9 Best things to do in Hoi An
In April 2023, we travelled 3 weeks in Vietnam. Our original plan was to visit all of Vietnam but as we were planning it, we decided to focus on the north and center of Vietnam. Therefor allowing more time in both those regions.
Our trip started and ended in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. And we also spent an overnight in Hanoi as we travelled back from Sapa to Halong Bay.
Our complete trip included in this order: Hanoi, Sapa, Hanoi, Halong Bay/LanHa Bay, Tam Coc (Ninh Binh), Hue, HoiAn, Hanoi. And as always, we will make a complete itinerary of the trip.
One particular thing is that we travelled Vietnam while Tina was 9 to 12-week Pregnant. So, it wasn’t always easy, yet we enjoyed it!
Hoi An located the central region of Vietnam was our Sixth and final stop after Hue. We opted to get there by train to experience Vietnam Sleeper Train and we really enjoyed it.
Hoi An is a coastal city known for its well-preserved Ancient Town filled with water canals. The former port city’s melting-pot history is reflected in its architecture, a mix of eras and styles from wooden Chinese shophouses and temples to colorful French colonial buildings, ornate Vietnamese tube houses and the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge with its pagoda. But Hoi An has also numerous beaches nearby to chill to.
After 3 weeks in Vietnam, Hoi An stands as our favourite city in the country.
In this article, we will tell our story going around all the best things to do in Hoi An. So, if you too are planning a trip to Vietnam and to Hoi An, then let ‘s dive in these best things to do in Hoi An.
Here is our complete video from this trip :
Table of Contents
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Getting there
Getting to Hoi An is quite easy as it is one of the main cities in Vietnam:
- By Plane: You can fly to Da Nang Airport and then organise a transfer with your accommodation to reach Hoi An which is around 45min away (or take a Grab, the local Uber)
- By Train: You can take on the Vietnam’s train to reach Danang train station and then organise a transfer with your accommodation to reach Hoi An which is around 45min away (or take a Grab, the local Uber). You can book you train there: BaoLau (https://www.baolau.com
- By Bus: There are numerous buses going to Hoi An directly. You can book bus tickets from Hanoi to Hue through local travel agencies, bus stations, or online booking platforms. Several bus companies offer this route, and options range from standard to sleeper buses
We arrived in Hoi An from Hue by Train. If you want to know more about our 1st class train journey, be sure to check our previous article
Moving Around
There are many things to do around Hoi An, therefor the best way to get around is by scooter.
If like us you want to get most of your time in Hoi An, renting a scooter will be the best option. We personally rented it from our accommodation, and it was so far the best scooter we had in Vietnam for a regular price.
In between your accommodation and the old town, you can get a free bike from your accommodation but to get around it will be more complicated.
When to Visit
Let’s start by saying that Vietnam is a really long country and as such have 3 very distinct type of weather (North/central/South).
The best time to visit Hoi An is from February to Mai. These months are the spring season in central Vietnam, when the weather is ideal for all activities. The average temperature is about 22 degrees Celsius, making it considerably much more comfortable to go outside and explore the city. The amount of rain in central Vietnam is also at its least in these months. So, you will not be afraid that rains will ruin their vacation.
June and July. It is still possible to visit Hoi An in these months, but it is not extremely recommended. Since they’re summertime of the year, the weather is the hottest with an average temperature of 30 degrees, making it more uncomfortable for tourists. Nevertheless, tourists will enjoy the dark blue sky in exchange for the hot weather.
Where to Stay
What to Eat
The best things to eat in Vietnam are:
- Pho: A Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat or tofu.
- Banh mi: A French-Vietnamese baguette sandwich filled with vegetables, meat/tofu/tempeh, and sauce…
- Banh Xeo: A rice flour pancake filled with various toppings and herbs.
Plus, lots of many other dishes made of spring rolls, fried noodle, or rice. We personally always found vegetarian or vegan option in Vietnam but also noticed that their kitchen is quite heavy and used lots of fried and deep-fried ingredients.
They are also lots of drinks to try:
- Egg coffee: Hot or cold coffee prepared with egg yolks, sugar, condensed milk and strong coffee.
- Iced coffee: Made using Medium/Dark coffee passing through hot water into a cup that already contains condensed milk.
- Coconut Coffee: Where coconut milk is added.
Plus, they are also lots of fresh juices, fresh coconuts and beers to try.
If you are looking for some great places to eat, we would recommend:
- Nu Eatery
- VVegan
- Nourish Eatery: OUR FAVORITE place!
Best things to do in Hoi An
Old Town
The old town is where we spent lots of time. After checking in our accommodation, we borrowed 2 bikes that they provide for free and went to Hoi An old town.
It was super quick by bike. We then strolled around the old town which is incredible and visited some of the stores there. They are all so cute and all look amazing.
It is also in the old town that you have lots of food option, street food and restaurants.
There are a few historical places to visit in Hoi An however you need to buy a ticket to access them. As it is general ticket, we didn’t get it as we already had seen a lots of temples and learn a lot of history.
In addition, it is also at night that the old town is at its liveliest and it became much more crowded.
Night Market
On the other side of the river, there is the night market with tons of street food to try from.
Tailor
One of the best things to do in Hoi An is to get tailored clothes. We opted for a tailor called Blue Eye. We opted for this one as it had good review online and in the end, we weren’t disappointed with our choice. There we were welcomed by Lyly and An. But mostly Lyly took care of us.
