Hoi An, Quang Nam Province, Central Vietnam — Vietnam travel guide

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Hoi An travel guide

A UNESCO-listed trading port that stopped growing in the 19th century and therefore survived intact — lanterns, tailors and a beach twenty minutes away.

Region: Quang Nam Province, Central Vietnam
Best months: February to May
How long to stay: 3 days
Budget: Mid-range

Why go to Hoi An?

Hoi An was one of the busiest ports in Southeast Asia between the 15th and 18th centuries, trading with Japanese, Chinese, Dutch and Portuguese merchants who left their architecture behind them. Then the Thu Bon river silted up, the trade moved to Da Nang, and the town simply stopped. That accident of economics is why it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site: several hundred timber shophouses, assembly halls and family chapels standing where they were built, rather than reconstructed.

The Ancient Town is small enough to cross in fifteen minutes and is closed to cars for most of the day. A single ticket admits you to a choice of heritage buildings — the Japanese Covered Bridge, two or three assembly halls, an old merchant house still occupied by the same family after several generations. On the fourteenth day of each lunar month the electric lights go off and the town runs on silk lanterns and candles floated on the river.

Hoi An is also where most people get clothes made. Tailoring here is a genuine industry rather than a tourist gimmick, and a well-made suit or coat takes two fittings over two days. Beyond the town, An Bang and Cua Dai beaches are a fifteen-minute cycle away, Tra Que grows the herbs that go into the local cooking, and the Cham sanctuary at My Son is an hour inland. Give it three nights; almost nobody regrets it and many extend.

Highlights

Walk the Ancient Town before eight in the morning, when it belongs to the people who live in it
Time the visit to the full moon, when the lights go off and the town runs on lanterns
Have something made by a tailor over two days and two fittings — the town's other real industry
Cycle out to An Bang beach through the paddies, fifteen minutes from the old streets
Take a cooking class at Tra Que, the herb village that supplies most of the town's kitchens
Drive an hour inland to My Son, a Cham Hindu sanctuary built between the 4th and 13th centuries

Good for:CouplesFamiliesFriendsSolo

Best time to visit Hoi An

Best months

February to May

Go in

Spring

Avoid

October and November — the flood season, when the Ancient Town streets can go under water

Weather

February to May is dry, warm and comfortable at 24-32°C (75-90°F), with the sea warm enough to swim from March. June to August is very hot. October and November bring the heaviest rain of the year and genuine river flooding, during which the lower streets are navigated by boat.

What to pack

Light clothes and sun protection, plus a rain layer between September and December. Something with covered shoulders for the assembly halls and temples.

Things to do in Hoi An

5 places worth your time — tap any of them for the full write-up, including tickets and when to go.

Hoi An Ancient Town

The UNESCO-listed core: several hundred timber shophouses, Chinese assembly halls, family chapels and a Japanese bridge, laid out along four streets between the river and the market. Mostly pedestrianised, and small enough to cover entirely on foot.

FreeA full day, spread over two

One ticket (an estimated 120,000 VND) admits you to five heritage buildings of your choice out of more than twenty. Walking the streets themselves is free — the ticket is for the interiors.

Read the full guide

Japanese Covered Bridge

A roofed timber bridge with a small temple built into its northern side, constructed by the Japanese merchant community around the turn of the 17th century to link their quarter with the Chinese one. It appears on the 20,000 dong banknote.

Free20 minutes

The single busiest spot in town from mid-morning to late evening. Photograph it at dawn or after eleven at night; crossing it requires an Ancient Town ticket.

Read the full guide

An Bang Beach

A wide sand beach about four kilometres from the Ancient Town, with a line of low-key beach bars and restaurants and none of the resort wall that has grown along Cua Dai to the south. Reachable by bicycle through rice fields in fifteen minutes.

FreeHalf a day

The sea is calm and swimmable roughly March to September and can be rough with strong undertow in the winter months. Sun loungers are usually free with a food or drink order.

Read the full guide

Tra Que Vegetable Village

A working herb and vegetable village between the town and the beach, farmed in raised beds fertilised with river weed and supplying most of the restaurants in Hoi An. Cooking classes and short farming sessions run from several of the households.

Free2 - 3 hours

Go in the early morning or late afternoon when the beds are actually being worked. It is a natural stop on the cycle route to An Bang.

Read the full guide

My Son Sanctuary

A UNESCO World Heritage Site about an hour inland: a cluster of Hindu brick towers built by the Champa kingdom between the 4th and 13th centuries in a bowl of jungle-covered hills. Heavily damaged by bombing in 1969, and still one of the most atmospheric sites in the country.

FreeHalf a day

Go on the first tour of the day, before the heat and the coaches. There is very little shade among the towers and the site is at its best in early light.

Read the full guide

Where to stay in Hoi An

Which neighborhood suits which kind of trip, and roughly what a night costs in each.

Ancient Town edge

Small hotels and homestays a few streets back from the heritage core, walkable to everything and quiet once the day visitors leave. The best base for a first visit.

Estimate: 400,000-2,500,000 VND per nightFirst visits, couples, short stays

An Bang and Cua Dai beaches

Beach hotels and resorts four to five kilometres out, with a free shuttle or a cheap bicycle ride into town. Trade walkability for sea access and space.

Estimate: 800,000-8,000,000 VND per nightFamilies, longer stays, beach holidays

Cam Thanh and the rice fields

Homestays and small resorts among the paddies and coconut water-palms east of town, ten minutes by bike from both the Ancient Town and the beach. The quietest of the three.

Estimate: 500,000-3,000,000 VND per nightCouples, cyclists, repeat visitors

How much does a trip to Hoi An cost?

Per person, per day, excluding long-distance flights and trains. Season and booking window move these numbers more than anything else.

Budget

~$50 (1,300,000₫)per person

Transport~$8 (200,000₫)
Accommodation~$16 (400,000₫)
Food~$16 (400,000₫)
Ancient Town ticket~$8 (200,000₫)
Contingency~$4 (100,000₫)

Most chosen

Standard

~$115 (2,900,000₫)per person

Transport~$16 (400,000₫)
Accommodation~$50 (1,300,000₫)
Food~$28 (700,000₫)
Sights and activities~$16 (400,000₫)
Contingency~$4 (100,000₫)

Comfort

~$270 (6,800,000₫)per person

Transport~$35 (900,000₫)
Accommodation~$150 (3,800,000₫)
Food~$50 (1,300,000₫)
Sights and activities~$24 (600,000₫)
Contingency~$8 (200,000₫)

Converted at 25,400₫ to US$1, checked 2026-08. Use as a guide, not a quote.

Practical tips

Small things that make the trip cheaper, smoother and safer.

Da Nang airport is about 45 minutes away and is the arrival point for almost everyone. Fixed-price transfers are easy to arrange in advance.
Hire a bicycle rather than a motorbike. The town is flat, distances are short and parking a motorbike in the Ancient Town is a problem you do not need.
For tailoring, allow two full days. Bring a photograph of what you want, expect two fittings, and check the fabric weight rather than choosing by pattern alone.
October and November flooding is real and recurring. If your dates fall then, book accommodation on the higher ground away from the river.
The Ancient Town is a residential neighbourhood as well as a heritage site. Courtyards behind open doors are usually people's homes rather than exhibits.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need in Hoi An?

Three nights is the sweet spot: one for the Ancient Town, one for the beach and a cooking class, and one for My Son or simply the town again in different light. If you are having clothes made, three is the practical minimum for fittings.

When is the Hoi An lantern festival?

On the fourteenth day of each lunar month, so roughly monthly rather than annually. Street lighting in the Ancient Town is switched off, the shops light silk lanterns, and candles are floated on the river. Check a lunar calendar against your dates.

Do you need an Ancient Town ticket?

You need one to enter the heritage buildings, including the Japanese Covered Bridge — five entries per ticket. Walking the streets, eating and shopping do not require it, though ticket checks at the entrances to the pedestrian zone do happen.

Nearby destinations

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Central Vietnam's gateway city: thirty kilometres of beach, a mountain pass at each end, and the only international airport between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

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A six-kilometre city beach in a sheltered bay, with Cham towers behind it, islands offshore and the country's most reliable diving.

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