Dien Duong Beach - Hoi An - Vietnam - Information (2025)

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MAY / JUNE 2025

OVERVIEW

We have just spent 1 month living in Jomtien Beach, Pattaya, Thailand.

<<< our next stop is Dien Duong Beach, Hoi An, Vietnam >>>

EXCHANGE RATE

The currency in Vietnam is the Dong (the ‘VND’ or ‘d’). At the time of writing, the exchange rates for the major currencies were:

	US$1	EU€1	GB£1
Published Wholesale Rate	25,957	29,386	34,824
Actual Exchange Rate (Wise Debit Card)	25,827	29,239	34,650
Actual Exchange Rate (Typical Credit Card)	25,620	29,004	34,372
Actual Exchange Rate (Good ATM)	25,241	28,575	33,863

Over time, these exchange rates will change. Please check the current rates.

For simplicity, think of a 500,000d note as being US$20 / EU€17 / GB£15.

ATMs

ATM Maximum Withdrawal amounts and Withdrawal Fees in Vietnam are very variable.

Some banks limit you to a withdrawal of only 2,000,000d (US$80) and charge a 55,000d (2.75%) Withdrawal Fee. Others offer up to 10,000,000d but charge an increasingly higher fee. This is BEFORE other fees are deducted (e.g. it is typical for your home bank to charge another 1% Currency Conversion Fee).

Banks and ATMs in ‘convenient locations’ usually charge higher fees …. especially those at Airports.

If your bank is affiliated with a Vietnam bank, there is a chance that you will not be charged a Withdrawal Fee.

I know of only 2 Vietnamese banks that do NOT charge a Withdrawal Fee: TPbank and VPbank. These banks also seem to use the wholesale exchange rate which makes them the best choice.

In summary, if you go to the wrong ATM, you can lose 3.75%. To get the best rate, take out the maximum 5,000,000d amount from TPbank ATMs (TPbank now charge 55,000d) or VPbank ATMs and pay about 0.85% to 1.85% in total fees.

WISE DEBIT CARD

I keep my costs down by using a Wise Debit Card.

WHEN TO GO

Hoi An has two main seasons: rainy and dry.

The hottest period is from June to August. Many find the heat and humidity ‘overbearing’ and uncomfortable in this period.

November to January are the coldest months. The rainy season lasts from September to January. The dry season is between February and May when the weather becomes very mild with moderate temperature and less humidity. Calm mild weather is now limited to the season of late May to late August when the seas are calm and the wind comes from the South.

The end of May to the end of August is the High Season for Tourism.

HO CHI MINH CITY (HCMC)

I flew from Bangkok directly to HCMC on Vietravel Airlines. I stayed in HCMC before moving on to Hoi An.

MY HCMC ACCOMMODATION

I stayed 4 nights in the Khách sạn Căn hộ Green River apartments.

The Green River is conveniently located in District 1 near the Ham Nghi bus terminal with easy access to HCMC Airport:

I know HCMC District 1 well and this area is where I prefer to stay.

I chose the Green River because it was near Ham Nghi and half way between ‘Walking Street’ and my favourite shopping market in Sai Gon Square: in Sai Gon Square I can stock up on high quality Adidas ‘Porsche Design’ T shirts for 130,000d / US$5 each. I always stock up on designer clothes in Sai Gon Square every time I am in HCMC.

I booked a Studio Apartment at Green River through Agoda at a highly discounted rate down from US$103 to US$27 per night. At this price it is great value for money.

GETTING THERE

From the HCMC Airport you can catch a #152 public bus to Ham Nghi. The cost is 5,000d plus 5,000d for each large suitcase. The trip takes less than 30 minutes. You can also catch the #109 tourist bus for 20,000d.

From Ham Nghi it is a easy 200m walk to Green River.

GETTING AROUND

It is walking distance to the ‘night life’ of Walking Street.

To go further afield, you can catch busses or the metro from Ham Nghi.

INTERNET / WIFI

AIRPORT

HCMC International Airport has SIMcard kiosks everywhere … including BEFORE Immigration Control.

I didn’t want to go to a kiosk before Immigration because I didn’t want to chance ending up in a long Immigration queue. I waited until I go out into the Arrivals Hall.

There, you find ‘mixed purpose’ kiosks that sell sim card packages as well as other services such as taxi hire.

I bought a 250,000d 5G ‘Mobifone’ simcard with a 1 month unlimited data package. You need your passport to register.

I had already pre-downloaded the Mobifone App. I opened it and tried to log in. It failed. I assumed that I may have to wait overnight for the registration process to complete so I waited and tried again the next day. It failed again.

In HCMC I went to an official Mobifone store. They told me that I did not have a Mobifone sim … it was a generic ‘local’ sim. It worked fine in HCMC so I decided to wait until I got to Hoi An before deciding what to do next.

MOBIFONE

My airport package stopped working after 15 days.

I went to an official Mobifone store in Hoi An and purchased a real sim card for 55,000d with a 135,000d data only package which provided 7GB per day for 30 days..

SUMMARY

They have free wifi in the airport that lasts 1 hour. At the airport, you can use this to sort out how to get to your hotel. You may want to download Google Maps to your phone in advance to help you.

I did not have this sim card problem the last few times that I arrived in HCMC … but, on those occasions I purchased my sim card from an official kiosk before Immigration.

RECOMMENDATION: Either buy your sim and package at the official kiosks before immigration or wait until you get to an official store in HCMC.

HCMC TO HOI AN

I booked a Vietjet flight from HCMC Airport to Da Nang Airport. A one-way ticket with 30kg of check-in luggage cost US$67.

DA NANG AIRPORT TO HOI AN

PUBLIC BUS

From Da Nang Airport you can make your way to the Train Station and catch a public bus to Hoi An bus terminal. Depending on your negotiating skills, you may be able to get a taxi to the Train Station for under 100,000d … you are best to use Grab.

Then, the public bus to Hoi An is about VND40,000 each … but, they are renowned for over-charging tourists another VND30,000 for each suitcase / backpack. Allow 90-120 minutes to take this route.

Drop off is at the Bus Terminal on the edge of town. From there, you will need to catch a local taxi / Grab to your hotel.

SHUTTLE BUS

Alternatively, you can pre-book a Shuttle Bus (such as the KLOOK Airport Shuttle Bus). There are 2-3 Shuttle Bus providers. Prices range from US$6 to US$12 per person. Drop off is usually at the Hoi An Express Office … but some may drop you off at your hotel if it is in central Hoi An.

You must pre-book 2 or more days in advance. You cannot just turn up on the day and find a Shuttle Bus. These Shuttles leave at irregular times … sometimes 2.5 hours apart … for me, this was inconvenient.

GRAB

I strongly suggest that you download the GRAB Mobile App before arriving in Vietnam. GRAB offers much better rates than standard taxis … and the price is quoted up front so you don’t have the hassle of negotiating the right price. GRAB operates all over Vietnam.

I ordered a GRAB. GRAB meets you in the carpark immediately over the road from Domestic Terminal Gate 4. I waited only 7 minutes. The price for a 45 minute ride to my Hoi An hotel was 360,000d / US$14. Obviously, if there are more than 1 of you, the price per head works out very reasonable.

12GO

Check out 12Go to have a look at your ‘getting there’ options:

HOI AN REFERENCES

I have provided a lot of detailed information on Hoi An in the past.

I will try not to duplicate that information again in this post.

If you want more detail about the different areas of Hoi An, where to stay, and Hoi An’s beaches please look at the following posts:

HOI AN LOCAL TRANSPORT

GRAB

Grab operate here.

SCOOTER RENTAL

I got onto Google Maps and searched for ‘Scooter Rental’ then contacted 4 nearby businesses for a quote: I wanted a fully automatic 110cc-125cc scooter for 2 months.

All 4 businesses replied quoting monthly rates ranging from 1.5m to 1.9m dong.

The 1.5m dong scooter was an old, patched up Atilla with 64,000kms on the clock. This, in fact, would have been perfectly OK if I was just pottering around Hoi An town.

However, I was planning to stay in Dien Duong Beach about 8kms out of town … I wanted a scooter that was new, reliable, and economical on petrol.

I chose to rent from Rent Moto Hoi An on Cua Dai.

They offered me a 2024 Honda Air Blade for 1.7m / US$67 per month with 16,000kms on the clock. They did not require a security deposit. They did not require to keep my passport. Just cash in advance. I may have been able to get a lower price but I liked them as people and I didn’t want to haggle over a couple of $s 🙂

https://grandpacking.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/250522-Moto-Rent-Honda-Air-Blade-2.mp4?_=1

DRIVING REQUIREMENTS / LAWS

Carry your drivers license with you at all times;
You are also advised to carry your passport … but, I suggest that you just carry a digital or hard copy of your Photo Page;
An international driver’s license is required;
Helmets are mandatory … but, many people don’t bother (at their own risk).

In Hoi An town, you almost never see a policeman.

Road blocks are rare in Hoi An; they are mainly interested in locals with registration and/or no license. Make sure that you have the, above, items … and you will have no problems.

RECOMMENDATION: Always take photos (or a video) of the Scooter before you take it away. Then, if there is any dispute when you return it, you will have proof that it wasn’t you.

It cost about 65,000d to fill it up with petrol. That full tank lasted over 100kms.

MY HOI AN ACCOMMODATION

I decided to spend my first 7 nights in Hoi An town.

I know Hoi An well and I chose to stay at Loc Phat Hoi An Homestay Villa.

I booked a Standard Garden View Room through Agoda at a highly discounted rate down from US$39 to US$13 per night.

On arrival at 4pm, they said that their Standard Rooms were full. They upgraded me to a Superior Room at no extra cost.

The Loc Phat is located on Cua Dai away from the touristy old town center. No problem for me because I had my rental scooter.

I really liked the Loc Phat. I enjoyed my ground floor garden view room with patio and I found it conveniently located for what I wanted to do.

The room was clean and well maintained with excellent wifi … but, it did not have the TV that is stated on Agoda.

MY DIEN DUONG BEACH ACCOMMODATION

I wanted to do something different. Instead of living in Hoi An town, I wanted to try living on the beachfront.

I chose to stay at Le Rivage Villa on Dien Duong Beach.

I booked through Agoda and got a King Room for 31 nights at a highly discounted rate down from US$52 to US$13 per night including breakfast for 2.

Le Rivage Villa is located in a remote location at the northern end of An Bang Beach. No problem for me because I had my rental scooter.

It is advertised as having a balcony / terrace … it does not … you walk out of the front door into an alleyway that takes you to the restaurant.

The room was very clean and well maintained. Everything worked. Housekeeping was daily.

I had mixed feelings about this place.

POSITIVES

The included breakfast was reasonable … I particularly liked the Quang Noodles.

It was a decent beach and you could use their beach loungers free of charge.

NEGATIVES

There as no social life.

Le Rivage has a number of rooms for rent. In my month’s stay, I never met another person staying at the hotel.

Their beachfront restaurant closed at about 6:30pm but you could eat at one of the other restaurants next door.

ABOUT DIEN DUONG BEACH

This beach is, basically, a group of 6 beachfront restaurants with their own ‘almost private’ beach.

https://grandpacking.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/250601-Dien-Duong-Beach.mp4?_=2

Locals come and go. Many come at the weekend with their families to enjoy the beach and the fresh seafood served in the restaurants.

https://grandpacking.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/250601-Dien-Duong-Restaurants.mp4?_=3

AROUND DIEN DUONG BEACH

You are in a remote location.

If you walk 500 metres from Le Rivage to the main road, you will find a cafe and a warung.

You will have to go 2kms in either direction to get to a minimart.

EAT & DRINK

The nearer Hoi An ‘old town’ and the nearer the beach, the higher the price.

In Dien Duong Beach, you are paying beachfront prices:

LOCAL CAFES / WARUNGS

You need to get away from the beachfront to find the local warungs and restaurants. On a scooter, you have many good choices.

At the top of my road, a warung served a standard duck meal for 50,000d.

One of my favourites was a small warung 2kms away by scooter that served a Banh Xeo for 50,000d.

LOCAL BARS

There are no bars within 3kms.

GENERAL INFORMATION

POWER

The electricity voltage of Vietnam is 220 Volts at 50Hz. This is the most common outlet:

In short, plug type A (two flat vertical pins), type C and type F (two round pins) fit most sockets in Vietnam:

You almost never encounter an outlet with only Type A , B or C.

There are some cases where an alternating current of 110 volts is used, for which you need a “flat three-point plug” … the chance that you will encounter one is very small.

I always travel with a Universal Power strip that also has USB charging ports … this gives me everything that I need for all of my devices.

Power in Hoi An is reliable.

GETTING AWAY

From Dien Duong Beach, I jumped back on my scooter and headed to my next hotel in Hoi An town.

You can read about that in my next post.

GENERAL COSTS

Here are some example costs for items purchased in a minimart:

500g Vietnamese Filter Coffee = 105,000d;
750ml (cheap) Vietnam Dark Rum = 95,000d;
5 Litre Water = 30,000d;
330ml can of local beer = 11,000d.