Tina had found on internet 2 summer dresses and 2 shorts. So, she showed them to LyLy and discussed the details. A small detail that we appreciated is that every time we went there we received a bottle of water.
After validating everything, we try negotiating a bit the price but could only brought it down from 187 to 180 USD or 4,32 million Dong.
To close the deal I paid with credit card and we then went on our way. We agreed on a fitting meeting the next day in the afternoon. But later that day Lyly contacted us on whatsapp to tell us that she already did the shorts and the dresses and that we could already come by 6pm to try it.
Reaching Out Tea House
We decided to go for a coffee and tea degustation at the Reaching Out Tea House. The place is amazing, and the service is done by deaf people. It was a unique experience. I opted for the coffee degustation and Tina the teas.
We each had 3 cups accompanied with a snack. (11.8 USD or 272 000). It was delicious and super nice to seat while watching the old town street.
They also have a small store in the rear where we would have love to buy everything. But we controlled ourselves and only got some lanterns and picture frames (15.6 USD or 375 000).
Lantern Class
As well as do a lantern making class at The Lantern Lady (300 000), which seems to be a good place to try this out.
You can choose the size, shape, and up to 4 fabrics of the lantern and as it is foldable it is easy to carry with you while travelling.
We opted for medium size with pre-made bracket. You can also make the lantern bracket on your own, but it will then take much longer. Also, you are actually doing the lantern in the yard of the owner which is an experience on its own. Plus, the teacher spoke well English and her mother was also helping us.
It took us 1h30 to finish it and while it was super fun to do, it wasn’t that easy. Especially the connection between each type of fabrics. But we would recommend it.
Beaches
15 to 20min away by bike there are many beaches. Through our complete stay, we went to a couples of them :
- An Bang Beach which is the biggest and nearest beach to Hoi An. The nearest parking from the beach is right in front but is not free (10 000). Once on the sand, a local right away came to us because if you want laying chairs and umbrella it isn’t free and cost 50 000 per person (100 000). Or you have to get something to drink (cocktail or mocktail only) and food from the restaurant. As it was super hot, we opted for the chair without the food. The water is quite shallow and warm. But also has strong currents. Yet it was quite enjoyable to have a lazy afternoon by the beach.
- After My Son Sanctuary, we will try a smaller beach. We drove 10min on scooter to the coconut beach which was almost empty beach. There I ordered a beer (20 000) and we got 2 laying chairs.
- After the marble mountain, we went to the Tree Coconuts beach. The sun chairs were free (but you could see that they were older and really used). But it was the best beach we have ever been in Hoi An. During the afternoon, we got fresh 2 coconuts (80 000) and got to talk with the person from the restaurant nearby as he was amazed by the drone.
My Son Sanctuary
A nice thing to explore is the My Son Sanctuary located 1h driving distance on scooter. The ride was pleasant but the sun strong. We parked at the main parking and got 2 tickets (300 000). To access the site from the entrance we took the free shuttle. But you could also walk the 2km between the site and the entrance.
My Sơn sanctuary is a cluster of abandoned and partially ruined Shaiva Hindu temples. And is recognized as a UNESCO World heritage site. Between the 4th and 13th centuries a unique culture which owed its spiritual origins to Indian Hinduism developed in the region of Vietnam. My son is the remain of a dramatic site that was the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom for most of its existence.
The sanctuary is nice but not too big and is made of a few smaller sites to visit. We also got lucky and met with a wild monkey.
One thing that you should not missed is the performance that is held in the little theater at the entrance of the site.
As it was really hot, on our way out we got 1 tea and 1 water (30 000). And once at our scooter paid a small fee before leaving (5 000)
Thanh Ha Pottery Village
On the way back from My son, we drove back 1h to Hoi An. We made a small detour by the Thanh Ha Pottery Village to see what was happening there. We ended up going all around the place on scooter as we didn’t find it so interesting.
Marble mountain
Another best things to in Hoi An is the Marble mountain. Located 30min by scooter.
The Marble Mountains is a cluster of five marble and limestone mountains that are named after the five elements. All of the mountains have cave entrances and numerous tunnels, and it is possible to climb to the summit of Mount Thủy as well as visit Several Buddhist sanctuaries.
The area is also known for stone sculpture and stone-cutting crafts. However direct rock extraction from the mountains was banned recently. Materials are now being transported from quarries in Quảng Nam Province.
Once in the site, we walked up the stairs and discovered a first temples, and later on some breathtaking caves. As well as a few viewpoints. It was completely worth it; not too crowded and quite easy to hike up using the stairs.
On the way out, we got 2 small bottles or water (20 000) and therefore got the parking free
More things to do in Hoi An
If you want more things to do in Hue, you can consider:
- Ba Na Hills SunWorld
- Basket Boat
- Silk Village
- Chùa Chúc Thánh
An amazing 3-day Hoi An Itinerary
Day 0:
- Arrive in Hoi An
- Visit the Old Town
- Diner at Nu Eatery
Day 1
- Tailored some clothes
- Reaching Out Tea House
- Old Town
- The Lantern Lady
- Lunch at Nourish Eatery
- Beach
- Dinner at Vvegan
Day 2
- My Son Sanctuary
- Lunch at Nourish Eatery
- Beach
- Diner in the old town
Day 3
- Marble mountain
- Lunch in DaNang or Hoi An
- Beach
Cái khó ló cái khôn. (Adversity is the mother of wisdom)
Get our full map
Why pin one by one when you can get them all at once? With this map, you get all our pins, destinations, things to see, where to eat and sleep, and so much more in one time.
