Hoi An (Hội An) to Nha Trang: Night Train, Flight, Sleeper Bus or Driving

Soon after Tuy Hoa (Tuy Hòa) Station, as the sky gets light, the night train starts to follow the foot of the Ca Pass. Around Dai Lanh (Đại Lãnh) and Vung Ro Bay, stretches of track run just a few dozen meters from the water, and heading south, the sea is on the left. For us, it is the best part of the whole trip.

Times exclude the ride from Hoi An to Da Nang Station or Airport, check-in, and the transfer from Cam Ranh Airport into town. Fares are one way, per person; tolls are per vehicle.

Once you add both ends, allow four to five hours door to door by air. The night train takes all night but almost none of your daytime. A sleeper bus can save you the transfer to Da Nang. Confirm the southbound fare and pickup point; expect an overnight ride and an arrival before dawn. Driving only makes sense if you plan to stop on the way.

Da Nang to Nha Trang by train: times and fares #

The six trains below run daily under the timetable announced through December 30, 2026 (Bao Van Hoa, July 4, 2026). The times are from Vietnam Railways for October 27, 2026 and can change from one period to the next, so check your exact date.

SE7 passes Tuy Hoa at 6:31am and Ninh Hoa (Ninh Hòa) at 8am, so you cover the coastal stretch in daylight. SE5 does too, but you board after midnight. For daytime views, SE9 reaches the coast in mid-afternoon. For November 18, 2026, SE21 had the lowest starting soft-seat fare of the six, but the journey took over 11 hours, and it reaches the coast late in the afternoon, close to dusk in the last months of the year. SE1 and SE3 reach Nha Trang after dark.

These are one-way Da Nang - Nha Trang fares for Wednesday, November 18, 2026, including insurance and VAT; where you fall in each range depends on the berth level and carriage. For trains through December 30, 2026, individual tickets bought at least 10 days ahead are 5-15% cheaper, though each train has only 20 discounted tickets per class. Book on dsvn.vn (in English) or at a station, and enter your name and passport number exactly as in your passport.

From Hoi An to the station, and into Nha Trang

Bus 02 between Da Nang and Hoi An runs until 6:30pm and does not stop at the station (DanangBus, August 2026). For the 10:30pm SE7, book a ride-hailing car (Grab or Xanh SM) or a taxi from your hotel and aim to arrive about half an hour early. Nha Trang Station is at 17 Thai Nguyen (Thái Nguyên) Street, right in town, a short ride from Tran Phu (Trần Phú) Beach.

On the night train, keep your passport, phone and wallet in a small bag on you, especially while you sleep. The tips for berths, luggage and sleeping on the Hanoi train apply here too.

Photo: Christophe95

Flying from Da Nang to Cam Ranh #

Vietnam Airlines flies nonstop from Da Nang to Cam Ranh. Its route page (checked October 27, 2026) lists one flight a day and one-way economy fares of VND828,000-2,445,000 including taxes and fees, and notes that prices change daily. Kayak also lists nonstop Vietjet flights, but we have not confirmed the schedule with the airline. Check that a flight is available on your travel date before planning around it.

With so few flights, departure times shape your whole day. Check the airline schedule for your date before booking accommodation at either end. From Cam Ranh, central Nha Trang is 45-60 minutes by car; the airport bus, taxis and pre-booked cars each suit a different arrival time.

Sleeper bus: pickup in Hoi An, arrival before dawn #

The Sinh Tourist's timetable (checked October 27, 2026) shows a sleeper bus leaving Hoi An at 6:15pm and reaching Nha Trang at 5am. Its ticket page lists a fare only for the opposite direction, VND299,000 for the 7pm bus from Nha Trang, so ask for the southbound price when you book. With any company, ask where it picks up in Hoi An, whether a shuttle takes you to the main bus, and whether it drops off at a terminal or an office in town. Hotel rooms are rarely ready at 5am, so ask your hotel about leaving bags.

The UK Foreign Office says bus and coach crashes are not uncommon in Vietnam and more likely at night, when tired drivers keep going (updated September 21, 2026). Choose a company with a real office and hotline, book directly with it, and keep valuables on you while you sleep. If your berth has a seat belt, wear it: since January 1, 2025, Vietnamese law requires everyone in a car or coach to belt up where belts are fitted.

Driving, hiring a car or riding a motorbike #

The Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway has been open since 2018. Beyond it, five consecutive sections run from Quang Ngai to Nha Trang; the last two, from Quy Nhon through Chi Thanh (Chí Thạnh) to Van Phong (Vân Phong), opened on May 18, 2026. Since August 14, 2026, all five have charged electronic tolls of VND900 per km for standard cars (VnExpress, August 11, 2026), so a car needs a toll tag. With breaks, the 480-500 km drive takes a full day.

For most visitors, a car with a driver is the simplest choice. To drive yourself you need a Vietnamese license, or an international driving permit from a 1968 Convention country carried with your home license for the same class. Korean citizens driving for non-commercial purposes can use a valid Korean-issued IDP. IDPs issued in the United States or Australia are not valid in Vietnam. Third-party insurance is also compulsory, the UK Foreign Office notes.

Motorbikes are banned from expressways. According to the tunnel operator (via Quan Doi Nhan Dan, April 2024), they are also barred from the Ca Pass road tunnel and must take the old pass road, so check that it is open before you set off. Split the roughly 500 km over two or three days and ride only in daylight. Go only if you hold a motorbike license valid in Vietnam and have experience on mountain roads. If heavy rain or landslide warnings are issued, postpone that leg, whether you are riding or a passenger.

Photo: Nguyễn Đông Sơn

Should you stop in Quy Nhon or Phu Yen? #

Quy Nhon, now in Gia Lai province, sits roughly halfway, about 290 km from Hoi An by map. Trains stop at Dieu Tri (Diêu Trì) Station, about 11 km from central Quy Nhon, and at Tuy Hoa, now in Dak Lak (Đắk Lắk); stopping means buying two separate tickets. With a week or more, one or two nights here make the long leg much easier. On a five- or six-day trip, we would go straight through.

Nha Trang to Hoi An: the return trip #

Heading north, two useful overnight options are SE22, which leaves Nha Trang at 6:12pm and reaches Da Nang at 5:40am, and SE10, which leaves at 9:58pm and arrives at 8:44am (times checked October 27, 2026). For November 18, 2026, soft seats on these two cost VND376,000-459,000 and six-berth bunks started at VND542,000. Both cross the Ca Pass in the dark. For sea views, take SE8, which leaves Nha Trang at 2:03pm but reaches Da Nang at 11:21pm, after the last bus. Off SE22 at 5:40am, take a car to Hoi An or head to a bus 02 stop; the route starts at 5:15am.

Photo: Bún bòa

Traveling in the September-December flood season #

October and November are the wettest months in both Da Nang and Hoi An and Nha Trang. In November 2025, landslides between Tuy Hoa and Dieu Tri halted dozens of trains, and nearly 300 passengers on SE2 and SE4 were stuck at Tuy Hoa Station for three days (Bao Lao Cai, November 22, 2025, citing Vietnam Railways).

During the storm in early November 2025, Vietnam Railways gave free refunds within 30 days on tickets for cancelled trains. Arrangements can differ each time, so ask at the station when a train is halted. In this season, book rooms and tickets you can change, and do not schedule this leg right before your flight home.

Hoi An to Nha Trang: FAQ #