I always wanted to sunbathe in the white-sand beaches in Da Nang, stroll around UNESCO-listed town in Hoi An and experience the French colonial charm throughout Vietnam. Even though the pandemic has ended over 6 months, Vietnam has been cautious about issuing tourist visas. The cumbersome procedures drove me off.
Finally, here comes the good news! Vietnam has begun implementing electronic visas to all of the countries since this August. Tourists can now obtain their visas before departure, eliminating the need for lengthy waits at the visa-on-arrival counters.
Recently I have booked my business class tickets and 2-bedroom villa on miles and points that saves me more than 35% in my travel cost. Here are the three secrets how I do that!
Where is Da Nang?
Da Nang, a main coastal city in central Vietnam, is blessed with incredible beaches, fabulous beach resorts. It is also famous for hills including Ba Na hills and hillside Hai Van Pass.
Why Danang is a hidden gem?
I often believe Da Nang is underrated for its location. Da Nang is sandwiched between two historical attractions: Hue (the old Imperial City and administrative capital for the Nguyen dynasty) and Hoi An (a Southeast Asian trading port since the 15th century). Especially Hoi An, just a 30-minute drive from Da Nang, not only is the capital of banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) in the country but also is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Da Nang ‘s easy accessibility to these two cities attracts me. I can leave Da Nang in the morning and easily visit these two historic cities before returning to Danang in the afternoon for a quenching cocktail by the stunning white-sand beach.
Secret One: Choose the realistic airlines award program for business class redemption
Da Nang International Airport offers numerous Asian routes, in addition The fto domestic flights within Vietnam. There are currently no direct flights from North America to Danang. Travelers from North America typically have to make one or more connecting flights to reach Danang. Common layover cities include major Asian hubs like Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, or Singapore.
Let’s use “FlightConnections” to find out the possible flight routes. The results show that Vietnam Airlines, a member of SkyTeam, provides direct flights between San Francisco (SFO) and Ho Chi Minh City (SGN). This is the fastest route for those living in California to start the travel.
How about those living in the other cities of the west coast? Although there are no direct flights to take you to Vietnam, there are several options you can choose from with connecting routes.
| Departure City | Transit City | Airlines |
| Los Angeles | Taipei (TPE), Seoul (ICN),Singapore (SIN) | EVA Air, China Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Korean Air, Singapore Airlines |
| Seattle | Taipei (TPE), Seoul (ICN),Singapore (SIN) | EVA Air, Asiana Airlines, Korean Air,Singapore Airlines |
| Vancouver | Taipei (TPE), Seoul (ICN),Singapore (SIN) | EVA Air, China Airlines, Asiana Airlines,Korean Air, Singapore Airlines |
As you may see, “Flightconnections” is a handy tool that helps everyone discover various flight options between origin and destination city pairs. If you are departing from a city on the East Coast or in the Midwest of North America, you have fewer flight options due to the long distance of the journey to Da Nang.
| Departure City | Transit City | Airlines |
| New York | Taipei (TPE), Seoul (ICN),Singapore (SIN) | EVA Air, China Airlines, Asiana Airlines,Korean Air, Singapore Airlines |
| Chicago | Taipei (TPE), Seoul (ICN) | EVA Air, Korean Air |
| Houston | Taipei (TPE) | EVA Air |
While “FlightConnections” identifies the possible routes based on origins and destinations, I have recently used AwardPlus, an award search tool developed by TripPlus, to find the most cost-effective option for these routes.
Just enter the departure and destination airports and click search, and it will allow you to find out the top three “fewest miles required” redemption options. I have moved to Vancouver (YVR) lately. Here are the top 5 fewest round-trip award redemptions for me:
- Using Asiana Airlines miles to redeem for EVA Air tickets (via Taipei) requires 135,000 miles.
- Using Turkish Airlines miles to redeem for EVA Air tickets (via Taipei) requires 135,000 miles.
- Using ANA miles to redeem for EVA Air tickets (via Taipei) requires 136,000 miles.
- Using Delta SkyMiles to redeem for China Airlines or Korean Air tickets (via Taipei or Seoul) requires 140,000 miles.
- Using EVA Air miles to redeem for EVA Air tickets (via Taipei) requires 150,000 miles.
