Trip At A Glance

Before You Go: What I Would Settle First

• Book an apartment if travelling with parents and toddler. This was one of the best decisions because my parents could help watch Gemma at night while Thye and I went out for a short walk after she slept. I wanted Le Ocean Front initially, but it was fully booked, so we stayed at Altara Suites.
• Book airport fast track if travelling with kids or elderly. We used it for both arrival and departure, and it saved us a lot of waiting time.
• Compare Scoot and VietJet properly. VietJet timings were much better, with morning flights to Da Nang and late afternoon flights back to Singapore, but the reviews scared me. I saw too many comments about delays, luggage weighing and extra charges, so I chose Scoot even though the timing was not ideal.
• Consider a private driver for day trips. Ours was around SGD 150 for 4 days, which was not expensive, but I would not recommend the exact driver because he was quite inflexible. For Da Nang, I think it is better to find one with proper reviews.
• Buy the Ba Na Hills WOW Pass if you hate queues. It gave us express queues for cable cars and funicular rides. With toddler and elderly, this helped a lot.
• Coconut boat pricing can be negotiated. We paid about VND 200,000 per pax. My friends were quoted VND 750,000 before bargaining down to VND 250,000, so please haggle.
• Reserve restaurants where possible. Moc Quan was very strict and released our table after 15 minutes. Many Da Nang / Hoi An restaurants can be reserved through WhatsApp, email or online forms.
• Use Grab for most city rides. It was easy, cheap and straightforward.

If you want the shortcut version, the paid planner has the exact reservation links, booking reminders, distance notes and day-by-day route. The free post below is still the full story, but the planner is for those who want to copy the route faster.

Day 01: Singapore to Da Nang, Moc Quan Seafood and Early Bedtime Reality

Thankfully, the flight went well without any delay. This was honestly my biggest fear because we only had 5 days and I did not want one delay to eat into the whole trip.

The flight was around 3 hours, and we managed to match Gemma’s nap with the flight, so she slept for about half the journey.

The sad part about Scoot is the timing. By the time we landed in Da Nang, it was already evening, and the return flight was in the morning. VietJet timing was much better, but because of the reviews, I really did not dare to risk it.

Once we landed, thank god I booked fast track immigration and arranged a private driver. We were out within around 10 minutes, which helped because our landing was delayed and we were rushing for dinner at Moc Quan.

Our driver dropped Thye at the hotel first to settle the luggage, then dropped the rest of us at the restaurant. Even then, we still missed the reservation grace period. Moc Quan was super strict and released our slot after 15 minutes sharp.

But because we had a toddler and elderly parents with us, the staff kindly got us another table after around 15 minutes of waiting.

You may have seen Moc Quan on IG reels. I would say the food and service were pretty much like what people showed. Seafood was fresh, and they even peeled the shells for us. We enjoyed the dinner.

After that, it was back to the hotel because it was already around 8.30pm. Travelling with toddler means no more late-night chiong because bedtime is still bedtime.

But this is exactly why an apartment helped. Once Gemma slept, Thye and I could still go out to explore the area a little while my parents helped to eye power.

Day 02: Ba Na Hills, WOW Pass, Massage and Dragon Bridge Cruise

Ba Na Hills was one of the places I would strongly recommend for Da Nang, especially if you are travelling with family. It is much cooler up in the mountains, and there are many things to see and do.

We spent almost the full day there, around 10am to 5pm.

Thankfully, they also had stroller rental, so Gemma could nap in the stroller and we did not need to rush back to the hotel for her nap. This saved the day because going up and down Ba Na Hills already takes time.

The WOW Pass was worth it for us because it saved a lot of queueing time. If you are travelling with a toddler or elderly parents, every queue you skip is precious.

After doing a lot of research, this was the route I felt worked best for Ba Na Hills:

1. Cable car up to Hoi An Station.
2. Golden Hand Bridge.
3. Flower Garden.
4. Cable car towards Lunar Castle.
5. Lunar Castle area.
6. Funicular to French Village.
7. Spend the rest of the day at French Village for lunch, photos and Alpine Coaster.
8. Cable car down from French Village.

It sounds like a lot, but the area is huge, so having a route really helps. Otherwise you may waste time walking back and forth.

After Ba Na Hills, our driver dropped us at Son Tra Night Market. We were early, so we decided to go for a massage nearby and ended up having no time for the night market because I had booked the 8pm Han River cruise.

HAHAHA. Very me.

Spa and massage in Vietnam are relatively cheap, but you still need to find a good one. I wanted to try another spa place, but no time to squeeze into my already packed itinerary.

The cruise timing worked well because the Dragon Bridge fire and water show is at 9pm on weekends. Watching it from the river meant we did not have to squeeze with the mainland crowd, which was a lot easier with family.

After that, back to the apartment to rest.

Day 03: Hoi An Day Trip, Coconut Boat, Old Town and Lantern Boat Timing Mistake

This was our Hoi An day trip.

I planned Hoi An on Day 03 because I wanted the next day to be more flexible in case everyone was tired. Thankfully, the day was manageable. The only killer was still the heat.

