25+ Authentic Things to Do in Hoi An, Vietnam (That You’ll Absolutely Love)

Hoi An is best known for its well-preserved and colourful Ancient Town, and is located on the Thu Bon River in the middle of Vietnam. It offers the perfect mix of stunning beauty and chaos. This ancient town is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is one of the highlights of a visit to Vietnam.

With handmade lanterns hanging at almost every door and motorbikes buzzing past you at every turn, this colourful city beams with history. 

There are so many amazing things to do in Hoi An, Vietnam, that I’ve compiled them into this guide for you to help you navigate your way around. 

This magical little town in central Vietnam stole my heart, and I’m pretty sure it’ll steal yours too. Whether you’re a foodie, history buff, beach lover or just someone in need of a peaceful escape, Hoi An has something for you.

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Hoi An Old Town entry ticket

The first thing you will need to purchase is an old town ticket, the cost of which helps to maintain the attractions here. This is required to enter ancient Hoi An although it’s not always enforced or checked. I should add that we didn’t actually know about this during our visit, so didn’t purchase one – and nobody checked.

The ticket is great value at 120,000 VND (around £3.50) per person so it won’t break the bank. You will certainly need the ticket to enter some of the main heritage sights – allowing you to visit five attraction in Hoi An. If you wish to visit more, you simply need to buy another ticket.

Tickets can be purchased at one of the 11 ticket stalls around town, they are all yellow painted wooden huts that are easy to spot. You cannot buy them at the tourist attractions themselves.

The best things to do in Hoi An

Here are more than 25 incredible things to do in Hoi An, based on my own experience during my Vietnam and Cambodia trip. Prepare yourself for the lantern-lit streets, mouth-watering dishes and some of the friendliest locals you’ll ever meet in Vietnam.

1. Wander Through Hoi An Ancient Town

Walking through Hoi An’s Ancient Town truly feels like stepping back in time. 

The well-preserved architecture is a mix of Japanese, Chinese, and French styles and tells the story of its history as a South-East Asian trading port in the 15th and 16th century. The architecture is simply beautiful and you could easily spend a few days meandering your way around the shops, markets, restaurants, museums and more.

The postcard worthy views are what draws tourists here. In the evening, the streets light up with colourful lanterns at every door, and the vibe is nothing short of magical.

My favourite times to visit was early in the morning, exploring by bike and after dark to see the lanterns lit up to experience the town at its most atmospheric.

2. Take a Vietnamese Cooking Class

In my opinion, one of the best ways to immerse yourself in another culture is by learning to make their traditional food. Not many people know this, but Vietnamese food varies significantly across different regions of the country. The North is known for subtle flavours and noodle dishes, the Central region for spicy and intricate dishes, and the South for sweet, coconut-based cuisine.

So even if you have taken a Vietnamese cooking class in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh, the likelihood is that it will be different here in Hoi An. You can even book a Vietnamese coffee making class, which looks right up my street.

My favourite local dishes in Hoi An were Cao Lầu and Banh Xeo, the flavours were bold and noticeably much more spicy in comparison to identical dishes I’d eaten in Hanoi.

3. Visit the Hoi An Night Market

Hoi An Night Market night market is open every evening from 6-10pm. Here you’ll find endless stalls selling everything from lanterns, street food, knock-off designer bags and local souvenirs. It’s always bustling and a great place to people-watch, do a bit of shopping and try some street food. Don’t forget to haggle, gently. It is expected here.

4. Rent a Bike and Explore the Countryside

One of the best things to do in Hoi An is simply hop on a bicycle and ride through the rice paddies. Our hotel had complimentary bikes for guests to use which was fabulous, we rode up and down the river and into the Old Town.

Alternatively, you can take a guided bike tour. Click on the link to check rates and availability.

5. Get Custom Clothes Made

Hoi An is quite literally bursting at the seams with tailor shops – pun intended. Very well known around the world for their tailoring, you won’t struggle to find somewhere to get some custom clothing made.

I personally found the women’s clothing such as blazers to be pricey – particularly compared to UK prices where fast fashion and apps such as Vinted are so readily available to us.

They are particularly known for men’s suits and Jass had two suits custom made at Peace Tailor in just two days. The quality is great and they fit like a dream. You can have dresses, shirts and even shoes tailored quickly and affordably.