The results show Asiana and Turkish Airlines require the least miles. However, it is pretty challenging to get Asiana mileage because Marriott Bonvoy is the only transferrable partner. Turkish Airlines seems a better option since it has two credit card partners in the US (Capital One and Citi) with decent conversion rates. But it is a headache to redeem on Turkish Airlines’ website. It is not user-friendly. On most occasions, you cannot expect availability to be shown correctly.
Delta applies “dynamic pricing”, so the results shown on “AwardPlus” tool are used as a reference only. I suggest checking Delta’s official website directly to see if there are prices within your acceptable range. For example, a one-way business class award ticket from Vancouver to Danang requires 400,000 Delta miles, which is an unacceptable option for most of us.
Therefore, the options narrow down to All Nippon Airways (ANA) and EVA Air’s mileage programs. When redeeming EVA Air award seats, ANA’s mileage program charges only 136,000 miles, which is 10% lower than EVA. According to the routing rules, ANA Mileage Club is generous and allows passengers to have a free stopover at Taipei. This not only helps save some miles but also enables us to book all flights on the same ticket. Using ANA mileage is a no-brainer deal.
Since the availability of award seats redeemable with miles is (almost) entirely controlled by the operating airline, EVA Air currently releases very limited award seats to its Star Alliance partners. It is extremely difficult for us to redeem EVA Air’s intercontinental flights using Star Alliance partners’ mileage, such as ANA. As you see here, the search results on ANA’s official website make me frustrated.
Here is the fact: EVA Air reserves a significant number of seats for its own members to redeem. EVA mileage program is called “Infinity MileageLands.” I ‘ve found out that there are three business class seats available on my desired date. Each one needs 150,000 EVA Air miles. Another treat I love is EVA Air mileage program allows free stopovers on round-trip tickets in Taipei. So, using 150,000 EVA Air miles for this journey is my ultimate choice.
Secret Two: Leverage hotel points for 2-bedroom villa to maximum the travel value
This time I booked the new Marriott hotel in Danang: Danang Marriott Resort & Spa, Non Nuoc Beach Villas. This hotel offers exclusive villa-style accommodations, with options ranging from 2-bedroom, 3-bedroom, to 4-bedroom villas. This means everyone can book a 2-bedroom villa (by Marriott points) as the standard award!
The price of Danang Marriott Resort & Spa, Non Nuoc Beach Villas varies throughout the year. I randomly select a day in November. It costs $580 ~ $600 (tax inclusive) per night for a 2-bedroom garden villa.
Booking through hotel points is an incredible way to maximum the value. I found out that that it only needs 30,000 ~ 40,000 Marriott points per night during November for a 2-bedroom villa. Marriott sells at 1.25 US cents/ point. That means 30,000 ~ 40,000 points is around $375 ~ $500, which is a 14% ~ 35% discount depending on which date you’d like to book.
Secret Three: Strategically purchase promotional Marriott points to lower the room price
Marriott offers promotions on purchased points many times a year. You may get as low as 0.85 US cent/ point. which means the cost of a 2-bedroom villa will be $255 ~ $340 only. Imagine booking a 2-bedroom villa with a private pool for just $255, it is definitely a no-brainer deal!
Since the hotel is opening this year, the award availability is plentiful. As you can see from the award calendars throughout the year, the lowest is 30,000 Marriott points per night.
Don’t forget the “stay for 5 (nights), pay for 4 (nights)” benefit. This enables you to receive the lowest Point-Value Night free when using Marriott Bonvoy® Points to book a Redemption Stay of five consecutive Nights or longer.
What Are The Eligible Credit Cards To Earn Marriott Points?
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
- Sign-Up Bonus: 95,000 points after $6,000 in the first 6 months
- $650 Annual Fee
- Bonus categories: 6X on Marriott properties, 3X on flights booked directly with airlines, 3X on restaurants worldwide, 2X on all other eligible purchases.
- Free Night Award each year upon renewal (up to 85,000 points)
- $300 dining credit per membership year ($25/month)
- Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status – which means free breakfast and access to executive lounge
- Annual 25 elite nights credit
- Unlimited Priority Pass Select membership with 2 guests
- $100 Global Entry fee credit
- Free premium internet at Marriott properties
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
- Sign-Up Bonus: 85,000 points after $5,000 in the first 6 months.
- $250 Annual Fee
- Bonus categories: 6X on Marriott properties, 4X on restaurants & U.S. Supermarkets (up to $15,000 in combined purchases each year), 2X on all other eligible purchases.
