Things to Do in Hoi An: Guide to the Old Town & Beyond (2026)

The best things to do in Hoi An are walking the lantern-lit UNESCO Old Town and Japanese Covered Bridge, floating a candle lantern down the Thu Bon River at night, having clothes made by a tailor, cycling out to rice paddies and An Bang Beach, taking a cooking class, and day tripping to the Cham ruins at My Son. Below, every one of those, plus the things first timers get wrong: how the Old Town ticket actually works, the exact 2026 lantern festival dates, and how long to stay.

Main Takeaways

• Hoi An Ancient Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and one ticket (120,000 VND, about $5, for foreign visitors) buys five entries spent across roughly 22 heritage houses, halls, temples, and museums. You do not need it to walk the streets.
• The Old Town is at its best after dark, when lanterns light the lanes and boats carry floating lanterns down the Thu Bon River.
• The monthly Full Moon Lantern Festival falls on the 14th night of each lunar month. In 2026 that means January 2, February 1, March 2, April 1, May 30, June 28, July 27, August 26, September 24, October 23, November 22, and December 22.
• Two to three days is the sweet spot: one for the Old Town, one for beaches and countryside, and a half or full day for the My Son day trip.
• Hoi An sits in central Vietnam, a few hours south of Phong Nha, so many travelers link the lanterns with a few days of caves on one route.

Hoi An is a small town on Vietnam's central coast, near Da Nang. It was a major trading port from roughly the 15th to the 19th century, and because it was spared heavy bombing and large-scale redevelopment, the old merchant quarter survived mostly intact. That is what you walk through today: low tiled roof houses, Chinese assembly halls, a covered bridge, and a riverfront, all packed into a few blocks you can cross on foot in ten minutes. Around the edges sit beaches, vegetable farms, palm lined waterways and a tailoring trade that has dressed travelers for decades.

You do not need a list of fifty to plan a Vietnam trip. You need to know which things are genuinely worth your time, when to do them, and roughly what they cost. That is what this guide is for, organized by theme so you can build a day rather than scroll a ranking.

Hoi An Ancient Town & Heritage

The Ancient Town, which most people just call the Old Town, is the reason most travelers come. It is compact, closed to most traffic through the middle of the day and easy to cover slowly on foot. 
Most of homestays and hotels give you free bicycles to explore like we got. If you need motorbike you can get it from 100k VND per day to 150k VND per day (without petrol). In one homestay we got it for 100k VND per day while the other charged 150k VND. You can almost always negotiate it!

The Old Town entry ticket, explained

Hoi An runs a ticket system for the historic quarter, and it trips up a lot of first-timers, so here is the plain version. A ticket costs 120,000 VND for foreign visitors (around $5) and 80,000 VND for Vietnamese visitors. It is not a gate fee for the whole town. You can walk the streets, eat, shop, drink, and photograph the lanterns without ever buying one.

What the ticket buys is entry to the protected heritage sites. It gives you five coupons (now usually a QR ticket you scan), and you spend those five visits across a list of around 22 attractions. Hand over a coupon or scan at each one. The list breaks down roughly like this:

Tickets are sold from small yellow booths around the edge of the Old Town, generally open from around 9am to 5pm, and they are valid for several days, so you do not have to burn all five in one visit. Enforcement on the streets is loose and inconsistent, but you will be asked for a coupon at the door of the major houses and halls. The money goes toward maintaining the buildings so it is kinda fair to buy one if you plan to go inside.

To be super honest with you - we didn't go to any of them so didn't buy the ticket. It was because we were busy with work while traveling and had too much on our plates. And you know what, its totally fine if you are also short on time. You will enjoy Hoi An regardless due to how nice the whole place is no matter where you go. People are here extra nice compared to say Danang or Nha Trang!

Japanese Covered Bridge

The small pink and grey footbridge at the western end of the Old Town is the single most photographed thing in Hoi An, and a version of it has stood here since the early 17th century. Japanese merchants built it to connect their quarter to the Chinese one across a narrow canal and a tiny temple sits inside the structure itself. You can look at it for free from either bank. Walking across the inside counts as one of your five heritage entries. The bridge had a major restoration finished in 2024, so the colours look fresher than in older photos. Come at first light if you want a frame without a crowd in it.

Old houses, assembly halls, and temples

A handful of the heritage sites are worth prioritizing if you only have a few coupons. Tan Ky House is a roughly 200-year-old merchant home still lived in by descendants of the original family, with a layout that blends Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese influences. The Fujian (Phuc Kien) Assembly Hall is the grandest of the Chinese community halls, with an ornate gate and a courtyard dedicated to the sea goddess Thien Hau. Quan Cong Temple, near the market, is small and atmospheric. The Museum of Trade Ceramics and the Hoi An Museum of History and Culture are quiet and shaded, good for the hottest part of the afternoon.

Pick a house, a hall, a temple, and maybe a museum, and you will understand the town's trading past without grinding through a checklist. The Ba Mu Temple gate, by the way, is a popular photo stop and free to stand in front of, no coupon required.

After Dark: Lanterns & the River

Hoi An is pleasant by day and genuinely striking at night. If you have only one evening here, then just do just this one thing!

The lantern-lit streets and night market

As the light drops, the silk lanterns strung across the lanes and hung outside shopfronts come on, and the whole quarter changes register. Motorized traffic is kept out of the historic centre from late afternoon, so the streets belong to people on foot. The reflections off the river are the image you have probably already seen. Across the footbridge in An Hoi, the night market on Nguyen Hoang Street sells lanterns, snacks, and souvenirs, and runs roughly from early evening to around 10pm.

Floating a lantern on the Thu Bon

Down on the riverbank, women in small wooden sampans will offer to row you out for a short trip, and sellers hand over paper lanterns with a candle inside that you set afloat on the water. A boat ride usually runs somewhere around 150,000 to 250,000 VND depending on the season and your bargaining, and lanterns cost a few thousand VND each. Agree on the price and the length of the ride before you step in. It is touristy, and it is also one of the nicer slow hours you can spend here on a calm night.

The Full Moon Lantern Festival

Once a lunar month, on the 14th night (the eve of the full moon), Hoi An holds its Lantern Festival. The town dims most of its electric lighting, the Old Town is kept clear of motorbikes, and the streets run on lanterns and candles alone. There is more music, more lantern floating, and considerably bigger crowds.

The 2026 festival nights fall on:

A note on the date confusion you will see online: the festival tracks the 14th day of the lunar month, not the calendar full moon, so guides that quote the full-moon date are usually a day off. The earlyyear nights around Tet (Lunar New Year is February 17, 2026) and the first full moon of the lunar year, Nguyen Tieu, around March 2, draw the biggest crowds and the most ceremony. If you can line your visit up with a festival night it is worth doing, but book a riverfront table early and expect company.

Evening shows

If you want something more produced, the Hoi An Memories Show is a large outdoor spectacle on Hoi An Memories Island, with hundreds of performers telling the town's history through dance and light. Prices change but they start from around 600k VND per person with various add ons and combo packages including BBQ dinner. Please check the official site or use Klook to buy the tickets depending where you get it cheaper.

In Da Nang, half an hour away, the Lune Production company stages the bamboocircus A O Show. Both are ticketed and a different flavour from the streets, but they fill an evening well if you have several.

Beaches & Countryside

A short bike ride takes you out of the old streets and into a different Hoi An: sand, rice fields, palms, and waterways.

An Bang and Cua Dai beaches

Hoi An has two main beaches, both about 10 to 15 minutes away by bicycle or scooter from the Old Town. An Bang beach is the one to aim for, with a wide stretch of sand, a row of beach bars and seafood restaurants, and a relaxed feel. Cua Dai, slightly further south, has suffered serious erosion over the years and lost much of its sand to the sea, though breakwaters and restoration have helped in places. For a swim and a sunbed, go to An Bang.

Cycling to the rice paddies

One of the simplest pleasures here is renting a bicycle, which guesthouses often lend for free and riding out through the rice paddies. The land between the Old Town and the coast is flat, green, and dotted with farmers, water buffalo, and little bridges. There is no fixed route. Point yourself toward An Bang or Tra Que and wander. A scooter widens the range if you are comfortable on one, though traffic near the Old Town can be busy.

Tra Que Vegetable Village

A couple of kilometers northeast of the Old Town, Tra Que is a working herb-and-vegetable village that has supplied Hoi An's kitchens for generations. You can walk or cycle through the neat raised beds, and many cooking classes include a stop here to pick herbs. Some farms let you try the hoeing and watering yourself, which is more fun than it sounds, and it pairs naturally with a cooking class or a slow countryside ride.

Coconut Village and basket boats

In Cam Thanh, a few kilometers out, the Bay Mau coconut forest is a maze of waterways lined with nipa palms. The thing to do here is ride a thung chai, the round bamboo basket boat, poled through the palms by a local boatwoman. Expect spinning demonstrations and some staged, noisy boat "dancing" if you go with the bigger operators. Tickets are inexpensive, often around 90,000 VND or less per person depending on where you book, though it gets crowded and loud at peak times. It is a fun hour, best in the morning before the tour buses roll in.

Important info for coconut boat ride in Hoi An:
1. Skip anyone who follows you on motorbike just outside the coconut village as they try to overcharge. Book with reputed ones like Hanh coconut either by directly going to their entrance Or just book via Klook (90k VND).
We were asked more but once we told them we came from online - they charged the same 90k VND as klook.
2. Which boatman you get depends on your luck but almost all will expect a tip from you. It is not mandatory and you can just say NO if anyone forces you. We were indirectly being asked for tip but we still paid 50k VND because the Boatman was genuinely nice.
3. There is a rotating boat which will cost you additional fixed price of 100k VND per person. Do it only if you can handle the rapid revolving boats so you don't feel nausea! It can be fun though.

Craft villages: pottery, silk, and Cam Kim

If you have spare time, Thanh Ha Pottery Village sits a few kilometers west, where potters still throw and fire by hand and you can try the wheel. The Hoi An Silk Village shows the full silkworm-to-loom process and runs short tours. Across the river, Cam Kim Island is quiet farmland and woodworking hamlets, reached by a short ferry or the bike bridge, and it is a calm half-day for anyone who wants the countryside without the crowds.

Tailors, Markets & the Local Trade

Two things Hoi An is genuinely known for, beyond the scenery: clothes and food markets.

Getting clothes made

Hoi An has hundreds of tailor shops, and having something made here is close to a rite of passage. You pick a fabric and a style, or bring a photo of something you want copied, get measured, and come back for one or two fittings. Simple items can be done in a day. A structured suit is better given three to four days and a couple of fittings, so do not leave it to your last afternoon.

Prices vary widely by shop and material. A simple cotton item might run $15 to $30, nicer tailored pieces with proper fittings $30 to $70, and a quality suit anywhere from $70 to $120 and up. The fit improves with each fitting, so build in the time. Read recent reviews before committing to a shop, agree the price and the number of fittings in writing, and be honest with yourself about turnaround if your stay is short. The same streets do shoes, bags, and prescription glasses on quick turnarounds too.

Markets

The Hoi An Central Market, near the river at the eastern end of the Old Town, is the everyday market: produce, spices, dried goods, fabric stalls, and a cluster of food vendors where you can eat cheaply and watch the town go about its day. The An Hoi night market across the river is more about lanterns and souvenirs than groceries. For a tea break off the street, the Reaching Out Teahouse, run by and employing people with hearing and speech impairments, is a quiet room where you order by wooden block, and the Mot herbal tea stall on Tran Phu pours a cup that has become a local landmark in its own right.

Food & What to Eat

Hoi An has its own small canon of dishes, and a few you will not find done the same way anywhere else in Vietnam.

