By plane

The nearest airport is in Da Nang which has domestic connections from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Hue with Vietnam Airlines and VietJet Air and some international flights from Bangkok, Singapore Siem Reap, Hong Kong, Cambodia (for Angkor Wat) and charter flights from China.

A private car from Danang airport to Hoi An costs about USD22. Try with Private Car is one of the most reliable companies in Hoi An. This is one occasion where haggling to set a fixed price is cheaper than going by the meter, but good luck with this - despite clear signs everywhere listing fixed price fares to destinations including Hoi An (should be 400,000 dong, July 2015: this can be negotiated to a 320k fixed price if you appear to walk off a few times) most drivers seem unwilling to discuss a fixed price. Meters will typically run to around 450,000 dong. The Hoi An airport transfer is highly recommended, the cost is comparable with a taxi (about USD20) but a better car and professional service. The ride takes about 45min.

Hoi An Express is also one of the most reliable companies in Hoi An. From Danang airport to Hoi An costs USD 6 (Feb 2018) by air-conditioned shuttle bus (minibus).

There are also private cars from Hoi An to Hue Imperial city with English speaking driver. You can travel to Hue then come back Hoi An in 1 day with some highlights stop on the way.

By train

There is no railway station in Hoi An. The nearest is in Da Nang, which receives several trains a day from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Nha Trang etc. Most travel agents and hotels can book a train ticket for you.

Da Nang Railway Station: 202 Hai Phong, Tan Chinh Ward, Thanh Khe District, TP Da Nang, Phone: + 84 511 375-0666.

To catch the public 'yellow bus' from the train station to Hoi An, exit the station, walk across the car park and continue straight out Hoang Hoa Tham road with the train station behind you. Shortly after you reach a cross road with a Pizza Hut on the opposite left hand corner. The bus stop is 50m left of Pizza Hut at 299 Le Duan road, a tailor's shop, with a blue and white sign for bus #01 and #09. Bus #01 for Hoi An passes by every 20 minutes until 6pm. Note—busses on this route routinely attempt to overcharge foreigners. The correct posted fare is 20k, but you may be asked to pay as much as 5x this amount. Conductors make an amusing effort to shield from tourists what the other passengers are paying. Politely pointing out the correct fare, posted inside the front door, will usually drop the price down to 30k (perhaps for this reason the conductor will tell you to get on via the rear door). Whether or not to hassle further for the real 20k is up to you. The ride terminates at the Hoi An bus station just outside the center.

The busstop has moved further down the road, keep on walking down Le Duan Rd until you see the next bus stop. You can also check the public transport route of Google Maps, as it shows the route of the bus. The current fare seems to be 25k. No further problems.

Cheap Taxi Option is with www.dichungtaxi.com. They offer private cabs for 220k or shared cabs option picking up other passengers on the way for 150k. Order from the website.

By Private Car

Hoi An Car Service System in the Central is known as Hoian Private Car. We specialize in providing personal trips, group tours, and we also welcome you to the airport. We have a lot of experience in the field of vehicle operation, the latest and most innovative car line-up, the most experienced staff. Our sincerity and customer care process are always standard in the Central market, you will be comfortable on the trip.

By bus

There are two different bus stations in Hoi An now (older guide books just show the one on D Hung Vuong)and the public buses to Da Nang leave from the station about 2km north west of the centre on Le Hong Phong.

A xe om from Hoi An bus station to the old town should be around 10-15,000 dong.

Between Hoi An and DaNang there is a yellow, public bus #1. It stops just outside Hoi An city centre (about 10 min walk) and runs thru DaNang centre (here it has several, market stops). As of February 2016 the price is 20.000 dong. The price is listed on the door and inside the bus. It may read 17k, but the updated correct fare is 20k. Text size vary, it may be in the back. The whole trip takes about 40-50 min. On the bus they try to charge foreigners 50,000 dong, or more (aka close to the price of private vans from a hotel in Hoi An to the airport in Da Nang). Locals may support the scam by pretending they are also paying 50,000 dong, insist on the fare and they will lower it to 30,000, insist and pay the official one. Expect no change if you have a 20,000 dong note. So; have exact change, stay calm, be polite, firm/unbudging and point to the pricetable. They will budge! Though it may not be pretty.

Beware of bus drivers putting your luggage at the front and sparing you the nicest front seat, likely they want you to pay 50,000 dong and threaten to kick you off (although they never will).

A good tip is to take photos of the fare chat on the outside of the bus before you get on. Once on the bus keep your bags close to you. When the fare collector comes around start video recording the transaction and make it obvious that you a recording them - a video is hard evidence and if reported they could lose their job. Politely offer a 20,000 vdn note and ignore any further requests for money. It does not cost any additional to have your bag on board, despite what they say (an obvious exception to this world be if you have large bags that are taking up seats etc).

Again they will budge and accept 20,000 vdn in order to save face. Do not get angry at them - stay calm and collected so that you don't lose face! Finally if they are genuine and do not even try to overcharge you, consider giving them a small tip! It's not about the money, it's the principle.

Buses are frequent - every 20 or 30min pick time, else every hour - so you can simply sit down, have a coffee, enjoy air-con while talking to nicer locals and then jump on the next bus. Same goes for Hoi An - Da Nang. The bus passes through downtown Da Nang and near the train station as well. If you come from Da Nang airport, the closest bus stop of the same route to Hoi An is at the roundabout where the streets Nguyễn Tri Phương and Điện Biên Phủ meet (a nice 10-15min walk, since you can walk along the lake). This bus stop is clearly marked with a road sign. Google Maps also shows the locations of bus stops for this route in Da Nang.

There are no shortage of travel companies and private buses travelling to and from from Hoi An to destinations such as Hue, Hanoi, Saigon, Dalat and Nha Trang.

Open-tour buses like Sinh cafe, Hanh Cafe, An Phu run daily up and down the coast from Da Nang and Hue taking 3.5-4h and priced at 60,000-100,000 dong (Mar 2012) and Nha Trang taking 9-10 hours overnight and priced at USD10-15 (April 2013).

By motorbike or taxi

It is easy to take a motorbike or taxi to and from Da Nang via the Marble Mountains (see below), from where you can catch a train onwards. This trip cost 460,000 dong from Da Nang bus station, by the meter in Jan 2013. From Hue or Quang Binh, you can take a private taxi to Hoi An. On the way, you will photo stop at Lap An Lagoon, Lang Co Beach, Hai Van Pass, Cham Museum. Taxi from Danang Airport to Hoi An centre is about 250,000 dong in general (as of July 2016). You can book at this price in most of the travel agency in Hoi An town. Some hotel might charge you more from USD 13 - 17

By boat

The old Champa way was to travel by the river system. The rivers of Hoi An cover hundreds of km and offer an interesting & adventurous alternative to travelling by road. Get on a boat and you'll begin to see a whole lot more of Hoi An and the Delta.