- Free Night Award each year with $15,000 spending annually (up to 50,000 points)
- Complimentary Gold Elite status
- Annual 15 elite nights credit
- Free premium internet at Marriott properties
Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express® Card
- Sign-Up Bonus: Earn 3 Free Night Award after $6,000 spend in 6 months (each Award has a redemption level up to 50,000 points)
- $125 Annual Fee
- Bonus categories: 6X on Marriott properties, 4X on restaurant worldwide, US gas stations, and wireless telephone, 2X on all other eligible purchases.
- Free Night Award each year upon renewal (up to 35,000 points)
- Complimentary Gold Elite status
- Annual 15 elite nights credit
- Free premium internet at Marriott properties
Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful® Credit Card
- Sign-Up Bonus: Earn 85,000 points after $4,000 spend in 3 months
- $250 Annual Fee
- Bonus categories: 6X on Marriott properties, 4X on grocery stores, and dining (up to $15,000 in combined purchases each year), 2X everywhere else.
- Free Night Award each year with $15,000 spending annually (up to 50,000 points)
- Complimentary Gold status
- Annual 25 elite nights credit
Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
- Sign-Up Bonus: Earn 3 Free Night Awards after $3,000 in the first 3 months (each Award has a redemption level up to 50,000 points)
- $95 Annual Fee
- Bonus categories: 6X on Marriott properties, 3X on gas stations, grocery stores, and dining on (up to $6,000 in combined purchases each year), 2X on everywhere else.
- Earn Gold status when you spend $35,000 each year, 1 Elite Night Credit towards elite status for every $5,000 spending.
- Free Night Award each year upon renewal (up to 35,000 points)
- Complimentary Silver status
- Annual 25 elite nights credit
- $10 monthly GoPuff credit (through 12/31/23)
Bottomline
What I did is all doable. My three secrets of saving me 35% to enjoy business class and immerse in spacious 2-bedroom villa include choosing a right airline redemption program with stable source of availability, leveraging hotel program points to redeem your vacation accommodation, strategically buying points to lower the room price.
Da Nang is a beautiful city full of shimmering beaches and mouth-watering food. With the launch of e-Visa by Vietnamese Government, the entry procedure is less complicated. It certainly will attract more tourists to explore the country.
Stay tuned! I will share my experience after the long-waiting vacation.
Questions and Answers (Q&A)
Q: What is the visa requirement to Vietnam?
If you are the citizens of the following 25 countries and Kazakhstan, you don’t need a visa to enter Vietnam:
Brunei, Myanmar, Belarus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, The UK, The Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Chile, Panama.
The valid stay period varies from 14 days to 45 days depending on the country. Check it out on https://vietnam.travel/plan-your-trip/visa-requirements
For the others, you need an eVisa to validly stay in Vietnam.
Q: What does e-visa mean? Do I need to apply for one before going?
Effective from August 15, 2023, Vietnam grants e-visa for all countries and territories with 90 day stay duration and valid for multiple entry. The e-visa fee is $25. This will take 3 working days to process. The e-visa is valid to enter via international airports, land and sea border gates.
Check this out for latest information – https://vietnam.travel/plan-your-trip/official-vietnam-evisa-application
You need to apply for an e-visa if:
- You are not the citizens of those 25 countries and Kazakhstan in visa exemption program
- You are the citizens of the countries in visa exemption program and you want to stay longer than the allowed term of residence to 90 days
citizens Simply apply online for your tourist E-visa. You will receive your code by email to print your visa or access via official website of the Vietnam Immigration Department.
Q: People say traffic doesn’t stop for pedestrian in Vietnamese street. Is it true?
A: Yes, traffic flows around. The locals suggest you move forward steadily and the motobikes will go around you.
Q: What are the etiquette tips when visiting Vietnam?
A: Making your travel more fun by blending in with the locals. These are tips suggested by Official Website of Vietnam Tourism Board to appreciate everyday culture:
- Remove your shoes inside pagoda
- Say cheers like a local – một, hai, ba, dzô! (One, two, three, cheers!)
- Dress modestly when entering religious sites
- Respect family altars
- Don’t show affection in public
- Ask before taking photos of locals
- Say ‘Xin Chao’ to greet new people
Q: Can you show us where Hue and Hoi An to create a “tri-cities” tour when planning a Da Nang vacation?
A: Yes! The infographic here explains well how close Da Nang, Hoi AN and Hue are and what unique experience each offers you.
