To get from Hue to Hoi An, we opted for a private car drive, like lots of people do. There are a few places worth a stop along the way, which we didn’t want to miss. Moreover, nothing as easy as a private car to pick us up at the hotel and drop us off at the next, without further hassle, especially since Brecht only got out of the hospital 2 days earlier.
We booked the private car at the reception of Jade Hotel in Hue, where we were staying. We paid $50 for the three hour drive, including some stops along the way to take pictures and enjoy the view. Their normal price was actually $55, but we were able to get this massive price drop due to some extensive haggling (read: we kindly asked if we could get a discount).
Our first stop was at Lang Co, where we entered some big resort and had a nice view over the sea. We arrived at about 11h30 (after an hour and a half in the car) and the driver told us we could have lunch there if we wanted. We did: Brecht had chicken fried rice, which was OK, but not worth the 95,000 VND we had to pay for it. I went with the creamy pumpkin soup, which was way too thick (I could make drawings in my soup) and not good at all. Wasted 115,000 VND on that bad choice. You’re probably better off packing some snacks and just getting a late lunch when you arrive in Hoi An.
Our second stop was along the Hai Van Pass, a mountain pass of more than 20km long. We stopped at the top of the mountain for what were promised to be some beautiful pictures. Unfortunately the rain started pouring the moment we got out of the car. We took a quick look at the souvenir shops and hopped back in the car. Along the pass, we stopped a few more times to take pictures.
Our third and last stop was at the Marble Mountains in Da Nang. There’s an entrance fee of 15,000 VND and you can take the elevator up the mountain for another 15,000 VND (one way, per person). It looks pretty cool, but while descending the stairs after a walk at the top, we realised the climb isn’t that long. If we could do it over, we probably wouldn’t take the elevator. At the top there are a lot of caves, buddhist sanctuaries and some nice viewpoints.
The Marble Mountains were bigger than expected and we actually weren’t sure which paths to take so we just tried our luck. You might want to shell out another 15,000 VND and buy a map at the entrance. We were about 55 minutes away from the car, including a short walk to the foot of the mountain.
Apart from the lunch we did like the stops. Especially the Marble Mountains were a nice surprise. Unfortunately we couldn’t really enjoy everything to the fullest due to the bad weather. Even on sunny days taking the private car is still an expensive ride though, so if you’re on a tight budget you might just want to go for a cheap bus instead.