Hoi An is a great place to visit for occasion wear, particularly if you are a bride and have numerous bridesmaids to get kitted out. We met so many soon-to-be-wed couples from neighbouring countries who were visiting for this reason alone.

Be prepared to haggle here, it isn’t offensive. Haggling is expected and it gives you a good chance of getting your custom-made piece at a lower price.

6. Participate in a lantern-making class

Hoi An is all about the lanterns – you will see them everywhere. As a historical trading port, artisan industries such as pottery, wood carving, tailoring, jewellery making and lantern making are incredibly popular in Hoi An. 

Lanterns were initially brought to Hoi An by Chinese tradesmen via the Maritime Silk Route and were hung so that they could cope with being homesick. These lanterns were a hexagonal shape and red – a lucky colour in Chinese culture.

Later came the birth of Vietnamese style lanterns that are made into different shapes. I thought it was particularly fascinating to discover that the colour of each lantern has a different meaning:

• Black – evil
• White – purity and death
• Red – luck, happiness
• Yellow – prosperity, wealth, happiness and royalty
• Blue – Calm, hope and growth 
• Green – jealousy 
• Purple – sadness, nostalgia and fragility

You can take a class to make your own lanterns in Hoi An, which is a great way to learn about Vietnamese culture and traditional crafting techniques. The Lantern Lady Workshop is a very popular place to do this, located in the Ancient Town. 

Check rates and availability for this top rated foldable lantern making class.

7. Cross the Japanese Covered Bridge

The Japanese Covered Bridge is a well-known symbol of the city, built in the 18th century by the Japanese community to connect them to the old Chinese quarter. It’s small, but mighty in character, with beautiful carvings and a temple inside.

There are weather-worn statues of a monkey and a dog that guard the Japanese bridge, which houses a shrine to the Tao god, Trấn Vũ. 

It is very crowded and to be honest, the bridge is prettier from the outside. As it’s covered by a roof, it is dark inside so you can’t really see the wood carvings when you’re walking on it. 

It is free to cross the bridge to the other side of the Old Town, but you will have to pay an admission fee to visit the temple alongside it. 

8. Stroll the central market, Cho Hoi An

Markets abroad often give you a glimpse into the soul of a city or community, and Hoi An is no exception.

Look for the large yellow building in the Ancient Town with bold red letters saying ‘Cho Hoi An’ – this simply means ‘Hoi An Market’.

As you navigate through a maze of tourists, locals and vendors carrying around baskets, surrounded by the smells of durian and Vietnamese coriander you will see a variety of things for sale. It’s a pleasant place to stroll around, with vendors trying to coax you into purchasing their products (but not annoyingly so).

Make sure you walk through the building, round to the outside where you will find even more vendors lining the streets as motorbikes whizz past you.

9. Enjoy the Hoi An full moon lantern festival

On the 14th of every month, one of the best things to do in Hanoi is to visit the Hoi An Lantern Festival which is a vibrant celebration for the full moon. The ancient town is transformed with thousands of lanterns, offering a magical experience for locals and tourists alike.  

If you time your visit around this time, you can light a lantern, make a wish and release it into the river. It’s peaceful, symbolic and magical. In fact, it’s worth shuffling things around on your Vietnam itinerary to ensure you are there for the full moon lantern festival.

11. Temple hop around the Old Town

One of the main temples in Hoi An is the Ba Mu Temple. In contrast to the French architecture you find in Hoi An, Ba Mu symbolises the Chinese influences in feudal Vietnam before the time when the baguette and pate made their appearance to this country.

You can light an incense cone at Phuc Kien Assembly Hall, which is the grandest of the city’s four assembly halls. Here, you’ll find elaborate carvings, shrines and Chinese dragons, while the conical incense burners hanging from the ceiling, creating a fragrant atmosphere. 

Each incense cone has a yellow tag dangling off it which is inscribed with prayers and wishes.

There is also the Quan Cong Temple and other smaller temples tucked into alleyways which are peaceful and often overlooked.

12. Sip on fresh bia hoi (fresh beer)

It’s no secret that Vietnam is known for their cheap beer, costing much less than a dollar. Vietnam’s version of fresh beer, bia hoi is light, refreshing, and costs less than a dollar. 

The beer is fresh as it’s brewed daily. It gets delivered from the factory, where it’s production is largely unregulated by the government to bars and restaurants who then dish it out to happy customers all day long. Any leftover beer is thrown away at the end of the day so knowing that it’s fresh somewhat makes up for the fact that there are no controls on how it is produced.

