Getting from Hue to Hoi An
· Updated · BootsnAll
Hue was the imperial capital. Hoi An, about 120 km south, was the trading port, and because it silted up and lost its business to Da Nang in the 19th century, nobody redeveloped it. What is left is a merchant town of Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese buildings that has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.
They are the two best stops in central Vietnam and almost everyone does them together. The journey between is short, and how you make it is the most enjoyable decision on this list.
The train, and the pass
Hoi An has no station. The train goes to Da Nang, 30 km short, and you finish by taxi or bus in about 45 minutes.
Take it anyway. The Hue to Da Nang stretch runs along the coast and climbs over the Hai Van Pass, the "Sea Cloud Pass", with Lang Co lagoon below and the mountains coming down to the water. It is three to three and a half hours and it is the single most scenic piece of railway in Vietnam.
There is now a tourist train built specifically for this: the Central Heritage service, HD1 and HD3 southbound from Hue at about 07:05 and 14:30, HD2 and HD4 northbound from Da Nang at about 07:05 and 15:20. Air-conditioned carriages with panoramic windows, a carriage with Hue music and snacks, and a ten minute stop at Lang Co station to get out and look at the bay.
Sit on the right going south for the sea.
The motorbike or car over the pass
The other famous way to do this is by road over the Hai Van Pass itself, rather than through the tunnel underneath it. Easy Riders and similar outfits will take you as a pillion passenger with your bag following in a van, and plenty of travellers ride it themselves.
It is a genuinely great road, and it is also a mountain pass in a country with a high road casualty rate. If you ride, you need an appropriate licence for your insurance to be worth anything, and the weather on the top can close in fast.
A private car with a driver over the pass, stopping at Lang Co and the bunkers at the summit, costs a modest amount split between a few people and is the compromise most people should take.
Buses
Direct tourist buses run Hue to Hoi An in about four hours for a few dollars, usually through the tunnel rather than over the pass, which saves half an hour and costs you the view.
Ask which route the bus takes before you book. It is the whole difference between a transfer and a day out.
Timing
Leave Hue in the morning and you will be in Hoi An for the afternoon, which is when the old town is at its best: the lanterns go on at dusk and the streets close to traffic.
Central Vietnam's wet season runs roughly September to December and Hoi An floods most years, sometimes to the point where the old town is navigated by boat. Check before you book if you are travelling then.