03
Chan May excursions, from a beach hop to a ten-hour day
Ranked by one question — how much of the day is the road?
Hue and Hoi An are both worth the trip, and both are mostly a drive. The beach is the exception.
Berth, money and visa detail live on our Chan May cruise port guide. If your sailing also calls at Phu My or Ha Long Bay, our Ho Chi Minh City and Ha Long Bay excursion guides cover those days.
Hue is a main reason to pick this port — and it’s the longer of the two directions, not the easier.
Shore Excursions Group lists a private Hue Imperial City day from $142.99 per person at about 10 hours. Civitatis lists private cruise tours from Chan May from US$210, at 5 to 8 hours.
Entrance is on top of that — as an outside article reports the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre’s 2026 prices, the Citadel is 200,000 VND for adults and the Minh Mang, Gia Long, Tu Duc and Khai Dinh tombs are 150,000 VND each. A combined Citadel and three-tomb ticket is 530,000 VND.
The Citadel opens 6:30 to 17:30 in summer and 7:00 to 17:00 in winter — though the same article doesn’t say when the seasons change.
- Time commitment
- About 10 hours on the SEG listing; Vietnam Drive puts a Hue trip at 7 to 8.
- Getting there
- Private car from the port gate, about 64 km each way.
- Suits
- First-timers who want Vietnam’s imperial history, couples, anyone who likes a slow pace.
- Ship or independent
- Independent, if the driver is confirmed in writing and has port access.
Why it's worth considering
You choose the order and the pace — and one tomb is often plenty, since the Citadel alone can fill a morning.
A private car can stop where a coach doesn’t, and you can skip what you don’t care for.
The catch
The road eats the day. By our estimate, a 10-hour listing leaves roughly half of it for Hue itself.
Entry is priced in dong at the ticket desks, and the all-aboard stays fixed — even when the traffic doesn’t.
Verify before you book
- That the driver has port access and where they’ll meet you
- The return time and whether tickets are included
- Citadel hours on your date
This is Hue with the logistics handled — a lunch built in, not a ticket desk to find.
Shore Excursions Group lists it at 10 hours. It visits the Imperial City and Dong Ba Market, adds food tastings and a coffee stop, and includes air-conditioned transport, a guide, entrance fees and a lunch.
The page also carries a “Guaranteed Return to Ship” label, but it doesn’t spell out the terms. Ask for them before you book — the label alone tells you little.
- Time commitment
- About 10 hours, per the listing.
- Getting there
- Pickup and return at Chan May Port.
- Suits
- Food-minded first-timers, travelers who want a guide for the Citadel.
- Ship or independent
- Independent, through a third-party booker. Read the return policy first.
Why it's worth considering
Entry fees, lunch and transport sit in one price, so there are no ticket desks to sort out.
The market stop shows you Hue away from the monuments.
The catch
It costs more than SEG’s private Hue listing, from $142.99 per person, because you’re paying for lunch and the group.
SEG lists the tour as not wheelchair accessible, and you need to bring a printed passport copy.
Verify before you book
- The terms behind the return-to-ship label
- Group size on your date
- Whether the day fits your ship’s hours
Hoi An is the south-side pick — and this is the one line-run example we could read, not a survey of every line.
Seabourn lists it at about 9 hours from $120. Stops include the Hoi An Museum, Phuc Kien Temple, the covered Japanese bridge and a historic house, then Tra Que Vegetable Village and lunch.
Seabourn recommends comfortable walking shoes — and says the tour isn’t wheelchair accessible.
Hoi An’s old-town ticket is 120,000 VND for international visitors, and the stub covers five sites, per an outside article. The heritage sites list 8:30 to 18:00.
- Time commitment
- About 9 hours, with the drive included.
- Getting there
- Line-run transport from the pier; Seabourn doesn’t publish the route.
- Suits
- First-timers, shoppers, couples who prefer a guide to a driver.
- Ship or independent
- Ship, if your line sells it. Ask what its late-return policy covers.
Why it's worth considering
The line handles the long road, lunch and the return to the ship.
Tra Que adds a rural stop to a town day — a break from the lantern streets.
The catch
Plan on plenty of walking, and expect the day to be long for the time you spend in town.
This is Seabourn’s listing, so your own line may sell a different version, or no version at all.
Verify before you book
- Whether your own line offers a Hoi An tour
- The price for your sailing
- How long you get in the old town
If the south wins, a private driver is the way to trim the day — a trimmed route, not a rushed one.
Vietnam Catholic Tours lists a private Chan May run to Da Nang Cathedral and Hoi An at about 6 to 7 hours. It puts Da Nang about 1.5 hours and 60 km out, and Hoi An about 30 km beyond.
Da Nang Fantasticity lists the Marble Mountains at 40,000 VND for adults. That adds a stop between the cathedral and Hoi An, and it adds stairs.
The listing carries no price — you’d contact the operator for one.
- Time commitment
- About 6 to 7 hours on that listing; other sources run longer.
- Getting there
- Private car over the Hai Van Pass, about 45 minutes to the pass per Vietnam Drive.
- Suits
- Couples, repeat Vietnam visitors, anyone who wants Hoi An without a coach.
- Ship or independent
- Independent, with the driver and return time confirmed in writing.
Why it's worth considering
You can drop a stop and still be back in time — a coach day rarely lets you.
Vietnam Catholic Tours puts the cathedral and the old town about 30 km apart, which keeps the southern run compact.
The catch
Sources disagree on distance and time, so the 6-hour listing is the optimistic end.
Clouds can hide the pass, and in the wet months the road is slower.
Verify before you book
- The full price and the currency
- The latest safe time to leave Hoi An
- Whether the Marble Mountains fit your call
The ruin-lover’s trip — and the longest day on the list.
