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Hoi An Old Town
Hoi An riverside
Streets of Hoi An

Hoi An (Vietnamese: Hội An) is a beautiful city in Vietnam just south of Da Nang. The Old Town of Hoi An is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hoi An is also commonly used as the base for half-day trips to the ancient Cham ruins of My Son, another UNESCO World Heritage Site in the jungle of the Central Highlands.

Understand

Hoi An, once known as Faifo, with more than 2,000 years of history, was the principal port of the Cham Kingdom, which controlled the strategic spice trade with Indonesia from the 7th-10th centuries and was a major international port in the 16th and 17th centuries. The foreign influences are discernible to this day.

The culture and heritage is mostly from the Cham people whose kingdom originally stretched from Hue south to Phan Tiet (south of Nha Trang). The Champas were most likely originally from Java. The original Cham political capital was Tra Kieu, the commercial capital was Hoi An and the spiritual capital was My Son (Hindu). The Cham people were Hindu, and by the 10th century the influence of Arab traders to Hoi An resulted in the conversion of some to Islam.

The second major influence was Chinese, first by traders, then by escaping Ming Dynasty armies, who after settling in Hoi An for some years, moved further south and created Saigon as a major trading port.

The third and last major influence of culture and heritage was from the Vietnamese and is fairly recent and only came after the Cham lost control of this area. For a tourist wanting Vietnamese culture and heritage, Hue is a much better destination than Hoi An (but the weather is much rougher too!).

While the serious shipping business has long since moved to Da Nang, the heart of the city is still the Old Town, full of winding lanes and Chinese-styled shophouses, which is particularly atmospheric in the evening as the sun goes down. While almost all shops now cater to the tourist trade, the area has been largely preserved as is, which is unusual in Vietnam, and renovation has proceeded slowly and carefully. It's mercifully absent of towering concrete blocks and karaoke parlours.

The culture and heritage that UNESCO WHS status for Hoi An Old Town was trying to preserve is long since gone. Since 1999, when UNESCO status was awarded, there has been a massive increase in mass tourism, with the result that most houses have been sold to speculators and shop owners to be used for commercial purposes. The community and with it their culture and heritage is gone and in their place are shops, restaurants, art galleries, etc. There are hundreds of tailor shops in Hoi An, all selling similar low value products to ever smaller numbers of Western tourists.

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status also applies to Hoi An Old Town, but in reality this status, like all other UNESCO designations, has not been accompanied by enlightened site management.

The main thoroughfare in the Old Town is Tran Phu. Just south of the Old Town, across the Thu Bon River, are the islands of An Hoi to the west, reached via Hai Ba Trung, and Cam Nam to the east, reached via Hoang Dieu.

Get in

By plane

The nearest airport is in Da Nang which has domestic connections to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Can Tho, and Da Lat and some international flights to Bangkok, Singapore, Siem Reap (for Angkor Wat), Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong and charter flights to China.

A taxi from Da Nang airport to Hoi An costs about US$22 using a taxi with a meter. This is one occasion where haggling to set a fixed price is cheaper than going by the meter. Air conditioned minibus taxis cost USD5 per person to the airport (there are no minibuses from the airport, you must first go to the city). The journey takes about 45 min.

A word of caution about flying Jetstar: they are frequently up to 8 hr late, many times arriving at Da Nang from Saigon at 02:00. If you arrive late, you should arrange an airport transfer in advance if you don't want the taxi haggling hassles.

By train

There is no railway station in Hoi An. The nearest is in Da Nang (tel. +84 511 3750666), which receives several trains a day from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Nha Trang, etc. Train tickets can be booked online or bought from most travel agents and hotels.

By bus

From Da Nang

There is a public bus #1 from Da Nang's bus station to Hoi An's bus station, 50,000 dong. The bus makes a loop through Da Nang and passes through downtown Da Nang as well. Your accommodation should be able to point you to the nearest stop. If you come from Da Nang airport, the closest bus stop on the route to Hoi An is at the roundabout where the streets Nguyễn Tri Phương and Điện Biên Phủ meet (a nice 10–15 minute walk; you can walk along the lake). This bus stop is clearly marked with a road sign.

On the return trip, the yellow bus passes within a block of the train station. Let the ticket collector know, and he can show you where to get off.

There are two different bus stations in Hoi An now. But the public buses to Da Nang leave from the station about 2 km northwest of the centre on Le Hong Phong. A xe om from Hoi An bus station to the old town should be around 10-15,000 dong.

Other destinations

There is no shortage of travel agencies and private buses travelling to and from Hoi An to destinations such as Hue, Hanoi, Saigon, Dalat and Nha Trang. Guesthouses can arrange tickets for a surcharge, although they may not release the ticket to you until after you formally check out.

Travellers arriving by bus not on an open ticket should be aware you may not be dropped off at the Hoi An bus station, but at a guesthouse about a 10 min walk from the station. The motorbike taxis or tuk-tuk waiting for your bus there will take you to your lodging for US$1–2.

Open-tour buses run daily up and down the coast from Da Nang, Hue (3.5–4 hr, 60,000-100,000 dong) and Nha Trang (9–10 hr).

Buses from Buon Ma Thuot or other cities in central Highlands going to Da Nang will drop you off just outside of Hoi An, at a stop along the highway if asked. From there it is a 15-minute motorbike ride to anywhere in town.

By taxi

Taxi from Da Nang taxi costs around 400,000 dong (2016), passing Marble Mountains on the way. It'll cost at least 50% more, if you're coming from Hue.

By boat

The old Champa way was to travel by the river system. The rivers of Hoi An cover hundreds of kilometres and offer an interesting and adventurous alternative to travelling by road. Get on a boat and you'll begin to see a whole lot more of Hoi An and the delta. You can charter boats for about USD1/hour.

Get around

Map
15°52′53″N 108°19′47″E
Map of Hoi An
Ferry boat approaches the city centre wharf

The centre of Hoi An is very small and pedestrian-friendly, so you will be walking around most of the time. Motorbikes are banned from the centre of town during certain times of day (08:00 to 11:00, 13:30 to 16:30), but you should keep an eye out for motorized kamikazes, even in the most narrow alleys. The city government does not allow motorbikes to enter Old Town on the 14th and 15th of each lunar month. On those evenings, a lot of activities, including traditional games such as bai choi, trong quan, and dap nieu are held in all over the town.

By taxi

Taxis can be found in the middle of Le Loi St, over the river in An Hoi or summoned by phone. When busy, taxis may refuse your fare back to your hotel from town if it is too close, opting for larger fares. Arranging a shuttle from your hotel may be a better option although prices may be higher.

