How to visit Hoi An, Vietnam

Possibly the most famous place in Central Vietnam is Hoi An. This city is known for its lanterns and bamboo boats.

I visited Hoi An as part of my six week trip through Vietnam back in November 2023. Therefore, I’ve written this guide to help you plan your own visit. There’s information on how to get there, where to stay and what to do. I hope it is useful!

About Hoi An

Hoi An is a riverside city in Central Vietnam.

Most people know Hoi An as one of the tourist spots in Vietnam. You might have seen its name on an itinerary, or seen the photos of pretty lanterns over the river.

After visiting, I can see why Hoi An is so popular with tourists. It has a fun, almost magical vibe, with lantern-lined streets and pretty buildings.

An ancient port town

Hoi An has a long history. It was an established as a port town around 2000 years ago within the ancient Champa Kingdom, reaching its peak in the sixteenth century. The Cham people lived in the south of Vietnam and built important monuments like My Son Sanctuary.

Why did they build Hoi An here? That’s because it occupies an important strategic position, where the Thu Bon River meets the sea and the land splinters into little islands.

As a result, Hoi An has an old town which extends to the river, across multiple small islands. The most visited of these islands is An Hoi, right across from the city centre.

As you’d expect from such an old port, Hoi An has a large old town which features plenty of old timber buildings in their original style. These buildings are so well preserved that the Ancient Town is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I thought the Old Town was so pretty and had a lot of flair. With the many foreign influences, it reminded me of colonial towns like Cartagena in Colombia, more so than it did the rest of Vietnam.

Lantern obsessed

Hoi An is literally lantern obsessed. These are everywhere and are the archetypal souvenir from the city.

These lanterns are thought to originate from the many Japanese and Chinese merchants which used to come and stay in the port, hanging lanterns from their homes as decoration.

Many of the shops in the Old Town hang lanterns outside, particularly on the riverfront, where they hang on ribbons over the street. Many of the lanterns are in the “Hoi An style” and look like hot air balloons, with pretty fabrics and gentle lighting. They add to the atmosphere of the city.

The lantern obsession extends to the boats. In the evening, there are many smallish rowing boats, each adorned with two lanterns, which take visitors up and down the river. With the lights either side, it paints a pretty picture.

Taking the lanterns further, it’s popular for tourists to release paper lanterns from these boats. When you place it on the water, you’re supposed to make a wish… Pretty magical!

Expect a very touristy experience

After I had spent 10 days in a non-touristy area of Da Nang, coming to Hoi An was a bit of a shock. This town is very touristy and the Old Town is full of visitors, with almost no locals. We often got stopped on the street: “Would you like a tour?” “Do you want a coconut boat?” “Lantern boat later?” “Mango cake?”

It makes sense; in any place where there are tourists, people will sell things to the tourists! But it can get annoying.

Also, as gorgeous as the lanterns are, I personally feel that they reduce how authentic the town feels. I got the impression they had been made bigger, brighter and more numerous to appeal to the international audience. It makes sense when considering how many tourists they now get, but I felt conflicted about it.

Ratings

As part of this blog, I give every place I visit a rating so that I can easily compare destinations and decide whether they’re worth a visit. Those are the scores you see at the top of the page!

This is how Hoi An rated:

• Safety: 5/5 – I felt super safe in Hoi An.
• Accessibility: 4/5 – the city is easy to get to. As with all of Vietnam, footpaths are often uneven, but as far as cities in the region go, this one was not too bad.
• Enjoyment: 5/5 – I loved spending a few days in Hoi An!
• Value: 4/5 – I thought Hoi An was reasonable value in terms of food, accommodation and activities. I would just be careful with your money when partaking in tourist experiences, to make sure you don’t get scammed.

Overall score: 4.5/5

If you’ve already visited, let me know if you agree with these ratings! Just to note, the ratings are my personal opinion based on my visit, so you might have a completely different experience.

How to get to Hoi An

It’s easy to get to Hoi An. As a major tourist town, there are plenty of buses and taxis!

By plane

If you’re travelling from outside of Vietnam, you can fly into Da Nang, a major city 1 hour’s drive away. Da Nang has a range of flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as well as international connections across South-East Asia if you’d rather start your trip to Vietnam from the centre of the country.

From Da Nang Airport, you can get a taxi or shuttle bus to Hoi An. Taxis throughout Vietnam can vary in price, but I’d suggest aiming for under 300,000 dong ($12 / £9). Your accommodation in Hoi An will likely have the best prices, as we found that taxis and Grab from Da Nang are quite a bit more expensive!

Alternatively, you can take a shuttle bus. These cost $5-6 (£4-5) per person so don’t work out that cost-effective unless you’re travelling alone.

The journey time should be around 1 hour. The main road between the cities passes by the Marble Mountains, another tourist destination, so keep an eye out! If you’re wanting to explore these, you could negotiate for a taxi to wait so that you can have a moosh.

By the way, there also used to be public buses from Da Nang to Hoi An. I did a lot of asking around about this when I was in Da Nang, but the general consensus was that these don’t run anymore; or, at least, no locals were aware of them. Public transport appears to be lacking in Da Nang which is super annoying for us visitors!

By train

The nearest train station to Hoi An is also in Da Nang, around 3 km from the airport.

Trains around Vietnam mainly follow one track on a north-south route, so it isn’t always useful depending on where you’re coming from. However, if you’re travelling from cities like Ninh Binh, Hue or Hanoi, the train journey can be more interesting than taking the bus.

In particular, between Hue and Da Nang, the train ride takes you through the Hai Van Pass, which is supposedly stunning. (I wouldn’t know – it was raining when I went through!)

Your options for getting from the train station to Hoi An are exactly the same as for the airport. If you’re taking a taxi I’d recommend organising this in advance with your Hoi An hotel. Outside the train station you’ll get bombarded with taxi drivers and it’s easy to get scammed.

By bus

There are plenty of buses connecting Hoi An to other areas of the country. It’s a great option if you’re looking to travel directly to other cities which aren’t linked by train. There are many tourist buses available, including sleeper buses.

Your accommodation will most likely be able to help you with the arrangements. If not you can check out tour agencies in the Old Town or book them online, via 12go.asia.

Where to stay in Hoi An

Accommodation in Hoi An is plentiful. However, it’s also very scattered across the town and surrounding countryside. If you put Hoi An into a booking website, you’ll find accommodation coming up from a wide radius, all the way to the beach 10 km away!

Therefore, when picking your hotel, make sure you check the location. There’s no problem in staying further away, but just make sure it matches your travel style.

If you want to be close to the action, stay centrally within the city. There isn’t much accommodation in the Old Town but you can find plenty of hostels and hotels within 15 to 20 mins’ walk of it.

If you want a more peaceful stay, check out options a bit further out or in nearby villages. You can stay in guesthouses and hostels surrounded by rice fields, which would make for a few days of tranquillity.

If you want more beach time and don’t plan on spending too much time in Hoi An itself, then position yourself at An Bang Beach. It’s supposed to be really nice and you can still get into the city with a short taxi ride.

We stayed at Daisy Garden Villa, 20 mins’ walk from the Old Town. It was situated in a quiet residential area, which felt like an oasis from the busy areas of town. We loved the host, Daisy, who was so friendly and helpful. I’d recommend it to anyone travelling to the area!

Where to eat in Hoi An

Hoi An is home to so many restaurants and cafes, and it’s easy to be overwhelmed with choice – we were. It’s perfect for foodies and has a range of local, Asian and western foods on offer.

What to eat

Before I discuss separate restaurants, it’s important to know that Hoi An and the surrounding Quang Nam Province have their own range of local specialities. You can try these dishes at most local restaurants in town, and you really should try some of them whilst you’re there!

• Cao lau is a local dish with fat squidgy brownish rice noodles, served with pork, crunchy crackers, lettuce and bean sprouts. The vegan version of this is fantastic.
• White rose dumplings are made from white rice dough, which are shaped and crimped to look like ‘roses’. I love dumplings normally, but I didn’t really like these. The dough is quite dry and the contents (pork) was a bit meh. That’s just my opinion though…
• Mi quang is a noodle dish made with wide “quang” noodles in a brothy sauce with pork, shrimp and quail eggs. Technically from Da Nang, you’ll find these at most places also serving cao lau. It’s so delicious!
• Hoi An “pizza” is often present at street vendors. I didn’t actually try it, but it looked pretty good!
• Mot is a herbal drink, similar to lemon juice but with a herbal taste. I had mixed feelings about the flavour of the drink but for some people this would be right up their street!
• Banh mi is not a Hoi An dish, but people rave about it here. I’m still not entirely sure why?