Hoi An is the perfect place to grab a riverside seat with a beer, order a few snacks and watch the world go by.

13. Step Inside the Old House of Tan Ky

This 18th-century traditional house gives you a peek into the life of a wealthy merchant family. It was one of the first national heritage buildings in the town and is now beautifully preserved and packed with antiques. 

You can see the antique furniture in the rooms and on the walls, and you’ll also see markers showing the height of past flood waters – because Hoi An tends to flood pretty often.

14. Take a coconut basket boat ride

A coconut basket boat ride is one of the most popular things to do in Hoi An and if you spend a lot of time on social media, you have likely seen people are being violently thrown from a spinning boat. While this does look exhilarating, I have been assured it isn’t dangerous and accidents aren’t the norm.

These round coconut boats are unique to Vietnam, and Hoi An in particular and this is such an affordable, fun activity to do. The boat rides take place in Bay Mau Coconut Forest, near Cam Thanh village, around 5km away from the ancient town.

The best place to book is here – for under £5 per person, they offer transport to and from your hotel too, including the basket boat ride.

Check rates and availability for coconut basket boat rides.

I am gutted the weather ruined our plans to do this. I heard from others that the ride is overall pretty calm and there are some basket boats blasting music as they glide along, spinning passengers. It looks like such a fun activity to do!

15. Drink Coconut Coffee

Vietnamese coffee in incredible, but they have so many unusual combinations that we have never come across on this side of the world.

As a huge coffee aficionado, I made a point of trying as many weird and wonderful coffees in Vietnam. Starting with the traditional egg coffee in Hanoi, followed by a vegan banana coffee and then a cream cheese coffee in Hoi An.

Hoi An is known for their coconut coffee, which is Vietnamese coffee with creamy coconut milk. Sounds delicious, but for some unknown reason, the cafe I visited added cows milk to it, so I was unable to try it.

I opted for a cream cheese coffee instead and it was an acquired taste. I didn’t hate it though, so I’d urge you to try it!

16. Rooftop drinks with a view

There are a number of riverside hotels with an incredible view. We stayed at the RiverTown Hoi An Resort & Spa which sadly didn’t have a rooftop bar, but we did have stunning views from our room to make up for it. Honestly, this was my favourite hotel we stayed at during our entire Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos trip.

Directly across road, Hotel Royal Hoi An have a rooftop bar called The Deck which has similar views of the river. You can walk all the way around it for a 360°view. 

My top tip would be to visit just before the sun sets, so you can watch the lanterns flicker in golden hour with a cocktail in hand. Such a beautiful thing to do in Hoi An and not least because it is such a photogenic town to visit.

17. Enjoy a romantic sunset cruise on the Thu Bon River

A great way to spend an evening is enjoying golden hour on the river. You can take an elegant sunset cruise along Hoi An’s Thu Bon River. Sit back, take in the melting sunset, sip on cocktails and dine on fresh seafood. This is a blissful excursion, perfect way to end a day of walking and sightseeing. 

Book: Romantic Sunset Dinner Cruise in Hoi An

18. Eat some cao lau

Cao lau is Hoi An’s signature noodle dish from Hoi An, consisting of unique, chewy rice noodles and typically served with pork, greens and a light broth. The noodles are made from rice soaked in lye water, giving them a distinctive chewy texture and a slightly yellow colour. 

There are a number of vegan restaurants in Hoi An, so you will find some without pork, but this is a dish you must try while here.

20. Treat yourself to a spa day

Hoi An’s spa game is strong. While prices aren’t quite as affordable as the £7 massages I had in Bali, you can still get a massage for under £15 in Hoi An, which is a bargain if you ask me.

I personally adore a foot massage, which is perfect after racking up your step count with all the sightseeing. However, I wouldn’t turn my nose up at a full body massage either.

There are so many spas all over Hoi An with excellent reviews and many of the luxury hotels in Hoi An offer spa services too, so you won’t struggle to find somewhere. 

22. Visit Cua Dai beach

An alternative beach to visit on the Hoi An coastline is Cua Dai beach. An Bang is generally considered more vibrant and tourist-friendly, while Cua Dai is quieter and more relaxed.

You can rent a bike or hire a scooter ride to get there as it is only 2-3km away from the ancient town. You can relax on the pristine sands of one of the best beaches in Vietnam or go for a swim. 