• Cao lau is the local signature: thick, chewy noodles (traditionally made with water from a specific local well), slices of pork, fresh herbs, and crunchy croutons, with very little broth. It tastes like nothing else in the Vietnamese noodle family.
• White rose dumplings (banh bao banh vac) are delicate translucent rice-flour dumplings filled with shrimp or pork and topped with crispy shallots. Most of the town's supply comes from a single family workshop.
• Mi quang, the wider turmeric-tinted noodle dish of Quang Nam province, turns up everywhere and is worth ordering once.
• Banh mi in Hoi An is excellent. Banh Mi Phuong became internationally known after the late Anthony Bourdain praised it, so expect a queue. Madam Khanh, the "Banh Mi Queen," is another long-running favorite.

A cooking class is one of the better ways to spend half a day, and most follow a similar arc: a market or Tra Que farm visit to gather ingredients, sometimes a basket-boat ride, then hands-on cooking of three or four local dishes. Prices commonly land around $20 to $35 per person. A guided street-food tour is the lazier, equally rewarding alternative if you would rather eat than cook.

If you want to go deeper on the food, see our companion pieces on the best cao lau in Hoi An and, for a slower indoor afternoon, Hoi An's art galleries and museums.

Day Trips: My Son & Beyond

My Son Sanctuary

The big day trip from Hoi An is My Son, a cluster of Hindu temple ruins built by the Cham (Champa) civilization between roughly the 4th and 13th centuries. It sits about 40 to 50 km inland (sources vary), roughly an hour to ninety minutes each way, in a jungle valley ringed by hills. The brick towers are weathered and partly ruined, some of it from wartime bombing, but it is an atmospheric, quiet place with real depth behind it, and it carries its own UNESCO listing.

The entrance fee is 150,000 VND for foreign visitors, which includes the on-site museum, an electric shuttle from the gate to the tower groups, and a traditional Cham apsara dance performance at set times through the day. The site is open daily, roughly 7:30am to 5:30pm. Going early is the single best tip here. You beat both the heat and the tour buses, and the morning light on the towers is far better. Independent travelers can take a shuttle from Hoi An for around $9 and explore alone; budget group tours start near $10 per person; a private car gives you the most control over timing. Many travelers combine My Son with a Cam Thanh basket-boat stop on the ride back.

Da Nang, Marble Mountains, and the Golden Bridge

Da Nang, about 30 to 45 minutes north, is a bigger coastal city with long beaches (My Khe among them), the Marble Mountains, and the Golden Bridge at the Ba Na Hills resort. The Marble Mountains are a set of limestone-and-marble hills with caves, viewpoints, and Buddhist shrines you climb on foot or by lift, an easy half-day. The Golden Bridge, the walkway held up by two giant stone hands, sits high in the Ba Na Hills theme park and is reached by a long cable car. It photographs beautifully and gets very crowded. Go at opening or save it for a quieter weekday. Both are easy add-ons if you want a change of pace from Hoi An's slower rhythm.

Cham Islands

Off the coast, the Cham Islands (Cu Lao Cham) are a cluster of eight islands reached by speedboat in around 20 to 30 minutes, with snorkeling, diving, and quiet beaches. Day trips run mainly in the dry season and pause in rough weather, so check before you book.

How Many Days in Hoi An?

Most travelers find two to three days about right. One day is the honest minimum that justifies the trip, three days is the sweet spot for a first visit, and four or more is when Hoi An stops being a stop on the loop and becomes a place you settle into. Here is a rough way to think about it.

On timing: the most comfortable months are roughly February to April, dry and not yet brutally hot. May to August is hotter but reliable. The wet season runs September to January, and October and November are the peak typhoon-and-flood months. Hoi An's low-lying Old Town does flood in heavy years, sometimes badly (late October 2025 brought severe flooding), so watch the forecast if you travel then and keep your plans flexible.

A quick word on logistics: there is no airport in Hoi An. You fly into Da Nang and transfer about 45 minutes south by car, taxi, or Grab. Around town, a bicycle handles most of it, with Grab cars and bikes for longer hops.

Pair Hoi An with Phong Nha

Hoi An sits in central Vietnam, and a few hours north is Phong Nha in Quang Binh province, home to some of the largest caves on Earth and a national park full of jungle and river trekking. The two make a natural pairing on a central-Vietnam route, and travelers regularly do them back to back, swapping Hoi An's lanterns and tailors for a few days of caves and rainforest.

If that is the kind of trip you are sketching out, our team are based in Phong Nha and run the adventures up there. You can browse the Phong Nha tours to see what a few days in the park looks like, from gentle cave excursions to overnight jungle expeditions. For more central-Vietnam planning, the Jungle Boss travel blog has route ideas and seasonal notes, and you can always get in touch if you want help fitting Hoi An and Phong Nha into one itinerary.

FAQ

1. Is Hoi An worth visiting?

Yes. The lantern-lit UNESCO Old Town, the riverfront at night, cheap custom tailoring, good food, and easy access to beaches and the My Son ruins make Hoi An one of the more rewarding stops in Vietnam. Two to three days is enough to enjoy it without rushing, which makes it easy to slot into a longer trip up the coast.

2. How many days do you need in Hoi An?

Two to three days suits most travelers. One day covers the Old Town, a tailor measurement, and the lanterns at night, but it is tight. A second day adds the beach, the countryside, or a cooking class, and a third frees you up for the My Son day trip. Stay four or more if you want real beach time or a Da Nang side trip.

3. Do you have to pay to enter Hoi An Old Town?

No, not to walk the streets, eat, shop, or see the lanterns. The 120,000 VND ticket (about $5 for foreign visitors, 80,000 VND for Vietnamese) only covers entry to the heritage houses, assembly halls, temples, and museums, giving you five visits from a list of around 22 sites. You only need it if you plan to go inside those buildings.

4. What is there to do in Hoi An at night?

Walk the lantern-lit streets once the lights come on and traffic is shut out, browse the An Hoi night market, take a sampan ride and float a candle lantern on the Thu Bon River, and eat your way through the riverside restaurants and food stalls. Once a lunar month the Full Moon Lantern Festival dims the electric lights for a bigger, candle-lit version of all of it.

5. When is the Hoi An Lantern Festival in 2026?

The Full Moon Lantern Festival falls on the 14th night of each lunar month. In 2026 the dates are January 2, February 1, March 2, April 1, May 30, June 28, July 27, August 26, September 24, October 23, November 22, and December 22. On these nights the Old Town dims its electric lights and floats lanterns on the river. The nights around Tet and the first full moon of the lunar year (early March) are the busiest.

6. Is My Son worth a day trip from Hoi An?

If you have any interest in history or ruins, yes. My Son is a set of Cham Hindu temples from the 4th to 13th centuries, about 40 to 50 km inland, with its own UNESCO listing. The entrance fee is 150,000 VND and includes the museum, an electric shuttle, and an apsara dance. It is open roughly 7:30am to 5:30pm. Go early to beat the heat and the tour buses.

7. What is the best time to visit Hoi An, and does it flood?

February to April is the most comfortable window: dry, sunny, and not yet at peak heat. May to August is hotter but reliable. September to January is the wet season, and October and November are the peak typhoon-and-flood months, when the low-lying Old Town can flood. If you travel then, watch the forecast and keep your itinerary flexible.

8. Is Hoi An good for families with kids?

Yes. The traffic-free centre, lantern boat rides, flat cycling routes, beach days at An Bang, basket boats in Cam Thanh, and hands-on lantern-making and pottery classes all work well for children, and the town is small enough that nothing is a long haul. Many families find a few days here one of the easier stretches of a Vietnam trip.

9. Is Hoi An expensive?

Hoi An is inexpensive by Western standards. Local meals run a few dollars, a bicycle is a dollar or two a day, beach access is free, and the Old Town heritage ticket is about $5. The bigger costs are optional: custom tailoring, cooking classes, organized tours, and nicer riverside hotels. It is easy to do cheaply or to spend more by choice.

If you have two days, you will see the heart of Hoi An. If you have three, add My Son and slow down. And if you are routing up the coast afterward, the caves of Phong Nha are an easy next chapter. Enjoy!