Where to eat

Throughout town you will find local restaurants which serve just a couple of dishes, like cao lau and mi quang. It’s these restaurants you should look to for your noodle fix. I can’t remember the names of the restaurants we visited for the life of me, but none will be too far away from you.

White Rose Restaurant is apparently the place to go for white rose dumplings, as this place has the “secret recipe”. However, I didn’t like their dumplings – I don’t know if it was them or just the dish itself. The service was also the worst that we had in any place in Hoi An. Fortunately you can get these at basically any tourist restaurant in town!

You can get mot from a cafe on Tran Phu, which sell it at 16,000 dong ($0.60 / £0.50) per glass.

Everyone recommends the Banh Mi Queen (Madame Khan) for banh mi. I have to admit, their mixed banh mi was one of the best I had in Vietnam! However, the service was poor, possibly because it’s so popular. I’m confident you can get as good banh mi from more welcoming places in Hoi An.

Where to drink

You’ll also find plenty of bars throughout Hoi An. On An Hoi island, by the night market, or on the other side of the river, there are plenty of bars overlooking the river. There’s also a handful of clubs – you won’t be able to miss the guys handing out flyers!

I don’t think Hoi An is the kind of place you go to for clubbing, but each to their own. However, there are many bars and clubs with balconies with pretty views over the river.

For the exact opposite experience, look towards Reaching Out Teahouse. This is run by a team of deaf people, where silence and tranquillity is encouraged. The prices are a bit higher than in other coffee houses nearby but it is reflected in the quality of their tea. A visit here felt like a trip away from the hustle and bustle on the streets. It’s definitely somewhere to check out if you have the time.

When to visit Hoi An

Hoi An’s rainy season is the same as other locations in Central Vietnam. It’s rainy season in the second half of the year, with rainfall levels peaking in September, October and November.

If your trip is specifically to Central Vietnam, it’s worth avoiding September to November and travelling at other times of the year; the spring and summer months appear to be best.

However, I know that the rainy season in Central Vietnam is slightly out of kilter with North and South Vietnam, as well as in other regions in South-East Asia. On longer trips, it’s just not possible to time the weather to be good everywhere you visit!

Personally, I visited Hoi An in early November, during rainy season. The weather was good enough whilst we were exploring, but there was some flash rainfall and flooding along the Thu Bon River.

Hoi An is used to these rainy conditions so life and activities will continue however they can. Just prepare to be a bit soggy, or have to change your plans last-minute.

What to do in Hoi An

As you’d expect from a city that’s so popular with tourists, there are so many activities and attractions in Hoi An.

When I was writing this article, I kept on going with different things to do in the city. Therefore, I’ve written a whole new list on my top suggestions on what to do in Hoi An. There’s a lot!

How long should you stay in Hoi An?

There’s a lot of stuff to do in Hoi An. At the same, you can pretty quickly get a sense of the Old Town.

In my opinion, 3 to 4 nights would be the perfect time to experience Hoi An. In this amount of time you can have a day exploring the Old Town, a day visiting the coconut boats and pottery village, and a day at the beach. You’ll then also have several evenings to try all the food in the area, take a lantern boat and find a balcony for drinks.

That being said, just a couple of nights will give you a flavour of the city and you’ll be able to see and do all the main things. It will just be an action-packed couple of days!

Conclusion

Hoi An is a beautiful city to visit in Central Vietnam. The Old Town is full of stunning architecture and the lanterns add a cosy romantic atmosphere. There are so many fun things to see and do. It’s a great place to spend a few days.

Do you have any questions about visiting Hoi An? Let me know in the comments!

Visiting Vietnam on a longer trip? Check out my guides to other cities in Central Vietnam: Da Nang, Phong Nha, Hue & Nha Trang