TIEN SA PORT, DA NANG · PRIVATE SHORE EXCURSION
Hoi An Day Trip from Da Nang Port: Old Town, Lantern Making & Marble Mountains
A private, fully guided day from Tien Sa port — Hoi An’s old town and a Chinese assembly hall in the cool of the morning, a silk lantern you make with a local family, then the Marble Mountains on the way back to your ship.
Met at the Tien Sa port gate
Licensed guide all day
All tickets included
Back 90 min before all-aboard
This Hoi An day trip from Da Nang port is a private, fully guided day from Tien Sa: Hoi An’s old town and a Chinese assembly hall in the cool of the morning, a silk lantern you make with a local family, then the Marble Mountains on the drive back. Every ticket, the private car and your licensed guide are included; lunch is your choice. A US$39 deposit is refunded automatically if your ship cannot dock, and you are back at the port gate 90 minutes before all-aboard.
| Meeting point | Tien Sa port gate — free port buggy from the ship |
|---|---|
| Pickup time | Set to your ship’s docking time (example day: 08:00) |
| Back at the port gate | 90 minutes before all-aboard |
| Time ashore with us | About 7 hours (example: 08:00–15:00) |
| Stops | Hoi An old town · Chinese assembly hall · lantern workshop · Marble Mountains |
| Walking | Easy-paced old-town walk; stone steps down Thuy Son |
| Tickets and meals | All tickets, the lantern session and one-way lift included; lunch not included |
| Your guide | Licensed English-speaking guide all day |
Last checked: October 2026
See all our shore excursions from Chan May and Da Nang ports
WHY THIS DAY WORKS ON A SHIP’S CLOCK
- Met at the port gate, with a free buggy ride from the ship. Tien Sa runs free buggies for passenger safety, so the 600 metres from the ship to the gate is a short ride, not a walk. Your guide waits at the gate, name board up. Need to be met at the gangway itself? Tell us when you book and we arrange a port permit to meet you there, for a small supplement.
- Hoi An first, while it is cool. We drive straight to the far point, so you walk the old town in the morning and pick up the Marble Mountains on the way home. The buffer before all-aboard is never traded.
- A deposit you get back. Some operators keep 20% deposits in full when plans change. Ours is a flat US$39, refunded automatically if your ship cannot dock. Don’t port, don’t pay.
- Zero card fees — on the deposit and the balance alike. Some operators add 3.5–4.5% card surcharges. We add none: the US$39 deposit is fee-free, and on the day you choose Vietnamese dong in cash or a secure card link. Either way, the fee is ours, not yours.
- No unsolicited shopping stops. The Marble Mountains are ringed by stone workshops and Hoi An by tailors. We never take you into one unless you ask.
YOUR DAY, HOUR BY HOUR
Example day — ship docks 07:00, all-aboard 16:30. We reconfirm your ship’s times when you book and set pickup to your actual docking time.
Itinerary
Met at the port gate
The port's free buggies bring you from the ship to the gate, where your licensed guide waits with a name board, and cold water and towels are ready in the car. Your guide checks your all-aboard time before you set off.
Pickup follows your ship
The trading port, on foot
About an hour's drive brings you into Hoi An while the morning is still cool. At an easy pace you walk past the Japanese Covered Bridge, the yellow merchant houses and the Hoai riverfront, and your guide explains how Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese traders built a 16th-century port that UNESCO listed in 1999.
Old-town ticket included
Where the Chinese merchants met
Inside the Fujian or Cantonese Assembly Hall, whichever suits the route and opening hours on the day, you see how these halls served as temple, meeting room and mutual-aid society for the families who came to Hoi An to trade.
Covered by the old-town ticket
Make your own silk lantern
With a lantern-making family, you choose your silk, stretch and glue it onto a ready-made bamboo frame and finish it yourself while they tell you about their work. Your lantern folds flat and is wrapped for the cabin and the flight home. About 50 minutes.
Session and lantern included
Lunch, your choice
Your guide suggests places to suit your taste and budget, from cao lầu at a family eatery to a sit-down riverside restaurant, and helps you order. Lunch is not included, so you eat exactly as you like.
Not included · about 1 hour
Caves and pagodas on Thuy Son
The car leaves Hoi An at 13:00 and stops at the Marble Mountains on the way back. The lift takes you up Thuy Son, the largest of the five peaks, and your guide leads you through its caves and pagodas at a pace that suits you. The way down is on stone steps. About 45 minutes.
Ticket and one-way lift included
Back at the gate, clock in hand
You are back at the port gate 90 minutes before all-aboard, with the buggy ride to the ship still ahead and no need to hurry.
90-min buffer standard
IF THE DAY RUNS SLOW
Every Vietnam Legacy Tours cruise day carries a published shortening order, agreed before you sail in. On this route: if the gangway is late, the Marble Mountains stop goes first. If the delay is longer, the old-town walk shortens. The lantern workshop and the 13:00 departure from Hoi An stay. Nobody bargains with the drive back.
