less than 3 kilometres from the river.
- My Khe Beach: around 15 minutes over one of the bridges across the Han River.
- An Thuong: around 15 to 20 minutes to the area of restaurants and bars behind the beach.
- Non Nuoc and the Marble Mountains: around 20 to 25 minutes to the resorts along the coast to the south.
- The resorts on the Son Tra Peninsula: around 30 to 40 minutes, as the road winds around the peninsula.
The Dragon Bridge runs from the centre by the Han River straight towards the beach, and many Grab cars heading to My Khe cross it or one of the neighbouring bridges. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings the dragon’s head breathes fire and water, and there are lots of people and heavy traffic around the bridge, so allow a little extra time if you land around 9pm at the weekend. During the morning and afternoon rush hours, the journey can also take longer than shown here.
If you’re not sure which part of the city to choose, read my guide to where to stay in Da Nang. In it I go through five areas, from My Khe and An Thuong to Hai Chau, Son Tra and Non Nuoc, with hotels in three price ranges, and for each area I note how long the journey from the airport takes.
From Da Nang Airport to Hoi An Old Town
Hoi An lies south of Da Nang, and according to Vietnam Airlines’ guide to Hoi An it’s around 37 kilometres from the airport. Along the coast road past My Khe, Non Nuoc and the resorts, the journey takes at least 45 minutes, and on the inland DT607 road it typically takes 50 to 60 minutes. If you land late in the evening, transport is often more expensive, so it pays to book a transfer in advance.
The Old Town in Hoi An, signposted as Hoi An Ancient Town, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and large parts of it are pedestrianised from late morning until late in the evening. This means a taxi or Grab can’t always drive right up to your hotel if it’s tucked away among the old houses. Ask your hotel in advance where the car can best drop you off, and expect to walk the last stretch with your suitcase.
If you’d rather not drag your suitcase, stay on the edge of the Old Town, where cars can drive all the way up. Uptown Hoi An Hotel & Spa is on Ly Thuong Kiet, around 750 metres north of the Japanese Covered Bridge, and has a rooftop pool, and you can see prices for Uptown Hoi An Hotel & Spa here. You’ll find more areas and hotels in every price range in my guide to where to stay in Hoi An, where I also explain the entrance ticket for the Old Town.
If you’re staying at An Bang Beach, the journey from the airport takes around 45 minutes, and to the resorts at Cua Dai Beach you should allow around an hour. Many people ask whether they should stay in Da Nang and take a day trip to Hoi An. The journey takes around an hour each way, so if you want to see the lanterns over the river in the evening, it’s best to stay in Hoi An for a couple of nights.
Onwards to Hue, the Hai Van Pass and Ba Na Hills
Hue, the old imperial city, lies around 100 kilometres north of Da Nang, and many people travel there straight from the airport. According to Da Nang’s official tourism site on the Hai Van Pass, the journey takes around an hour and a half by private car through the Hai Van Tunnel. If you want to see the views over the coast, ask the driver to take the old road over the pass, which takes longer, and avoid driving over the pass in darkness, fog or storms.
The train from Da Nang Station to Hue runs along the coast over the Hai Van Pass and takes around three hours, and it’s one of the most beautiful train journeys in Vietnam. The station is less than 2 kilometres north of the airport, so a Grab there takes just a few minutes. Sit on the right-hand side leaving Da Nang if you want to see the sea. If you’re staying a couple of nights in Hue, I’ve written about the city in my guide to where to stay in Vietnam, where I also cover Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Ho Chi Minh City and Phu Quoc.
Ba Na Hills, with the famous Golden Bridge, lies around 40 kilometres west of Da Nang, and the drive takes around 45 minutes to an hour. The easiest option is a day trip with hotel pick-up, so you don’t have to find transport back when the park closes.
Book a day trip to Ba Na Hills and the Golden Bridge here.
Getting Back to Da Nang Airport
For the journey home, the easiest option is to book a Grab or ask your hotel to call a taxi. From the city centre and My Khe, the trip takes 10 to 20 minutes, but allow plenty of time during rush hour. When you book a Grab, you need to choose whether you’re going to T1 for domestic flights or T2 for international flights, so you get dropped off in the right place.
From Hoi An, allow 45 minutes to an hour, plus a little extra if it’s raining heavily. The Hai Van bus also runs from Hoi An to the airport, including from the harbour at Cua Dai and from Hai Ba Trung in Cam Pho, and it picks up passengers at a couple of the resorts at Non Nuoc along the way. Book it well in advance and choose a departure that leaves you a good margin before your flight.
Arrive in good time for international flights, as the queues at check-in and passport control can get long when several flights depart close together. If you have a very early flight, it can pay to spend your last night in Da Nang rather than Hoi An, so you’re only a quarter of an hour from the airport.
Da Nang Airport to Hoi An or the City: Which Option Should You Choose?
Here’s my recommendation based on where you’re heading and how you’re travelling:
Hai Chau and the Han River: Take a Grab or a taxi from the rank. The journey takes about 10 minutes and costs around 70,000 to 120,000 dong (around £2 to £3).
My Khe and An Thuong: Take a Grab for around 100,000 to 150,000 dong (around £3 to £4) and get dropped right at your hotel.
Old Town in Hoi An: Take a Grab for around 250,000 to 350,000 dong (around £7 to £10), or book a private transfer if you want to be sure of being dropped off close to your hotel.
Backpack and a small budget: The Hai Van bus to Hoi An for 120,000 dong (around £3.50) if you land during the day, or a Danabus to the city centre.
If you land late in the evening: A taxi from the official rank or a pre-booked transfer, especially if you’re going all the way to Hoi An.
Families with lots of luggage: A GrabCar 7 or a private transfer with room for the suitcases.
Straight on to Hue: A car with a driver through the Hai Van Tunnel, or the train from Da Nang Station over the pass.
Many people combine Vietnam with Thailand, and if you have a stopover in Bangkok on the way, I’ve also written a guide to getting from Bangkok Airport to the city centre.
Travel ressources & websites I use all the time 👇
• Booking.com has the best offers on hotels and unique places to stay
• GetYourGuide is the best place to book tours & activities with free cancellation
• Welcome Pickups is the best & safest place to pre-book airport transfers
Psst 👀 Have you subscribed to my Youtube channel and my Instagram where I provide more useful travel tips?