The ultimate travellers guide to Hội An, Vietnam.
Hội An
Hoi An is a city located on the central coast of Vietnam and is most famously known for its beautiful ancient town, with cut through canals and vibrant lanterns that line the streets. It has been considered a UNESCO cultural heritage site since 1999 and in 2021 was named Asia's Leading Cultural City Destination at the World Travel Awards. The city encompasses a range of cultures with colourful french colonial buildings, traditional vietnemese tube houses and the iconic japanese style pagoda bridge. Outside of the old town itself you will find expansive rice fields that stretch for miles and beautiful beaches hugging the coastline. This diverse costal city is so special and certainly not to be missed from your Vietnam ititnery!
How to get to Hoi An?
Once in Vietnam, Hoi An is very easily accessible. If backpacking you will most likely travel to Hoi An via sleeper bus, which can be taken from various locations such as Da Lat, Nha Trang and Hue. If you decided to catch the bus and are happy to spend a little extra money I would strongly advise booking a VIP cabin sleeper, which offer larger beds and therefore a more comfortable journey! However, don’t worry if that doesn’t suit your budget. I have travelled to Hoi An twice via a regular sleeper bus and both times the journey has been absolutely fine!
You also have the option of getting an overnight sleeper train from Ho Chi Mihn or Hanoi. However is is important to be aware that the closest train station to Hoi An is Da Nang, which is 30km north of Hoi An and around 1 hour away by car. There is also an option to take a local bus from Da Nang to Hoi An which can take anywhere between 45 minutes to 2 hours.
However, if you are short on time OR you are coming from another country within south east Asia, you can fly to Da Nang airport which is approximately 1 hours drive from Hoi An. Currently you should expect to pay approximately 300- 400VND for a pre organised transfer (one way). I would highly recommend contacting your accommodation to book a transfer if arriving to Hoi An via plane or train as usually you will get a better price!
TOP TIP 🌏: If backpacking, the 12go Asia app will become your best friend when it comes to booking internal transport. However, although the app is super convieneint and easy to use, be sure to compare prices with local stations and hostels as sometimes they will be a lot cheaper for the same service!
Accomodation
Home stays
Home stays are a great option for those wanting a more personal and authentic experience of Hoi An. There are many home stays situated on the outskirts of the town, nestled within the rice paddies. In addition to the beautiful surrounding countryside, your hosts will provide you with warm hospitality and lots of recommendations of things to do, places to see and most importantly (in my case) places to eat!! We loved being able to getting to know our hosts and felt we learnt so much about the Vietnamese culture from them. We also had a delicious local coffee and breakfast freshly prepared for us each day. Some home stays may also have an in house tailor, a must when visiting Hoi An! And the added convinience of being on your door step means that they are easily able to make alterations to ensure your garment is a perfect fit!
On top of all this, home stays are usually cheaper than many of the local hotels and in my experience also the local hostels! The perfect choice for backpackers on a budget looking to experience Hoi An in a different way.
Home Stay Reccomendation: New Sunshine Homestay
Hostels
For those looking to meet likeminded backpackers, hostels will be the best option for you and in Hoi An you won’t be short of choice!
My personal recommendation would be Fuse Hostel, situated in the heart of the Old Town. Not only do they have a hostel in the old town, with fantastic facilities including a pool, a bar were they regularly host social events and in-house tailors, but they also have a sister hostel located on An Bang beach, and allow guests to have access to all the facilities at both hostels! For those not sure on dorm life both hostels also offer private rooms at reasonable rates. They host various daily social activities and even offer shuttle buses between the two hostels.
Hotels
For those looking for a little more luxury there are many of hotel options in Hoi An, including some well known luxury names such as The Four Seasons and Anantara Hotel! With many hotels located in the town or along the coastline, there is something for everyone! I personally have not stayed in a hotel when visiting Hoi An but I would strongly suggest using Booking.com to help find your perfect hotel accommodation!