Shore Excursions Group lists My Son Sanctuary and Temple Experience with Lunch from Chan May at about 10 hours and $258.99.
Da Nang Fantasticity gives the My Son entrance at 150,000 VND for international visitors. Dan Tri also named My Son among the sights Spectrum of the Seas passengers could reach from Chan May.
- Time commitment
- About 10 hours on the SEG listing.
- Getting there
- Small-group transport from Chan May.
- Suits
- Repeat visitors, history buffs, active travelers.
- Ship or independent
- Independent, through SEG, so confirm the return-to-ship terms.
Why it's worth considering
It adds ruins, not another old town, to a Vietnam itinerary that may already include several.
Lunch and transport are in the price — the entry fee is a separate line on the page.
The catch
A 10-hour day leaves little buffer against a delay on the road.
We didn’t find a listing that publishes the road time to My Son from Chan May, so ask for it.
Verify before you book
- The drive time each way
- Your all-aboard against the 10-hour listing
- Rain plans at an outdoor site
The family-friendly outlier — and an expensive one.
Shore Excursions Group lists a private Best of Ba Na Hills from $201.99 per person at about 10 hours.
Da Nang Fantasticity gives non-resident adult entry to Sun World Ba Na Hills as 1,000,000 VND. The quoted price may not include it — ask before you assume.
- Time commitment
- About 10 hours on the listing.
- Getting there
- Private car from Chan May to the Da Nang hills.
- Suits
- Families with kids who want rides, not temples.
- Ship or independent
- Independent, with a driver arranged ahead.
Why it's worth considering
It’s the day here that suits younger kids better than temples do.
Most of the day sits in one park, so there’s less rushing between stops.
The catch
Add the entry fee and the day gets pricey fast for a family of five or more.
Cloud and rain can swallow the hilltop, and the wet months are the most likely time for it.
Verify before you book
- Whether entry is included in the quoted price
- What the park is running on your date
- Return time to the pier
For a short call, or travelers who’ve had enough of coaches, this is the low-effort choice.
Vietnam Drive puts Lang Co Bay about 15 km from the port and says travel agents at the pier sometimes run shuttle buses there. P&O Cruises describes a white-sand beach about six miles long, with seafood restaurants and local beer.
No fare, tour listing or published schedule turned up for it, so this is a plan you build rather than a tour you buy.
- Time commitment
- A few hours, our estimate.
- Getting there
- Shuttle if one runs; otherwise a taxi or pre-booked car.
- Suits
- Short calls, families with small children, travelers who want an easy day.
- Ship or independent
- Independent. There’s no standard tour to buy.
Why it's worth considering
Close to the ship — so the clock matters less than on any Hue day.
Water, shade and lunch by the sea — a day you can cut short.
The catch
It’s a beach stop, not a sight — and it can feel thin against Hue.
Surf and showers can spoil it in the wet months.
Verify before you book
- Whether a shuttle runs on your date and what it costs
- A confirmed ride back to the pier
- Sea conditions
04
Chan May with the ship or on your own
Ship tours buy you the return
The port is far from the cities. If a ship coach runs late, the ship generally waits — confirm that with your line, because a late private car is yours to solve.
Seabourn’s Hoi An tour runs about 9 hours from $120. That’s a fair price for transport, lunch and a guide — if your own line sells something similar.
Private drivers buy flexibility
Shore Excursions Group lists private Hue and Da Nang days from $142.99 and $168.99 per person, and Civitatis lists private cruise tours from US$210.
A private car lets you drop a stop, which a coach won’t. Insist on the vehicle, the route, the price and the return time in writing, and confirm where the driver will meet you.
Small groups sit in between
Shore Excursions Group’s group tours run $258.99 to $268.99 for about 9 to 10 hours and include lunch.
They cost more than the private car lists — but you aren’t arranging anything, so read the return-to-ship terms first.
How each option compares in Chan May
| Excursion | Lean ship excursion when… | Independent works when… |
|---|
| Hue Imperial City | You want entry, lunch and transport in one price | You trust a driver with port access |
|---|
| Hoi An and Tra Que | Your line sells a tour that fits the call | You’ll pay a private driver for a shorter day |
|---|
| Da Nang and Marble Mountains | You want a guide for the cathedral and the Marble Mountains | You’re comfortable with a 6 to 7 hour private run |
|---|
| My Son Sanctuary | Not on the ship listing we read | A small group or private car |
|---|
| Ba Na Hills | If your line lists it | A private day, entry priced separately |
|---|
| Lang Co Bay | Not a ship tour we found | Shuttle, taxi or pre-booked car |
|---|
Short answer
Pick Hue or Hoi An, not both. For the smartest use of a long call, book a confirmed private driver or a small group with clear return terms; for a short call, take the ship’s tour or stay at Lang Co Bay.
06
Chan May logistics: the pier, money and the visa
From the ship to the road
One cruise pier, then a walk of about 10 minutes to the gate. A taxi stop sits there, and pre-booked cars may wait outside.
Full detail is on our Chan May cruise port guide.
- Docked pier, no tender
- Taxi stop at the gate
- Shuttle availability varies by line
Money
Hue and Hoi An ticket desks price in dong. Vietnam Drive lists no ATM or exchange counter at the port, so sort cash before you land.
Bring small notes from the ship — and a card for shops that take them.
Season
Expect rain from October into December, and the heaviest in October. March is the driest month, per Vietnam Tourism.
The Imperial City and tombs stay open in rain, according to Local Vietnam — but river boats get choppy.
Safety and paperwork
The State Department rates Vietnam Level 1, exercise normal precautions, nationally (issued June 24, 2026; checked October 29, 2026).
Follow your line’s visa instructions and keep your passport valid at least six months beyond arrival. Shore Excursions Group asks for a printed passport copy on its Hue food tour.
