Hoi An Travel Guide

Located in the Center of Vietnam, Hoi An is considered as a must-see destination in all Vietnam holidays from classic Vietnam tours to luxury holidays, from family trips to honeymoon vacations. So the reasons why Hoi An is so attractive, the best time to visit, the ways to get there, what to see, what to do and where to stay in Hoi An? Let’s explore fully the beauty of Hoi An with Holidaytoindochina!

Hoi An Ancient Town

1. General information of Hoi An

First of all, before visiting this lovely town, you should have some general information of Hoi An like location, history, weather, etc.

History: Hoi An has more than 2,000 years history, and had been influenced by the culture of both China and Japan. The evidence is that there are a lot of ancient houses built based on both Chinese style and Japanese style that you still can see today.

Location: Hoi An locates in the Center of Vietnam, between Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi. Hoi An is also near Danang and Hue, just far about 40km from Danang and 130km from Hue. This city has a long coastline with many beautiful beaches, especially Cua Dai beach. It’s very easy to check the location of Hoi An on the internet if you care.

Hoi An was well-known abroad since Hoi An Ancient Town was recognized as the heritage site by UNESCO in 1999.

2. The best time to visit Hoi An

You can visit Hoi An all time of the year but the best time to visit Hoi An is from February to April every year. In summer, from May to July, it’s very hot with high temperature. In rainy season, from October to November, Hoi An rains heavily all day. It’s not suitable for outdoor activities like biking, farming, swimming and taking boat trip.

If you are lucky to arrive at Hoi An on the 14th day of a lunar month, Hoi An will be much more charming with its Full Moon Festival and “Old Street Night” exclusively available on that day. So, don’t forget to check the weather and the lunar calendar before you go.

3. How to get Hoi An?

There are many ways to get Hoi An: by plane, by train, by car, and by motorbike.

By flight:

It’s very easy to get Hoi An by plane because Hoi An is very near the Danang International Airport, just far about 30km. This airport can connect to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Hue with Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar and VietJet Air and some international flights from Bangkok, Siem Reap, Hong Kong, Singapore, and charter flights from China. You can check the flight ticket online on the internet or with the ticket agency. To get a cheap ticket, you should book soon – 3 months to 6 months before you go.

By train

Hoi An has not the railway station but you still can easily get Hoi An by train from Danang. From Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh, it takes about 14 to 20 hours to get Danang railway station by train, then take about 40 minutes to get Hoi An from Danang by taxi or bus. The price of train ticket is about 400,000 VND to 1,200,000 VND depending on the type of train and seat.

Da Nang Railway Station: 202 Hai Phong, Tan Chinh Ward, Thanh Khe District, Danang city, Phone: (+84) 511 375-0666.

By Bus:

Traveling to Hoi An by bus is a cheaper way: about 400,000 – 500,000 NVD/ ticket/way. Lists of Buses: Hoang Long, Hlink, Mai Linh, Thuan Thao, duration: about 18 to 20 hours. This way is cheaper but also has more risk. So we recommend you should travel to Hoi An by flight or train. By train, you also can take a bus easily from Danang railway station to get Hoi An: Bus no 1 with the cost of 20,000 VND/Ticket. The whole trip takes about 40-50 min. If you come from Da Nang airport, the closest bus stop of the same route to Hoi An is at the roundabout where the streets Nguyen Tri Phuong and Dien Bien Phu meet (about 15 min walk, since you can walk along the lake). It’s very easy to check on the internet by Google Map.

By motorbike:

If you are staying in Danang or Hue or Quang Binh, you can choose motorbike to get Hoi An. This is a beautiful way with many attractions to visit on the way to Hoi An: From Danang – Hoi An: you can visit Marble Mountains, From Hue or Quang Binh, you can visit Lap An Lagoon, Lang Co Beach, Hai Van Pass, Cham Museum.

What to see and do in Hoi An?

4. What to see and do in Hoi An?

4.1. Hoi An Ancient Town

First of all, if you have a chance to visit Hoi An, Hoi An Ancient Town is definitely the first place that you should check-in. Many tourists choose to stay at the ancient town instead of staying at the resorts that are near the beach. You can also see many other attractions in Hoi An like Japanese Covered Bridge's Pagoda, Cantonese Assembly Hall, Hokien (Fujian) Meeting Hall, Chinese All-Community Meeting Hall, Museum of Sa Huynh Culture, Tan Ky House, Phung Hung House, etc.

Things to do in Hoi An Ancient Town: you should walk or bike around the town, you will feel the peaceful and slow life of the local people here, watch the beauty of many ancient houses with yellow color everywhere, take a small bamboo boat along Hoai river, and try some street food in Hoi An. And if you are a shopping-lover, Hoi An is definitely a paradise. Or simply, just sit down a local restaurant and enjoy a cup of hot coffee. At night, you can visit the night market with many lanterns, very beautiful.

4.2. My Son Sanctuary

If you want to study the history of Vietnam, you can consider visiting My Son Sanctuary – the ancient capital of Cham people in the past. It is far about 30km from Hoi An and 60km from Danang. After visiting the ruins of My Son, you will be enjoyed the Cham’s music show, especially Apsara Dance.

4.3. Cua Dai Beach

Cua Dai Beach is a great place for swimming in Hoi An. The beach stretches 3km with fine white powdery sands, clear water and many huts and bungalows along the beach. There are also a lot of delicious seafood restaurants located around the coast so it’s worth staying for dinner and enjoying fresh seafood served up from the vendors lining the beachfront. Besides, there are a lot of hotels and resorts from 3 to 5 stars along the beach, suitable for all tourists. Beside Cua Dai Beach, An Bang Beach is also considered as a beautiful beach in Hoi An.

4.4. Cu Lao Cham Island

Be recognized by UNESCO as the World Biosphere Reserve, Cu Lao Cham Island is definitely a great place for you to explore in Hoi An . From Cua Dai Beach, it takes about 30 minutes to arrive at Cham Island by express boat, although the tourists may choose 45-minute-boat instead. Cham Island is still an untouched island for adventurers. Come to Cham Island, you will have an opportunity to swim on crystal-clear beaches, to sunbath on long-stretching white-sandy, and take part in many interesting activities like water skiing, paragliding, kayaking, kite flying, boat racing and scuba diving. The local people in Cham Island are also well-known for their simple lifestyle and they are very hospitable.

4.5. Tra Que Herb Village

If you want to become a real Vietnamese farmer, you should experience it in Tra Que Herb Village - a small village far about 3km from Hoi An Ancient Town. Thanks to the good condition of rich soil and water, the village has long been known for growing many kinds of vegetables such us lettuce, salad, flagrant knoutwed, basil and coriander vegetables etc. Visiting Tra Que Village, you will have an opportunity to rank the ground, to sow, to water, to pick vegetables and many other activities like a local farmer, which are rarely seen in modern daily life.

If you have more time, you can visit Kim Bong Carpentry village (opposite Hoi An Old Town) or Thanh Ha Pottery Village.

Where to stay in Hoi An?

5. Where to stay in Hoi An?

Hoi An is a beautiful destination for both domestic and foreign tourists, so you have many choices of hotels from budget to luxury. However, there are 2 different options to stay in Hoi An. Someone prefers staying at Hoi An Ancient town because they love shopping, watching the lantern at night, enjoying the peaceful moments of the old town. The others want to stay at hotels or resorts that are near the beach (Cua Dai Beach). But the hotels located near the beach are usually more expensive than the hotels in the old town. So please check the location of your hotel before you visit this beautiful city.

These are top best hotels in Hoi An which we often arrange for our clients. You can contact with us at email info@holidaytoindochina.com to get a cheaper price than the public price in their website.

Best 3 star hotels in Hoi An:

Vinh Hung Emerald Resort: Address: 127 Ngo Quyen Street, An Hoi, Minh An, Hoi An city, Quang Nam. Tel: (84) 510 3934 999. Website: http://www.vinhhungemeraldresort.com/
Phu Thinh Botique Resort and Spa: Add: 488 Cua Dai St. - Cam Chau - Hoi An. Tel: (84) 5103 923 923. Website: http://phuthinhhotel.com/
Essence Hoi An Hotel. Address: 132 Hung Vuong Street, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province. