Hội An is Vietnam’s beautiful City of Lanterns! The tile-roofed old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where you can browse traditional shops, explore historic temples, and immerse yourself in a scene of hundreds of silk lanterns glowing. Oh and the food is amazing too. Here are all my recommendations for the best things to do in Hoi An.
Overview of Hoi An Ancient Town
The best place to start exploring Hoi An is its historic core, now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hoi An Ancient Town is a former trading port on the Thu Bon River with more than a 1000 timber frame buildings dating from the 15th to 19th centuries. The local architecture is a unique blend of Vietnamese, Chinese, and Japanese styles. You’ll see lots of tiled roofs, carved wooden elements, and a typical 2-story layout for most buildings.
To support preservation of the old town, there’s a ticket system. 120,000 VND (about $5 USD) gets you entry into any 5 of the historic sites like temples, museums, and old houses. Tickets are supposed to be scanned at each location, but I found few placed skipped it. Buy another ticket if you want to visit more than 5 sites.
Today, Hoi An is still known as a center for crafts and especially for tailored clothing. The food scene is excellent as well, with several must-try local specialties.
Best Things to Do in Hoi An
Stroll the Lantern-Lit Streets at Night
The first thing you must do in Hoi An is to stroll down the lantern-lit streets to the Thu Bon River at night. Hoi An has been known for making colorful silk lanterns for many years. Today, shopkeepers are actually required to hang lanterns to keep the tradition alive. And there’s always a fleet of boats on the river showing off hundreds of them. It makes for a really magical scene. Bring your camera!
To immerse yourself in the sea of floating lanterns, you can book a ride on one of the boats! It’s around 150,000 to 200,000 VND ($6-8 USD) for a short ride.
After that, head across the river to visit the night market. You’ll find lots of souvenirs and snacks for sale in this lively row of market stalls. Or simply stroll along the river and take in this unforgettable scene.
If you love all the lanterns, try your hand at making one with a lantern making class!
Visit Hoi An’s Japanese Bridge
If there’s one “must-see” sight in Hoi An, it’s the Japanese Bridge (Chùa Cầu). The bridge is a symbol of the city and is featured on the back of the 20,000 VND note. It reflects the cultural heritage of Japanese immigrants who settled in Hoi An during the 16th-17th centuries.
What’s cool about the Japanese Bridge is that it’s not just a bridge–there’s a temple inside! The temple honors a Taoist deity known as Tran Vo Bac De, a god of luck or weather or something like that. You’ll also see a statue of a monkey and a statue of a dog, two guardian spirits that stand at opposite ends of the bridge.
Midday crowds can make it hard to see the Japanese Bridge, so go early or late for best access. The bridge is also beautiful at night!
Tour a Historic Merchant House
Trade is what put Hoi An on the map. Traders from China and Japan came to this port city to buy items like silk, sugar, and wood. Hoi An’s golden age was during the 15th-18th centuries, and there are several historic merchant homes from this period. You should visit one.
I went to Tan Ky Old House and really enjoyed stepping back into Hoi An’s past. The details of the home show off a wealthy merchant’s sense of style. Wooden pillars with carved decorations, intricate lanterns, and fine inlaid furniture. It’s a blend of influences like Chinese decorations and Japanese minimalist lines. The roofed area opens to a paved courtyard, a feature of many old Vietnamese buildings.
I recommend taking a free guided tour to learn more about Tan Ky Old House. Make sure to visit the back room where you can see a record of the floods this remarkable house has survived over the years. The most recent one was in October 2025.
Visit the Chinese Assembly Halls
When Chinese migrants settled in Hoi An, they built assembly halls to function as both temples and community centers. Today there are five in all, each representing a community from a different region of China. Step into one of these majestic spaces to immerse yourself in traditional art and architecture.
I visited two of Hoi An’s Chinese assembly halls. I’ll try to compare them, but really you should visit both. (Or all five if you have time.)
Fujian Assembly Hall
Fujian Assembly Hall (also called Phúc Kiến Assembly Hall) was first built in the 1690s and is primarily dedicated to Thien Hau, a Chinese sea goddess. After passing through gorgeously decorated gates, you’ll reach a garden area that leads to the main temple. My favorite detail inside is a fountain with an awesome sculpture of a twisting dragon. This is the most famous assembly hall in Hoi An, so it may be a bit crowded especially during midday.
Chaozhou Assembly Hall
Located on the east side of the old town, Chaozhou Assembly Hall (also called Triều Châu Assembly Hall) is another beautiful space. The front of the temple has insanely detailed wood carvings. Make sure to look up and see them in all their three-dimensional majesty. The temple honors deities of the sea and sky. I found the atmosphere at Chaozhou Assembly Hall to be calmer with fewer crowds compared to Fujian Assembly Hall.
Eat Local Food Specialties of Hoi An
All right, that’s enough history for now. Let’s talk about food! Hoi An is known as a culinary capital with several local specialties worth seeking out. Here are some highlights:
Cao lầu – chewy rice noodles with pork, herbs, and crunchy fried crackers. The secret to the noodles is apparently using water from an ancient well in town. I loved the cao lầu at Lily Cafe, a little restaurant with a friendly atmosphere. Simply perfect.
White rose dumplings (bánh bao bánh vạc) – rice paper dumplings stuffed with shrimp filling and topped with friend onion. Dip in nước chấm (fish sauce) and enjoy! You can find these many places but I recommend going to the source that supplies them: the White Rose Restaurant.
Mì quảng – the final boss of Vietnamese noodle bowls! Thick rice noodles usually with shrimp, pork, and quail egg, all in a turmeric-infused sauce. I loved the version at Morning Glory Original where they replace the shrimp with a whole fried soft-shell crab!
Bánh mì – not strictly local, but you’ll find some of the best bánh mì ever in Hoi An. Two places rival each other for the top sandwich in town: Madam Khanh (The Banh Mi Queen) and Banh Mi Phuong. Try them both and decide for yourself!
See Traditional Costumes at the Precious Heritage Museum
The Precious Heritage Museum is a gallery that showcases the work of French photographer Réhahn. He made it his mission to document the traditional clothing of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minority groups, some of which have less than 1000 members.
The costumes show off a variety of colors and styles, plus some impressive headwear and accessories. The gallery presents each costume alongside Réhahn’s dramatic portrait as well as the story of the wearer. It’s very moving. In some cases, making these ethnic costumes is an art that may soon die out.
Entry to the Precious Heritage Museum is free. The gallery is well stocked with photo prints for sale if you want to take home a bit of the artist’s work.
Join a Lantern Making Class
With so many hand-crafted items in Hoi An, why not join in the fun? A lantern making class is the perfect activity learn how lanterns are made and get a personalized souvenir to take home. I did the short Lantern Making Class with Lynn and loved it!
The class is pretty straightforward. First you’ll pick out a lantern frame from several possible shapes. Then you’ll choose colorful silk fabric for your design. After that, the work begins with carefully layering strips of silk fabric and gluing them to the frame. Don’t worry, they’ll help you get the silk lined up properly. At the end you’ll have a cool souvenir to remind you of Vietnam’s lantern city.
There’s also a longer version of the class where you make the bamboo frame, if you want a more intense crafting experience. Either way, don’t miss the Lantern Making Class with Lynn!
Go on a Countryside Bicycle Tour
Just a short way from Hoi An Ancient Town you can learn about traditional ways of life. Enter the bicycle tour: a relaxing way to see this quieter side of Hoi An.
Pedaling through the country roads and rice fields was lovely. Early in our tour we stopped to see a water buffalo. They’re huge! We also stopped to visit vegetable and herb farms to see traditional farming methods. And our tour guide brought us to a guy who makes “happy water” (rice whiskey). Apparently drinking before noon is fine in Vietnam. I honestly can’t find the name of my bike tour guy, but there are several operators doin basically the same tour.
You can also combine a bicycle tour with visiting the coconut boats. See below.
Ride in a Coconut Boat (maybe)
As part of our bike tour we stopped at Hoi An’s famous coconut boats. Once used as transport to ships too large to fit in shallow river, these circular boats have mutated into a tourist attraction. In the Disneyland-esque setup, you’ll hop into a boat where your captain(?) paddles you around the river to various stops. You’ll see everything from high-speed spinning coconut boats to inexplicable karaoke stages. It’s silly but fun, as long as you don’t mind participating in this touristic spectacle. Don the traditional conical hat and enjoy the novelty. The ride costs around 80,000-100,000 VND. Bring some more cash for extras and tips.
Buy Custom Tailored Clothes
Hoi An is famous for custom tailoring. I’m not much of a shopper, but I admit was intrigued after seeing what they can do. Suits, dresses, shirts–Hoi An tailors can make almost anything to your exact measurements in just a day or two.
I went with Blue Eye Tailor, and I can highly recommend them. I got a couple of dress shirts made. After they took my measurements, I picked out two fabrics from their huge selection. And they made my shirts in less than 24 hours! Take it from someone who has worn a lot of dress shirts that these are high quality. It cost around $90 USD total for the pair, similar to prices for off-the-rack clothes back home.
I also visited Yaly Couture of Top Gear fame, another operation that does great work. I got to see some of their sewing area upstairs at the Yaly Couture Signature location. It’s an impressive operation where everyone specializes in one part of the sewing and tailoring process.
Beware that some other tailors in Hoi An may not be up to the same quality as these recommendations.
Browse Around Hoi An’s Market
This post is getting long, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Hoi An’s main market. Browsing markets in Vietnam is always a good idea, and Hoi An has a particularly good one. You find all sorts of food, fresh produce, spices, clothing, souvenirs, and more. Just be sure to get there early since some market stalls close up around midday.
When to Visit Hoi An
Climate in Vietnam varies a lot from region to region. For the central region that includes Hoi An and Da Nang, the ideal time to visit is January through April. Summer months of June to August bring hot weather. Then September through December is the rainy season. Travelers ye be warned: Hoi An’s Thu Bon River is prone to seasonal flooding. I got lucky visiting in November, but they were still cleaning up from a flood in October.
Tips for Visiting Hoi An
- Stay close to the Ancient Town – Hoi An is very walkable if you stay in or near the old town. Vehicles aren’t allowed to drive through the protected area, so you’ll have to walk the last few blocks if you’re getting a ride.
- Get around by bicycle – After doing a bicycle tour, it occurred to me that this is a really good way to get around Hoi An. Some hotels will let you borrow a bike for free, or they can recommend a place to rent one.
- Plan your tailoring shopping for the first day – The tailors in Hoi An are fast, but sometimes they need an extra day to make final alterations. Stop by the tailor as soon as you can. They may be able to arrange delivering your clothes to your hotel if you’re in a time crunch.
- Wander around the winding alleys– Wandering the alleys of Hoi An is the stuff of travel dreams. Get lost, stop for a drink, take lots of photos.
