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About

Hoi An is located in the Quang Nam Province in Central Vietnam. Hoi An’s Ancient Town (old town) is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it is filled with rich history from centuries of foreign influence. This city has something to offer everyone; from charming canals and beaches to shopping and exciting nightlife.

Isabelle and I spent a week in Hoi An and positively loved it. There are plenty of activities to keep you busy, and the delicious food will keep your belly happy. We recommend at least 3 full days in Hoi An if you truly want to experience this captivating city.

Food

Let’s begin with the most important category. Food, of course. Before coming to Vietnam, we expected to be eating Pho and Bahn Mi’s everywhere we went – but nope! Every region has its specialties.

Hoi An has a few specialties – and what we mean by this is you will not find them anywhere else in Vietnam. The reason is that these dishes require water from a very specific well located in the heart of Hoi An. More on this below.

Cao Lau 

Cau Lau is a delicious noodle dish. The main ingredients in the dish are the Cao Lau noodle (thick rice noodles), pork, fish sauce, greens & bacon-y croutons. According to legend, you must use water from the thousand-year-old Ba Le Well located in Hoi An to make Cao Lau. This is a must-try dish in Hoi An.

Quang Noodles 

Quang noodles are made with a bone and fish sauce broth, and topped with pork, hard-boiled quail eggs, greens, and a few other ingredients to make a delicious noodle bowl. It is not served with a lot of broth, and you have to mix it very well to combine all the flavors. These can be found worldwide but originate from the Quang Nam Province (hence the name).

Rice Pancake

Meat (usually pork), shrimp, sprouts, and herbs are all loaded into a crispy shell and fried to make a rice pancake. Many places will fold it and make it look like a taco. These can be found all over town at food stalls, or restaurants. At restaurants, they will be served with rice paper and fresh toppings, so you can roll into a spring roll. We found that the best ones were served in restaurants – unlike Bahn Mi’s which were perfectly delicious in stalls.

Bahn Mi

Fresh Baguette, crunchy veggies, and crispy meat make this one of our favorite go-to dishes. Hoi An is said to be the Bahn Mi capital of Vietnam, so you can find these budget (and delicious) sandwiches all over the city.

Chicken Rice

A plate of golden rice served with shredded chicken and fresh herbs. You will also get a bowl of soup to go with your meal. This dish is simple but delicious. I don’t think any place can claim to have created Chicken Rice, but Hoi An has done a fantastic job using their local herbs to create a simple, yet tasteful plate of chicken and rice.

If you really want the local experience and you’re feeling brave: ask for Long Ga, the local version of Chicken Rice. You’ll have an assortment of chicken innards to go with the rest of your chicken.

White Rose

These are called White Rose due to their translucent color and plating style – the town is very proud of this delicious dumpling. The ingredients are white dough, minced pork and shrimp, and fried onion or other seasonings. Like Cao Lau, you need water from the Ba Le Well to make White Rose. However, this dish is especially unique because only one family knows the secret recipe of White Rose and they supply the whole town.

If you want to try it straight from the source go to White Rose Restaurant.

Things To Do

Custom Tailoring

I’m not much of a shopper at all, and I tend to avoid new clothes while traveling, but Hoi An got the best of me. Tailoring, a service reserved for the upper class in the West, is a specialty here in Hoi An and much more affordable for those looking to splurge but stay within a budget. The streets are lined with fashionably dressed mannequins and when you see a style you like, the enthusiastic shop owners give you a first-class experience like nowhere else.

Isabelle and I each had custom clothing made. The tailors help you find a style and color you love, then measure you and start crafting your custom outfit. Within 24-Hours you’re back at the shop trying on your perfectly fitting outfit. I love linen clothes, so I got two linen sets for around $40 per set. Isabelle had a few custom dresses made for around $30 each. The price, quality, and experience are all top-notch. If you’re coming to Hoi An, leave an outfit at home and plan to have one made.

Our Recommendations:

Both were fast and made exactly what we wanted, and they fit perfectly. You can basically just walk in, take a look at their designs, let them know if you want any custom cuts, choose your linen/silk colors, and then get measured. You’ll pick your custom-tailored clothing up the next day (yes, I mean it. NEXT DAY).

1. Milan Linen Clothings & Custom Tailoring (4.8 Google Rating, April 2024)
2. TO Design and Tailoring (4.9 Google Rating, April 2024) – Isabelle’s favorite since we were the only people getting fitted. This made for a much more personal experience.

Night Market

Going to the market is our favorite way to spend the evening, and Hoi An’s food-fueled and lantern-filled market might be my favorite in Vietnam. The actual market, located on An Hoi right across from Ancient Town (Nguyen Hoang Street), is pretty typical in terms of goods, but the surrounding areas are full of street food, colorful lights, and live music. You can easily spend a few evenings exploring the night market.

PRO TIP: On the weekends it gets VERY BUSY, so try planning your visit to Hoi An during the week if possible.

Central Market

Hoi An has another market located on the east side of Ancient Town called Central Market. Which, like many cities, is their daily market. Inside are food vendors selling hot meals and the daily vegetable and fish haul. Get there as the sun rises to see how the locals do their morning shopping.

An Bang Beach

Located east of Ancient Town is the beautiful An Bang Beach. A 15-minute taxi ride or an hour-long walk will get you to the beach, but the best way is by bike.

Bike Route: Avoid the main roads and take the scenic route through rice paddies and Vegetable Island. It took Isabelle and I over an hour to reach the beach by bike because we were having so much fun on the ride over. Use our Vietnam Google Map for the scenic route map (can only be taken by bike).

PRO TIP: there’s bike parking right when you get to the beach but it’s not free (the workers will hound you to park there). Just plan to get food or a drink (even just a beer), find a restaurant that looks decent, and park behind their building for FREE. We parked ourselves at Jasmine Restaurant and had a couple of cold beers while staring at the beautiful beach.

Leather Shops

Hanoi is full of handmade leather shops. I can’t speak on the history of leather-making in the city, however, I did get a pair of custom “Birkenstock”-like sandals made. So, I can at least speak on their efficiency and the quality of their leather.

I brought in a photo of Birkenstocks (which I didn’t really need to do because they obviously know what Birkenstocks are. I’m probably the millionth tourist to order a similar pair). After picking out a leather color and sole, I left and returned not even 24 hours later to a new pair of shoes (for a fraction of what they normally cost). I also asked for softer leather for the soles and they catered to that as well.

I went to Kha Thi Leather Shop for my sandals. It is a family-run business and everyone very friendly and helpful. They offer fair prices up front, so they do not negotiate, but they will discount if you buy multiple pairs!

PRO TIP: if you’re making a custom pair, don’t expect to wear them out of the store the day you pick them up. They need about 48 hours for the glue to finish drying.

Reaching Out Teahouse

Reaching Out Tea House is a small gem in the heart of Hoi An. It is run in complete silence by people with speech and hearing impairments. While in the café you are asked to enjoy your tea and coffee in silence out of respect. To order, you use blocks with different phrases, and you’ll write down your order in the sheet of paper that they provide.

If you’re lucky, you’ll get a spot by the window, where you’ll watch the bustling town of Hoi An pass by, while enjoying your peaceful oasis that is the teahouse. (street vendors will come up and try to sell you things through the window, so be prepared to kindly say no with a raised hand).

Reaching Out is more than just a teahouse, and you should definitely check out this amazing organization:

“Reaching Out (Hòa Nhập) was established in 2000 with the vision of providing opportunities for people of disability (PWD’s) to learn skills and gain meaningful employment so that they are able to integrate fully with their communities and lead independent and fulfilling lives.”

(Reaching Out Vietnam, 2024)

These skills artisanal craftsmen create beautiful tea sets, coffee cups, jewelry, and more. These pieces can be bought at the back of the teahouse where they have a shop and you can see the skilled artists at work. But if you’re not in Hoi An, they can be shipped WORLDWIDE. If you’re looking for a meaningful gift for someone you love and want to support an amazing organization, then make sure to take a look at their online shop.

Other Fun Things to Do

We did not have the chance to do these because we got carried away at the tailor, but here are some of the popular tourist activities that we heard great things about:

• Than Ha Potter Village (the ceramic-making is free, but you are heavily encouraged to buy something at the end)
• Cooking Class + Coconut Boats (you get the best deal if you combine these two)
• My Son Sanctuary
• Hue Day trip (visit the Ancient Capital and enjoy Hue’s beaches)
• Marble Mountain

Accommodation

1. Ancient Town

The most expensive option. Ancient Town is the main area of Hoi An, and probably where you will spend most of your time. This is a great place to stay if you want to be in the center of action and surrounded by everything. However, it can be loud at night from live music at the local bars, so keep that in mind when booking.

2. An Hoi

The happy medium. An Hoi is an Island connected to Ancient by a few bridges. Isabelle and I spent 4 nights on An Hoi and we loved it. The night market is on An Hoi, and there are plenty of restaurants and places to explore. We stayed on the north end of the island which is a bit farther from the crowds so noise was never an issue, but everything was a 5-10 min bike ride away.

We stayed at Riverside Plum Garden Villa which is on the north end of the island, and it was perfect for the value. The rooms were cozy, pool was extra clean and it was close enough to walk/bike anywhere. Another property that we noticed was Lena’s Homestay. We didn’t stay there, but we had a delicious meal there, read great reviews, and would stay there if we went to Hoi An again.

3. Between the Beach and Ancient Town

The budget-friendly option. Isabelle and I spent 3 nights in between the beach and Ancient Town. The family that ran our homestay was super nice and we really liked our place, but it was a bit far from ancient town for us. We had awesome free bikes, but heading home for a quick midday break was pretty inconvenient. However, the accommodation was very budget-friendly, so we loved that.

If you want to split time between the beach and Ancient Town and are comfortable on a bike, this is a great option for you.

4. Beach

The alternative option. An Bang is a beautiful beach on the east side of Hoi An. If you love to spend your days swimming in the ocean and hanging on the beach, this is your area! If you want to spend a lot of time in Hoi An, then this will be pretty far away.

Getting Around

Arriving to Hoi An

Wherever you’re arriving from you will most likely arrive in Da Nang. Da Nang to Hoi An is a 45-ish minute taxi drive. Isabelle and I arrived at the Da Nang train station after an overnight train from Ninh Binh (which was better than expected – we highly recommend the overnight train from the North so you can experience Hai Van Pass in the morning. Make sure to purchase a 1st class cabin ticket a few days in advance and you’ll be just fine).

You can buy tickets on Vietnam Railways website directly to avoid any extra fees (here). The price of a first-class ticket directly on their site was the same price as a second-class ticket on 12go – so if you want the better deal, definitely go directly through them. You can change the language to English and it is super easy to use!

There were plenty of drivers outside the station when we arrived to offer a ride. We (and by we I mean I) messed up and took a metered taxi instead of negotiating a price beforehand. This ended up costing over 500,000 VND.

Private drivers were offering 340K for trips to Hoi An before negotiating. There are plenty of signs in Hoi An offering rides to Da Nang for 250K, so shoot for 250K when negotiating a price. Or just use the Grab App.

According to Google Maps, there’s a bus that runs from Da Nang to Hoi An but it drops you off by the beach.

Around Town

Hoi An is a very walkable city, but biking is the best way to get around. Most accommodations will have bikes available for very cheap or for free!

We had free bikes at both of our homestays. The bikes were pretty janky, but they were free so it was the perfect way to get around. With a bike, you can reach anywhere in Hoi An in around 20 minutes (the beach takes 30-45 if you take the scenic route).

There is no public transportation in Hoi An, but there are plenty of taxi and bike taxis around to hire. Some hotels offer shuttles to the beach and Da Nang.

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