Things to do in Hoi An
Attractions and distractions
Attractions and distractions
Use the quick links below to jump to a particular section of our sights and activities coverage for Hoi An.
Just four kilometres from Hoi An’s UNESCO World Heritage centre and 30 kilometres from Da Nang International Airport, An Bang Beach is the perfect complement to the sightseeing and tourist bustle of town. With the once popular Cua Dai Beach suffering from severe erosion, An Bang now holds the crown as Hoi An’s go-to beach. Whether you want to hide under an sun umbrella (there are many ... Read more about An Bang Beach .
Once the darling of Hoi An, known for its stunning palm-fringed white sand, views of the Cham islands and lux resorts, Cua Dai beach is now affected by severe coastal erosion. Though the erosion has been detected since 2004, the condition has accelerated in recent ... Read more about Cua Dai Beach .
Hoi An is as photogenic as it gets. To help you make the most of Hoi An's picture-perfect charms, here are some tips on getting an album full of great shots. Get those memory cards ... Read more about Do-it-yourself photo tour .
An entrance ticket for the sights within the UNESCO World Heritage old town is required. Here's how we'd suggest approaching the various things to see. ... Read more about Self-guided tour of Hoi An’s old town .
Hoi An's flat but varied countryside makes it an ideal place to jump on a pushbike or motorbike and explore. Pedal down narrow alleys past 18th-century shophouses, wheel through rice fields and along rivers to roads that skirt the ... Read more about Exploring by bike or motorbike .
Of the 80 or so ancient wells located in Hoi An, Ba Le Well is the most well known because it was once considered key to the town's signature cao lau noodle. Thought to have been built in the 10th century by the Cham people, an entire mythology has blossomed around the well, with fanciful stories of mystical connections and ... Read more about The Ba Le Well .
Van Duc, one of the largest pagodas in Hoi An, is home to monks who are sometimes happy to give you a quick tour of the pagoda and its grounds. When we visited in May 2016, a large, slick main temple hall was under construction and though built with wood in a traditional style, we wonder if some of the original crumbly charm of this pagoda has been lost. The best time to visit is in the ... Read more about Van Duc Pagoda .
Originally founded in 1454 by Minh Hai, a Chinese Buddhist Monk, this makes Chuc Thanh Pagoda Hoi An’s oldest temple. If there is one temple to visit in Hoi An, this is it. The beautiful ancient gateway is still standing, and seeing this alone is worth the journey to the outskirts of the town centre. ... Read more about Chuc Thanh Pagoda .
Phuoc Lam is a beautiful and elaborate temple with many different renderings of the Buddha, including a gold-covered Buddha as a boy. This is a working temple and is home to a large group of ... Read more about Phuoc Lam Pagoda .
Hoi An has become synonymous with tailoring and it seems every other shop in the UNESCO old town is devoted to selling you new custom duds. The tailoring process can be overwhelming. Where does one begin? Here’s our guide to tailoring in Hoi ... Read more about Tailoring .
Visitors: load up on dong, as there are plenty of things that will catch your eyes when it comes to shopping in Hoi An. How can you resist a conical hat or a tailored shiny zoot suit? Hoi An has everything you never knew you ... Read more about Shopping .
Offering both cultural activities and great beaches, Hoi An is a deservedly popular choice for family vacations. There’s plenty to keep everyone busy, fed and ... Read more about Hoi An for families .
Food tours are a way to explore Hoi An through the lens of all things delicious. Here are some of the ... Read more about Food tours .
If you limit yourself to Hoi An’s historic town and the beach, you’re missing out. The town’s Thu Bon River has a vast network of islands and islets perfect for two-wheel exploration. Until recently, Cam Kim Island was only connected to the mainland by ferry. But a new bridge makes it even easier to explore. Cycle down quiet roads, past lush paddies and waterways fringed with water coconut ... Read more about Cam Kim and other islands .
Hoi An provides ample opportunities to get out onto the water, be it fresh or of the salt variety. Enjoying some of the town’s many river ways is a must – hire a boat, go for a paddle or take a tour that incorporates the life aquatic. ... Read more about Boat trips .
Many daytrip destinations from Hoi An can be done with a run-of-the-mill guided tour that tick off a laundry list of tourist sights. For an independent adventure that is cheap, filled with local colour (and flavours) and remains relatively unexplored, check out the area around Lang ... Read more about Lang Co .
Quang Nam's efforts to market My Son sanctuary 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 vast well-preserved city on par with the incomparable Angkor Wat will be disappointed. However, as the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom, it is one of the most significant Cham sites in ... Read more about My Son .
With almost 1,000 miles of remote backwater paths and trails, paddy, narrow mountain passes, isolated hill tribes and dense jungle, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh Trail is one of the most rewarding and directionally challenging rides in the country. Unless you have a penchant for getting lost somewhere near the Lao border or breaking down on the outskirts of heavily guarded forestry land sites you’ll ... Read more about The Ho Chi Minh Trail with Hoi An Motorbike Adventures .
Eight nautical miles off the coast of Hoi An, a cluster of eight islands known as Cham Island, or Cu Lao Cham, offers travellers a little getaway. The main island Hon Lao, the largest and the only one inhabited, is less than two hours' away by public boat – or a harrowing zip across by speed boat. It boasts beaches, diving, snorkelling, seafood and one very scenic drive. If you’re impressed ... Read more about Cham Island .
Hoi An offers several styles of yoga classes, from the relaxed to Eka Hasta Vrksasana. Here’s a round up of what’s available. With the longstanding Hoi An Yoga now closed, Nomad Yoga is currently Hoi An’s go-to studio. They offer Ashtanga, hatha, gentle classes as well as kids' yoga and meditation. A single drop-in class is 130,000 dong. Check their website for up-to-date pricing and the ... Read more about Yoga .
If you happen to be in Hoi An on the 14th day of any lunar month, you'll be treated to central Vietnam's version of a full moon ... Read more about Full moon lantern festival .
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the harvest or children’s festival, takes place on the 14th and 15th day of the eighth lunar month, usually falling in September. Marking the end of the final rice harvest of the year, this centuries-old festival is a chance for families to celebrate a good yield, spend time with their children, chase away bad spirits and honour the moon. If we were to ... Read more about Mid-Autumn Festival .
What gives papaya salad that zing? Where is the best cao lau in town? How do you order Vietnamese coffee like a local? If these are the kinds of burning questions you have (or you just love to eat), Hoi An is a mecca for cooking classes and food tours – and just like banh mi stalls, there are plenty to choose ... Read more about Cooking classes .
If you're out exploring Hoi An under your own steam, Thanh Ha pottery village is a decent stop, especially since it's on the way to My Son. ... Read more about Thanh Ha Pottery Village .
Ong Vang is headed up by a few good men who have worked as tour leaders for some of the big gun tour groups in Southeast Asia. These guides were struck by the severe poverty of a number of Hoi An residents, void of any sustainable means or support to survive. Over a period of time the guides formed Ong Vang, encouraging local kids to get involved visiting families in their area in the hope of ... Read more about Ong Vang .
The Lifestart Foundation is one of few charities based in Hoi An working with people suffering disabilities due to the lingering, horrific effects of dioxins used around this area during the American ... Read more about Lifestart Foundation, Hoi An .
One child drowns every 45 seconds in Asia. For Vietnam, the estimated daily death rate sits anywhere between 10 and 32 children a day, making drowning one of the leading causes of death for children under the age of 10; for the under fives, almost 90 percent of drownings take place within 100 metres of their ... Read more about Swim Vietnam .
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