PHONG NHA to HOI AN — Bus, Train, Flight? ☀️

7 min readJun 7, 2020

How do you get from Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park to Hoi An?

Hoi An is about 20 km from Da Nang - the biggest city of central Vietnam.

Hoi An - this ancient historical town in central Vietnam is very easily accessible from Da Nang. Da Nang is a very nice beach city, so this place it is also recommended to stop and take a relax for a while. Hoi An ancient town was written into the Unesco World Heritage List and it is one of the most visited tourist places in central Vietnam - beaches, tourist attractions, restaurants, boat trips. Yes this town is touristy, but the old town is surprisingly extensive and can absorb a lot of visitors without losing its dreamy atmosphere. And while much of Vietnam, to both north and south, gets a thorough soaking in summer, the central coast is at its driest and sunniest in May, June or July. Most homestays and hotels offer bikes to tourists, and joining the many cyclists on the roads provides an instant immersion into local life. Hoi An is known for its diverse and excellent food: a legacy of the many nationalities, including Japanese, Chinese and Portuguese, that lived or traded here. There are 2 ways how you can travel from Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park to Hoi An - by bus or bus+train.

🥇 You can search and book tickets from Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park to Hoi An (+Da Nang) on Baolau or 12go.asia
(You can search another routes and tickets, e.g. Phong Nha > Hue, Hue > Hoi An, Da Nang > Hoi An…)

From Hoi An to Phong Nha-Ke Bang you can travel by bus or train+bus.

Travel distance from Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park to Hoi An is about 340 km by land via Dong Hoi and Da Nang. From Phong Nha-Ke Bang to Hoi An you can travel by tourist bus, minibus, travel by bus takes about 8 hours, it is the most fastest way how to get to Hoi An from Phong Nha. Bus tickets from Phong Nha to Hoi An cost about $12–13/pp. There is no direct flight and no direct railway to Hoi An from Phong Nha. But there is a train from Dong Hoi to Da Nang. So you can take a local bus/taxi from Phong Nha to Dong Hoi and from Dong Hoi you can travel by train to Da Nang. There are seats or sleeper berths in the trains. Travel by bus+train from Phong Nha to Hoi An via Dong Hoi and Da Nang takes about 7–8 hours. Train tickets from Dong Hoi to Da Nang cost about $7–15/pp. There are also some flights with stopover from Dong Hoi to Da Nang, but travel by plane with stopover does not make a sense, take a tourist bus. You can search and book bus/train tickets from Phong Nha (Dong Hoi) to Hoi An (+Da Nang) easily online. From Da Nang you can travel to Quy Nhon.

How do you get from Phong Nha-Ke Bang to Hoi An?

1. BUS from Hoi An to Phong Nha-Ke Bang

there are some buses from Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park to Hoi An
bus companies from Phong Nha to Hoi An: Hey Travel, Queen Café…
bus ticket from Phong Nha to Hoi An costs about $12–13/pp (sleeper)
travel by bus from Phong Nha-Ke Bang to Hoi An takes about 8 hours
you will receive your bus e-ticket to Hoi An by email, ready to print this ticket and present when boarding the bus in Phong Nha-Ke Bang, read the instructions before you book your bus tickets
recommended for travelers - arrive 30 minutes before departure of the bus

Bus from Phong Nha to Hoi An — Bus of Hey Travel from Phong Nha to Hoi An (photo: Baolau).

2. TRAIN+BUS from Phong Nha-Ke Bang to Hoi An

You can also travel from Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park to Hoi An by combination of train and bus. First you have to take a bus/taxi to Dong Hoi and from Dong Hoi you can travel by train to Da Nang. In Da Nang you can take a bus, minivan or taxi to Hoi an. You can book bus tickets from Da Nang to Hoi An at Baolau or 12go.asia.

A) BUS/TAXI from Phong Nha to Dong Hoi

it is about 45 km from Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park to Dong Hoi
you have to travel by local bus from Phong Nha to Dong Hoi - read this article on Wikitravel
or you can take a private taxi from Phong Nha to Dong Hoi

B) TRAIN from Dong Hoi to Da Nang

there are various trains from Dong Hoi to Da Nang
travel by train from Dong Hoi to Da Nang takes about 5–6 hours
trains of Vietnam Railways + Livitrans Express tourist train
one-way train ticket from Dong Hoi to Da Nang costs about $7–15/pp (soft seat or berth)
Livitrans Express - luxury sleeper train - one-way train ticket costs about $77/pp
railway station in Da Nang - Da Nang Railway Station
railway station in Dong Hoi - Đồng Hới Railway Station
there are also tourist buses between Dong Hoi and Da Nang
you will receive your train e-ticket to Da Nang by email, ready to print or carry in your mobile phone or tablet and present when boarding the train in Dong Hoi Railway Station, read the instructions

C) BUS/TAXI from Da Nang to Hoi An

it is about 25 km from Da Nang to Hoi An ancient town
there are various buses, minivans, taxi or Grab to Hoi An
travel by bus or taxi from Da Nang to Hoi An takes about 1 hour
there is no train from Da Nang to Hoi An ancient town

From Dong Hoi you can travel by train to Da Nang.

Info + Faqs — Travel route from Phong Nha to Hoi An:

How to book and buy bus / train tickets from Phong Nha (Dong Hoi) to Hoi An?

🥇 You can book tickets from Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park to Hoi An (+Da Nang) on Baolau or 12go.asia
(You can search another routes and tickets, e.g. Dong Hoi > Hue, Dong Hoi > Da Nang, Da Nang > Hoi An…)

How long does it take to get from Phong Nha to Hoi An?

Travel by tourist bus from Phong Nha to Hoi An takes about 8 hours.
Travel by bus+train from Phong Nha to Hoi An (via Da Nang) takes about 8–10 hours.

How much does it cost to get from Phong Nha to Hoi An?

Travel by tourist bus from Phong Nha to Hoi An costs about $12–13/pp.
Travel by bus+train from Phong Nha to Hoi An (via Da Nang) costs about $12–18/pp.

What is the travel distance from Phong Nha to Hoi An?

Travel distance from Phong Nha to Hoi An is about 340 km by land.

Is there some tourist luxury train from Dong Hoi to Da Nang?

Yes, you can also travel by Livitrans Express tourist sleeper train from Dong Hoi to Da Nang and ticket costs about $70–80/pp.

Is there also another way how to get from Phong Nha to Hoi An?

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is accessible only by bus or motorbike, because there is no railway station in Phong Nha. There are no direct flights from Phong Nha or Dong Hoi to Da Nang/Hoi An and there is a railway only from Dong Hoi to Da Nang.

Is it possible to travel by plane from Phong Nha to Hoi An?

No, it is not possible to travel by plane from Phong Nha to Hoi An, because there are no airports in these towns. The closest airport to Hoi An is Da Nang International Airport and Dong Hoi has also an airport, but there are no direct flights between these cities.

What is the best way of transport from Phong Nha-Ke Bang to Hoi An?

The best way how you can travel to Hoi An is to take a tourist bus directly from Phong Nha. You will save some time and bus tickets are cheap.

Where you can travel from Hoi An or Da Nang?

From Hoi An you can travel to various places in southern Vietnam. E.g. you can travel to Nha Trang or there are some flights from Da Nang to Phu Quoc Island. From Da Nang you can also travel by train/bus to Mui Ne (Phan Thiet).