GRANDPAcking COSTS

Read About – GRANDPAcking Costs if you don’t know how to interpret my figures.

Costs are broken down into Cost Of Existence (COE) and Cost Of Living (COL):

COE: Is the basic costs of just being there;
COL: Is the additional costs that make being there fun.

MY GRANDPAcking COSTS

These were my actual costs:

To view the above spreadsheet in more detail, {right click} on it and choose an option.

AVERAGE EXCHANGE RATE / (BLUE) TOP SECTION

I lost an average of 1.85% taking cash out of ATMs because I took out the maximum of 5,000,000d from TPbank ATMs.

I lost an average of 1.30% on my Visa Credit Card.

I lost an average of 0.50% Wise Debit Card which I used to pay for my accommodation.

COST OF EXISTENCE (COE) / (ORANGE) MIDDLE SECTION

ACCOMMODATION

One month in the Le Rivage King Room at an average price of 352,500d / US$14 per night = 10,925,000d / US$424. Breakfast included. 2 x 500ml bottles of water per day included. Daily Housekeeping included.

FOOD & BEVERAGES

I used my scooter to get away from the expensive beachfront restaurants and discover better value for money places to eat. I got in some groceries for convenience.

I eat Breakfast and Dinner. I do not eat lunch. I eat to live, I do not live to eat … my food costs are always significantly lower than other people.

My average daily cost was about 55,500d / US$2 per day excluding drinks.

SIM CARD / MOBILE DATA

Mobifone SIM 55,000d. 1 month data only package 135,000d.

VISA EXTENSION / NATIONAL PARK FEES

Vietnam 3 month eVisa 660,000d.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

My Backpacker Level Travel Insurance policy has been pro rata’d.

NECESSARY TRANSPORT

1 month Honda Air Blade rental 1,700,000d / US$67. Petrol 124,000d.

Return trip from / to Da Nang Airport 720,000d / US$28.

COST OF LIVING (COL) / (BROWN) BOTTOM SECTION

LIVING COSTS

My main cost was beer.

The beer sold in the beachfront restaurants for 30,000d was served out of chilly bins and was not cold.

I purchased boxes of 24x 330ml cans of Saigon Green / Huda from the local minimart and kept them in my fridge. A box of Saigon was 245,000d / US$10, A box of Huda 275,000d / US$11.

IN / OUT COSTS

The flight from Da Nang cost 1,725,250 / US$67.

I spent 660,000d / $US26 on grab taxis.

OTHER COSTS

Other minor bits and pieces are mopped up in this section.

GRANDPAcking SUMMARY

My COE was 603,000d / US$23 per day (34% of my daily budget).

My COL was 151,000d / US$6 per day (8% of my daily budget).

My Grand Total cost was 754,000d / US$29 per day (42% of my daily budget).

I had ‘Money to Burn’ … I still had over 1,000,000d / US$40 left over each day … I could have done heaps more and still stayed within budget.

I saved a lot of money because I had a rental scooter. That rental more than paid for itself every day.

YOUR GRANDPAcking COSTS

This would be your budget:

To view the above spreadsheet in more detail, {right click} on it and choose an option.

ORANGE COLUMNS / LEFT HAND SIDE

The left of the spreadsheet (orange columns) shows the costs for a GRANDPAcking Couple living to GRANDPAcking Standard using a Standard (Home) Bank Credit / Debit Card where possible and withdrawing cash from ATMs where cash is required.

These costs are for a 1 month stay in Shoulder Season (avoiding peak times such as Easter, Xmas and New Year).

COST OF EXISTENCE (COE)

ACCOMMODATION

Expect to pay 355,000d / US$14 per night = 10,650,000d / US$416 per month for accommodation including breakfast for 2.

FOOD & BEVERAGES

Expect to pay just over 630,000d / US$25 per day eating cheaply in the beachfront restaurants.

SIM CARD / MOBILE DATA

A Mobifone SIM Card with a 30 day package bought at a Mobifone Kiosk at Da Nang Airport 250,000d / US$10.

VISA

Two eVisas 1,320,000d / US$52.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

A typical Backpacker Level Travel Insurance policy has been pro rata’d.

NECESSARY TRANSPORT & SIGHTSEEING

1 day scooter rental each week 180,000d / US$7 including petrol for each 1 day rental.