Mai Linh Taxi service, ☏ +84 83 829-8888, . 08:30-24:00. 

Motorbike taxis, of course, are always an option.

Get a car to visit My Son early in the morning, about an hour away, or the Marble Mountains, about forty minutes north towards Da Nang.

By bicycle

Pedal bicycles can be rented quickly and easily for as low as 20,000 dong per day, and is one of the best ways to get around town. If you are not staying directly in Old Town, this is an outstanding option for traveling back and forth and to the beach.

By motorbike

Traffic in Hoi An is minimal, so if you've been avoiding getting on a bike in the big cities, Hoi An and the surrounding countryside like is ideal to get used to the road rules.

There are plenty of places in Hoi An offering motorbike rentals. Take a short ride down to the beach and enjoy the water, explore the island community of Cam Thanh, or travel toward Da Nang to visit the stunning Marble Mountains.

The most common rental motorbike or scooter is a Honda Nouvo which is fully automatic, comfortable for two people and has storage space under the seat for helmets or other similarly-sized gear. It's standard practice for a rental bike to have only enough fuel to make it to the next filling station. Make sure you get a helmet for everyone on the bike.

You can get a bike for 120,000 dong without haggling (2013). Petrol costs around 22,000 dong/litre and 2-3L is enough for a good day of sightseeing, going to the beach and zipping around town. In addition to filling stations, there are also little hand-operated roadside pumps everywhere; these can be convenient, but they're more expensive (30,000 dong/litre) and the quality of the fuel is questionable.

The usual disclaimers apply to motorbikes in Vietnam: foreign driving licences are not valid. In the event of an accident, foreigners driving a motorcycle without a valid licenceare considered to be at fault and therefore liable for damages and may face a citation. Check your travel insurance exclusions, as generally you will not be covered for accidents when riding a motorcycle here. That means no reimbursement for hospital treatment or, worst case, the repatriation of your body. Drink-related motorbike collisions are a major issue in Vietnam. Traffic accident statistics for the region are frightful. As well, emergency services are not up to international standards.

See

The Japanese Covered Bridge
Hoi An riverside, seen from Cam Nam
Dragon fountain at the back of the Cantonese Assembly Hall

Old Town

The Old Town, with its historical architecture and very walkable streets filled with shops and restaurants, is arguably at its best at night, when the activity along the river front is lit by the soft light of silk lanterns.

Entry to Old Town is free, however entry to all historical sites is handled via a coupon system, where 120,000 dong gets a ticket that can be used to enter five attractions: one museum, one old house, one assembly hall, the handicraft workshop (and traditional music show) or the traditional theatre, and either the Japanese Covered Bridge or the Quan Cong Temple. Tickets are sold at various entry points into the Old Town, including Hai Ba Trung St, and also at some of the attractions, including the Cantonese Assembly Hall. The city requests that visitors dress "decently" while visiting sites in the Old Town, i.e. men need to wear a shirt, women can't wear a bikini top, sleeveless blouse or skirt above the knees.

First, you may choose one of the two landmarks of Hoi An:

  • 1 Japanese Covered Bridge (Chua Cau or Lai Vien Kieu) (At the west end of Tran Phu St). The bridge was constructed in the early 1600s by the Japanese community, roughly 40 years before they left the city to return to Japan under the strict policy of sakoku enforced by the Tokugawa Shogunate, and renovated in 1986. Today, it's the symbol of Hoi An. Entry is one coupon, but it's possible to cross back and forth several times without meeting a ticket-checker. If your scruples bother you, leave a tribute for the pig statue or the dog statue standing guard at opposite ends of the bridge. 
  • 2 Quan Cong Temple, 24 Tran Phu St (near corner of Tran Phu and Tran Quy Cap). Founded in the 15th century, this temple is dedicated to Quan Cong, a Chinese general who is remembered and worshipped for his qualities of loyalty, integrity and justice. Statues of him and several others are inside the temple. 

The ticket allows admission to one of the four museums in the Old Town:

  • 3 Hoi An Museum of History and Culture, 7 Nguyen Hue St. The museum contains some old black and white photos of Hoi An taken in the early 20th century. It also houses an old cannon, some two-thousand year old pots from the Sa Huynh period, and a case full of 9th century bricks and tiles from the Champa period. 
  • Museum of Folk Culture, 33 Nguyen Thai Hoc St. Some may be put off by the bizarre-looking plaster sculptures of Vietnamese peasants, but this museum documents the dress and culture of rural Vietnam. 
  • Museum of Sa Huynh Culture, 149 Bach Dang St. The museum's main collection consists of pottery and urns from the 1st and 2nd centuries. Upstairs is another museum, the Museum of the Revolution. Its main collection consists of pictures from war heroes and a collection of weapons such as grenade launchers, machine guns and AK 47s. 
  • Museum of Trade Ceramics, 80 Tran Phu St. The dusty, unlabeled displays of broken pottery are eminently forgettable, but the house itself is nice enough, and it provides a good opportunity to explore the shape and layout of an old Hoi An home. 

There are three old houses that exist in an awkward halfway state between museum showpiece and somewhat shabby residence for the family that lives there. Your ticket allows admission to one.

  • 4 Phung Hung House, 4 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St (Just west of the Japanese Bridge). Traditional two-story wooden house, inhabited over 100 years by eight generations; and the current one guides you around in hope of a tip. 
  • Quan Thang House, 77 Nguyen Thai Hoc St. 
  • 5 Tan Ky House, 101 Nguyen Thai Hoc St. As above, a younger member of the family will provide a cup of tea and a "tour" that doesn't stray from the front room of the house, as you'd need to step over sleeping members of the older generation to go anywhere else. The design of the house shows how local architecture incorporated Japanese and Chinese influences. Japanese elements include the crab shell-shaped ceiling supported by three beams in the living room. Chinese poems written in mother-of-pearl are hanging from a number of the columns that hold up the roof. 
Fujian Meeting Hall

Numerous congregation halls, where Chinese expatriate residents socialized and held meetings, are dotted about the town. They are typically named after the home region of their members, such as Fujian and Canton. Your ticket allows admission to one. Some do not have ticket-takers, so it's up to you if you want to try wandering into a second.

  • 6 Cantonese Assembly Hall (Quang Dong), 176 Tran Phu St. Built in 1885, it has a calm courtyard with ornate statuary. Take a peek at the half-hidden back yard and its kitschy pastel dragon statues. 
  • Hokien (Fujian) Meeting Hall (Phuc Kien), 46 Tran Phu St. Built in 1757. 
  • Chinese All-Community Meeting Hall (Trieu Chau), 157 Nguyen Duy Hieu. Built in 1887. It's near the Fujian hall, also occupying the block. 

