My personal guide to Hoi An, Vietnam

Hoi An, Vietnam’s most charming city. A city with streets lit up by glowing lanterns, a charming market and a river flowing through the old center. Strolling through the colorful streets you’ll find beautiful temples, cute stores and lots of restaurants and cafe’s. Compared to Vietnam’s other cities, Hoi An is only small, but it has a lot to do in and around the city. Hoi An has long been a UNESCO world heritage site and you will see why when exploring this city full of charisma. Here is my guide to Hoi An with all my favorite things to do, where to eat and where to stay.

Explore the temples

One of Hoi An’s most impressive temples is the Quan Cong Temple. The Quan Cong Temple is a Chinese temple decorated in gold and red, which is typical for Chinese temples.

Enjoy visiting temples? You’ll love Ninh Binh

Stroll down the Central market

Visiting the market in the morning is most interesting as this is the time locals buy their goods and the market is most active. Whilst some vendors open and close later, the official opening hours of Hoi An Central Market are 9am to 6pm. The Central Food Hall is open from 7am – 8.30pm and the Fruit & Vegetable Street Market from 6am – 8pm.

Cycle through the countryside (to the beach)

Rent a bicycle to explore the countryside. There are also bicycle tours that take you past different sights, which is a fun way to explore, but we decided it would be a fun way to go to the beach. We got bicycles from our hostel and made our way toward An Bang Beach. On the way we cycled past this guy, who just happend to be chilling on top of his buffalo.

Hang out on An Bang Beach with a nice drink

An Bang Beach is the most well known beach close to Hoi An and perfect if you just want to chill with a cocktail and a book. It’s not the most impressive beach I’ve been to, but fine for a few hours of relaxing.

Go to Hoi An Memories Show: a mesmerizing theatre experience

It’s hard to describe the Hoi An Memories show. Before the show starts you walk past several smaller performances. You don’t have to speak the language as it’s mostly movement, dance and music. It all takes place on a little island in the river, but the show was much bigger scale than I anticipated. It was truly impressive and moving how they depicted the history of Hoi An with sound and light. There are 500 performers in this visual art performance.

Look at art at Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum

While exploring the old center, don’t forget to stop at this little art gallery. You can find beautiful photos over everyday life in Vietnam here.

Enjoy the night market and take one of the lantern boats

Take a stroll down the river in the evening and rent one of the boats for a short ride to put a lantern in the water. If you share the boat with some friends it’s only 50000 VND/$2.

Get a dress tailor made

Hoi An is famous for its many tailor shops and you can get a suit or dress tailor made for a very affordable price. Keep in mind If you plan on doing this, make sure to get to a tailor on your first day there, to give them some time to actually make your dress or suit. This way you will also have time for alterations if it doesn’t fit quite right on the first fitting.

Cross the Japanese bridge/ Cau Temple

This bridge is an important landmark in Hoi An. The Japanese bridge was built in the late 16th century at the time of Japanese immigration. You need a ticket to cross the bridge, but you can also admire it from the street. The bridge is 18 meter long, covered in wood carvings and colorful decoration. In the middle of the bridge you can find a small Buddhist temple. 

Take a Basket boat down the river

These traditional round basket boats are called Thung Chai. Due to the round shape it’s impossible not to spin around. This is one of Hoi An’s most popular activities.

The best restaurants in Hoi An

Rosie’s Cafe – In this cute little cafe they serve all-day breakfast. I’m honestly always happy to find a good avocado toast, so I loved going here.

V Vegan – Vegan Cafe & Restaurant- V Vegan offers delicious and flavorful vegan dishes in a beautiful setting. The staff was very friendly. While it’s a bit on the pricey side, everything is fresh and tasty.

Pause and Enjoy Restaurant – Family run and pricing is great. Must visit if you want local food. And they threw in fresh fruit at the end.

Say – Speakeasy Bar – Possibly the classiest bar in Hoi An. Great cocktails and great staff.

Lim Dining Room – This is where you go if you’re craving something other than Vietnamese food. They serve delicious pizza and pasta. It’s a little pricier than most places in Hoi An, but it’s a very charming spot

Best places to stay in Hoi An

Ideally, you want to be close to the historical center, but just outside of it to avoid the crowds. Hoi An offers really stunning hotels with a beautiful pool areas, for a very affordable price. I stayed in a hostel to meet other travelers. A really good hostel to stay is iHome Hoi An. The hostel is located conveniently, has a great breakfast buffet and you can rent scooters to drive down to the beach.

If I were to come back to Hoi An with my partner I’d choose to stay at Hoi An Historic Hotel or little Town Villa. Both are within 5 min walking distance from the center and have stunning pool areas with outdoor seating and very clean beautiful rooms.