Da Nang or Hoi An: Which is Best for Digital Nomads?
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If you are trying to decide between Da Nang and Hoi An for a Vietnam digital nomad base, you are not alone. They are two of the most popular places for working online in Vietnam, and for good reason.
I spent one month in Hoi An and one week in Da Nang, although they are only a 45-minute drive. Because they are so close together, you might expect them to be quite similar, but they are very different places.
Because they’re so close, it’s easy to visit both. You can land at Da Nang airport and still base yourself in Hoi An, or do weekend trips between the two. But even though they are close, they are very different places to live in.
One gives you beach life combined with a large modern city. While the other focuses more on slow living and culture. So they each suit different types of digital nomads.
In this article, I will take you through all the key differences, such as beaches, cost of living, cafes, food, and accommodation. To help you decide whether Da Nang or Hoi An is the right place for you.
Check out the table below for a quick summary of all the different aspects of life as a digital nomad and which location comes out on top.
1. Beaches: City Convenience vs Beach Town Vibes
If being close to the beach is important to you, then Da Nang is hard to beat. The city’s main tourist area, where all the hotels and Airbnbs are, is located next to a wide, long sandy beach.
The beach in Da Nang was even named one of the most attractive beaches in the world by Forbes! I definitely do not think it deserves that award. But it is still a very nice beach that is awesome for morning and evening walks and going for a swim.
The biggest advantage of the beach in Da Nang is that it is an easy walk from most accommodation. So you can walk down and chill at the beach whenever you feel like it.
What we loved to do in Da Nang was to head down to the beach for sunrise. There are beautiful sunrises and half of Da Nang turns up for it!
We were shocked when we first arrived for sunset because there were thousands of people at the beach at 5 am! It is awesome to see all the locals making the most of the beach in the morning, and the atmosphere is really nice.
There is also a long promenade along the beach, so it is a great place to go for a walk or run in the evenings. Many bars are also located along the beach, so you can always go for a drink if that is your thing.
TIP : If you do not like the heat it is best to go to the beach at sunrise and sunset. It is always hot in this region! That is why there are so many locals at the beach at sunrise
Hoi An’s beaches, on the other hand, offer more of a chilled beach town vibe. Although we were there in the off-season. We saw some pictures of busy days, and it looked nuts!
An Bang beach is the main beach near Hoi An. The beach is only a 15-minute drive from downtown or about 30 minutes by bike. We loved going there around sunset when the temperature cools down enough that we did not get roasted alive on the beach.
An Bang has smaller boutique hotels and not towering resorts, so it feels much less developed than Da Nang. While visiting An Bang Beach, I recommend stopping into BK Coffee for a drink. The lady who runs the place is super nice, and it was one of our favorite cafes in Hoi An for a coconut coffee.
If An Bang Beach is too busy, then there are also other beaches near Hoi An, such as Hidden Beach that are usually much quieter.
Overall, I think if you are a beach person, Da Nang is the winner. It is so much more convenient to access the beach. Plus, it is much easier to go for walks and runs on the beach.
Winner: 🏆 Da Nang
2. Culture: There Is A Clear Winner
In terms of culture, there is not even a debate. Hoi An wins hands down.
The main reason people visit Hoi An is to see the pretty lantern-filled streets and beautiful old yellow buildings, and there is a good reason for that. At night, the town feels like it is straight out of a storybook. We wandered the streets many times during our one month and never got sick of it.
Yes, some areas in Hoi An get incredibly crowded and touristy in the Old Town. But if you wander a little further from the center, there are plenty of beautiful backstreets to explore without the crowds.
There is also a wide range of cultural attractions around Hoi An, such as the old town, temples, a great photography museum, the lantern festival, and more
Da Nang, on the other hand, is a much more modern city with huge hotels and condos. It does not have the historical attractions, and walking around can be a pain because the footpaths are in terrible shape sometimes.
You may be asking, is Da Nang worth visiting? But Da Nang does have some cultural attractions that are definitely worth visiting, like the Lady Buddha statue and Monkey Mountain.
But it just does not compare to what Hoi An has to offer.
Winner: 🏆 Hoi An
3. Cafes: Coffee Lovers Will Be Spoilt For Choice
During our month in Hoi An, we visited many cafes and absolutely loved the cafe scene.
What I liked most was that Vietnam has its own coffee culture. From egg coffee to coconut coffee, they have their own distinctive drinks and a special way of decorating cafes that is different from other countries.
In some places, like Bali, cafes feel like carbon copies of Western cafes; cafes in Vietnam feel like they have their own distinctive style, which I really liked.
Both Da Nang and Hoi An have great cafes, but for me Hoi An wins this section. Many cafes there are open-air, and some have stunning views of rice fields. The atmosphere is so peaceful and great for working and relaxing.
Whereas many of Da Nang’s cafes had much more of an industrial, modern vibe. They are still nice, but I personally preferred the atmosphere of Hoi Ans Cafes.
Winner: 🏆 Hoi An
4. Food: Budget Food Everywhere
There is lots of good food in Hoi An, and we think that is has the best Banh Mis in Vietnam.
