Honeymoons & celebration journeys
Tours · Anniversary · Central Vietnam
Anniversary: Hue, Hoi An & a central coast resort
Ten days on one stretch of coast, with no internal flights: two nights in the old imperial capital, three in Hoi An and four at a resort on the beach between Da Nang and Hoi An. Calm, close together, and at its strongest from March to August.
At a glance
- Duration
- 10 days, 9 nights
- Party
- 2, or up to 8 friends
- Starts
- Hue
- Ends
- Da Nang airport
- Pace
- Slow · no internal flights
- Price
- On request
Who this route is for
This route suits couples marking ten, twenty or forty years who want history and a beach without airports in between. Hue and Hoi An are about 125 km apart, roughly three hours by private car over the Hai Van Pass, and the beach resorts sit between Hoi An and Da Nang, a short drive from either. You fly into Hue or Da Nang and out of Da Nang, and that is all the flying there is.
It also works well for a milestone birthday with friends. Four to eight people fit in one vehicle on the pass, and the beach end can be a group of villas with a shared dinner on the last night.
The season is narrower than people expect. The national tourism authority describes Hue as cool to cold and rainy from September to February, and Hoi An as rainy with several storms from October to January. Da Nang's average rainfall climbs past 300 mm in September and reaches about 650 mm in October. From March to August the same coast is sunny, and from June to August, by the official description, the sea is clear and calm. See the beach calendar for every month.
Day by day
Day 1
Arrive in Hue
Arrive at Hue airport, or at Da Nang and drive north. Your hotel is on or near the Perfume River. The evening is free; we suggest dinner by the river and an early night.
Day 2
The imperial city and the river
The Perfume River by private boat in the late afternoon
Hue was the capital of unified Vietnam from 1802 to 1945, and its monuments are a UNESCO site. Your guide starts at the citadel gates at opening time, before the heat, and takes you through the imperial enclosure at walking pace, with stops in the shade.
In the afternoon, a private dragon boat on the Perfume River to the Thien Mu pagoda, then on to one of the royal tombs south of the city.
Day 3
Over the Hai Van Pass to Hoi An
A slow morning, then south by private car. The road climbs the Hai Van Pass, with stops at the lagoon at Lang Co and at the summit of the pass when the cloud allows a view down the coast.
Arrive in Hoi An mid-afternoon. We book a hotel on the river or in the rice fields just outside the old town, a short bicycle ride in.
Day 4
Hoi An early, and the river at dusk
The anniversary evening on the river
The old town, at 7:00 with your guide, while the lanes are still quiet: the 18th-century Japanese covered bridge, an assembly hall, a merchant's house. Back to the hotel by late morning.
At dusk, a private sampan on the Thu Bon River for the two of you, with a lantern set on the water. If your dates include the full moon of the lunar month, the old town is lit by lanterns only that evening.
Day 5
Free in Hoi An
Unplanned. We can arrange a cooking class, a tailor, bicycles through the vegetable villages, or nothing at all.
Day 6
To the beach
A short drive north to the resort. The beach between Hoi An and Da Nang is one long strand of sand, and the resorts along it have rooms and villas facing the sea.
Afternoon in the water. From June to August the sea here is, by the tourism authority's description, clear and calm.
Day 7
Beach day
Nothing planned. If you want a morning out, the Marble Mountains are a short drive, and a spa morning at the resort is easy to book through us in advance.
Day 8
The anniversary dinner
The celebration dinner by the sea
A private dinner set up for the occasion: a table on the sand, a terrace above the beach, or the villa's own garden, according to what the resort allows. Cake, flowers and the wording on a card are agreed with you in advance, in writing.
Day 9
Last beach day
Free. If a storm or a grey day took one of the earlier beach days, this is the spare.
Day 10
Depart from Da Nang
Driver to Da Nang airport for your flight home or onward.
Price
| Party | Heritage hotels and a beach resort room | Suites and a private pool villa |
|---|---|---|
| Private, 2 travellers | On request | On request |
| Private, 4 travellers | On request | On request |
| Private, 6 – 8 friends | On request | On request |
On this route the beach resort is most of the bill, and it is the item with the widest spread. If you want to save, we would cut a level at the resort rather than a night. Groups of friends often get more for the money from a set of villas than from separate rooms. The pricing page shows the full breakdown.
What the price includes
- 9 nights in the hotels you approve by name
- Private car and driver throughout, including the Hai Van Pass
- Private guide in Hue and for the Hoi An old town morning
- Private dragon boat in Hue and private sampan in Hoi An
- Entrance tickets to the sites in the itinerary
- One celebration dinner with cake and set-up, confirmed in writing
- Meals as listed day by day
What it does not include
- International flights and any flight into Hue
- Travel insurance
- Vietnam visa fee, if you need a visa
- Drinks and meals not listed
- Tips
- Spa and optional activities
Pictures from the route
Who this route is not for
- Couples travelling between September and January. That is the central coast's rainy and storm season; for those months the Angkor and southern islands route works better.
- Travellers who want a small island rather than a long resort beach. The central coast is a single open strand, not coves.
- Anyone who wants more than one country. This route stays in one region on purpose.
- Couples who want to be in the middle of Hoi An's old town at night. We book just outside it, because the centre is busy until late.
- Travellers sensitive to heat in July and August. The sea is calm then, but the walking days in Hue are hot even at opening time.
Variations
Twelve days: add a night in Hue and a night at the beach. Eight days: drop Hue and start in Hoi An; you lose the imperial city but keep the river and the beach. Friends' birthday version: a villa compound at the beach end instead of rooms, with the dinner on the villa terrace so nobody has to move after midnight.
Ready to price it? The how to book page explains what we need from you and what you get back.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Hue or Da Nang airport — which is better to fly into?
If your international connection reaches Hue easily, fly in there and out of Da Nang; you avoid driving back over the pass. If not, fly into Da Nang and drive north on day one.
Is the Hai Van Pass safe in a car?
It is a paved mountain road with traffic, driven every day by private cars. In heavy rain or low cloud we skip the stops on the summit or use the tunnel route instead.
Can the resort put on a dinner on the beach?
Some resorts on this coast do, some only on their terrace, and some only on certain nights. We name the resort and confirm what it allows before you book.
Is this route good in October?
No. October is the wettest month on this coast, with average rainfall around 650 mm in Da Nang. We would suggest the Angkor and southern islands route instead.
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How to book
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Start planning
Tell us the occasion, the month and who is coming
A month, the number of travellers and the occasion are enough to start. You get a draft route and an itemised quote, not a brochure.