We started with Bay Mau Coconut Forest for the coconut basket boat. It is on the way to Hoi An, so it makes sense to do it before going into the old town.

The coconut boat was pretty fun minus the heat. Our boatman was kind enough to spin slowly for Gemma to experience it. The dramatic spinning boats you see online are usually a separate paid performance, not your own boat spinning like crazy from the start.

There were also coconut boats with loud KTV vibes, but we skipped that because we had no interest to sing under the hot sun.

After that, we went to Hoi An. Our driver stopped us at Com Linh for lunch because I found it as a must-try roasted duck place. What I did not realise was that the restaurant was not exactly inside the main Ancient Town area, so we wasted some time exploring the nearby shops first.

We even booked a private buggy to bring us around and somehow ended up at another massage place to escape the heat. Then I asked around and realised the actual Old Town area was nearby and that was the part we really should have gone to earlier.

The vibe there was so nice. Good for shopping, cafes, photos and just walking around. I really regretted not heading there earlier because there were many interesting shops.

Dinner was at Morning Glory Original, one of the famous restaurants in Hoi An. There are two Morning Glory branches, Signature and Original. Personally, I felt the Original one had a nicer ambience and menu.

Then came my lantern boat timing mistake.

I wanted to catch the sunset, so I booked 6.30pm. But by the time we queued and boarded the boat, it was already close to 7pm and the sky was dark.

If you want nicer photos, I think 6pm is a better start timing.

The ride itself was still fun. You get to make wishes and put your lanterns on the water. Gemma loved it.

After the boat ride, our driver picked us up and it was about a 1-hour drive back to Da Nang.

Day 04: The Day We Skipped Marble Mountain and Chose Air-Con Instead

This day was originally planned for Marble Mountain, but we skipped it in the end.

My parents had been there before, and I read that there was quite a bit of climbing and stairs. With Gemma, elderly parents and the heat, I decided it was not worth forcing it. Sometimes the best itinerary decision is to remove something.

So we took the morning slower.

We went out for banh mi breakfast because what is Vietnam without banh mi right? Thye found a banh mi cafe, and the banh mi there was pretty good.

After that, we basically hid in shopping malls because Da Nang had a heatwave notice. Not glamorous but very necessary.

Lunch was at Pizza 4P’s, which I feel is a must-try in Vietnam. I reserved it in advance because I heard it’s a very popular joint and I dont want to risk it being full.

After lunch, we went back to the apartment for Gemma to nap and to escape the worst of the heat.

In the evening, we went to Son Tra Marina. Online, people call it the Santorini of Da Nang.

Okay, it does have the Santorini look, but it is really just a small area to take photos and grab some food/drinks. You enter by buying food or drinks there. Food-wise, not nice. The cake was so bad that even Gemma did not want it.

But for photos, it works. We spent about an hour there taking pictures before heading for dinner.

Dinner was at Madame Lan. I reserved it online because it is Michelin-selected and I was afraid it would be full. Food was good there, and I would say it is a nice proper dinner stop if you want Vietnamese food in a prettier setting.

After dinner, we finally went to the night market since we missed it on the earlier nights.

Honestly, it was nothing much. Quite small, mostly food, and maybe like a mini Talad Rod Fai at one-quarter size. You can have dinner there because there are a lot of food stalls, but I would not purposely leave a huge shopping slot for it.

Then Grab back to the apartment to pack and rest because our flight was early the next day.

Day 05: Airport Lesson, Fast Track and Flying Home

Day 05 was basically flight day because of Scoot’s timing.

Our flight was around 11am, so there was no real time to do anything in the morning. We woke up around 6.30am, had breakfast at the hotel and left for the airport around 8.30am.

And THANK GOD we went early.

Even though we had airport fast track, the check-in counter queue was crazy.

Please check in online and do not go to the counter like us. I forgot to check in online, and by the time I realised, it was too late. There was only one Scoot counter open, so I really got a shock when I saw the queue.

Luckily, Thye went to the priority counter and asked whether we could get priority because we had a toddler and elderly parents with us. They allowed us through. Whew.

After that, the fast track pass helped us clear immigration within minutes, so we still ended up with around one hour to kill before the flight.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Da Nang was pretty fun. Even Thye agreed, so that means it was really not bad haha.

I think I would go back again with friends, but definitely during a better weather season. June was too hot for my liking, especially with toddler and elderly parents.

In fact, for a short getaway, I kind of prefer Da Nang more than Bangkok because there is a nice mix of beach, mountains, Hoi An, food, massage and family-friendly activities. It still feels like a proper holiday without being too far from Singapore.

What I would change:

• Avoid June or any very hot season if possible.
• Start Hoi An Old Town earlier.
• Take the lantern boat closer to 6pm for better photos.
• Keep Marble Mountain optional if travelling with toddler or elderly parents.
• Check in online before leaving for Da Nang airport.
• Use a better-reviewed private driver or just Grab more for the city days.

The downloadable Da Nang planner has the booking links, restaurant reservation links, route order, distance cues, app checklist and editable expense tracker. The blog post stays free, but the planner is for anyone who wants the cleaner shortcut without rebuilding everything from scratch.