If you read my itinerary ‘14 Days Travel from North to Central Vietnam‘, you may know our next destinations after Sapa are Hanoi and Ninh Binh. Nevertheless, as I didn’t stay there long enough for a thorough review, I may skip those 2 cities until I have info for superior posts. The place that I come after that is Hoi An Ancient Town, a beautiful and brilliant destination, especially at night.
How to Travel to Hoi An Ancient Town?
By Airplane 🛬
There is no direct flight to Hoi An. The city doesn’t have an airport. Visitors must take flights to Da Nang Airport and then take different transportation to travel to Hoi An.
By Taxi from the Airport 🚕
Me and my friends arrived at Da Nang Airport at around 9 in the morning. We then took a taxi to travel to Hoi An from Da Nang.
At the airport, many taxis are willing to take you directly to Hoi An Ancient Town with a price of around 450,000VND. Of course, you can deal for a better price, or share it with someone else you meet who has the same destination.
By Bus 🚌
From Da Nang to Hoi An, tourists can take bus number 1, which goes through the Marble Mountains, with 25,000VND for the ticket. The trip may take 70 – 80 minutes.
By Motorbike 🏍
This is also an option chosen by many backpackers. You can easily visit a lot of destinations across the route from Da Nang to Hoi An by riding a motorbike. However, it is better to find a trusted motorbike rental agency.
Read more: 3 Days Da Nang Itinerary
Hoi An Weather
HỘI AN WEATHERThe weather was extremely hot at the time I came, at the end of October. And I’m grilled under the sunlight. I didn’t know what was happening with Hoi An weather at that period. Even though many people say it is one of the best times to visit Hoi An.
Suggested from different sources on ‘when is the best time to travel to Hoi An, there are some in a year:
- Days 14th in the lunar calendar every month – it would be awesome if you could come to Hoi An Ancient Town at this moment. There are a lot of events at this time. Also, the locals will turn off all the electric lights, and use lanterns instead. You can enjoy a very beautiful, and mysterious environment.
- From Feb to Apr is the best time for relaxing. The weather is good-tempered and cool.
- May to July is also a good period for outdoor activities, especially for beach lovers.
- Some people recommend the time from Oct to Dec when Hoi An comes to its rainy season. The Ancient Town is usually flooded so people have to use ships as the main transportation. Make sure rain is included in your travel plan. (And I still don’t know why it was super hot at the moment I came).
Things to Do in Hoi An Ancient Town
Hoi An is definitely a special place in Vietnam to explore. The Ancient Town itself is like a charming picture all of its corners are a beautiful background for anyone who loves taking pictures. Some people especially love Hoi An and choose it as their favorite Vietnam honeymoon destination.
Before entering the Ancient Town, visitors have to buy a ticket priced at 80,000VND. The entrance ticket goes with 3 additional tickets that allow you to visit 3/21 points inside the town. Upon the entrances, there are many things to do in Hoi An Ancient Town including events, cuisine, shopping, sightseeing, etc., and sometimes there are festivals on different occasions over the year.
Sightseeing Spots
There are 21 points in the list of what to see in Hoi An Ancient Town. Those all have their own stories. The spots are varied in different types so you may want to choose which one to visit if you don’t stay there for long:
- Cultural construction: Japanese Covered Bridge, Cam Pho Communal House, Minh Huong Communal House, Guan Yu Temple.
- Museum: Hoi An Museum of Folk Culture, Museum of Trade Ceramics, Sa Huynh Culture Museum, Museum of History and Culture.
- Ancient houses: Quan Thang Ancient House, Duc An Old House, The Old House of Phung Hung, Old House of Tan Ky, The Tran Family Home and Chapel, Nguyen Tuong Family Chapel.
- Assembly Hall: Fukian Assembly Hall, Cantonese Assembly Hall, Chaozhou Assembly Hall.
- Cochinchina and the traditional art performance (at 10:15 and 15:15 every day).
