Da Nang vs. Hoi An: Which is better for Digital Nomads?
An Bang Beach in Hoi An
We think Vietnam is an ideal country for digital nomads. It has a low cost of living with high quality of life, great food, friendly people, decent internet, a warm tropical climate, plus endless opportunities for adventure. Da Nang, and Hoi An in central Vietnam, are two of the best spots to set up a base and take advantage of everything the diverse country has to offer.
We feel both cities are excellent choices for digital nomads looking to spend some time in Asia (outside of Chiang Mai or Bali!). And while they are certainly close enough that you can visit both on the same trip, like us, you may find one city more suitable for living in than the other.
The recently famous bridge in Ba Na hills near Da Nang
Da Nang vs Hoi An, Vietnam: which should you choose?
First a bit about Da Nang...
Da Nang is the largest city in central Vietnam, nestled between stunning green mountains and sparkling sea, with a river running through it all. With a population of 1.2 million, it has a modern metropolitan vibe, by Vietnamese standards, yet feels much smaller and more manageable compared to Ho Chi Minh or Bangkok. The city is big enough to have micro breweries, a variety of restaurants and loads of cool coffee shops, yet small enough to avoid any major traffic or air pollution.
It has miles and miles of gorgeous coastline and lovely beaches for walking or lounging. If you tire of the city, it’s easy to escape to miles of wild coastline or head to the hills; to the nearby Son Tra peninsula for hidden beaches, epic views and motorbike adventures. We liked it so much we wrote a post about it: Is Da Nang Vietnam the next digital nomad hotspot?
Views of Da Nang from the nearby Son Tra peninsula
Da Nang Pros
Good infrastructure with *almost* all the modern comforts; malls, stores, nice supermarkets, a decent variety of restaurants and bars
While definitely touristy, it’s not as bombarded with tourists as Hoi An
Gorgeous beaches
Ocean, river and mountain views
Excellent selection of long term apartment rentals
Short term accommodation includes everything from posh international hotels with swanky rooftop bars to cool, hibster boutique hotels with attached coffee shop
Decent internet
A small, though growing digital nomad community with a decent variety of coworking spaces and cafes to work from
Friendly locals
International airport
Scooters: cheap, convenient and oh so fun to explore with
Low cost of living makes it cheap to live the good life
Views of Da Nang from Marble Mountains
Da Nang Cons
Lack of sidewalks all over Vietnam (and all over SEA) and a pretty spread out grid make it feel less pedestrian friendly
Da Nang is growing quickly with lots of new construction projects
Scooters: noisy, busy, hectic
For some–bigger city vibes & better infrastructure may be a turnoff
Regular power outages–unless you rent from a building with a generator
Very few good Western restaurants (this may be a pro for some)
Language barriers can sometimes make communication challenging
Now a bit about Hoi An …
Hoi An sits 30 km south of Da Nang, less than 1 hour by car. Hoi An, with a population of 150,000, it’s much smaller than Da Nang. The city itself is nestled between the beaches of An Bang and the palm fringed Thu Bon river, while fresh green rice paddles fill up the leftover space, giving the area a very laid back vibe. This makes Hoi An easily one of the most photogenic places in Vietnam, and as most would say, the most beautiful city.
Hoi An’s bustling city center, Ancient Town, has architecture that dates back to the 15th to 19th century, when it was a bustling trading center. Unlike Da Nang, Hoi An was largely untouched by the American, war, which has allowed it to hold on to its history much more than Da Nang.
A lovely cafe in Hoi An
Pros Hoi An
Lovely, atmospheric and charming
Great, though busy, beach with a large selection of beach clubs and beachy restaurants
Rice paddies give parts of it a Bali vibe
Tons of amazing boutique hotels, small resorts and quant homestays
Lots of green and nature nearby
Affordable cost of living
Lovely local people
Great local Vietnamese restaurants
An army of very cheap tailors and shoemakers are at your doorstep
Slow, super chill pace of life
A photographer’s dream
Adventure
Internet is decent, though not always as stable as Da Nang, depending on where you stay
The charming alleyways of Hoi An, Vietnam
Cons Hoi An
In Old Town you’ll find people selling stuff everywhere, hagglers, inflated tourist pricing, mobs of tour groups–and other common issues with popular tourist destinations all over SEA.
Mold, mildew, litter & sanitation issues common to developing parts of the tropics
Semi-frequent power outages and electrical issues (a random power surge fried our macbook chargers)
Lack of variety for convenience stores, grocery shopping, toiletries, or “everyday Western amenities”
Only one, albeit good, coworking space that is often fully booked during high season and only a few solid cafes for working
Very few good Western restaurants (this may be a pro for some)
You may prefer Da Nang …
If you liked Chiang Mai
If you prefer bigger cities
If you prefer more modern housing
If you need A/C when it’s hot
If you love seafood
If you want more of a digital nomad community and more options for places to work
The peaceful rice paddies of Hoi An
You may prefer Hoi An …
If you liked Ubud/Bali
If you prefer a small town vibe
If you want more of the yoga/spiritual vibe
If you want to live amongst the rice paddies
If you’re cool calling it a night early
If you like a more mixed expat crowd
TIP: Whether your in Hoi An or Da Nang, if you depend on solid internet for your job (looking at you online teachers), you may want to find a place to stay that has a backup generator for power outages. We have had issues in both cities, however our rental in Da Nang had a generator which meant power outages weren’t an issue. However, in Hoi An, we regularly needed to use our hotspot, and had to remember to unplug electronics when they weren’t in use to avoid power surges. Be mindful when you’re booking if you think this could be an issue and communicate with hosts.
