Da Nang – Hoi An – Hue 4-Day Itinerary During the Hoi An Lantern Festival 2026

The Hoi An International Lantern Festival is expected from Thursday, December 3 to Sunday, December 6, 2026, so a 4-day trip can cover two festival evenings and a morning for the coconut forest, craft villages and workshops, then continue to Hue before flying home from Da Nang Airport. Below are two possible orders, a shortened 3-day version, and the private car legs to book for each plan.

Please note: The festival dates (December 3–6, 2026) and the highlight nights mentioned below are expected details; the organisers have not yet published a detailed programme. Check official announcements before you fix your festival night and pickup times. Deposit and cancellation terms are shown in the trip conditions on each route page.

Choose the order: festival first or Hue first

The two most worthwhile festival nights in the expected programme (not yet officially published) are Friday, December 4 (the “Minh Dang Da Hanh” lantern night walk, with a parade in traditional Vietnamese dress, lantern dance and lantern procession) and Sunday, December 6 (the closing exchange at Hoai River Square and the “Dem Hoai Giang” night on the river). A 4-day schedule rarely fits both nights in Hoi An and still leaves time for Hue, so pick the night that matters more to you:

The expected programme and each part of the festival are covered in the Hoi An International Lantern Festival 2026 guide.

Plan A: Hoi An first, then Hue

Day 1 – Thursday, Dec 3: arrive in Da Nang, transfer to Hoi An. A private car meets you at Da Nang Airport and drives about 30 km, roughly 45 minutes, to your hotel in Hoi An. Check in, rest, then from about 4:00 pm (the expected opening time) walk around the experience booths at Hoai River Square and An Hoi Sculpture Garden while it is still light. Have dinner in town and watch the lanterns come on.

Day 2 – Friday, Dec 4: coconut forest, craft villages, workshops and the procession night. Spend the morning outside town, since the festival only gets going in the afternoon. Pick two of the three options below to save energy for the evening:

• Bay Mau coconut forest, Cam Thanh: about 6 km from the Old Town. Go early to avoid the heat; how to get there and choose a boat landing is in the Cam Thanh coconut forest and Hoi An half-day tour.
• Thanh Ha pottery village and Tra Que vegetable village: about 3.5 km and 3 km from the Old Town respectively. Pottery making usually takes 45–60 minutes and a gardening session at Tra Que about 1.5–2 hours; the order to combine them is in the Hoi An craft villages and workshop car tour itinerary.
• Make a lantern or visit Kim Bong carpentry village: a silk-gluing class on a ready-made frame takes about 45–60 minutes and lets you take home the lantern you made; see the Hoi An lantern-making workshop guide. Kim Bong is across the Thu Bon River, reached by boat or via Cam Kim Bridge; visiting programmes need to be confirmed in advance, see the Kim Bong woodworking village guide.

Workshops and classes fill up quickly during the festival, so reserve before you travel. Rest at the hotel at midday, then head into town in the afternoon to find a spot for the “Minh Dang Da Hanh” lantern night walk, if the programme goes ahead as expected. All of these places are close together, so besides a private car by the half day, you can also rent an electric scooter delivered to you in Hoi An.

Day 3 – Saturday, Dec 5: Hoi An to Hue. Check out; the private car drives about 130 km, roughly 2.5 hours, through the Hai Van Tunnel. If you would rather take the Hai Van Pass road and stop for photos, say so in your request, as the route and timing change; the options are in Hoi An to Hue by private car via the Hai Van Pass. You reach Hue around midday; spend the afternoon in the Imperial City and the evening along the Perfume River.

Day 4 – Sunday, Dec 6: Hue, then Da Nang Airport. In the morning, choose Thien Mu Pagoda and one royal tomb, or Thuy Xuan incense village, about 7 km from the centre. After lunch, the private car from Hue to Da Nang Airport takes about 2 hours to 2 hours 15 minutes; set the pickup so you reach the airport with enough time to check in. If your flight is late in the evening, you can take the Hue city heritage one-day car tour for the full day before heading to the airport, but ask about the timing when you send your request.

Plan B: Hue first, festival after

Day 1 – Thursday, Dec 3: private car from Da Nang to Hue, about 100 km and roughly 2.5 hours. Imperial City in the afternoon.

Day 2 – Friday, Dec 4: the Hue city heritage one-day car tour from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm with royal tombs and Thien Mu Pagoda; if you like crafts, add Thuy Xuan incense village or see Hue craft villages: Thuy Xuan, Thanh Tien and Sinh.

Day 3 – Saturday, Dec 5: private car from Hue to Hoi An, about 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours. Check in, visit the booths in the afternoon and walk the lantern-lit streets at night. Saturday night is usually the busiest, so walk from your hotel instead of driving close to the Old Town.

Day 4 – Sunday, Dec 6: a morning at the coconut forest, pottery village, vegetable village or a workshop, as on Day 2 of Plan A. In the evening, watch the expected closing exchange at Hoai River Square and the “Dem Hoai Giang” night on the river.

Monday morning, Dec 7: private car from Hoi An to Da Nang Airport. For an early flight, confirm the pickup time the evening before.

If you only have 3 days

Skip Hue and keep a Hoi An rhythm: day 1 arrive and go to the festival in the evening, day 2 coconut forest or craft villages in the morning and the festival at night, day 3 to the airport. On the way you can stop at the Marble Mountains, about 20 km from Hoi An; mention the stop in your request so the leg is priced correctly. If you are staying in Da Nang instead of Hoi An, the Da Nang to Hoi An 3-day itinerary shows how to split beach time, Ba Na Hills and the Old Town, while the late-night return is covered in the festival guide.

Booking cars for the whole trip

The plans above combine private car legs that already have listed prices: Da Nang Airport – Hoi An, Hoi An – Hue or Hue – Hoi An, Hue – Da Nang Airport, plus the Hue city tour. You can book each leg separately, or send one request for the whole journey through the long-term car rental service so Sun Travel can quote based on your actual schedule and stops. In your request, include:

• arrival and departure dates and flight times;
• your hotels in Hoi An and Hue;
• group size, large luggage and any child seats needed;
• which nights you need a ride back after the festival, and any extra stops.

Deposit, cancellation and waiting conditions for each leg are shown in the trip conditions on the route page and repeated in your trip confirmation. Early December still has rainy days, and in some years low-lying areas along the Hoai River still flood, so keep outdoor stops such as the coconut forest flexible.