Official Guide
Hoi An Travel Guide: Ancient Town, Lanterns & Beaches
UNESCO-listed Hoi An is Vietnam's most Instagram-famous town — and rightly so. Silk lanterns, centuries-old merchant houses, the…
Hoi An
UNESCO Ancient Town famous for lanterns, tailors, and white-sand beaches
Overview
Hoi An is Vietnam's best-preserved ancient trading port and one of the most beautiful towns in Southeast Asia. Its Old Town — a compact grid of 15th–19th century merchant houses, Chinese assembly halls, Japanese covered bridges, and French colonial shopfronts — was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, and in 2019 Travel and Leisure named it the best city in the world. The streets glow gold at night from silk lanterns strung between buildings, the Thu Bon River runs quietly behind the market, and the pace of the place is as unhurried as anywhere in Vietnam. It is, deservedly, one of the country's most visited destinations.
The best time to visit is February to April — dry, warm, and clear, with the lowest chance of the flooding that can periodically close the Old Town's ground-floor streets during the rainy season (September–January). The dry season runs February to August; if you visit between May and August expect heat and humidity but brilliant sunshine. The lantern festival on the 14th of each lunar month — when electric lights are turned off across the Old Town and the streets and river are lit entirely by coloured silk lanterns — is worth timing a visit around regardless of season.
Attractions
Things to see and do in Hoi An
The Old Town itself is the main attraction — a walking district of narrow lanes best explored on foot or by bicycle in the early morning before tour groups arrive (aim to be out before 8 am). The Japanese Covered Bridge (Chua Cau) at the western end of Tran Phu Street is the town's most iconic landmark — a 16th-century wooden bridge-temple with a monkey on one end and a dog on the other. The Chinese Assembly Halls (Fujian, Cantonese, Chaozhou) are lavishly decorated clan halls that double as active temples, full of red lacquer, incense smoke, and elaborate ceramic rooftop sculptures. Ticket-holders can enter most historic houses along Tran Phu and Nguyen Thai Hoc streets — the Tan Ky Merchant House is the finest interior, with 200-year-old Japanese and Chinese architectural detailing intact.
Outside the Old Town, An Bang Beach and Cua Dai Beach are 5 km east by bicycle — flat, easy, and the natural afternoon counterpoint to a morning in the lanes. For the most theatrical evening in Central Vietnam, the Hoi An Memories Show is a large-scale outdoor performance staged on the Thu Bon riverbank, with over 500 actors, traditional costumes, and light projections telling the town's 2,000-year trading history. The lantern release on the Hoai River — floating a lit paper lantern and making a wish — is a gentler, more spontaneous evening ritual available from vendors along the riverside for around 20,000 VND.
Interests
What Hoi An is known for
Interest tags will appear here once articles are published.
Getting There
Transport options to reach Hoi An
Hoi An has no airport of its own — the closest is Da Nang International Airport, 30 km north. From Da Nang airport, a taxi to Hoi An costs around 400,000–600,000 VND (45–55 minutes), while the public bus LK02 runs regularly from near the airport for 35,000 VND (70–80 minutes). Grab is available for the Da Nang–Hoi An route and is cheaper and more reliable than flagging a taxi. Motorbike rental from Da Nang (around 100,000–120,000 VND per day) is a popular option for travellers who want to arrive via the scenic coastal road.
From further afield, Hoi An is well-connected by open-tour buses and limousine coaches from Hue (3–3.5 hours), Da Lat (9 hours), and Nha Trang (12 hours). The train from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City stops in Da Nang — from there, catch a taxi or bus the final 30 km to Hoi An. Within the town and surroundings, bicycle rental (30,000–50,000 VND/day) is the most pleasant way to get around; the Old Town itself is pedestrianised during daytime hours and best experienced on foot.
Itineraries
Suggested routes that include Hoi An
Two to three nights is the sweet spot for Hoi An. On day one, explore the Old Town on foot: Japanese Covered Bridge, the Chinese Assembly Halls, a wander through the Tan Ky Merchant House and the riverside market lane, then a sunset riverside drink before the lantern release ritual. On day two, rent a bicycle and ride to the beach (An Bang is quieter and nicer than Cua Dai) for the morning — lunch at one of the beach clubs — then return to town for tailoring pickup and an evening at the Hoi An Memories Show or a cooking class.
