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Travel Guide / Vietnam

Ultimate Vietnam Travel: DIY to Da Nang & Hue

If you are looking for cultural, nature, and city trave in Vietnam, Da Nang is one of the best and cheapest DIY Travel options. It sits between Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi. Vietnam is one of the most budget-friendly and hassle-free tourist destinations in Asia. Everyone can speak English and the level of fluency is enough to understand each other.

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Golden Bridge, Sun World, Bana Hills

Cheapest Way Reach Da Nang, Vietnam

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Ho Chi Minh is not a 5day DIY travel-worthy area hence I decided to look for other destinations nearby like Da Nang, Hue, and Hoi An, however, there is no direct flight. My option is to take a 20hr land trip or a 1.5Hr flight. I got a Vietjet roundtrip flight Ho Chi Minh-Danang at 50% off. It’s even cheaper than taking a 20hr land trip.

Tips

Preparing can be harder than the actual trip. First of all, you need to download these apps:

Booking for A Hotel in Da Nang

Decide your travel itinerary before booking for a hotel. The hotel must be near or accessible to all destinations you wanted to visit. How will you do this? Plot and save your itinerary on Google map. See the below photos of my saved map. On the left side are the places I want to visit each day which I can plan based on proximity from each other. I also use this map in locating what malls, stores, or restaurants are near me. Using my map, I booked at the Green House Hotel in Da Nang thru Airbnb. It costs US$100 for a family room with 4 beds, 3days, and 2night with breakfast. Isn’t it a bang for the bucks?

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Vietnam Map Itinerary

Getting Transportation Around Da Nang

The next thing to do is find out the cheapest and easiest way to travel around and visit the places we want. I asked the hotel first if they have airport pick-up and drop off, and if they have tours. Some of their offers are cheaper. We availed their hotel pick up and 1-day drive tour at Bana Hills. The total cost is 700,000 Vietnamese dong or Php1500 for 4 persons which we paid in cash at the hotel. For most of our day tours, we used Klook and Grab.

I decided to rent a Pocket Wifi via Klook. It will be delivered to your hotel and picked up at any hotel too. It’s super convenient and cheap too. I paid 1,305php for 5days of unlimited wifi for 5 devices. Please note again that we are four people sharing this wifi. You will save a lot of money if you travel in groups.

Most budget airlines have strict luggage rules. Pack light and if you cant, buy baggage allowance in advance.

I suggest bringing these as well with your travel essentials:
  • Bring an extra USD100 every time you travel abroad. This is your emergency fund
  • Bring an extra-large foldable bag for shopping souvenirs. The items you bought might not fit your luggage
  • Check your credit cards if they have free travel insurance. Some cards have free airport lounge access and travel insurance.
  • Bring your vitamins and medicines
  • Disposable underwear is practical.

Best Place to Exchange Vietnam Dong

Do you want to be an instant millionaire? US$1 is 23,000 Vietnamese Dong. You can try foreign exchange shops and banks. VND is a rare currency abroad. You may not find a good rate. I decided to buy USD from my country and change it to VND at the airport. Don’t bother going out to find forex shops, the airport is better and safer.

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Vietnam Airport Foreign Exchange

Flight Day!

We arrived at Ho Chi Minh Airport and took a 1.5-hour Vietjet domestic flight to Ho Chi Minh-Da Nang. Take note of the time zone difference from your country. The Green House Hotel service van took us to the hotel. The hotel staff gave us the pocket wifi we ordered from Klook.

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Vietjet

Green House Hotel

The best value for your money. This hotel has big clean rooms and a relaxing ambiance. They have the most delectable breakfast and their coffee is unforgettable. Ms. Louise Lam and the rest of the hotel staff were very friendly and helpful. Best of all, its location is perfect. The hotel is just 5 minutes’ walk away from My Khe Beach. In addition to that, the area has nearby restaurants and convenience stores.

Sunworld Bana Hills

The hotel service van drove us to Sunworld. Our tickets were from Klook. My favorite activity here was the buffet meals! Lots of mouth-watering food choices. This is a unique, fun, colorful, and modern theme park. Ready your camera because this place is Instagram worthy. This is a unique, fun, colorful, and modern theme park. Roundtrip Cable car ride and Unlimited Buffet is included in the entrance fee.

Hue

I availed an all-day private tour from Klook. Hue is the ancient capital of Vietnam and its a 2hr drive from Da Nang. Mentioning ancient, all the historical relics, castles and authentic Vietnamese food is here. We went to the Citadel, Tu Doc Tomb, and Royal Tomb of Khai Ding King. Our day was the packed will cultural and historical sites. Our driver took us to an authentic Vietnamese restaurant.

Marble Mountain

For this trip, we took a grab car. It only takes 30 minutes from Da Nang to the Marble Mountain. This mountain is the place of Buddist temples.

My Khe Beach

My Khe Beach is just a 5-minute walk to the Green House Hotel. It’s a picturesque beach perfect for wedding photoshoots.

Dragon Bridge

This is the major landmark in Da Nang. Every Saturday night, they launch the Dragon Bridge festival where the dragon in the bridge breathes our fire and water, making everyone wet. There are cultural shows under the bridge. Da Nang is a very lively city.

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Dragon Bridge, Da Nang

Shopping in Da Nang

Shopping and Going around is easy using the Grab app. We decided to buy souvenirs and eat street food at Son Tra night market. We shopped at Lotte Mart and Da Nang Market. Don’t forget to buy the coffee brand “wake up”. It’s the best instant coffee. Prices in Vietnam is cheap. I filled my extra luggage with Vietnamese food and other souvenirs.

Da Nang Food Trip

we have tried street food, cafeteria, restaurants, and fast food. One of the amazing finds is a small eatery called Tuan Rau hidden in an alley. I swear they have delectable and flavorful food at a very low cost. The only challenge was that the menu is not in English and the staff don’t speak English. Good thing I have google translate, we were able to communicate. Don’t forget to order their Mango Fish fry.

Total Cost Of My Da Nang and Hue DIY Vietnam Travel

Da Nang, Vietnam, DIY Tour, Travel Budget, Cost Summary, Expenses, Cost of Travel
Cost Summary

Doing my own DIY travel to Da Nang, Hue, and Hoi An Vietnam took a lot of research time but in the end, we saved a lot of money. Let me know in the comments below if you have questions or suggestions.