Top Oz Tours offers a great range of Hoi An tours and experiences. You can browse the options here.
There are cities we merely visit, and others that capture our hearts like lovers.
With its twinkling lanterns, ancient laneways, and gracious architecture, Hoi An is surely one of the latter. Not only is this UNESCO World Heritage-listed port town one of the loveliest places in Vietnam, it also ranks among the cheapest cities to visit in Asia. You’ll be amazed at just how far your holiday budget will go here.
Perhaps Hoi An’s finest feature is its willingness to allow visitors to share in every aspect of local life. Shop at the Central Market, pay your respects to the past at a pagoda, relax by the waterfront with local families at sunset, or buy a floating paper lantern from a child and set it free on the tide. Don’t pack your itinerary with too many pre-planned activities; just wander at will and allow the magic to happen.
Here’s a checklist of our top ten things to do in Hoi An on a first visit.
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Watch our video of ten top things to do in Vietnam:
10 Top Things to Do in Vietnam on a First Visit | Explore Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Hue, and Hanoi
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1. Explore the old town
Lined with characterful merchant stores, venerable assembly halls, and atmospheric temples, Hoi An’s narrow streets are a tapestry of history. An important trading port from the 15th to the 19th centuries, the old town retains its original layout of thoroughfares, quays, canals, and bridges. There are more than eleven hundred wooden structures dating from the 16 and 1700s.
Cars and motorbikes are banned in the old centre, making it blissfully free of the noise and pollution that plague most cities. Many of the buildings are bright yellow and decorated with ornate wooden balconies and French-style shutters. A guided walking tour will reveal many fof the small details you would otherwise miss.
Walking the streets of the old town is free, but you will need a ticket to enter many of the protected heritage building and structures. These include the grandiose Fukian Assembly Hall and whimsical Japanese Covered Bridge. However, it’s not going to break the bank. The cost is 20,000 VND (approximately $1.20 AUD) at the time of writing.
2. Attend the monthly Lantern Festival
One evening a month, most of the electric lighting in the old town is turned off for the stunning Lantern Festival. It coincides with a full moon and dates for the coming year are listed on a variety of websites. Floating lanterns are released onto the city’s waterways to honour relatives who have passed, and bring health and happiness to the living. January and February are the best months to attend the festival, as the moon tends to be at its brightest.
3. Eat at great restaurants
As night falls, the banks of the Thu Bon River come alive by lantern-light and cooking pots send delicious smells soaring into the sultry air. Renowned for great food, Hoi An offers everything from time-honoured Vietnamese fare, to exciting fusions of French, Chinese, and Japanese cuisines. Make sure you try cao lầu — a distinctive noodle dish and famous Hoi An specialty.
There are oodles of eateries to choose from, but you can’t beat gazing down upon the Thu Bon from the balcony of Sakura Restaurant while savouring a fragrant noodle salad loaded with fresh mint, basil, and papaya. For another memorable culinary moment, snaffle a table at the acclaimed Morning Glory Restaurant — one block back from the river in the old town. It puts a modern spin on traditional local dishes.
4. Do a food tour…
Food tours are an interesting and low cost way to get a handle on Hoi An’s diverse dining scene. Explore the old town with a local guide and graze at various street eateries along the way.
5. …and a cooking class
With such a vibrant culinary culture, it’s no surprise that cooking classes are hugely popular in Hoi An. Taste Vietnam is a top-rated option and holds its classes at the Morning Glory Restaurant.
6. Shop fresh at the Central Market
Your cooking class will almost certainly include a guided visit to the busy Central Market to shop for ingredients. Situated on the riverfront, the market supplies the city with meat and fish, fresh produce, bread and pastries, spices and dried fruits, fresh flowers, and much more. Be warned: it’s an assault on the senses and if you’re the least bit squeamish, skip the meat and seafood aisles.
7. Take advantage of the tailoring
There are an estimated six hundred tailoring shops in Hoi An, and ordering bespoke garments is a popular retail pastime. Come prepared with photos of your dream party dress or suit, fabric samples, and enough spare time to return to the store for progress fittings.
8. Shop for souvenirs and trinkets at the Night Market
Shopaholics will love browsing in the old town for silk lanterns, handbags, shoes, jewellery, and handicrafts, accompanied by the ever-present chorus of hawkers spruiking their wares. Catering almost exclusively to tourists, the Night Market is a kaleidoscope of coloured lanterns, glittering costume jewellery, and shiny trinkets. The merchants here are sharp; hone those haggling skills and stay one step ahead!
9. Get in some ‘me time’
There are plenty of ways to relax and rejuvenate in Hoi An; drift down the river in a swan boat, pull up with a good book in an old town cafe, or hit the pool at one of the city’s luxury hotels. Pamper fiends can enjoy a range of traditional Vietnamese spa therapies at Ginger Wellness Spa (part of The Signature Hoi An Hotel). Ginger massage, herbal bathing, hot stone therapy, and many more soothing treatments are offered.
10. Pedal around the region
The region around Hoi An is reasonably flat and ideal for cycling. Book a bike tour and head out to explore with a local guide. You’ll observe many aspects of rural daily life along the way.
For more travel inspiration, visit www.vietnam.travel.
Browse our range of Hoi An tours and experiences here.
Do you have any suggestions to add to our list of the top things to do in Hoi An on a first visit? We would love to hear from you. Join the conversation on our Facebook page.
Additional images: Depositphotos and Bigstock
About the writer
Linda Moon is a freelance travel, health, and lifestyle writer. Her work has appeared in Voyeur, the Sun-Herald, the Sydney Morning Herald, the NZ Journal of Natural Medicine, Nature and Health magazine, the New Daily, Essential Kids, Australian Family magazine, Weekend Notes, Well Being magazine, and Retirement Living Today. Based in Katoomba in the beautiful Blue Mountains, Linda has explored the wonderful cultures and magical lands of Vietnam, Cambodia, Switzerland, Tahiti, Japan, India, Thailand, Vanuatu, Lifou Island, and New Zealand.
About the writer
Adam Ford is editor of Top Oz Tours and Travel Ideas, and a travel TV presenter, writer, blogger, and photographer. He has travelled extensively through Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, and the Middle East. Adam worked as a travel consultant for a number of years with Flight Centre before taking up the opportunity to travel the world himself as host of the TV series Tour the World on Network Ten. He loves to experience everything a new destination has to offer and is equally at home in a five-star Palazzo in Pisa or a home-stay in Hanoi.
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