RAIN PLAN
October to December brings heavy rain to Hoi An, and the riverside streets can flood. Umbrellas live in the car; the assembly hall and the lantern workshop are under a roof. If the riverfront is under water, your guide keeps to the higher streets and gives the extra time to the workshop. At the Marble Mountains, wet stone steps are slippery, so on heavy-rain days we swap them for the Lady Buddha at Linh Ung Pagoda on the Son Tra Peninsula, close to the port, or suggest another stop that suits you better. The schedule bends; the buffer does not.
Included
- Private air-conditioned car with driver
- Pickup at the Tien Sa port gate (port gate fee included)
- Licensed English-speaking guide for the whole day
- Hoi An old-town ticket (includes the assembly hall)
- Lantern-making session with a local family, and your folding lantern
- Marble Mountains entrance ticket and one-way lift
- Bottled water and cold towels
- Vietnam Legacy Tours hotline through the day
Not included
- Lunch and drinks
- Gratuities
- Personal spending
Paying the balance
Pickup follows your ship
Know your team 48 hours before
Shoes and clothing
Lunch is yours
No shopping stops
| Group | Per person |
|---|---|
| 1 guest | US$215 |
| 2 guests | US$134 |
| 3–4 guests | US$104 |
| 5–6 guests | US$87 |
| 7–9 guests | US$79 |
Every ticket, the lantern workshop, the private car, your licensed guide and the port gate fee are in the price — lunch is the only thing you choose and pay for yourself.
Prices are per person. Ten or more? Message us for a group quote.
A US$39 deposit holds your date. Choose the deposit or pay in full when you book, and we send you a secure payment link within 30 minutes (7am–10pm Vietnam time). Any balance is settled on the day in Vietnamese dong cash or by secure card link, with no card fees either way. Don’t port, don’t pay: if your ship cannot dock, the deposit is refunded automatically.
Prices are in US dollars; on the day you pay in local currency at the published bank rate — or simply tap a card link. No card fees.
Sailing in with your roll call? Message us on WhatsApp +84 93 246 5127
Guided, or on your own?
Prefer to explore Hoi An at your own pace? Our private car from Tien Sa Port to Hoi An gives you about four and a half hours in the old town, with a driver who waits for you and brings you back in good time for all-aboard. From US$77 per car.
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly do we meet at Tien Sa port?
At the port gate, about 600 metres from where your ship berths. The port runs free buggies from the ship to the gate for passenger safety, so there is no long walk. Your guide waits at the gate with a name board, and you receive the guide’s name, photo and WhatsApp number 48 hours before you sail in. If you need to be met at the gangway, for example because of limited mobility, tell us when you book: we apply for a port permit to meet you inside and confirm the small supplement in advance.
Will we be back at the ship on time?
Yes. On the example day you are back at the port gate at 15:00, 90 minutes before a 16:30 all-aboard. We reconfirm your ship’s times as soon as you book and plan the day backwards from your all-aboard time. If we ever cause you to miss your ship, you get a 100% refund.
Can I take the lantern home on a flight?
Yes. The lantern you make folds flat and is wrapped for you, so it fits in a cabin drawer on board and in your suitcase or hand luggage on the way home.
Why is lunch not included?
So you can eat exactly as you like. Some guests want a quick bowl of cao lầu at a family eatery, others a longer sit-down meal by the river. Your guide suggests places to suit your taste, budget and any dietary needs, and helps you order. Allow about an hour and a modest budget in Vietnamese dong; your guide can point you to places that take cards.
How much walking is there, and what about the stairs?
The old town is flat and walked at an easy pace. The Marble Mountains are the only demanding part: the lift takes you up Thuy Son, but the way down is on stone steps and some cave paths are uneven. If you have limited mobility, tell us when you book and your guide will keep to the easiest route or give the time back to Hoi An.
What if it rains, or Hoi An floods?
October to December brings heavy rain, and the riverside streets can flood. Umbrellas are in the car, and the assembly hall and lantern workshop are under a roof. If the riverfront is under water, your guide keeps to the higher streets. On heavy-rain days we swap the Marble Mountains for the Lady Buddha at Linh Ung Pagoda on the Son Tra Peninsula, or another stop that suits you better. Rain changes the sequence, never the guarantee.
How do we pay?
Choose a flat US$39 deposit or pay in full when you book, and we send you a secure payment link within 30 minutes (7am–10pm Vietnam time), with no card fees. Any balance is settled on the day in Vietnamese dong cash or by secure card link — no card fees either way; we absorb them. Prices are quoted in US dollars and converted at the published bank rate of the day.
What if our ship skips the port or docks late?
Ship can’t dock: deposit back automatically. Docking late: the published shortening order — the Marble Mountains first, then a shorter old-town walk — at no extra charge, with the lantern workshop protected. Very late: we run as much of the day as your ship’s clock allows, at the same price. If your ship docks too late for the day to run at all before all-aboard, your deposit is refunded automatically. Cancelling for your own reasons? Up to 24 hours before the day the deposit comes back too; inside 24 hours it is retained.
“Hoi An was once a thriving trading port. From the 17th to the 19th century, Chinese and Japanese merchants made their homes here and Dutch traders came to do business, and what remains today is the beauty of that meeting of cultures. I designed this day to help you feel and understand Hoi An in exactly that way.”
- Reply within 1 hour
- Free cancellation
- Licensed operator No. 46-0086/2026
