Hoi An and My Son Itinerary: One, Two or Three Days

Three places define a first trip here: the old town of Hoi An, the Cham towers of My Son and, if you have time, the island of Cu Lao Cham. The order matters more than the number of days, because each place has a best hour. This plan puts each one in its hour.

The plans assume you sleep in Hoi An. The two-day plan starts in Da Nang on its first morning and moves to Hoi An that afternoon. If you stay in Da Nang for a one-day trip, add the transfer: My Son is about 70 km from Da Nang, so the whole day shifts earlier and later.

The plans at a glance

The rule behind the table is simple. My Son goes first in the day, the old town last. In between, you fit what the season allows.

One day: My Son in the early morning, Hoi An in the evening

Leave Hoi An early enough to arrive when ticket sales open at 06:00. My Son is about 40 km away and the drive takes a little over an hour, which means setting off around half past five. That is the early morning the sources recommend, before the sun turns harsh and while the air is still cool.

Plan on more than two hours at the site. From the main entrance a 1 km path leads to the central temples, and electric shuttle cars run from the entrance for anyone who would rather not walk. Bring a hat, water and sports shoes, since the grounds are large. The history of the towers is in our My Son guide.

Back in Hoi An, rest through the heat. The old town is small enough to walk, so you need no transport once you are there; what to see is in the Hoi An old town guide. A boat on the Hoai River is best between 18:00 and 20:00.

A morning at My Son followed by an evening in the old town is a long day for small children. With toddlers, give My Son its own morning and keep the old town for another evening.

Two days: add the Marble Mountains and Thanh Ha

Start day one in Da Nang. The Marble Mountains lie 11 km south-east of the city, with Hoi An to the south, so they sit on the road you take anyway. The site opens from 07:00 to 17:00 daily. Caves and pagodas are covered in the Marble Mountains guide.

Continue to Hoi An for the afternoon and evening. Keep My Son for the morning of day two, as in the one-day plan.

On the afternoon of day two, Thanh Ha pottery village is about 3 km west of the old town on the Thu Bon River. It is a short ride, and a quieter look at a craft that still works for a living. More in our Thanh Ha guide.

Three days: Cu Lao Cham, if the sea allows

Follow the two-day plan, then give the third day to the islands. The islands lie 18 km off the Cua Dai coast. The speedboat takes about 15-20 minutes. The best months are March to August. In the other months, storms and rough sea mean most tourist boats do not run, so keep this day flexible.

Go in the morning and plan to be back early. On a July 2024 schedule the boat left Cua Dai at 9:00, and the last boat back left at 14:30. Most visitors come for a day trip. That leaves your last evening for the old town.

The speedboat ticket is VND 350,000, of which VND 260,000 is the boat, VND 70,000 the sightseeing fee and VND 20,000 the environment and security fee. Read more in the Cu Lao Cham guide.

If you are travelling in the storm season, which runs from June to November with the highest risk from September to November, plan day three without the boat. Move Thanh Ha pottery village here, as a slower day around Hoi An, and leave the afternoon of day two free for the old town. If the boats do run, the plan above stands.

The window where all three places are good is March and April. Hoi An is at its best from February to April, My Son from February to August and Cu Lao Cham from March to August.

Getting around: Da Nang, Hoi An, My Son and Cua Dai

Hoi An lies about 30 km south of Da Nang. Since 18 July 2025, bus route 02 runs from Da Nang’s Central Bus Station to Cua Dai and back. On the way out it passes the Hoi An bus station and ends at the car park of the Cua Dai inland waterway pier. At peak hours it runs every 20 minutes.

No timetable gives the last bus back to Da Nang, so ask your hotel before a late night in the old town. The fare for a taxi or ride-hailing car back is unverified.

My Son is about 70 km from Da Nang and about 40 km from Hoi An. The sources we found list no public bus to My Son. Most visitors go by car, by motorbike or on a tour. A half-day My Son tour with transport is listed at VND 400,000 to 600,000; treat that as a rough figure and confirm the price with the operator.

By car or motorbike from Hoi An, the route crosses the Cam Kim and Duy Phuoc bridges and joins provincial road 610 (DT610). The turn-off to My Son appears at Duy Phu, a little over an hour away.

From Da Nang, one route runs south on Highway 1A, turns right at Nam Phuoc onto Highway 545 and continues about 20 km. Another goes via provincial road 610. The two disagree, so follow a map app on the day.

Inside the old town, cars face time limits. These are 2022 rules, so check on arrival: Hoi An then limited taxis and buses on some old-quarter streets from 11 am to 1:30 pm and from 4 pm to 9 pm.

Tickets and opening hours

The old-town ticket has been required for all visitors since 15 May 2023. Its price corresponds to the number of sites you visit (as of 2023). VND 120,000 for five sites is still the listed price in October 2026. No recent source on children’s tickets for the old town was found, so ask at the counter.

As of 1 November 2026, the My Son ticket is still VND 150,000 for foreign visitors and VND 100,000 for Vietnamese visitors. The board planned a rise to VND 250,000 for 2026, and prices can change, so the current price appears when you buy. You can buy online at mysonticketonline.vn, in Vietnamese and English.

Travelling with children or older people

My Son is the easiest of the heritage sites for small legs. Electric shuttle cars run from the entrance, and children under 5 enter free. Children aged 5 to 15 buy the shuttle service ticket, listed at VND 30,000; going by the ticket page, that is what they pay. The adult price covers visit and service fees, though it is not stated whether that includes the shuttle ride. Bring hats and water for everyone.

At the Marble Mountains, the west gate has 156 stone steps up to Tam Thai Pagoda. Thuy Son also has a lift, which needs a separate lift ticket at VND 15,000 per trip. The ticket page does not say which gate the lift is at, so ask when you buy your ticket.

The old town suits a stroller best in the walking-zone hours. These are 2022 rules, so check on arrival: they ran from 9 am to 11 am and from 3 pm to 9.30 pm in the rainy season, or 10 pm in summer. On the Hoai River, a boat costs VND 150,000 to 200,000 for about 15 to 20 minutes, posted at the quays. A small boat carries 4 to 5 guests, so a family of six or more needs two boats, and everyone should wear a life jacket.

For Cu Lao Cham, babies under 12 months go free and children from 1 to under 8 pay half. Weigh the open sea against the age of your children before you book.

When to go

Hoi An is at its most pleasant from February to April, cool with little rain. My Son’s ideal season runs from February to August, and Cu Lao Cham’s from March to August. The storm season runs from June to November, and the worst floods usually come from mid-October to late November. In the storm season, Nguyen Thai Hoc street in the old town often floods.

If you are flexible, plan your Hoi An evening for the 14th day of the lunar month. The town has held the old town’s full-moon night festival (Le hoi dem ram do thi co) then since 1998. From 17:00 to 22:00 the houses and shops switch off their electric lights, and the quarter is lit by lanterns. The event still runs on the 14th of each lunar month, from about 6 pm to 9 pm in a 2026 listing, so check the hours on the day.

Photos (4)

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