Hoi An Off the Beaten Path: 6 Days

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use.

Six days is enough to stop choosing between Hue and the Cham Islands the way the 5-day plan has to, and just do both, on top of the Old Town, My Son, Da Nang, and craft-village days. This is close to the maximum Hoi An can absorb before you’re better off moving on to somewhere new in Vietnam.

Book these before you go

Day 1: the Old Town, on foot and by lantern light

Start at the Japanese Covered Bridge (Chua Cau), reopened in 2024 after a restoration some locals think looks a little too new for its age, then walk the heritage core, taking in a Chinese assembly hall and a merchant house like Tan Ky. Lunch at the early Morning Market rather than the touristy Central Market, then get fitted at a tailor in the afternoon: a test item first, a modest deposit, no same-day rush order. In the evening, take a lantern boat out on the Thu Bon.

Day 2: My Son Sanctuary, and the craters still in the ground

Leave early for My Son, about an hour southwest, to beat the heat and the tour buses. These red-brick Cham Hindu temple ruins date from the 4th to 13th centuries and were UNESCO-listed in 1999, the same year as Hoi An Ancient Town; much of the site was destroyed during a single week of US bombing in August 1969, and the craters are still visible beside the standing structures. Back in Hoi An by afternoon, cycle to Tra Que herb village or take the calm version of the Cam Thanh basket boat.

Day 3: Da Nang, for the Golden Bridge and Marble Mountains

Da Nang is 30-45 minutes away and doubles as Hoi An’s airport gateway, but this day is about the Golden Bridge at Ba Na Hills, held by two giant stone hands roughly 1,400 metres up and reached by a Guinness-record cable car, plus the Marble Mountains’ caves, pagodas, and stair climb on the way back.

Day 4: across the river to the craft villages

Take a short ferry or bike ride over the Thu Bon to Cam Kim island, then the Thanh Ha pottery village and the Kim Bong carpentry village, both still working mostly for local buyers. Stop at Reaching Out (131 Tran Phu), a deaf-run fair-trade crafts shop, then spend the afternoon at An Bang Beach.

Day 5: Hue, over the Hai Van Pass

Hue, the old imperial capital, is 3-3.5 hours away via the scenic Hai Van Pass and centres on the Citadel, the Imperial City, and the royal tombs, part of its own separate UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the longest day of the trip; leave early and treat the pass itself as part of the point, not just the drive to get past.

Day 6: the Cham Islands, by boat

Cu Lao Cham, the Cham Islands, form a marine UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designated in 2009, reachable only by boat trip. Snorkelling and beach time are the draw, and both the crossing and the activities are season and sea-dependent, so check conditions before you book (verify current schedule). It’s a calmer close to the trip than the day before it.

Day Focus Don’t skip
1 Old Town heritage + tailor + lantern boat the Morning Market over the Central Market
2 My Son Sanctuary the early departure, before heat and crowds
3 Da Nang: Golden Bridge + Marble Mountains the cable car, even if the site feels staged
4 Cam Kim island + craft villages + An Bang the calm basket-boat slot if unused so far
5 Hue via the Hai Van Pass the pass itself, not just the Citadel at the end
6 Cham Islands boat trip checking sea conditions before you book

For where to sleep across six nights, see where to stay in Hoi An , and for food specifics, where to eat in Hoi An . The Hoi An day trips guide covers all of days 2, 3, 5, and 6 in more depth.

For the two UNESCO sites central to days 1 and 2, see UNESCO’s listing for Hoi An Ancient Town and UNESCO’s listing for My Son Sanctuary . The only official visa portal is evisa.gov.vn .

If day 5 leaves you wiped out, swap days 5 and 6 so the calmer boat trip comes right after the long drive, not before it.