I have heard that there is occasionally a herd of cows that make there way to the beach too in early spring, which sounds highly entertaining. Sadly we didn’t get to visit either beach during our time in Hoi An as we were woken by a thunderstorm at 4am which derailed our beach day and basket boat plans.

24. Day Trip to My Son Sanctuary

This UNESCO-listed site is a bit of a drive but totally worth it and you can combine it with a day trip to the marble mountains. 

My Son Sanctuary is an archaeological site located west of Hoi An and is one of the most popular day trips from Hoi An. 

Though the ruins are not nearly as vast as others in SouthEast Asia like Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, the ruins are worth a visit. Here, many of the temples were built for the Hindu gods; Krishna, Vishnu and Shiva as opposed to Buddhist temples that are more usual in the region.

The temples are tucked into the jungle, perfect for history buffs and photographers. 

Check availability on this My Son Sanctuary with Basket Boat and Lunch tour

25. Go snorkelling at the Cham Islands

You can take a speedboat to go snorkelling at Cham Island, and this tour includes lunch. You’ll explore the local market, snorkel, sunbathe or swim in the sea and take a tour of Cham Island and have lunch in a local restaurant. 

The Cham Islands are a group of eight small islands that are one of the best diving and snorkelling areas in Vietnam. 

Book: Cham Islands Snorkelling Trip by Speedboat with Lunch

Hoi An is the kind of place where plans fall away, and you just wander around this colourful town. There are plenty of things to do in Hoi An – every corner holds a surprise, whether it’s watching an artist in the street, a grandma selling fresh tofu or a hidden temple tucked between shops.

I spent two days in Hoi An and felt like I barely scratched the surface. So if you’re crafting your Vietnam itinerary, definitely give yourself time to slow down and enjoy all the incredible things to do in Hoi An.

Here are some frequently asked questions about visiting Hoi An.

Is Hoi An Worth Visiting?

Hoi An is absolutely worth visiting. It offers a captivating blend of history, culture and charm, making it a must-see destination for anyone traveling to Vietnam. The Ancient Town is a well-preserved example of a traditional Southeast Asian trading port, showcasing unique architecture and cultural heritage.

Their infamous colourful lanterns everywhere make for a magical experience. Hoi An is like no other place we visited across Vietnam and it is well worth visiting.

Does Hoi An flood?

It rains a lot in the middle of the country, so Hoi An does have a tendency to flood in the rainy season. You might notice that many electrical sockets are all fitted at a height of 6 foot or higher, and furniture is designed to be easily moved up to the second floor, should they need to.

We were fortunate to not experience any flooding during our travels in Hoi An, but literally hours after we left, there was a big thunderstorm and a lot of flooding.

A couple of guys we had met on our cruise to Ha Long Bay and then in Hanoi were also in Hoi An around the same time as us, and they had sent me videos of them wading through almost knee deep water to get back to their hotel. Their scooters were stranded and the floods were unlike anything I had ever seen before.

How to Get to Hoi An

Hoi An is located in Vietnam’s central Quang Nam Province, in the middle of the country – and there is no airport here.

The easiest and fastest way to get to Hoi An is by flying into Da Nang international airport and hiring a private car transfer which takes around an hour – which is exactly what we did.  We flew into Hanoi and after a few days there, flew into Da Nang to visit Hoi An before flying back out to Ho Chi Minh City. 

There are frequent private and public bus services travelling to Hoi An from Da Nang and many Hoi An hotels can arrange transfers for you, though we chose the taxi option for ease.

Where to stay in Hoi An

• Luxury: RiverTown Hoi An Resort & Spa 5*****
• Mid range: Anio Boutique Hotel 4****
• Boutique: Little Gem – An Eco-Friendly Boutique Hotel & Spa 4****
• Alternatively: find your own perfect Hoi An accommodation 

We stayed at RiverTown Hoi An Resort & Spa which was outstanding. I loved everything about this hotel from the comfortable bed and amenities, exemplary service and excellent on-site restaurant.

There was a huge array of vegan options available at the breakfast buffet as well as their dinner menu, and the chefs went above and beyond to create vegan dishes without me even asking for them.

They truly set the bar high for what I’d expect from a 5 star establishment. Not only was the location perfect to walk into the Old Town, we had stunning riverside views from our room too.

Alternatively, you can stay in the Old Town but while that may seem convenient, the area does get loud and crowded at night.