Best 25 Things To Do In Hoi An, Vietnam - The Best Travel Guide

Hoi An is located in the Thu Bon River, Quang Nam Province is a famous tourist city with the common name "Hoi An Ancient Town". Coming to Hoi An, tourists are immersed in traditional culture  with ancient villages, traditional architectural styles as well as simple but unique local cuisine. 

If you’re still wondering about what is worth doing in this place or confused because of fragmented pieces of  informations, this is what you need. 

To help you have the best and unforgettable experiences in the ancient town, this article will suggest you the best things to do when visiting Hoi An. So let’s start the journey to Hoi An with us!

1.  Walking along the streets of Hoi An

When it comes to the old town, the best thing is to walk around the streets, look at old houses with old tile roof, enjoy a glass of “Mot” water, a special herbal tea of Hoi An. You can walkaround many famous places located on the main streets in Hoi An Ancient Town like Tran Phu street  Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, Bach Dang Road along Hoai River, Cantonese Assembly, …

All about Hoi An, Vietnam: Click here

2. Explore Hoi An by bike

Biking around the old quarter is such an exciting experience when you come here. In the early morning and late afternoon, when the weather is nice, it is a good time to rent a bike with only about VND 40,000, then go around the streets, alleys, drive along Hoai River or the green paddy rice fields, and then Cua Dai beach (5 km from the old town).

Some bike rental stores in Hoi An:

3. Visit ancient houses in Hoi An

The ancient houses are a priceless heritage that Hoi An saved from the war, urbanization and the destruction of nature. Every year, Hoi An has serious floods, but the old houses  remain intact as original, both in architecture and the soul. The most well known one is Tan Ky ancient house, the first house to be recognized as a national monument in Hoi An. Besides Tan Ky, Phung Hung Quan Thang bearing bold Chinese architecture, was  built by Chinese traders to commemorate their homeland.

4. Enjoy the cafe on the street

At any time of day, from early morning to evening, sitting at café on the street of Hoi An is always great. Each café has its own design style - elegant and unique. If you want to admire  Hoai River, you can choose some coffee shops on Bach Dang Street. Or if you want to see the line of travelers on the busy street, sit at some café on Tran Phu street or the corner of Nguyen Thai Hoc street.

Some unique and famous café in Hoi An you may want to visit:

Xoong Garden Juices & Fruits: 83 Nguyen Phuc Chu street

Le Fê cafétéria: 69/3 Phan Chu Trinh street.

Rosie’s cafe: 8/6 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street.

Chu Chu cafe: 74 Tran Phu street. 

Hoi An Rostery: 135 Tran Phu street. 

The Chef: 166 Tran Phu street.

5. Get a quick tailor-made clothing

Hoi An has many things to attract domestic and foreign tourists, one of which is the quick pants and clothes making. Forbes has praised Hoi An for having unique professional clothes-making service. After about 4 hours, you can get the item you ordered. Hoi An's fashion style is very unique, trendy and prices range from $15 - $100.

Here are some famous garment shops in Hoi An: 

• Thu Thuy: 60 Le Loi street.
• Yaly: 358 Nguyen Duy Hieu street.
• A Dong silk: 40 Le Loi street street.
• Bao Khanh: 101 Tran Hung Dao street street.

6. Buy shoes in Hoi An

Like clothes, there are a lot of local shoe shops in Hoi An. You can also get the skillful local shoemakers to make your own shoes. With $15 to $75 can you have a good pair of shoes. Additionally, some shoe shops provide you with custom-made shoe services, which means you can order a pair of shoes with your own favorite design. 

Some popular shoe shops recommended: 

• Friendly shoe shop: 18 Tran Phu street.
• Linh shoe shop: 12 Tran Phu street.
• An Nam shoe shop: 647 Nhi Trung street.
• 09 shoe shop: 65 Tran Hung Dao street.

7. Play traditional games on the street

A very funny experience in Hoi An is to participating in traditional games. In the evening, when you go for a walk and need a break, you can stop at Nguyen Thai Hoc street or Kazik Park to enjoy yourself in the fun and exciting atmosphere of traditional games with the locals.

8. Try scuba diving in Cu Lao Cham

Cu Lao Cham Island is about 15 km away from the ancient town, which is one of the places not to miss when coming to Hoi An. Tourism services in Cu Lao Cham have not developed yet but for that reason Cu Lao Cham still retains its wildness. Coming to Cu Lao Cham, you can experience snorkeling, coral reefs, fire camps, homestay sleeps and enjoy fresh seafood - delicious and cheap.

9. Join a cooking class

When coming to Hoi An, besides visiting the old town and famous places, exploring the local cuisine is also an interesting experience. Especially, visitors can take part in the cooking class to prepare their own special dishes under the guidance of professional chefs in Hoi An.

This is a typical tourist product, a tourist attraction of Hoi An. Hoi An's cooking class is ranked as one of the 10 "Most Exciting Travel Experiences in the World". This gives visitors authentic experiences, helping them not only enjoy the fresh taste, characteristic of Quang Nam cuisine but also truly live in the rhythm of life, the indigenous people and learn the unique culture, sophistication.

10. Release candlelit paper flowers

In the evening, besides just watching the lively scenes of the streets, you can immerse yourself in the decoration for the light party on the river. An interesting experience that many tourists like to do is to release the candlelit paper flowers on the Hoai River. It is your hand that will drop the tiny lights sparkling into the river, hoping the lights will bring good luck to family and relatives. Besides the lantern, this  paper flowers also became a feature of Hoi An tourism.

11. Visit some famous beaches in Hoi An

Hoi An is famous for beautiful beaches with white sand, and clear water. Cua Dai beach with white sand stretches and clear seawater or An Bang beach is suitable for those seeking freedom, quiet space. You can drop your soul at a beach, sunbathing, reading, enjoying a glass of wine, or drinking some cold beer, which is a very unique experience in Hoi An town.

12. Take a cyclo to see the old town

If you don’t want to walk or cycle, you should choose cyclo as a means of transportation to explore the ancient town Hoi An. Cyclo has become a famous "brand", which is well known to many visitors not to be forgotten as elsewhere. This will be a pretty enjoyable experience for you.

13. Visit Hoi An night market

With more than 40 stalls, stretching on the street about 300 meters long, Hoi An Night Market is a place where tourists enjoy shopping, with all kinds of goods, from traditional lanterns to pottery, cloth, silk ... and also the local dishes of Hoi An such as Cao Lau, Mi Quang, …

14. Take some photos of the Old Quarter

Hoi An has many beautiful and ancient corners for you to capture some perfect photos to keep memories of  this ancient town. You can choose the ancient roof tiles or famous landmarks such as walls in Hoang Van Thu street, Japanese bridge, An Hoi bridge ... to make a photo.

15. Have a boat trip on Hoai river

If you come to Hoi An but you do not have a boat trip along the Hoai River and drop the paper flower is such a pity. Rent a small boat along the river, and release candlelit paper flowers look like small sparkling lights, hoping them to bring good luck to family and relatives.

16. Visit Sa Huynh Museum

You will understand more about the culture and history of Hoi An ancient town when visiting the Sa Huynh Culture Museum Hoi An located at 149 Tran Phu. This is the most unique and rich collection in Vietnam, with over 1,000 artifacts related to the ancient inhabitants of Sa Huynh culture dating back 2,000 years.

17. Enjoy simple local drinks on the street

No need to go to the café, you can sit on the sidewalk, enjoy a cup of cool soy milk or a cup of lotus tea. You can change a different drink to enjoy all kinds of beverages in Hoi An. Sweet green beans, corn or red beans soup are really delicious. Or you can try a bowl of tofu with coconut milk.  Slowly enjoy these local specialties and watch the crowd on the street to see life is so lovely and gentle in Hoi An.

18. Enjoy local cuisine

Mrs. Buoi’s or Mrs. Minh’s chicken rice on Phan Chu Trinh street, Quang noodle in Hoi An market, Bun Cha on the sidewalk near Japanese Covered Bridge, white rose, Cao Lau ... are famous dishes can not be ignored when mentioning about Hoi An cuisine. In addition to these familiar dishes, tourists can enjoy roasted duck or grilled calves.

Read more: Hoi An Restaurant - Best 25 Restaurants and Eateries

19. Admire the sunset at Thu Bon river

Have you ever followed the little boats on the river to visit the lovely villages around Hoi An? Give it a try! Just jump on any of the boats on the river in the day to reach the villages beyond the river. Carry your bike to get around, and remember to take a moment to soak up the dazzling sunset. 

20. Buy lanterns in Hoi An

You can see silk lanterns everywhere in Hoi An. They are considered to be a legacy of Hoi An as a Chinese and Japanese trading port from the 15th to the 19th centuries. And according to the locals, hanging  them in front of their homes will bring their family health, happiness and good luck. It is also the most common souvenir in Hoi An. Picking up some small colorful lanterns for friends, relatives or hanging in the house, is also an interesting way to remember about the Old Town.

21. Visit old villages 

It can be said that traditional villages in Hoi An are a very important and indispensable part of Hoi An's cultural heritage treasure. They are considered as the crystallization of the creative labor force in Hoi An... According to statistics, at present in Hoi An  about 12 villages producing traditional items such as carpentry, pottery arts, vegetables, medicine, lantern.... to serve life as well as trade exchange.... Today with the development, some famous villages in Hoi An have been involved in tourism development of Hoi An, especially including Thanh Ha pottery village, Tra Que vegetable village,... All will give you unique and rustic experience.

22. Visit Ba Le well - the oldest well in Hoi An

Ba Le well is not only a water source of Hoi An families but also for hundreds of other households, ranging from street vendors to luxury restaurants. The specialties of Hoi An such as Cao Lau, Mi Quang, ... can not be tasty, if using water from other wells.

Well, water is also used to serve tourists. Many people in Hoi An want to drink water from this well. For that reason, a family in Nguyen Thai Hoc Street has made the entrance to the well equipped with a well water jar with the words "well water for visitors". This "specialty" attracts many visitors, especially international visitors to enjoy.

23. Drink beer

After visiting the old houses, ancient bridge, visitors can come to the river and choose one of the sidewalk pavilions arranged  plastic table and then order a glass of beer. Enjoy the cool beer, sip aromatic roasted peanuts, tourists can leisurely watch the boat and candlelit flowers glittering on the Hoai River.

24. Enjoy exciting performances in Lune Performing Center

Now, tourists visiting Hoi An is not only attracted by the colorful lanterns and candlel it flowers glittering, but also by the breathtaking plays about Teh Dar mountain. Audiences will enjoy an emotional evening, with the village life of the Central Highlands re-emerging on the contemporary stage.

25. Cotic - A lovely and unique spot of Hoi An

The Cotic Art Space Café and Gallery is a lovely art and crafts exhibit house featuring a variety of unique and unique paintings, figurines, silverware, pottery, and clothing all made by local artists. This is a suitable place for you to learn more about Hoi An culture.

The above are the 25 best things to do in Hoi An, Vietnam, which will give you unforgettable experiences when traveling to Hoi An. It is a wonderful town awaiting your exploration. We hope that you will have a memorable trip to Hoi An -a unique ancient town in Vietnam.