That said, if you are a serious foodies Da Nang probably wins this category. Because it is a much larger city, Da Nang has a wider range of restaurants from Vietnamese street food to all types of international cuisine.
There are a lot of great restaurants in Hoi An, but many of them cater to tourists. While in Da Nang, there are lots of great restaurants that do not see any tourists at all. Particularly if you leave the tourist zone by the beach.
Our favorite food experiences were in Hoi An because they have the best Banh Mi, and TIỆM ĂN SÁNG CÔ NH which we called our Cao Lau Lady, was our favorite restaurant from our whole trip. But in the long run, the town lacks a bit of variety.
So while Hoi An is great for local specialties like Banh Mi and Cao Lau. Da Nang offers more variety, especially if you are staying long term as a digital nomad.
Tip: Be careful with food reviews in Vietnam. Unfortunately, it is very common to put fake reviews for restaurants in Vietnam. So if you see a restaurant that looks good on Google. Look at all the lowest reviews and see if it still sees like a legit restaurant.
Winner: 🏆 Da Nang
5. Da Nang or Hoi An: Which Has More Things To Do?
In terms of tourist attractions, Hoi An is definitely the winner. There are simply more things to do in Hoi An than Da Nang.
Every night, walking the lantern-filled streets is an awesome activity that you can do over and over. On top of that, there are cooking classes, rice field tours, coconut boat tours, food tours, vegetable villages and more.
The countryside surrounding Hoi An is also an attraction in itself. There are many beautiful areas to hire a bike or motorbike and just cruise around, checking out country life in the rice fields.
If you want to get a bit off the beaten path, I recommend hiring a motorbike and cruising around Cam Kim Island. It is a peaceful island full of rice fields and small villages. Where you can also do wood carving workshops and coconut boat tours that are far less touristy.
Da Nang, on the other hand, has far fewer attractions. But one standout is the Dragon Bridge, which breathes fire every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 9 pm.
That’s right, Da Nang has a bridge shaped like a dragon that actually breathes fire and water! It’s super fun to watch, and thousands of people turn up to watch it every night.
But apart from that, the main attraction in Da Nang is to just chill at the beach.
There is also a theme park in the hills above Da Nang that some people love. If theme parks are your thing, it could be worth a visit, but it wasn’t for us.
Winner: 🏆 Hoi An
6. Shopping: Modern Convenience vs Traditional Markets
In my opinion, one of the biggest differences between living in Da Nang vs Hoi An is shopping.
Despite Hoi An being a relatively large town, there are no large modern supermarkets and no shopping malls. Personally, I liked it, but if you prefer to do your grocery shopping in large modern stores, then Da Nang is the place for you.
Da Nang has multiple large shopping malls with all the shops you could want. I have to admit, after a month in Hoi An it was kind of nice to walk around an air-conditioned supermarket! I know local markets are better for the community, but modern supermarkets are definitely more convenient.
It is also a great place to get some dental work done! We got our teeth cleaned for just 15 USD. As a digital nomad, it is always a good idea to take advantage of cheap dental work.
Hoi An, on the other hand, is more about local markets where you will find fresh produce and plenty of souvenirs.
Overall, I think Da Nang comes out on top. Because you can find local markets there too. But you also have the convenience of modern supermarkets with a wider selection of good.
Winner: 🏆 Da Nang
7. Accommodation: Condos And Apartments vs Homestays
One of our favorite Airbnbs in the whole of Vietnam was in Hoi An.
We were outside of the main town and loved the small town atmosphere. When we rode our bikes around, kids would wave at us, and local restaurants were always amused that we were eating there.
If you stay on the outskirts of Hoi An, it is much easier to get that authentic small town atmosphere than in Da Nang.
In Da Nang, you are more likely to find cheap apartments and condos. But in Hoi An you will find more local homestays.
So in terms of the more local accommodation experiences, I think Hoi An wins.
WARNING : In Da Nang, if you look for a hotel on booking.com, there are so many hotels with fake reviews. Many hotels look like amazing deals, but then when you arrive, they are hellholes. So make sure to check all the one-star reviews and see if people mention fake reviews.
Where Da Nang wins is for convenience and budget. The beachfront is lined with hotels that can be incredibly cheap. If you are a digital nomad on a tight budget, then Da Nang has far more options for long-term stays.
While we were in Da Nang, we stayed at the Robin Hotel. It is a solid budget hotel that is great for short-term stays.
In Hoi An, it is much harder to find budget options long-term than it is in Da Nang. So in terms of budget accommodation for digital nomads. Da Nang wins this section too.
Winner: 🏆 Da Nang
Da Nang or Hoi An: Which Is The Better Digital Nomad Base?
Da Nang won the most sections, and I think for most digital nomads it is a better option than Hoi An.
Hoi An is the more interesting town if you are a traveller. But when you just want to live your life as a digital nomad, Da Nang just has more of what you need.
But Hoi An will still be a great option for some people. The good thing is that they are so close together that you can check out both before making a decision.
If you decide to stay in Hoi An, then you should check out our articles about all the best things to do, the best pho, best cafes, and more.
Then, if you are heading further north, you can also check out our articles on Phong Nha, Hanoi, Ninh Binh and Ha Long Bay to complete your Vietnam Itinerary.
