Hoi An – quick travel guide

The “city of lanterns”, or as I like to say…”The Venice of Vietnam”.

Cute charmy river city with its unique lanterns all throughout the yellow bamboo town. Very touristy but also fun because it’s distinct from everything else in Vietnam.

2 days would be perfect. Extra if you really like to hang out in the bars, cafes, restaurants by the water. Or making days for the beach.

Where to stay:

• Hostels
• Hotels
• AirBnB

Hostels:

• SnapStay Hoi An – modern setup, perfect chilled yet social, located right in town (few minutes walk from all touristy stuff). Really nice, highest marks. I stayed here and absolutely loved it. Perfect vibe, super friendly and helpful staff. Nice beds with curtains, lights, nice bathroom, nice terrace with pool. Small hostel but still plenty of people for you to socialize or party with, or stay focused on work. And amazingly fast enough! Super reliable and great for remote working. The staff can easily coach you on any tour, what alternatives and options, an where to go and how to go about it. SnapStay was easily one of the best hostels in the world and made such a great impact on my stay in Hoi An.
• Mad Monkey Hoi An – big “party” hostel with great reviews, lots of amenities and hangout areas, lots of nice people to party/vibe with. Located farther out of town but nobody regrets staying here.
• Cheerful Hoi An Hostel – also highest marks, more traditional setup. Caring staff.
• Seaside Bungalow Hostel – also really high marks and by the beach, perfect social vibe with family dinners. Many people’s favorites. Choose here if you know you want to be by the beach.
• Hoi An Lovely Hostel – another really nice spot, great reviews, social hostel with family dinners.
• Backhome Hostel and Bar – self marketed as party hostel.

The first 2 had the highest marks. I personally think I’ve had enough beach time in Vietnam (and travel destinations) so I happily opted for something not a beach. It seems more interesting and unique to me.

Overall, it seems Hoi An has many great vibey hostels, chill but social. And you really can’t go wrong.

Neighborhoods & Walking areas:

Activities to do:

• Night market** – pretty water area with lanterns, bridges, and pretty decorations. Lots of picturesque buildings and pretty sights. Wander around and buy street food and souvenirs.
• Dancing boats – cool show for tourists and photo ops.
• Buildings & architecture –
  • My Son Temple** – cool Hindu temple with awesome “Tomb Raider” architecture. A fun ride to get there via motorbike, and also a solid 1-2 hours walking around taking photos. Must see for me. I loved it. But it takes time to get to.
  • Marble Mountain – a collection of temples and statues on a rock mountain with panoramic views of the surrounding areas. Totally skippable tourist trap IMO but you will find some nice photo ops if you’re bored and have a camera. I don’t think it’s historically significant or offer any real unique experience. But many other people liked how it’s an action-packed sort of “theme park of temples, pagodas, statues”. Just skip if you don’t have time or it’s not directly along your way. Even you’re already driving past here, I would still skip.
• Parks, gardens, green spaces –
• Bridges & water-points – yes, there are beaches nearby. Although we didn’t spend anytime on them. Hoi An’s vibe is more around the busy night market area IMO.
• Cham Islands diving – you can go snorkel and scuba diving on Cham Islands, about 40-60 boat ride away. I didn’t go but heard it was an option.
• Cooking classes – I didn’t do any but they’re famous here.
• Arts & museums –
• Sunset views –
• Shopping – as I’m sure you already know. Lots of shops for dresses and suits and custom options.

Restaurants & Cafes:

• Somebody remind me to paste the list from SnapStay Hoi An hostel.
• Banh mi shop – where Anthony Bourdain went.

Bars & Clubs:

• Just follow the noise around the water.

Miscellaneous tips:

Nearby towns:

• Da Nang – definitely skip. Doesn’t offer any tourist value. The Ba Na Hills theme park tourist attraction is also skippable IMO. Costs too much for superficial things. But check photos if you’re curious.
• Hue* – not quite close but worth seeing IMO. Has things for tourists but I feel might also be nice to live. Good central region food and of course the big ancient citadel (Vietnam’s ancient capital city).

Unfiltered notes: