Hoi An Ancient Town: Vietnam Travel Guide

Why go

Hoi An Ancient Town is the old merchant port of central Vietnam, kept almost intact on the bank of the Thu Bồn River. Low yellow houses with tiled roofs face each other across narrow streets, and nearly every ground floor is a small shop. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, and it is the reason most people come to Hoi An at all.

From our visit

Our editor, Pixer, walked the Ancient Town in early November. What stays with you is how old the streets feel and how many pretty shops line them: clothes hung out in front of yellow walls, rows of silk lanterns, conical hats and craft stalls under the trees.

On a sunny afternoon the light comes through the bougainvillea that spills over the rooftops, and some lanes are quiet enough to walk down the middle of the road. One small stop we passed was Mót, a herbal drink shop at 150 Trần Phú, its tiled roof covered in greenery and straw star lanterns.

Down by the river a wooden boat sat moored off the promenade, and near the old quarter a model of a red-seal trading ship stands under a pergola, a gift from Nagasaki Prefecture that recalls the town’s old trade with Japan.

You can also ride a coconut boat nearby. And when night falls, the streets fill with lanterns; that view alone is worth staying for.

Getting there

Hoi An is about 30 km south of Da Nang. Most visitors come in by car, Grab or hotel transfer, which takes roughly 45 minutes from Da Nang International Airport. Cars are kept out of the core streets, so drivers drop you at the edge and you walk in.

Inside the old quarter, walking is the easiest way to get around. Bicycles are a common second choice, and many guesthouses lend them out.

What to see

The heart of the town is a grid of a few long streets running parallel to the river, including Trần Phú and Nguyễn Thái Học, joined by short lanes.

• The streets themselves: the yellow merchant houses, the shopfronts and the flowers are the main sight
• The riverfront: a promenade along the Thu Bồn with moored wooden boats and views to the far bank
• The Japanese Covered Bridge (Chùa Cầu): the town’s best-known landmark, at the western end of Trần Phú
• Assembly halls and old houses: Chinese community halls and family homes, entered with the heritage ticket

After dark

Lanterns are hung across the lanes and outside the shops, and once they are lit the whole quarter changes. The riverfront and the An Hội side across the bridge get busiest, with the night market on the far bank.

On the 14th day of each lunar month the town holds its monthly lantern night, when much of the electric light is dimmed and candle-lit paper lanterns are floated on the river.

Coconut boats

The round bamboo basket boats people call coconut boats are not in the old quarter itself. They run in the coconut palm waterways at Cẩm Thanh, a short taxi or bicycle ride east of town. It is an easy add-on to a day in the Ancient Town, and many visitors do it in the morning before the old streets get busy.

How to visit like a local

• Walk the streets in the afternoon, then stay through dusk to see the lanterns come on
• Keep your heritage ticket on you; it is checked at the historic houses and halls
• Carry some cash for small shops, drinks and boat rides
• Dress modestly if you plan to go inside temples and assembly halls
• Midday sun on the open streets is strong, so use the tree-shaded lanes and riverside for breaks