Places to eat!
Hoi An is a foodies haven. With coffee shops around every corner and hundreds of restaurants lining the narrow streets, it can some times feel a little overwhelming when it comes to choosing the best place to eat!
Below I have listed a few of my personal favourite eateries in Hoi An.
TOP TIP🍸: When visiting the waterfront in the evening you will find many of the narrow streets are very busy with tourists! I would strongly advise visiting one of the many rooftop bars so you can enjoy the city view by night!
Things to do in Hoi An
1. Bamboo Circus
2. Take a cooking class
Ever fancied making your own spring rolls or Vietnemese pancakes? Try a local cooking class!
Firstly you will be taken around the market to learn about all the fresh herbs, spices and other ingredients used within Vietnamese cooking. You will then be taken to the class itself were the real fun begins! During our class we made 4 traditional Vietnamese dishes, to include Bananna leaf and green papaya salad, shrimp and pork rice paper spring rolls, Vietnamese pancakes with shrimp snd pork, and stir fried pork noodles. Do not worry if you are vegetarian or vegan! Just be sure to let the person booking/ taking your class know and they will offer you an alternative option! I loved learning about all the different ingredients and techniques used, and most importantly tasting all the delicious food! Again be sure to try and book this with your accommodation for better prices than online. We actually had a number referred to us by our bus company and the class was half the price of many advertised online!
See link below to the classs we took ☺️
In addition to the cooking class, as part of our tour we got to go on the famous coconut basket boats. It was fun to do this as part of the tour but not something I would personally go out of my way to do again.
3. Beaches
Fancy a day at the beach? Head to An Bang or Cau Dai beach! Both beaches offer sandy shores and crystal waters that stretch for miles along the coastline. You are often able to use the sunbeds if you purchase a drink from one of the many of the cafes or restaurants. The perfect way for travellers to rest and recuperate!
4. Cycling through the rice paddies
Many home stays and hostels in Hoi An offer bike hire at a very reasonable price. The perfect activity for backpackers on a budget looking to explore the scenic route! Around Hoi An the terrain is very flat and has many cycling paths, making it very easy to cycle. We loved cycling our bikes through the rice paddies to Cau Dai beach, exploring the local culture and of course stopping for a coffee or two along the way!
5. Coffee Making Workshop
Why not fully immerse yourself in the vietnemese culture and take a coffee making workshop?
Learn the secret recipes and preparation techniques of 5 of Vietnams most famous coffees. An amazing afternoon packed with information, fun and most importantly COFFEE!!
I couldn’t recommend this class anymore highly! I did this on my recent trip to Vietnam and it was definelty one of my highlights. The team are so much fun and I haven’t laughed so much in an afternoon in a long time! Aside from learning the craft of coffee, the class is a great way to connect with fellow travellers and have fun together!
6. Simply strolling the streets and soveneir shopping!
You might want a dedicate at least an afternoon to strolling the many streets of Hoi An and indulging in a little retail therapy! With many tailors, leather and trinket shops lining the streets, you really are spoilt for choice when soverneir shopping! Be sure to leave some extra room in that backpack!
7. Tailoring
Why not make use of the hundreds of local tailors within the city centre? At the very reasonable prices you’d be silly not too! I had three clothing’s items made at the Homestay and I absolutely loved them! All alterations were made quickly and items were ready within 24-48hr.
I also had two pairs of shoes made which are gorgeous! I was kept updated via WhatsApp and our shoes were ready to collect within 18hrs!
A final note from me ☺️👋🏻
Although some would say Hoi An is a tad touristy, for me I still feel it deserves to be one of the top destinations included in your Vietnam itinerary! I hope this board provides you with some food for thought and allows you to get the best out of your trip to Hoi An.
Any questions?
For any further travel advice please take a look at my travel guides and services page for more advise on various locations! ☺️👋🏻🌴🌺🌏
Email:AdventureswithAmyRose24@outlook.com
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