Finally, you can choose one of the following:

  • Hoi An Handicraft Workshop, 9 Bach Dang St. Folk music performances are offered at 10:15 and 15:15 every day except Monday. 
  • Hoi An Silk Village, 28 Nguyen Tat Thanh St, ☏ +84 510 3921144. Daily 09:00-21:00. Revived 300 year-old Champa silk traditions. Half day tours encompassing the entire silk process, from silkworms to dressmaking. Showroom in a converted Quang Nam-style house with 100 different ao dai, representing all of the 54 different minority groups in Vietnam. Also a spacious colonial-style restaurant serving local dishes and a silk showroom where professional tailors custom design and make garments for visitors. US$19. 
  • Traditional Theatre, 75 Nguyen Thai Hoc St. 

Do

Cham islands as seen from Hoi An
Sunset cruise in Hoi An

There are boat rides on the river, local beaches, diving.

  • Cham Island Diving. Has been operating from Hoi An since 2002. The dive centre and international team offer daily boat and speedboat tours to Cham Island for scuba diving and snorkelling. 
  • Cooking lessons are offered at several restaurants around town. If you enjoyed your meal there, it can't hurt to inquire. There are also several established cooking schools with good reputations including Gioan Riverside, Morning Glory, and Red Bridge who offer a variety of courses ranging in price from US$16-55. In any of these schools you will learn only the mechanics of Vietnamese cooking: how to chop the vegetables and roll the spring roll, etc. All the rest are closely-guarded secrets: the making of the sauce, the techniques of frying the spring roll, or the grilling the beef. What's so inadequate about these schools is that the instructors are locals who are not really used to English pronunciations and they speak very fast. At the end, you will have to complete a survey. Best is learning to cook at the Green Moss Restaurant. Just walk in around midday or in the evening, choose 2 dishes, and you can watch them prepare them while you take notes on how to do it. The cook's explanations are good, and the price is only US$2 (in addition to the cost of the dishes). The kitchen looks chaotic, but the food is really good.
  • Hội An Eco Tour. Is a unique cultural tourist attraction. Learn how to catch fish, row a basket boat with local fisherman in the coconut palm paradise. Rather than focusing on historical artifacts of Vietnam, the eco tour focuses on the historical, and living culture of the people of Hội An. Very friendly tour guide and staff. All drinks and a great dinner included (Fisherman to Coconut palm paradise tour). A bit more expensive than other tours but a very nice experience (doing rather than seeing). 
  • Hội An Food Tour (Street food tour). 15:30-20:00. Discover the best of Hoi An street foods. Your tour guide will show you best places to eat Hoi An-style foods cheaply and knowledgeably. 4 hours. 5 tasting locations, 8 delicious samples (enough for dinner). Pickup from your hotel. US$45. 
  • Lifestart Foundation Tour & Craft Lessons, 77 Phan Chu Trinh. Lifestart Foundation, a charity founded in Australia, offers a half day tour to find out more about the Lifestart Foundation Workshop and take part in lantern making and art classes. The morning includes the opportunity to make Hoi An lanterns, one-on-one dialogue with Lifestart Foundation workshop members and a traditional painting class. At the end of your experience you’ll have two miniature Hoi An lanterns and your hand painted notecard to take home and share with friends. All of the money raised goes towards helping local people in difficulty. US$20. 

Bicycling

  • Cam Kim Island Bicycle Tour. 08:30-12:00. Cam Kim is a scenic rural island which is almost entirely free of tourists. Stunning rural scenes, rice paddies, villages, fields of water buffalo and quiet roads are the big draws of Cam Kim. With your bike, you will be able to explore numerous picturesque pathways along with some bamboo bridged. There will be plenty of opportunities for taking photos and just taking in the wonderful scenery. You are led by a student volunteer keen on improving her English. Free except for ferry. 
  • 1 Heaven and Earth Bicycle Tours, 57 Ngo Quyen (An Hoi Islet), ☏ +84 510 3864362. Owned by Pascal, a French expat, and his wife, Thu, who is a native of Hoi An. If you take this tour, they will guide you to destinations that are not accessible to large tour groups. USD17+. 
  • Hoi An Love of Life Bicycle Tours, 95 Phan Chu Trinh St, ☏ +84 510 3505017. 5 hours. Organised by local professional tour guides. Places visited include the Buddhist pagoda and a picturesque fishing village while cycling through luscious green rice fields where buffaloes roam. US$25. 

Buy

Hoi An's lanterns
Friendly Shop.jpg
Lantern shop

The are many ATMs around Hoi An but none seem to allow withdrawals over 2 million dong. They all charge for withdrawals. Agribank and Vietcombank maybe the cheapest with a fee of 20,000 dong, max withdrawal 2 million dong.

  • 1 Money changer. If changing cash the best places are the gold shops near the market. US$ rate typically 21,500 dong. 
  • Marble and marble powder statues - outside the entrance to Marble Mountain. Look for Quan Am, the Vietnamese version of China's Kwan Yin, a female Buddha usually depicted pouring out a flask of water. Small powder statues are available for US$1, marble for around US$20, you can tell them apart by the price. Deep discounts may be available by bargaining.
  • Brass gongs and bells - There are many foundries on the road to My Son. Items can be made to order. This is the origin of the souvenirs sold in Hoi An tourist shops.
  • Hand made silks and lanterns - Old Town tourist shops

Bespoke clothing

Hoi An is known as the centre for very affordable custom-made clothing. There are around 400 tailor shops in the city, some better than others. Most can complete something in one day, so you may wish to make an order on arrival, so there will be time to complete the work. The principle of caveat emptor is definitely in force here. Ask at your accommodation. You will probably need to leave a deposit of about half the finished price before the work is started. If there are problems, shops may or may not be willing to make adjustments; you will not get a refund. Some strategies to minimize your risk:

  1. use recommendations from your accommodation and not from motorcycle drivers (they get a kickback, your hotel probably doesn't)
  2. order one thing at a time--if something goes wrong with one item, you lose less money;
  3. take something that fits, they work better with copies;
  4. make sure they understand any special instructions: pockets, shortening, etc., the language barrier is not your friend;
  5. price things in more than one shop--materials and prices vary;
  6. order from more than one shop, again so all your eggs are not in one basket.

