Hoi An – quick travel guide

“City of lanterns”, cute charmy river town with lanterns all over yellow bamboo buildings and boats floating under the bridge.

I call it “The Venice of Vietnam”, very touristy but also fun because it’s distinct from everything else in Vietnam.

2 days would be perfect to see the lively water area by the bridge, eat at the night market and local restaurants overlooking the river. Extra days allows you to visit the My Son Sanctuary (ancient Hindu temples), relax on a beach…or spend more time in the beautiful cafes, restaurants, and bars by the water.

Where to stay:

• Old Town – main central area to stay (just north of Thu Bon River). Lots of fun wandering around every corner. Very pretty with all the lanterns around (especially at night), lively all day and night with many shops and restaurants. Busy area goes all the way down to the water and across the bridge.
  • An Hoi Bridge “Cầu An Hội” – exact epicenter of the touristy area for me. Stay within 10mins walking from here, ideally in old town or right next to old town.

Hoi An old town is very small, entire area can be walked in 30-60mins easily. Small but SOOOOO much to see. Not necessary to stay on the water (for water views), as the town is so lively that you’ll go out all the time. Then go eat or have coffee at a place with water views.

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 many people to socialize or party with, or stay focused on work. Amazing wifi, super reliable for remote working. Helpful staff advice on tours, what options, where to go and how to do it. SnapStay was easily one of the best hostels in the world and made 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 other travel destinations) so I happily opted for something not a beach. It seems more interesting and unique to me. First timers should definitely prioritize visiting the old town.

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. One of my favorites in Vietnam.
• Dancing boats – cool show for tourists and photo ops.
• Buildings & architecture –
  • Some much beautiful old ornamented architecture in Hoi An. Everywhere you look would be interesting.
  • My Son Temple** – amazing Hindu temple with “Tomb Raider” architecture. Fun ride to get there via motorbike, and solid 1-2 hours walking around taking photos. I loved it. akes time to get to but a must-see for me. The way there is half the beauty itself. Passing through countryside views and local life, rice fields, cemeteries, etc. Very picturesque and “cool” to foreigners.
  • 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
  • An Hoi Bridge “dfd
  • Japanese Bridge –
  • Beaches – there are beaches nearby, but we never went. Hoi An’s vibe is more around the busy night market area and water IMO.
• Arts, museums, and culture –
  • Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum – highly rated but I never went.
  • Hoi An Memories Land (Đảo Ký ức Hội An) – looks like cultural theme park on the island.
  • Cooking classes – I didn’t do any but they’re famous here.
• Sunset views –
• Shopping – as I’m sure you already know, Hoi An is known for shopping and custom-made clothes (custom dresses, suits, etc). Ask for local recommendations.
• Tours:
  • Hoi An to Hue motorbike tour:
    • There are motorbike tours between Hoi An and Hue. Very convenient tour since it’s 2 close major tourist cities in Vietnam, with many scenic things along the way. The popular highlight is the Hai Van Pass scenic route that goes around the mountains along the water, but it’s not just that. You also pass through the countryside, small villages, also Da Nang, and many things to interest a foreigner. Whole trip can be 5-6 hours with stops and slow careful driving. Checkout possible routes.
    • First option (self-drive) – you drive yourself and it’s essentially a one-way bike rental between Hue and Hoi An. They drop off your bike (at your accommodation in the morning) and pickup your stuff. You bike the distance yourself, making scenic stops or food breaks however you want, and arrive at their office in the final destination to drop off the bike and pickup your stuff. I had a great experience doing this riding tandem with my friend. I definitely recommend sharing a bike so you can switch turns when you’re tired. Also, it’s more fun to chat with each other during long routes, help map for each other, and the back person can take photos or spot things.
    • Second option (easyrider) – somebody drives for you and you sit on the back, taking photos and enjoying the scenery without having to worry about driving and road danger.
  • 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.

Restaurants & Cafes:

• Somebody remind me to paste the list from SnapStay Hoi An hostel.
• Banh Mi Phuong – famous banh mi shop where Anthony Bourdain went, and blew up in popularity because of him. Yes, it’s good.
• Madam Khanh Banh Mi Queen – even better (more authentic and delicious) than Banh Mi Phuong.

Lots of outdoor seating, live music, lively everywhere. Highly recommend eating at one of the upstairs restaurants on the island so you can look down at the water and lights below.

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 a love it or hate it place…half the people think it’s so beautiful and cool, other half feels it’s an overpriced gimmicky tourist trap. Costs too much for superficial things. But check photos if you’re curious. The beaches here only look nice when in season! Outside of beach season, it’s not the vibe at all.
• 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: