Anne-Charlotte PasseraOur day trip from Hué to Hoi An was done with a private chauffeur through the company DAYTRIP. We used them also to travel from Hanoi to Ninh Binh.
When using DAYTRIP in Vietnam, you can pick and choose the places you’d like to stop along the way from Hué to Hoi An. Also, you get to decide, prior to the trip, on the amount of time you’d like to stay there.
Of course, there are other places you could check out that aren’t on the list. However, when you don’t have much time in Vietnam and can’t see it all, DAYTRIP is the next best thing.
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
If I had known and if we had had the time, I would have made a stop at Lang Co Fishing Village and Lang An Lagoon. We passed by it on our way from Hué to Hoi An and honestly, I was intrigued. If you drive by it, you’ll see tons of what looks like sticks sticking out from the water. This is where the fishing happens. I would have loved to make a pit stop there and see it more up close.
KHAI DINH MAUSOLEUM (1 hour)
Located 20 minutes away from Hué you will find the mausoleum of Emperor Khai Dinh. Khai Dinh was the 12th Emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty. This mausoleum is said to be the most outstanding one of all.
The final resting place of Khai Dinh is a sparkling contrast to the exterior of the building that houses him.
The entrance fee is 150 000VND.
If you are doing this route from Hoi An to Hué, you might not have the time to visit this place as it closes at 5 pm. However, this will depend on what you’ll be visiting prior to this place.
HAI VAN PASS
The Hai Van Pass, also called the Ocean Cloud Pass, is located on Route 1A in Vietnam at about 500m above sea level.
A little History
During the American War (Vietnam War), it was the main supply route along the north-south axis in South Vietnam. It was a crucial supply line for the southern forces connecting the port city of Da Nang with Hué and further North to the demilitarized zone.
Formerly used as a US military outpost with sweeping views of both the north and south, only ruins remain crawling with tourists.
The View
When you journey from Hué to Hoi An and vice versa, the Hai Van Pass is a necessary stop; if only to stretch your legs.
Personally, I wasn’t impressed by it. However, I did enjoy the views of the Chinese Sea from the winding road on the way up and down. Saddly, we couldn’t stop to enjoy them along the way. It also didn’t help that it wasn’t a complete clear day.
However, if you are traveling by motorcycle, making pit stops along the way will be a lot easier to do and a lot less crowded.
If you need a quicker way to get from Hué to Hoi An, you can skip the Hai Van Pass and take the 6.28km tunnel, the longest tunnel in Southeast Asia.
BA NA HILLS (6 hours)
Ba Na Hills is a resort and amusement park located roughly 1400m above sea level about a 1-hour drive from Hoi An.
A brief history
It was founded by French colonists in 1919 where they built their secondary houses. Nowadays, you can access the top of it by taking a 20-minute cable car ride. The single wire cable car goes up 5.7km and is the longest in the world. It was first opened in 2013.
However, back then, they didn’t have that. The colonists would use horses to get to the base of the hills and were then ‘carried’ to the top (20km).
After the wars, the houses were mostly destroyed, and the buildings deserted. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that the area was revitalized into a European style theme park.
A 19th-century French village replica was built consisting of a church, opulent gardens, squares, and so on. Of course, a pagoda and a stone buddha was thrown into the mix for the hell of it.
Is it worth it?
This was by far the most expensive activity that my mom and I did in Vietnam. The entrance fee is 750 000VND per person. Ouch!
There are plenty of restaurants to eat at on top of the hills. As to be expected, the prices are high. I’m pretty sure you could bring food with you as I didn’t see any signs and they didn’t check our backpacks. That could be an option if you want to save money.
In my opinion, if you have the time and money, it is worth checking out, especially if you have kids.
Ba Na Hills with kids
If you are in Vietnam with kids and it’s pouring rain, this is a good place as any to have fun with them.
I’m not a big fan of ‘amusement parks’ but I admit that this one was pretty cool to walk around at.
In the afternoon, there is a parade of dancers doing their thing on the main square. Kids will love it!
Also, there is a humongous arcade area and a 1 to 2-seater rollercoaster for everyone to enjoy.
What to see in Ba Na Hills
Ba Na Hills is sort of like Disneyland with a European twist. What looks like a castle and a traditional old French town has been built. Unfortunately, as a French person I can tell it’s fake, probably because of the material used. However, Asian tourists who have never been to Europe will simply love it. It is a fact that Ba Na Hills is extremely popular with Vietnamese, Chinese and Koreans tourists (our private chauffeur told us that).
Nonetheless, Ba Na Hills is very charming.
There are 2 stops on the cable car ride. The last stop is where the town is located with the arcades, restaurants and a pagoda. You should hit this first.
The first stop will take you to a buddha, gardens, a wine cellar, a maze, an outdoor game of Chess, and the newest attraction: The Golden Bridge.
The Golden Bridge
The Golden Bridge was built in 2017 and is the newest attraction at Ba Na Hills. As it is ever so popular, especially with really annoying instagrammers, it’s best to hit it last to avoid the crowds. People have a tendency on going there first as it’s located at the first stop.
This 150m long pedestrian bridge is absolutely gorgeous. The bridge is made from steel with a timber deck and stainless-steel handrails colored golden. The bridge looks like it’s coming out from the side of the hill.
While walking on it, you’ll not only get a beautiful view above the clouds but will enjoy or not some odd French music.
Access to Ba Na Hills
When I went to Ba Na Hills with my 76-year old mom, it was just before the Coronavirus (Covid-19) was starting to hit the fan. For us, it was a blessing in disguise.
We arrived around 11am and there was no one waiting for tickets nor to hop in the cable car. In fact, we even had the cable car to ourselves. That was awesome!
Therefore, it’s best to arrive when it opens around 8 am so as not to have to waste 2 hours of your time waiting in line at the bottom.
One way to skip part of the line is to buy your tickets ahead of time on the internet, HERE.
This way, you’ll at least skip the line at the ticket booth and possibly get a small discount in the process.
You can go there by taxi from Hoi An and Da Nang and there are taxi drivers waiting at the exit to take you back to where you came from.
There is FREE internet at Ba Na Hills as well, so you can even call a GRAB (Asian Uber) if you want.
Final words about Ba Na Hills
Bring a light jacket or sweater as the temperature is cooler on top. Wear comfortable shoes as you’ll be walking around a lot.
I didn’t see any place where to check your bags. However, there are lots hotels at the last station where you can spend the night, it might be possible to leave your bags there if need be.
Despite not being a big fan of amusement parks, I wouldn’t mind taking my kids to Ba Na Hills.
So there you have it. Our day trip from Hué to Hoi An was quite diversified, fun and a whole lot better than doing it by bus or by train. We could have picked different stops, but we were happy with our selection. My mother thought it was cool and different.
[…] Discover our journey from HUÉ to HOI AN […]
Great article. Very interesting. I particularly enjoyed the history.
Nice read. We could all use some off the beaten path suggestions and this post seems to nail it. Thank you for sharing!
I’ve never been to Vietnam but have always wanted to visit! Thanks for sharing this—I’m always looking for more “hidden gem”/off the beaten path type places to visit! :]