Hoi An

Things to see and do

The Hoi An culture tour

An oddity of Hoi An is the bizarre cultural tour ticket system where, in order to see all the museums, old houses, assembly halls and so on you have to buy several tickets. One ticket costs 90,000 VND, and allows access to: a) All the old streets of the Heritage Town; b) One of the four ... read more
Shopping

While many are attracted to Hoi An by the graceful pastel-coloured buildings, others are lured by an abundance of shopping. First and foremost, this is the place to come for tailored clothes at dirt-cheap prices, at least by Western standards. There is an absolutely ridiculous number of shops ... read more
My Son

Quang Nam's efforts to market My Son as the "Angkor of Vietnam" are a little misguided but that's not to say it isn't well worth seeing. Those who make the trip expecting to see a well preserved city on par with the one across the border will likely be disappointed to see only a few crumbling ... read more
Cooking classes

Cooking classes are available at a number of Hoi An's restaurants and cafes. Morning Glory and Red Bridge get particularly well rated but if you're after something more intimate and cheaper then find a restaurant you enjoy that offers classes. And if they don't offer classes try asking for a ... read more
Cua Dai and An Bang Beaches

Though Hoi An doesn't really market itself as a beach getaway, there are some pleasant stretches of sand located just a hop away. The main beach is Cua Dai, located at the end of predictably named Cua Dai Road. Some of the beach is given over to high-end resorts, but the public section is the ... read more
Chuc Thanh Pagoda

This is the oldest Buddhist temple in Hoi An, originally built in 1454. The original ancient gateway is still standing but a large modern gate has been built in front of it and on the left you'll see three newer pagodas. There's also an extensive cemetery plot to the right that you can wander ... read more
Phuoc Lam Pagoda

Phuoc Lam is home to a large group of monks. It's a beautiful and elaborate temple with many different renderings of the Buddha, including a gold-covered "Buddha as a boy". There's plenty to wander around and look at, but if you really want to understand it all, we recommend going with a good ... read more
Japanese Tombs

There are several tombs scattered in odd places through the area north of Nguyen Tat Thanh, but the easiest to visit is Mo Ong Tani Yajirobei, the tomb of a Japanese merchant buried in 1647. There isn't much there but an overgrown tomb with an inscription, but it's a fine spot to visit in ... read more
Thanh Ha Pottery Village

Thanh Ha is definitely worth a visit, especially on your way to My Son if you're going under your own steam. Head west out of town on Tran Hung Dao and then turn right onto Hung Vuong. The road forks after 3km — for Da Nang (and My Son) take the right fork and for the pottery village take ... read more
Cam Kim Island

Cam Kim Island can be visited by taking a ferry from the pier just to the east of the market along Bach Dang. Departures are frequent — a lot of people live on the island and this is their only way to and from Hoi An town. Locals pay 2,000 VND, but foreigners get charged more — be sure ... read more
Tra Que Vegetable Farm

Just half a kilometre up the road from the tomb of Tani Yajirobei is the Tra Que vegetable farm, a community of people who grow a wide variety of veggies and herbs in the rich soil at the top of the rice field. If you're looking for an informative tour, book one in town, but it's a beautiful spot ... read more
Cham Island

If you're pressed for time and need to choose between My Son and Cham Island — no contest, go to Cham Island. That said, generally the tours of Cham Island are over-hyped. They talk about visiting pagodas and this and that, but here's the real deal: most of the island is controlled by the ... read more