Tailor shops:

  • Len Silk, 74 Tran Phu St, . The owner is the 6th generation in the family business. Her grandmother learned to make silk by hand as a young girl. She continued for fifty years. Then mass-produced imported silk became the norm and the village women mostly dropped the craft. Reasoning that traditional techniques of making hand-produced silk resulted in a superior product, she kept the business of using time-worn techniques going. Nearly all the garments in the store made by this method. Only women's clothing is available in hand-crafted fabrics at the present time. 

Eat

Gỏi cuốn fresh spring rolls and cao lầu noodles
A bowl of cao lầu

Food in Hoi An is, even by high Vietnamese standards, cheap and tasty. In addition to the usual suspects, there are three dishes that Hoi An is particularly famous for:

  • Cao lầu, a dish of rice noodles which are not quite as slippery as pho and a bit closer in texture to pasta. The secret is the water used to make it, and authentic cao lau uses only water from a special well in the city. The noodles are topped with slices of roast pork, dough fritters, and this being Vietnam, lots of fresh herbs and veggies.
  • White rose (banh bao vac), a type of shrimp dumpling made from translucent white dough bunched up to look like a rose. Eat it at 533 Hai Ba Trung St.
  • Wonton dumplings, essentially the same as the Chinese kind, served up in soup or deep-fried.

Budget

  • If you are really adventurous, walk to the Central Market and have a local breakfast. Seating on stools, eating a bowl of cao lau with wooden chopsticks, and sipping the ice cold "white coffee with vinamilk" is an adventure. Beware though, prices will vary immensely, as shopkeepers swarm over you to sell you things, or even shove plates of food before you. Just keep declining politely and return the food you don't fancy. Keep small denominations of dong with you, as you probably won't get change if you give them US dollars. Also, confirm the prices before you eat the food. Prices range from about 7,000-10,000 dong for a bowl of noodles, and 5,000-7,000 dong for a coffee. The baguette is a nice snack, and should not cost more than 10,000 dong. You can point and say "yes" or "no" to the vegetables and chilli that they will add. A good way to order is to just say "everything" and say "yes" to the chilli. Mineral water is around 10,000 dong for a 1.5 litre bottle.
  • Bale Well Restaurant, 45-51 D Tran Cao Van (In the small alley), ☏ +84 510 650 6979. 10:00-22:00. Set menu: bánh xèo, pork savoury pancakes; barbecued satay pork loin, wrapped in a lettuce leaf, with side salad. 110,000 dong each. 
  • Binh Minh Restaurant, 197 Ly Thuong Kiet St (Next to Vinh Huy Hotel). 07:00-22:00. Western breakfasts, standard Vietnamese specialities, family atmosphere and reasonable prices. 
  • Cafe Bobo, 18 Le Loi. Popular and reasonably-priced. The frappucino-style mocha shakes are great. 
  • Cafe 43, 43 Tran Cao Van. Biere Lerue for 10,000 dong and bia hoi (pronounced doy in the south) fresh beer for 3,000 dong. The food is general traveller fare but tasty. Try the cao lao noodles which is the local speciality. Portions are adequate. The "fresh spring rolls" (steamed) cost around 40,000 dong, but are huge. 
  • Lantern Town Restaurant. Hoi An is the home of lanterns and Lantern Town restaurant, housed in an ancient house, combines French colonial architectural influences with traditional Vietnamese style. 20,000 dong. 
  • Laugh Café, 126 Tran Cao Van St. Laugh Café is a low key café with great, cheap traditional food. It provides vocational training for young people in the provinces surrounding Hoi An, to help give them future opportunities in hospitality. The manager Peter is a laugh, no pun intended, is happy to have a chat with people about anything. 
  • 1 Orivy Restaurant, 578/1 Cua Dai (Off the road, up a side alley), . 10:00-22:00. Wooden building in a romantic garden with big tree and lotus pond, hidden in small and quiet alley. Vietnamese food such as: xeo pancake, spring roll (fresh and fried), Cao Lau, brown rice, great Vietnamese salad and fresh fruit juice. 170,000 dong. 
  • Pho Ha Noi, 448 Cua Dai Rd, ☏ +84 907 269 123. Early/Breakfast. The real deal. Pho and bun. Popular with locals. Try out your Vietnamese as English understood. 20,000 dong. 
  • Restaurant 96. One of the numerous restaurants on the river bank, this restaurant is packed every night of the week. Many of the guests are returning customers, so the food must be good. There are plenty of vegetarian options and excellent spring rolls. The wait for food tends to be longer than normal, but it's worth it. The surliness of the owner does detract from the overall dining experience. 20,000 dong. 
  • Sun Shine, 46 Tran Cao Van St (Diagonally opposite Phuoc An Hotel), ☏ +84 510 391-6902. 07:00-23:00. A homey and cheap restaurant. Serves fresh and home-cooked Vietnamese and Western food. Prices start at 20,000 dong for a bowl of cau lau, and a plate of 6 spring rolls will only set you back 30,000 dong. 3,000 dong for fresh beer and Vietnamese ice tea is free of charge. Proprietor Hoi is offering cooking lessons for 120,000 dong per person, plus the cost of the menu items you wish to prepare. The lesson takes place in the house kitchen behind the restaurant, giving you an insight into Vietnamese City life. 
  • Thanh Phuong, 56 Cong Dong (An Hoi Island, just across bridge). Cheap and cheerful local eats. A steaming seafood hotpot is 109,000 dong, codfish hotpot 89,000 dong. 
  • 31 Nguyen Thai Hoc St. Here you can find many small stands which serve good and cheap food quickly. 20,000 dong. 
  • Treats "Same same only different", 322 Ly Thuong Kiet St (Just outside of the old town tourist area, a block east of Vinh Huy and Tan Phuong Hotels, and half a block west of Le Loi St (the main north-south tourist street)), ☏ +84 905 409 873. 09:00-21:30. Western breakfast served all day. Clean and quiet. Reasonably fast Wi-Fi. Pizza and Vietnamese specialties, and possibly the best cao lau in the city. 
  • Trung Bac, 87 Tran Phu. 100 years of cao lau and still going strong. A bowl of chewy noodles and lots of veggies costs 15,000 dong. 
  • White Lotus, Phan Bội Châu (Walk along the river from Old Town, through the central market, and straight on for about 50 m, after passing Brother's Cafe). New restaurant with Australian owner. Serves good Asian and Western dishes, staff very helpful and obliging to any request. 20,000-60,000 dong. 
  • White Rose, 533 Hai Ba Trung. 07:00-early afternoon. The shop that makes most of the "white rose" dumplings served all around town. 40,000 dong per serving, and if you ask nicely they'll let you try to make them yourself. 

Mid-range

  • Alfrescos, 83 Tran Hung Dao St, ☏ +84 510 3929707. Offers comfort food: Aussie steaks, pasta, pizza, Mexican and ribs. Also deliver. Offer a Tuesday, Friday special deal of two for one pizza for delivery. Shows rugby and Aussie rules football. 
  • Bazar Cafe & Restaurant, 36 Tran Phu (Next to the town market), ☏ +84 510 3911229. 08:00-24:00. New in town, serves the best Vietnamese and Mediterranean barbeque in the garden. Comfortable lounge, cocktails and shisha inside the traditional wooden house. 
  • 2 Bamboo Buddha Restaurant, 13 Nguyen Hoang St An Hoi islet (Across night market), ☏ +84 510 3925000, . 15:00-24:00. Set in a colonial building with garden across the night market. French food with foie gras, duck magret, BBQ steaks and some vietnamese food. Nice sangria and cocktais, good wine selection. 
  • Brother's Cafe, 27 - 29 - 31 Phan Boi Chau St, ☏ +84 510 391 4150, fax: +84 510 3923012, . Tranquil French colonial riverside setting. Big selection of local food, especially seafood. 
  • Casa Verde, 99 Bach Dang St, ☏ +84 510 3911594. This German-owned restaurant serves excellent pizzas, as are the homemade bread, ice cream and soft-centred hot chocolate cake. Fantastic salads. .
  • Dingo Deli, ☏ +84 906 552824. 07:30-19:30. This delicatessen offers an extensive selection of gourmet foods through the restaurant and European grocery store. The ambience, and aroma of brewed coffee is the attraction for travellers ready to find some favourite tastes from home. A wooden constructed adventure play ground is open for children to play on and over looks views of paddocks, buffalo and the Thu Bon River. 
  • Hoi An Cruise Restaurant (Sunset dinner and cooking cruises), 32 Le Loi St (Reservation office at the city centre), ☏ +84 510 8505605. Cruise restaurant with a sunset dinner cruise and cooking class. 
  • Mango Rooms, 111 Nguyen Thai Hoc, ☏ +84 510 3910839. Offers Asian fusion food made of fresh local products. As an example is duck breast marinated in five spices served with bitter-chocolate passion fruit spicy garlic butter sauce. The atmosphere is very relaxed with a colourful interior design. Rather expensive. 350,000-550,000 dong. 
  • Mermaid (Opposite the Cloth Market). Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Mermaid serves some of the best food in Vietnam, and is among the best expensive restaurants. Recommended are grilled mackerel in banana leaf, the minced pork with aubergine and the sweet and sour Black King Fish hotpot. The owner has been featured in New York Times for her restaurant's good food. 2 dishes and rice costs between 70,000-100,000 dong. 
  • Morning Glory. Choose from a variety of local dishes, and be sure to experiment, because everything is truly excellent. The staff speak good English, the place is beautifully decorated, and the food will have you coming back for more. And if you really enjoy the food, ask about their cooking classes. While there are cheaper places to eat in Hoi An, this one is by no means expensive, especially considering how good the food is. Most main courses are between 40,000 and 70,000 dong. Dinner and a drink cost about 80,000 dong per person. 
  • Moon Restaurant & Lounge, 321 Nguyen Diuy Hieu (East of the market), ☏ +84 510 2241396. 07:00-22:00. Beautiful old house, laid-back atmosphere and superb Vietnamese food. Main courses 50,000-80,000 dong; drinks 20,000-50,000 dong. 
  • Red Bridge Restaurant & Cooking School, Thon 4, Cam Thanh (about 3 km out of town), ☏ +84 510 933222. 10:00-21:00. Next to the Thu Bon River within 2 acres of tropical gardens. Offers a wide range of Vietnamese Food, in an open air restaurant. Cooking Classes begin around 08:00 at the Hai Scout Cafe for an Italian-style coffee then a tour of the market to shop for fruit & veg. Booking for dinner is essential. They sometimes close early if there are no customers. They offer cocktails as well as the usual beers and a wine list. 
  • River Lounge, 35 Nguyen Phu Chuc (Across the bridge on Hoi An Island, it's the first double-storey building on the left), ☏ +84 510 3911700. 08:30-24:00. Run by two Austrian brothers. Western/Vietnamese fusion food. Set menu for 120,000 dong, 3 course meal.. 
  • Son Hoi An, 177 Cua Dai (Riverside on the Cua Dai beach road). Very popular stopping point for those cycling back from the beach. 
  • Thanh Restaurant, 76 Bach Dang (City centre, riverside), ☏ +84 510 3861366. Great Vietnamese and Western food. Excellent grilled fished in banana leaf and nice river view. 
  • Vinh Hung 1 Restaurant, 147B Tran Phu St (Opposite the Cantonese Assembly Hall, near the Japanese Bridge). Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. One of the first restaurants in Hoi An open to Western visitors. A family-run restaurant offering a stylish blend of classic Vietnamese, traditional Hoi An specialities, and modern dishes using fresh ingredients. It's a fabulous place to relax over a drink and watch the hustle and bustle of life pass by. 

Vegan / vegetarian

  • Hong An, 343 Cua Dai (On Cua Dai, 15 minutes walk from the centre), ☏ +84 122 5992823. Good vegan Vietnamese food. Small menu, but includes local specialties. USD1 for a bowl of noodles. 
  • Karma Waters, 213 Nguyen Duy Hieu (Hoi An centre, opposite An Phu Hotel), ☏ +84 510 3927632, . 10:00-21:00. Vegan (100% vegetarian) Vietnamese, International & Indian food, fruit juices & smoothies. Cooking classes & tours. Located in Centre of Hoi An Old Town. This place is on the expensive side: US$2.50 for a bowl of noodles soup with vegetables. US$1.50 for orange juice. However, the food is good and the staff nice. mid range. 

Drink

Walking along the river at night, you will find a lot of pubs. Beer is around 30,000 dong. Cocktails are 20,000-50,000 dong. There are some bar foods available, such as fried prawn crackers for around 15,000 dong a plate. Just walk into any pub and have a seat. However, Hoi An is not a real party destination and has a rather limited number of nightlife locations.

  • 1 BB Lounge, 13 Nguyen Hoang St an Hoi islet (across night market), ☏ +84 510 392 5000, . 18-24:00. The new bar, lounge and club in town, located on the third floor above Bamboo Buddha restaurant. Nice selection of cocktails, rum shooters and tapas. Live music and regular DJs, dance floor. Sky balcony, open late. 30,000-120,000 for drinks. 
  • Before and Now, 51 Le Loi St. Morning-24:00. The most popular bar in Old Town. Reasonably priced drinks and food. Happy hour specials available in the evening. Offers seating, pool tables and bar stool seating. Usually closes at midnight. USD2-10. 
  • 2 Dive Bar Restaurant, 88 Nguyen Thai Hoc St, ☏ +84 510 391 0782, . 11:00-02:00. Great bar in a traditional house with a back garden, pool table, Wi-Fi. Plays many kinds of music on request, with music once a week. Great choice of cocktails and beers, wine by bottle or by glass. Food: small tapas, Vietnamese salads, pasta, lasagne, hamburgers, seafood, rice salads. 20,000-150,000 dong for drinks and food. 
  • Infinity, Far left Side, An Hoi Islet. until late. The new hot place in Hoi An. Very cheap drinks, lots of outdoor tables. Free shisha for groups of 4 or more. Begins to get crowded by 21:00 and is packed until late. As the popularity of this bar has risen, many other bars and previous late night spots of Hoi An are quickly being ignored as this is now increasingly popular. 
  • Why Not Bar, 10B Pham Hong Thai (On the eastern edge of old town). Open until late. Late night bar located near old town. Not to be confused with the much different bar/club of the same name in Nha Trang. This very small 3 storey bar advertises free drinks and cheap all-you-can drink specials. Patrons do not come to this bar until at least midnight, when the rest of the town has closed down. Open until late. USD2. 

Sleep

Hoi An New Town

The atmosphere of the Old Town hasn't been preserved by accident: strict bylaws prohibit new construction within its narrow lanes. As a result, there's a building boom just outside the borders of the Old Town, most noticeably as you head north of Le Hong Phong. Walk a few blocks from that old world ambience, and suddenly you're in a construction zone. Several hotels have sprung up in this area, which is completely lacking in the charm that brings visitors to Hoi An. Not surprisingly, those are the hotels (Phuong Nam Hotel is among the worst offenders) that are most likely to pay commissions to open-tour bus companies and use Internet sites to describe the dusty construction zone as a "peaceful area". They're also cheaper and easier to bargain with, but the reason they're so cheap is that they're missing the whole point of a visit to Hoi An. There are plenty of options closer to the centre of town. Once you've taken a night-time stroll through the Old Town, you won't mind if you had to fork over an extra dollar or two for a better location.

Hotels in Hoi An are fiercely competitive, which means plenty of choice and generally high standards. Budget options are slightly pricier than many other parts of Vietnam, with USD6 being about the cheapest. Many are clustered around Hai Ba Trung St and "Ba Trieu" (formerly, Nhi Trung St), just north of the Old Town and within easy walking distance, and also along Cua Dai St, off to the east and a bit of a hike away.

Most of Hoi An's high-end hotels are located along the unbroken beach stretching from Da Nang to Hoi An. Closest is Cua Dai Beach 5 km away.

Budget

  • An Phu, 30 Nguyen Duy Hieu St, ☏ +84 510 914345. One of the biggest budget hotel operations in Hoi An. South of the centre, about a 5-10 minute walk away. Nice rooms and a relaxing pool in the middle. Be careful of the recommended hotel doctor in event of emergency as he has been known to provide out-of-date drugs and/or sub-standard versions which have been known to cause some very dangerous reactions. US$20-40. 
  • Dai Long. A 7 minute walk from the heart of the old town. Extremely clean, spacious rooms. Beds come complete with a mosquito net. The staff are incredibly helpful and speak excellent English. Free Internet and Wi-Fi. Doubles ~US$20. 
  • Green Field Hotel, 423 Cua Dai St, ☏ +84 510 863484, fax: +84 510 863136, . Average value hotel with some English-speaking staff and a location that is not central. Satellite TV and decent air conditioning in some rooms. Other rooms have no air-con. Many rooms smell mouldy, so have a look before you check in. Cheaper rooms are below reasonable value. Free computers with Internet in the lobby, free Wi-Fi (patchy in rooms), swimming pool, and free cocktails for one hour in the evenings. They also have dorms available (three single beds in a room) for US$6 per night. Singles from US$12. 
  • Ha My TT Hotel, Thon 1, Dien Duong, Dien Ban, Quang Nam, ☏ +84 908 220747 (French), +84 908 112825 (English and Japanese). This ancient French-style beach resort about 6 km from Hoi An centre is recently been renovated. It has a special atmosphere and its friendly owner, Mr. Nguyen Van Hien, will do everything to make you feel comfortable. Don't be put off by its unpainted facade, as the rooms are nice, and the beach is good. US$20-30. 
  • Hoa My, 201 Ly Thuong Kiet St (Corner Hai Ba Trung), ☏ +84 510 916582. Cheap, modern, very clean, but of course a bit outside the old town. There are two more similar hotels next to it. They sell bus tickets at approximately twice the genuine price. from US$12. 
  • Hoang Trinh Hotel, 45 Le Quy Don St (Corner Tran Hung Dao St opposite Confucius Temple), ☏ +84 510 3916579, . Great hotel in good location and scenic setting. Well furnished en suite rooms with cable TV with excellent reception, air-con, ceiling fan, fridge, Wi-Fi and balcony restaurant with an impressive view. Has bicycles for hire for 15,000 dong next door and motorbikes also. The staff are friendly, and they provide complimentary small snacks as well as a welcome dinner. US$14-25. 
  • Hop Yen, 103 Ba Trieu & 694 Hai Ba Tru'ng St (In the "backpacker town" area, 7 min from Old Town), ☏ +84 510 3863153. Check-out: 11:00. Clean rooms, spacious, moody staff with moderate to good English and tour advice. The open bus tickets they sell are not however with the companies they say they are, an inferior company, book elsewhere. Free internet and Wi-Fi before 21:00. doubles ~US$12 no air-con, +US$2 with air-con, dorms US$5. 
  • Nhi Nhi Hotel, 60 Hung Vuong St (About 10 min walk from the Old Quarter, near the Bridge Pagoda), ☏ +84 510 916718. Check-out: 12:00. Affordable, nice rooms and swimming pool. Near a local market but a bit far from tourist sites. Bargain to get good price. Normally price doesn't include breakfast. US$32-40. 
  • Phuoc An Hotel, 31/1 Tran Cao Van St. Check-out: 12:00. A clean, friendly and modern atmosphere. An indoor restaurant on the first floor overlooks the hotel pool. The hotel is a stones throw from the markets and old quarter. Bicycles are offered to guests free, however motorbikes can be rented for US$4 per day from across the road. Good service and complementary all you can eat breakfast each day before 11:00. (This hotel is not connected with the Phuoc An River Hotel on Cua Dai beach road.) US$18-30. 
  • Sunflower Hotel, 397 Cua Dai St (Cua Dai St leads directly to the beach (about 2.5 km away). 4 km to An Bang Beach (turn left out of hotel, turn right on Hai Ba Trung St, go straight)), ☏ +84 510 3939838. Check-out: 12:00. This is the hot spot for backpackers to try to stay at in Hoi An. Motorbike and bicycle rental places both sides of the hotel (80,000 dong if renting for a few days, 100,000 for one day) (20,000 dong for a bicycle). Rooms are spacious with large beds, air-con, fridge, cable TV, fast Wi-Fi. Some rooms have balconies. Both dorms and private rooms available. Hotel has a clean, medium sized pool and lounge chairs, with an outdoor bar and restaurant located next to the pool. Room rate includes surprisingly good buffet breakfast (egg station makes good omelettes/pancakes). A 15 minute walk into the city and 15-20 minute bike ride to the beach. US$20. 
  • Tan Phuong, 209 Ly Thuong Kiet, ☏ +84 510 3862531, . Small fan room for US$6, larger nice rooms for US$8. North side of the city, but easy walking access to the city centre. Also rent bikes/motorbikes. US$10-20. 
  • Thanh Binh 3, 98 Ba Trieu St (Off Hai Ba Trung St), ☏ +84 510 916777. Popular budget hotel done up like a Chinese temple, with a pool and pleasant rooms, all air-con equipped. The mattresses are on the hard side and the breakfast isn't much. Free Wi-Fi throughout and Internet at the lobby. From US$25. 

Mid-range

  • An Huy Hotel, 30 Phan Boi Chau St (City 1km, taxi 25,000 dong), ☏ +84 510 862116, +84 510 914627, . Fourteen rooms conveniently located near the river and Central Market, away from the din of most streets in the heart of Hoi An. The hotel was converted from a traditional Hoi An shophouse. Not as squeaky clean as a newly-built hotel, but nice, with plenty of historic charm. Good breakfast, such as pancakes with banana fillings. There are 2 computers set up in the lobby to provide Internet access. US$28 for a double room. 
  • Betel Garden Homestay, 161 Tran Nhan Tong St, ☏ +84 510 3924165, . Check-in: 06:00, check-out: 12:00. A bit out of the city centre and a beautifully landscaped garden with several species of areca and betel trees, complete with songbirds and fish in small ponds. Staff are incredibly friendly and try to make you feel at home, including complementary fruit in your room each day and the free bicycles. Their area also offers a nicely laid out secluded pool area, as well as two covered dining areas the 20 guests. The Vuon Trau Family organises a complimentary dinner together with their guests twice a week, offering free beverages (including beer) and excellent food. 
  • Ha An Hotel, 6 Phan Boi Chau Rd, ☏ +84 510 863126. In a quiet area beyond the main markets, this hotel consists of a few buildings built in a semi-French colonial style around a central courtyard. The rooms are airy, light and pleasant with air conditioning, baths, and TV. A basket of fresh fruit is usually provided in the room. There's a collection of books in the reception area that can be borrowed by guests. The price includes an excellent breakfast and free use of bicycles. US$55-104. 
  • Hoi An Indochine Hotel, Cua Dai Rd, ☏ +84 510 923608, fax: +84 510 923578, . Only 5 min walk from the beach, by the calm and romantic river and garden. French-style architecture with 61 river view rooms. USD65/night (10 superior rooms), US$75/night (45 deluxe rooms), US$105 (6 suites). 
  • Hoi An Vinh Hung 3 Hotel, 96 Ba Trieu St (5 min walk from Old Town). Check-in: 13:00., check-out: 12:00. A beautiful small hotel with modern marble baths and the added bonus of in-room Wi-Fi. The deluxe rooms even have computers. The room service menu is packed full of local delicacies and the hotel features the only rooftop swimming pool in Hoi An. Breakfast is included in the price. What really makes this hotel are the staff, welcoming, helpful and professional, with excellent English. US$30-48. 
  • Long Life Hotel, 30 Ba Trieu St, ☏ +84 510 3916696, . Comfortable hotel with a nice pool and excellent breakfast. Wi-Fi and computers are available. Friendly staff. Wide range of room prices with the internal rooms having tiny windows the cheapest and the upper floor rooms with a balcony being the most expensive. The attached baths for all the rooms are about the same and include a nice whirlpool bath. US$17-35. 
  • Lotus Hotel, 330 Cua Dai Rd, ☏ +84 510 3923 357, . Beautifully designed resort-hotel draws from a range of styles & influences resulting in a perfect blend of Eastern culture & French architecture, immaculately furnished and equipped rooms in a relaxing combination of Vietnamese, Japanese and French styles. Free ADSL/Wi-Fi available throughout. US$36-55. 
  • Orchid Garden Homestay, 382 Cua Dai St, ☏ +84 510 3863720. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. The name Orchid Garden originates from the owner's long held passion for orchids, with more than 30 varieties of orchid in the garden. The homestay has four secluded bungalows built in traditional Vietnamese architecture, surrounded by a variety of tropical trees, and equipped with modern convenient facilities. Each bungalow is named after a type of orchid found around the garden. Orchid Garden also has a traditional sanctuary for worshipping ancestors and for family activities. 
  • 1 Phuoc An River Hotel, 242 Cua Dai Rd. Check-in: 13:00, check-out: 11:00. Roof garden restaurant on the sixth floor provides the best views in Hoi An. Clean rooms, good food, friendly staff and beach road riverside location make the Phuoc An River Hotel unique in Hoi An. Spa, gym, pool, poolside bar, coffee garden. The hotel is a 15-20 min stroll to/from the beach, and within walking distance of the ancient town. Bicycles are free for guests. Good service and good breakfast. US$30-60 per night. 

