With a certain amount of trepidation, not helped by having just read a 150+ comment post on the worst things about overnight buses, we were all set.

The Futa bus, Dalat to Danang, 4:15pm pick up, 7am next morning arrival. A further two steps would still be needed to reach our beach side destination. With a small bag of potential necessities to take on board, we awaited our pick up.

The courtesy pick up was pretty much on time, or at least early enough for us not to have that rising sense of panic that they have missed us. Dalat bus station is very well organised, so we are soon at our bus, getting our luggage put on alongside a couple of motorbikes and two large plants!

Shoes in bag and we lower ourselves into our seats (beds?) that are floor level, the bottom bunk. The bus departs at the expected time, quite unusual in this part of the world. We’re not going long before the window wipers are going, first rain that we have seen in Vietnam. After an hour’s travel a five minute toilet stop.

Come 7:30 another announcement in Vietnamese, this time a ‘service station’. Everyone gets off so we follow suit – Alison asks the Futa representative how long we stop for….”30 minutes, we eat rice” is his response! We have our own stash of goodies, crackers, peanuts & biscuits.

a veritable banquet!

Not knowing when, or if, there will be another stop before bedtime we use the facilities.

Darkness falls in Vietnam around 6pm, so with nothing to see out of the windows we make ourselves comfy – 8pm or just after, an early night. The bus is pretty quiet, the odd phone going off, otherwise not a lot of noise, surprisingly we manage to sleep. Before we know it the lights are coming on, the clock says 2:30, a toilet break.

We both get off the bus, putting on the courtesy flip flops and follow everyone else. It quickly becomes evident that the toilet facilities on this occasion are nothing grander than choosing your spot in the bushes! Alison at this point decides she’s not that desperate, I go bringing back memories of football bus journeys twenty or so years ago.

Having already slept once it takes a little while to get back to sleep, but before we know it there is movement on the bus again. With the time having just gone 6am we are approaching Danang, slightly ahead of schedule. No sooner have we woken ourselves up and it’s off the bus, collect the luggage & find the local shuttle bus to Hoi An.

With a bit of assistance from the Futa representative we are pointed to the other side of the bus station where we spot the yellow bus. It is just leaving so we get set to wait for the next one, they leave every twenty minutes so it’s not a problem.

Meanwhile a Vietnamese women shouts for the bus to stop so we can get on…before we know it the bus conductor has one of our cases and is running after the still (slowly) moving bus. It leaves us no choice, so we quicken our pace, throw the remaining case on and clamber aboard before he starts moving any quicker.

Arriving at Hoi An bus station we enjoy a long overdue coffee. As like everywhere else in this part of the world – free WiFi. Whilst we were in HCMC we had downloaded the Grab App, a local version of Uber. So with coffee finished we booked our first journey, couldn’t have been easier as the taxi was there before we got to the bus station gates. Language is no barrier as he has our name on his smart phone.

Overall a really good experience, would definitely do again. Dalat to Cua Dai beach, via Danang and Hoi An – mission accomplished.