Experience the paradise of Maldives in Vietnam for only 2.1 million

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Ngày cập nhật gần nhất: 15/4/2026

Content

On the large island

- On the third day

On the small island

- Wednesday

Hoi An

Da Nang

Our journey on the train started at 7:30 PM and we arrived at Quang Ngai station at 2:30 PM the next day. We took a taxi from Lang Pagoda to the station for 60k VND for two people. Instead of opting for a flight, we decided on the train because it seemed more adventurous. None of us had ever taken a night train before, and we were eager to admire the scenery along the way.

On the train, to pass the time, you can sleep, eat, or play cards, which is incredibly fun. The night on the train was quite peaceful. You can listen to music while sleeping or lie down to enjoy the scenery.

In the early morning on the train, there were vendors selling breakfast items to serve the passengers' needs. There was a variety of food such as minced meat porridge, sticky rice with pork, boiled eggs, roasted corn, coffee, milk, tea, and more. Excited about the journey, we woke up very early to enjoy the scenery along the way.

You can listen to music while sleeping on the train or lie down to enjoy the scenery.

You can admire the heavenly beauty of Xuân Thiều Beach, with its azure waters and golden sands, still very pristine, truly embodying the beauty of nature. We also got to experience the sensation of navigating through the mountain passes, feeling like we were playing Temple Run.

Upon arriving at Quang Ngai station, we took a Mai Linh taxi to Sa Ky port. Here, we booked a room at..., the rooms were very clean, airy, and conveniently close to the port, making it easy for us to catch the morning train. After resting for a while around 4 PM, we headed out to take photos around the port and called a taxi to My Khe Beach, about 4-5km away.

The beach at sunset was truly beautiful, with cool breezes, smooth sand, and nearby stalls selling grilled corn, grilled squid, and reasonably priced and delicious grilled fish. After spending about an hour there, we returned to the homestay to freshen up and have dinner. There weren't many food options here, just regular rice stalls and a noodle soup shop (20k VND/bowl), corn soup, shrimp noodle soup (50k VND/dish), but it was satisfying.

Sunset at Sa Ky port

- On the second day

We woke up at 6 AM to prepare for our trip to Ly Son Island.

Because it was a festival day on the island, our 7:30 AM ferry got rescheduled to 8:30 AM. It's advisable to book tickets in advance via email or ask the homestay owner to purchase them early to avoid sold-out situations and long queues early in the morning.

At 8:15 AM, we started heading to the ticket gate to board the ferry. If you're prone to motion sickness, it's best to stay seated and take a nap. Otherwise, you can go up to the deck to take photos and shoot videos like we did, feeling like we were in a scene from Titanic. It took about an hour to reach Ly Son Island.

Here, we booked a room at Son Nhan Homestay. When we got off the ferry, the hostess came to pick us up and provided a ride to the homestay for us to rest. Her house is lovely, spacious, and airy, so many tour groups book rooms here. For lunch, we asked her to cook for us, probably because we were tired, the food was delicious and only cost 50k VND per person. After dining, we rested for about an hour and then rented motorbikes to explore the large island. Since there were 5 of us, we had to rent 3 motorbikes (rented from noon the previous day until the next morning for 150k VND per bike, brand new bikes with no license plates yet).

On the large island

There are many places to visit here, so make sure to manage your time wisely.

+ Fishing Cave: Here, the photo opportunities are incredibly magical. You can play in the water or climb up the cliffs for photos (10k VND per person). Climbing up can be quite scary, but the feeling is super exhilarating. From Fishing Cave, you can walk along the shore to reach Hang Pagoda.

It feels amazing to be perched on the cliff edge

+ Blind Man's Isle: We continued our journey to Blind Man's Isle... However, because the road was under construction or something, it was quite difficult to navigate. If you're not confident in your driving skills, you might slip on the mud. Here, we took photos with the lighthouse, green moss, and rocky cliffs.

Rock formations at Blind Man's Isle

+ Gate of Silence: As this place is quite famous for sunset photography, when we arrived, there were already many people taking photos at the gate. Honestly, the Gate of Silence is smaller than I imagined, and crowded, but we managed to squeeze in a few group shots. You should enjoy the sunset here, it's truly magnificent, and you can capture some magical photos with the setting sun. Oh, you should try the Thai tea sold here, it's delicious and only 15k VND for a large cup.

After watching the sunset, it was getting late, so we decided to have seafood at a nearby restaurant. By chance, we joined forces with a group of older travelers, so both groups dined together. We indulged in delicious seafood like snails, clams, squid, all for just 100k VND per person. We returned to our room at 8 PM, everyone changed and rested to wake up early the next morning at 4 AM to catch the sunrise at Thoi Loi peak. Remember to ask the hostess to book the boat tickets to the small island early the next day and return tickets in the afternoon.

Batman at the Gate of Silence

- On the third day

Early in the morning at 4 AM, the whole group woke up for personal hygiene. At 5 AM, the whole group set off to catch the sunrise at Thoi Loi peak.

+ Thoi Loi Peak: It's a bit disappointing that there was quite a bit of sea mist when we went, so we couldn't see the sun. We only made it to the flagpole for photos, with extremely cold and strong winds that almost blew us and our belongings away. The path was steep and covered in sea mist, so you should be careful when walking.

Thoi Loi Peak

+ Hang Pagoda: Since we couldn't catch the sunrise at Thoi Loi Peak, we drove to Hang Pagoda nearby instead. I must say, the sunrise was incredibly picturesque, with a very fresh and cool morning atmosphere. Around 6:45 AM, we drove back to the homestay to prepare for the trip to the small island. Because we were in a hurry, we only bought some bread to take with us on the boat. After packing our stuff, at 7:20 AM, the car began to pick up the entire group to catch the train on time. At 7:30 AM, we boarded the train. The train to the small island was a high-speed one, so you won't get seasick. It's really fast, only takes about 10 minutes to get there.

Hang Pagoda at sunrise

On the small island

Upon arriving at the small island, we rented electric bikes for a tour around the island. Our group consisted of 15 people (a travel group), so we rented 2 electric bikes. After completing a round of the island and taking countless photos, we asked the driver to take us back to the beach.

The water was refreshing and the air incredibly fresh

+ Coral Watching

Here, we rented life jackets and snorkeling goggles to explore the coral reefs. Due to the high number of visitors, we managed to negotiate a good price (50k VND per person for the whole package). Then, we were taken to the coral reef by a small boat and dropped off in the middle of the sea. Since I can't swim, I felt a bit nervous when dropped into the water. But with the life jacket, I gradually floated along the current. The coral reefs here are quite beautiful although not as colorful and stunning as those in Cu Lao Cham. The sea is also deep, so we couldn't touch the corals. We only splashed around for about 30-40 minutes before getting back on the boat to shore.

At that time, the sun was quite strong, and everyone felt chilly. I saw many people checking in at the white sand beach here, but when I looked closely, it wasn't as beautiful as I imagined. There were many rocks and shells that scratched my feet, and quite a lot of trash too. So we didn't take many photos here.

Ly Son Small Island - Paradise is here

At 11:30 AM, we boarded the high-speed ferry to return to the main island for lunch and rest.

Back on the main island, we took turns showering, changing clothes, and sunbathing to dry our clothes before having lunch. Lunch was quite delicious with boiled fish, morning glory, cabbage, fried eggs, sour soup, squid salad, all for just 50k VND per person. After lunch, we managed to nap for about an hour before packing up to return to the mainland. Our return train departed at 3 PM. Since the sun was quite intense, we all comfortably settled on the train seats and dozed off. About an hour later, we arrived at Sa Ky port.

As we still wanted to explore Hoi An and Da Nang, we, along with our fellow travel group of 15 people, rented a 16-seater van to travel back to Da Nang and Hoi An, costing 100k VND per person. If you're traveling in a smaller group, you can either take a taxi or a local bus to Hoi An.

That night, we decided to stay in Hoi An. We arrived in Hoi An at 7 PM, hailed a taxi to find a guesthouse, and then went to explore the old town. Since there were 5 of us, we rented a room with two double beds for 350k VND per night (originally they asked for 500k VND per night, but we negotiated). After settling in, we changed clothes and headed to the old town. First, we stopped at a food stall in the old town offering various specialties like Quang noodles, chicken rice, corn sweet soup, etc. We had a satisfying meal for only 185k VND for 5 people. Then, we continued to explore the night scene in the old town, visited the night market to buy souvenirs, and enjoyed ice cream sticks for 3k VND each with flavors like strawberry, durian, coconut, chocolate. Around 10 PM, we returned to our room to shower and rest.

Hoi An lights up beautifully at night

- Wednesday

Hoi An

We woke up at 5 AM to stroll around the streets of Hoi An. Since the guesthouse provided bicycles, we rented 3 bikes for 40k VND (normally 20k VND per bike). The early morning in Hoi An was incredibly refreshing, so we mainly wandered around to admire the scenery rather than taking lots of photos. Around 6:30 AM, street vendors started opening their stalls. We chose a place for beef noodle soup for breakfast (20k VND per bowl), which didn't have the unpleasant smell of shrimp paste like in Hanoi. We returned to the guesthouse at 7:15 AM to pack up and head to Da Nang. Since the bus stop was nearby, we decided to take the bus to Da Nang, which cost 20k VND per person. The bus routes cover all corners of Da Nang, so if you haven't visited Da Nang yet, you can enjoy the scenery while on the bus.

Ancient house in Hoi An

Da Nang

Stepping foot in Da Nang, the first thing we did was to go to the train station to buy tickets back to Hanoi in the evening. After purchasing the tickets, we looked for a guesthouse to rest, and surprisingly, there were guesthouses right at the station recommended by the staff. The rooms were spacious and only cost 150k VND, so we decided to stay there for convenience. After storing our belongings and changing clothes, we took a Mai Linh taxi to the new Love Bridge. Since I visited Da Nang in April last year, I didn't revisit the places I had already been to.

• Love Bridge: At the Love Bridge, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Dragon Bridge, a famous landmark in Da Nang. For couples, you can buy a keychain engraved with your names and lock it onto the bridge as a symbol of love commitment. After enjoying the Love Bridge, we went to a restaurant for beef hotpot and beef rolled cake, which cost 400k VND for 5 people.

Romantic Dragon Bridge

After a satisfying meal and some relaxation, we ventured to the alluring My Khe Beach. The beach stretches endlessly, with sand much finer than that of Ly Son. We had the entire stretch to ourselves, perfect for photography and swimming. On our way back, we were fortunate to encounter a group including Justatee, Ngoc Thao, Mlee, and Soobin Hoang Son, also enjoying a dip in the sea. We also made a pit stop at Xuan Trang tea stall on Le Duan Street for some delicious and incredibly affordable treats, renowned in Da Nang. At 5 p.m., we returned to the station to freshen up and pack for our journey back to Hanoi, concluding our incredibly enjoyable and budget-friendly trip.