Splurge

  • Le Belhamy Hoi An Resort and Spa, Hamlet 1, Dien Duong Village, Dien Ban District (10 min from Hoi An Old Town and 30 min from Da Nang International Airport.), ☏ +84 510 3941888. All rooms are equipped with private pool, balcony, garden, living area, refrigerator, minibar, Wi-Fi and TV with satellite/cable. Restaurant, room service, concierge, swimming pool, pool bar, spa, fitness room/gym. US$101+. 
  • Furama Beach Resort. Luxury resort on fabled China Beach. About 20 minutes to Hoi An by taxi (5 minutes to Da Nang). Internet rates starting at USD150, walk-up rates from USD200. 
  • Hotel Royal Hoi An, 39 Dao Duy Tu (in An Hoi area, along Thu Bon River), ☏ +84 510 3950 777, fax: +84 510 3950 888, . Check-in: 14:00 hrs, check-out: 12:00 hrs. A French colonial style boutique hotel with Japanese architecture influence in the quiet area 5 minutes of walk from the Ancient Town of Hoi An. 119 rooms are of MGallery standard by Accor hotels, overlooking Thu Bon river, pool and Hoi An town. There are one outdoor pool, two restaurant, one chic bar, one spa, complimentary bikes and gym. US$127 - 220. 
  • Life Heritage Resort Hoi An, 1 Pham Hong Thai St (East end of street fronting the river), ☏ +84 510 914555, . French colonial style architecture with rooms overlooking the Thu Bon River at the east end of Hoi An, a short walk from the Old Town but just far enough away that a quiet night's sleep is practically assured. Rooms are large, many are bi-level with a sitting area, and have air-con; but restaurant and bar are open to the breezes. Two-day package (off-season) was US$250 for two, with breakfast and dinner for two, and 20% spa discount. Breakfast is buffet style. US$98-268. 
  • The Ocean Villas, Hoa Hai Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District Non Nuoc Beach (On the beach side opposite the Colin Montgomerie and Greg Norman Da Nang Golf Club links, halfway between Hoi An and Da Nang.). You will need a car and driver for this beach and sport club resort oasis. 
  • River-Beach Resort, 05 Cua Dai St, ☏ +84 510 3927888. 2 min walk from the beach, with views of surrounding paddy fields, river and sea. 120 rooms, ranging from deluxe, superb deluxe rooms to executive, family and presidential suites. Each room has a private balcony or terrace and offers views of the river, pool, garden or countryside. Free Wi-Fi throughout. There is also a fitness centre, beauty salon and spa, bar, baby sitting services and gift shop. US$60for deluxe room, US$165 for a presidential suite. 
  • 2 Golden Sand Resort & Spa, Thanh Nien Rd - Cua Dai Beach, ☏ +84 510 3927 555. This hotel with a large swimming pool is by the river a short stroll from the market. Evening musical entertainment in the lobby. Internet rates from US$112, beachfront suites US$285. (updated Mar 2016)

Stay safe

Note on November flooding

Hoi An regularly floods during November. Visitors who plan to arrive during one of their floods would be advised to book ahead.

The city stayed open during the November 2013 floods, although there were news reports of tourist evacuations. As hotels near the river flooded, tourists started moving to hotels on higher ground. Flooding affected streets up to four blocks uphill from the river, as well as the hotel/restaurant area across the bridge on An Hoi peninsula. The water levels for this flood seem slightly below the levels of the 2011 flood; the cleanup seemed to be well handled.

Connect

  • Internet - Most hotels and restaurants have free Wi-Fi, often unsecured, although Facebook may be a problem here as elsewhere. There is also a widely available citywide network: to connect, open your browser and click the banner at the top.

Go next

Day trips

  • Cham Islands - UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Cu Lao Cham - Hoi An 9 nautical miles offshore. Get there by slow boat or speedboat. Day trip (arrange with your hotel or local tour operators).
  • China Beach - opposite the Marble Mountains. Accessible by motorbike. There are beaches closer to Hoi An accessible by bicycle or motorbike, with parking near the beach. Cost about 50,000 dong all day, which can probably be negotiated.
  • Dong Duong - ruined Cham tower, the sole major remnant of a large Buddhist Cham period (9th century, 875-915 under Indravarman II) temple-complex that was originally 155m x 326m. Other minor remnants are also visible.
  • Lang Co - fishing village that includes mountains, a river, a lagoon, an island and a 32 km beach between Da Nang and Hue.
  • The Marble Mountains, 9 km short of Da Nang, are well worth a morning or afternoon trip from Hoi An. The largest of the five mountains has temples and caves. Get there by hiring a motorbike (costs less than organised tour).
There is a nominal fee for entry; it is worth paying extra for the small map. No one will tell you how to get to the top to overlook Fire Mountain to the west, there is one trail accessible from the WC—look for the handrails going up—another is nearby, near a temple complex and next to an arch over the trail.
Accessibility: An elevator available for a small fee. It may be broken, but it only leads to platform with an overlook towards the water; you would still need to take stairways to see the temples, so there is no advantage to the elevator. If you can make it up the stairs at the entrance, there will be no problem with the rest of the stairs. Cave floors and trails may be wet but are not slippery.
  • My Khanh - Rare seaside ruin of a Cham tower dating from the 8th century.
  • My Son - Best done as an early morning half-day trip from Hoi An (arrange with your hotel/local tour operator or any car/motorbike taxi driver for about US$5-7). A return by boat can be arranged. Trails may be slippery in rainy weather.
  • Tháp Bằng An - Twelfth century Cham octagonal tower dedicated to Shiva. By motorbike, about 30 minutes northwest of Hoi An. There may be a someone on the site who will sell you a ticket for 10,000 dong. Can be combined with a day trip to Tháp Khương Mỹ.
  • Tháp Khương Mỹ - Three Cham towers, contemporaneous with Bagan in Burma. Small museum on premises. There may be someone at the site who will sell you a ticket for 10,000 dong. By motorbike, a half hour south of Hoi An. Can be combined in a day trip with Tháp Bằng An for about 120,000 dong.

Further afield

Moving north

  • Da Nang - local commuter bus 50,000 dong
  • Hue - the former imperial capital, a few hours away by car or train. There are 3 or 4 trains a day, reservations can be arranged a day in advance. Although to catch the train you must go to Da Nang as trains do not go all the way to Hoi An. Besides, this train has the reputation of one of the top train journeys in the world.
  • One-way motorbike trips to Hue traveling through the Hai Van Pass are a very popular and scenic method to get north. One-way rentals with an English speaking guide can cost as low as USD 25-30. Travel time, including numerous stops, is about 6-8 hours.

Moving south

  • Nha Trang - Vietnam's premier beach resort town and the next stop for backpackers travelling south on the open bus or train.
  • Dalat - originally the playground of the French, who built villas in the clear mountain air to escape the heat and humidity of the coast. From Hoi An to Dalat is at least 12 hours by bus, and can take several days during the flood season; no trains available to Dalat.



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