Da Nang’s ridiculously hip 43 factory, one of our favorite spots to work from.
Best places to work from in Da Nang
Six on Six Cafe
Urban Square
Koko Green
Cafe Nia
BonPas
Enouvo Space (coworking)
Space A (coworking)
The Coffee House chain
43 Factory Roastery
The Hideout Cafe
Best places to work from in Hoi An
Dingo Deli
Hub Hoi An (coworking)
The Sound of Silence
Mia Coffee
3A Cafe
Rosie’s Cafe
TIP: When staying in either Hoi An or Da Nang, we highly recommend renting a set of your own wheels! Scooter rental is cheap and plentiful. Do be cautious if you are inexperienced riding a motorbike in Vietnam–it can take some getting used to. Renting a bicycle in the beginning may be a nice way to ease in.
Both Da Nang and Hoi An:
Offer a variety of social events and gatherings
Have fabulous food for cheap
Have amazing beaches
Have super friendly local people
Are affordable places to live
Have good enough internet for remote workers
Have a great variety of delicious & cheap healthy food, including lots of vegetarian and vegan food
Have yoga studios, gyms, decent coffee shops to work from and inexpensive housing options
Are close to nature
Can get very hot during the summer and rainy in the winter
Rooftop bar in Da Nang
When to go & weather
You’ll find the best weather with the least rain February until August, however we’ve visited outside this time and had perfectly adequate weather in September and October. Cooler temperatures, with a higher chance of rain and clouds, or even flooding, make December and January less ideal. Keep in mind both cities are tropical and can get very hot. We’ve heard horror stories about living in Hoi An during the rainy season–flooding, sewage issues and mosquitos! Keep in mind the weather varies greatly throughout Vietnam depending on the region.
TIP: I’ve been using Selective Asia for years when planning for travel all over Asia; their website provides a general idea of the weather by region and month.
Where to stay…
In Danang
An Thuong/My An is the most popular area for expats and where you’re likely to find the biggest variety of apartments. It’s located in the strip of land between the river and the beach and has lots of “expat friendly” restaurants, coffee shops, cafes and bars.
In Hoi An
Old Town is great to visit, but no so much to live in; look to the areas between the town and the beach in the rice paddies. Cam Ha, Cam Chau, Cam Thanh or Tra Que neighborhoods are all located OUTSIDE of Old Town, in more chill spots.
Finding housing in Da Nang and Hoi An
We’ve had good luck using Airbnb for our housing in each city, however you may also have luck finding stuff last minute on arrival. Both cities have loads of options from tiny studio apartments to large villas and everything in between. In Hoi An, the Nha Toi real estate can be a great resource for longer rentals (3 months or more)
Depending on your standards (we tend to have pretty high standards) you should budget $250-300/month for a room in a shared house, $400-500/month for a nice studio and $600-800/month should get you a very nice private 1 or 2 bedroom apartment or private villa. Like with anywhere you can absolutely negotiate lower prices if you plan to stay longer.
Arriving at the Da Nang International Airport
Most people traveling in central Vietnam arrive via the Da Nang International Airport. It’s a new and modern airport with nice lounges and a logical layout–actually much nicer than the Ho Chi Minh Airport.
Vietnam Visa on Arrival
If Da Nang is your first destination in Vietnam, you’ll need to pick up your visa. Prior to your departure for Vietnam, you'll need to fill out the online form (https://vietnamvisa.govt.vn/ and pay the processing fee in order to receive an approval letter. Once you receive the letter, print it out and prepare 2 visa photos and a stamping fee. When you arrive in Vietnam, you’ll need to sort out your visa before clearing customs.The visa office is right next to the line for customs. All in all It’s pretty easy/straightforward.
If you haven’t already, we recommend picking up a tourist SIM on arrival near the baggage carousels. We paid 150,000 dong ($6.50) for a SIM card with unlimited LTE data that was advertised to last for one week however ended up lasting us until we left nearly a month later.
Vietnam, much like most of Southeast Asia uses Grab rather than Uber. A Grab from Da Nang airport to Hoi An is likely to cost between 250,000-300,000 dong ($10-12) however you may be able to negotiate a lower price with a taxi.
Resources
Hoi An
The Best Cafes & Coworking Spaces in Hoi An
Hoi An Digital Nomad Facebook Group
Da Nang
Da Nang Digital Nomad Facebook Group
Remotely working in Da Nang: Da Nang Travel Guide for Digital Nomads
Is Da Nang Vietnam the next digital nomad hotspot?
Our verdict?
We thoroughly enjoyed both! However after one month in Hoi An, we were missing Da Nang. In many ways, Hoi An reminded us of Ubud but with much better internet and less digital nomads–crammed with tourists, yet undeniably charming, lots of expats and scooter, with infrastructure challenges.
We experienced a few more inconveniences in Hoi An than we did in Da Nang and were much less productive with our work. We found Da Nang much more liveable, we were more social, and loved having the option of heading to Hoi An for day trips or weekend getaways. Next time we return to Vietnam, we plan to stay in Da Nang again. That being said, we know several nomads who prefer Hoi An. It’s just our personal preference. If it’s an option we recommend you check out both!