A third day works well for a cooking class (most include a market tour and boat ride to the farm where ingredients are grown — one of the best half-days in Central Vietnam), or a day trip to My Son Sanctuary — the ruined 4th–14th century Cham Hindu temple complex in the jungle 40 km west, a UNESCO site and the most significant archaeological remains in Vietnam. Hoi An pairs naturally with Da Nang (30 minutes north) and Hue (3 hours north via the Hai Van Pass) in a 5–7 day Central Vietnam itinerary.
Hotels & Where to Stay
Accommodation options in Hoi An
Hoi An's accommodation divides neatly between Old Town boutique hotels (atmospheric, often in restored merchant houses, slightly pricier, and subject to the Old Town's nighttime noise) and resort-style properties on the coastal road toward An Bang and Cua Dai beaches (quieter, more space, pool, bike or shuttle into town). For the full Hoi An experience, staying in or immediately adjacent to the Old Town is recommended for at least the first night. Anantara Hoi An Resort and La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa are the luxury picks on the riverside, with pool, spa, and immediate Old Town access. Allegro Hoi An Little Luxury Hotel & Spa and Lantana Boutique Hotel are strong mid-range choices within walking distance of Tran Phu Street.
Budget travellers have a good range of guesthouses and small hotels in the streets just outside the ticketed Old Town zone — many are well-run and offer free bicycle hire. For the beach experience, a cluster of boutique resorts at An Bang Beach (Four Seasons, The Shells, An Bang Beach Village) make a quieter and more laid-back alternative base, with easy cycling or Grab access to the Old Town. Book well ahead for the February–April peak season and for the 14th of each lunar month (lantern festival), when the best Old Town rooms fill weeks in advance.
Restaurants & Food
Where to eat in Hoi An
Hoi An has one of the most satisfying food scenes in Vietnam, mixing local Central Vietnamese specialities with a mature international dining culture built up over decades of tourism. The town's three signature dishes are cao lầu (thick wheat noodles with char siu pork and crispy croutons, made with water from a specific local well — found nowhere else), white rose dumplings (bánh vạc — delicate translucent rice dough parcels filled with shrimp, served with crispy shallots), and cơm gà (Hoi An chicken rice — poached chicken shredded over turmeric-yellow rice with a punchy herb salad). All three are found at dedicated local restaurants and are cheap, distinct, and genuinely delicious.
For casual meals, the riverside Cargo Club (roof terrace, river views, Vietnamese and Western menu) and Morning Glory Signature Restaurant (the best-regarded local Vietnamese restaurant in town, run by a celebrated local chef) are consistent favourites. Madame Khanh (the "Banh Mi Queen") has operated the same tiny shophouse banh mi stall for decades and remains the gold standard for the sandwich in Central Vietnam. For coffee, Reaching Out Tea House (131 Tran Phu) and Hoi An Roastery (135 Tran Phu) are the most atmospheric spots in the Old Town — both quiet, beautifully designed, and steps from the main sights.
Experiences
Adventures and activities in Hoi An
The most memorable experiences in Hoi An are the ones that connect you to its living culture. A half-day cooking class — most include a dawn market tour, a boat ride to Tra Que herb village, and hands-on cooking of 4–5 dishes — is the single best-value activity in Central Vietnam and excellent even for people who don't cook. Tailoring is another Hoi An institution: the town has hundreds of skilled tailors who can replicate or design clothing in 24–48 hours at prices far below Western retail — allow at least two fittings and be specific with measurements. The lantern festival on the 14th of each lunar month is free, spontaneous, and unlike anything else in Vietnam: electric lights go out across the Old Town from 6 pm, leaving the streets and the river lit entirely by hundreds of coloured silk lanterns.
For active days, cycling to An Bang Beach (5 km, 20 minutes on flat road through rice paddies) is one of the most pleasant morning rides in the country. The My Son Sanctuary day trip (40 km west, 4th–14th century Cham temple complex) adds significant archaeological depth to the Hoi An story, since the town's wealth was built on the Cham trading network. Evening boat rides on the Hoai River (150,000 VND per person, 30 minutes) are best at 4–5 pm for golden-hour light on the Old Town facades. And the Hoi An Memories Show — 500 actors, riverside stage, traditional music and dance — is a large-scale production that many visitors rate as the highlight of their time in Central Vietnam.
Looking for a guided tour?
Ms. Wendy at SeA Travel Agency arranges private day tours, multi-day itineraries, and custom trips across Vietnam. Message her directly on WhatsApp for a fast, personal quote.