Central Vietnam Itinerary: 5 Days in Da Nang, Ba Na Hills and Hue

Your driver is waiting at Da Nang International Airport, which sits close to the city centre, so the ride in is short. Da Nang is the largest city on the central coast, with the Han River running through the middle and a long sand beach on its eastern edge. Nothing is scheduled today.

If you have time, walk the riverside to the Dragon Bridge, which breathes fire and water on weekend evenings, or find a seafood place near My Khe beach (both optional, at your own cost). The three guided days start tomorrow.

The first guided day covers the ground between Da Nang and Hoi An. You start at the Marble Mountains, five limestone outcrops just south of the city, and climb Thuy Son, where steps lead past pagodas into caves that hold shrines lit by daylight through holes in the rock. Next comes Son Tra Peninsula and Linh Ung Pagoda, whose white Lady Buddha, 67 metres tall, is visible from most of the city.

In the afternoon you reach Cam Thanh, where water coconut palms line the channels near the Thu Bon estuary, and ride a round bamboo basket boat through them. The day ends in Hoi An Ancient Town, a trading port on the UNESCO list since 1999. You walk the lanes to the Japanese Covered Bridge, eat a meal of Hoi An dishes, and have time for the shops and cafes (optional) before the drive back.

A drive west of the city brings you to the foot of Ba Na Hills, where the French built a hill station in the 1920s to escape the coastal heat. The cable car up held world records when it opened and lifts you through the cloud line. Our Da Nang guides like to go straight to the Golden Bridge, the walkway held up by two giant stone hands, before the viewing points fill.

Then the rest: the themed gardens of Le Jardin D'Amour, Linh Ung Pagoda with its white seated Buddha, a buffet of Vietnamese dishes, a second line to the summit of Chua Mountain at 1,487 metres and Linh Chua Linh Tu Temple, then French Square, a rebuilt village of stone houses, and the rides of Fantasy Park. The Debay Wine Cellar, the Wax Museum and the Alpine Coaster are extras (optional, extra cost).

The longest day heads north. Instead of the tunnel, your car takes the old coast road over the Hai Van Pass, about 20 km of bends between the sea and the mountains. Coming down, you pause at Lap An Lagoon, a sheet of still water at Lang Co where families farm oysters.

Hue was the capital of the Nguyen emperors from 1802 to 1945, and the day takes in three sides of that story. Khai Dinh Tomb is the odd one out: concrete and iron, European lines, and an interior of broken glass and porcelain mosaics. After a meal of Hue dishes, your guide walks you through the Imperial City, a UNESCO site since 1993, and the Forbidden Purple City within it. Last is Thien Mu Pagoda, its seven-tiered tower on a bend of the Perfume River. You return to Da Nang in the evening.

Nothing is fixed on the final day. Depending on your flight, there may be time for a walk along the river or the beach, or a stop at Han Market for coffee, dried fruit and a last round of gifts (optional, at your own cost). Once you have packed, your driver takes you to Da Nang International Airport, a short ride from the city, where the tour ends. If you want to stay on in the centre, we can add extra nights in Da Nang or Hoi An.