I took an overnight bus from Hanoi to Hoi An, which took 18 hours in total. Trains and flights only get you to Danang, which is still a 45 min drive from Hoi An, so I decided to go with a bus which was conveniently less than half the cost.

While waiting for the bus, I made the mistake of googling bus reviews which lead me to searching "Vietnam bus horror stories". By the time I got on the bus, I was expecting the worst experience of my life and was then pleasantly surprised when it wasn't! The seats were like little capsules, where your stretched out feet were underneath the back of the person in front of you. There's very little room for your belongings and I stupid brought my purse and a backpack with 3 books and 2 changes of clothes (???). The seats only had two positions - recline or super recline, but never flat or upright - so they weren't overly comfortable. I was surprised at how "well" I slept without drugs.