On an overnight bus from Hoi An to Dalat

After a few lazy days in Hoi An, I took an overnight bus from Hoi An to Dalat for about $27 USD. I booked through my hostel and paid extra for the VIP sleeping bus where you get to lay down flat in a large private cabin.

These VIP sleeping buses are normally VERY comfortable, and well worth the extra $5-10 USD compared to the regular sleeping buses. For a 15 hour bus ride, the upgrade is everything!

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Unfortunately, this route was the the WORST I’ve been on in Vietnam.

The bus rocked and shook so much I honestly felt like I was going to slip out of my sleeping pod even with the seatbelt as tight as I could make it. I had an upper bunk, which didn’t help with the swaying, but apparently this route is VERY curvy and the drivers all like to drive as fast as possible, so I think I would’ve felt the same no matter where I was.

I tried to sleep as best I could but, but I kept getting shook awake so all in all it was a very stressful night.

We got into Dalat around 9:00 am. Unlike my experience in Hue, I managed to dodge the motorbike taxi guys this time and walked about 15 minutes up some surprisingly steep hills to my hostel, Dalat Sky Hostel. Even though I showed up super early, they let me check into the room right away! I booked a private room with an ensuite bathroom.

It was really a lovely room and I liked it (and Dalat) so much I ended up extending my stay by a few days.

I collapsed in my (very comfortable) bed and took a nap, then ordered Grab Food delivery. I’d discovered that the KFCs in Vietnam had mashed potatoes with gravy on their menu, and I had such a hankering for that specific thing that I’d been ordering it every chance I could get. The KFC in Dalat even had a LARGE size mashed potato portion. Heaven!

Dalat is a nice town, a decent mid-sized one high up in the mountain. Because of the elevation it’s actually very cool compared to the rest of the area— none of the hostels have air con because you really don’t need it! If you need a break from the heat and humidity of Southeast Asia, I highly recommend stopping by Dalat for a bit.

Most of my bus journeys were better than this one. Here’s some of the others I went on in Southeast Asia:

• From Malaysia to Singapore by bus | Overland travel guide
• From Sukhothai to Chiang Mai by bus
• From Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang by bus and slow boat (October 2023)
• From Tam Coc to Hue by overnight bus

And here’s how to book bus tickets in Southeast Asia if you’re nervous about doing that.