- Tomb of the Japanese Business Men: Gu Sokukun, Tani Yajirobei, Banjiro.
Shopping
Tourists can find a lot of products in the town such as clothes, silk, handicrafts, paintings, etc. I especially love the souvenir shops, they have so much cool stuff.
There is also an old market located in the center of the ancient town. Visitors can come there for the specialties of the locals. Some products that tourists may prefer are Hoi An green bean cake, Hoi An chili sauce, dumplings, and ‘Cao Lầu’.
There is a leather-craft workshop located at 51/5b Phan Chau Trinh. If you want to learn the skills of making leather products, you should visit there.
The Café
Anytime I travel, coffee shops are interesting spots that I usually come to. I love sitting in a beautiful cafe enjoying different drinks and having a chat with my friends.
When I came to Hoi An Ancient Town in Oct 2015, that day was super-duper hot. I just wanted to run out of my homestay and look for a coffee shop. That moment when I realized the town didn’t have a cafe with A/C. Luckily I found one, after all, the Hoi An Roastery. Not for commercial purposes but I have to thank you the coffee shop saved me from that hot noon. Later I found out some other Hoi An Roastery, but those didn’t have A/C either. Overall they are all nice ones.
Hoi An Lanterns
There is a river which divides the ancient town into 2 areas, the left area (as I called it) is where you enter the town and the right area (also as I called it) is where you cross a bridge with some red lanterns. On the other side of the bridge, or in the right area, there is a night market where the locals sell a lot of beautiful lanterns. I don’t know how to describe the moment I looked at those lanterns but I can only say it’s gorgeous.
Rowing Boat
Me and my friends spent our afternoon on the river in the ancient town. That was sudden when we walked along the river and a guy approached us asking if we wanted to use the boat. The price was VND 30,000 for a person and VND 5,000 more if we wanted to drop the paper lanterns on the river.
The Bars
This surprised me a lot when I sat on the boat and saw the bars on the other side. Initially, I could not believe there were such vibrant things in the ancient town. Those are located in the right area of the town so may not affect much to other points. Anyway, it is now a part of the area and it’s decorated well.
What to Eat in Hoi An Ancient Town?
Of course, there are many delicious foods around Hoi An Ancient Town, and I don’t know how to describe them here but will jump directly to the main points:
Where to Stay at Hoi An Ancient Town?
Homestay
- Heron House is designed with Vietnam-styled architecture. The homestay is located in a very quiet area, suitable for anyone who is looking for deep rest. Heron House provides full amenities with a special outdoor pool to spend the whole day relaxing.
- Red Flower Cottages Homestay is impressive with its greenery. Visitors who come to the homestay can always feel cool, even under the sun of central Vietnam, with a lot of flowers and trees in the area. Furthermore, you can buy fresh seafood at the nearby market and cook at the homestay.
Hotel
- Maison Vy Hotel is one of the best choices for a stay in Hoi An. Located in the area of the ancient town, the hotel is convenient to wander around. The hotel is also perfect in its decoration and design. With full amenities and a swimming pool included, the hotel is a good choice with more than 2,000,000VND a night (around $90).
- I don’t know what to say about Hotel Royal MGallery, it could be the top of Hoi An hotels. Maybe looking at its customers’ comments will say everything. And the price is high at around $150< for the top.
- Hoi An Pho Library Hotel could be an old one among Hoi An hotels. However, after the upgrade in 2014, the hotel with its vintage appearance could be a good place for anyone who loves the style and loves photography. There is a small bookstore in each room for selfie purposes (maybe). The price is at ~$70 for a night.
If you are looking for more hotels in Hoi An Old Town, you may want to get the best hotel rates here:
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READ MORE POSTS OF VIETNAM’S DESTINATIONS
Hoi An Ancient Town is one of the destinations in my 14 days trip traveling around Vietnam. Here are other posts of places on the trip that I believe you will love reading too: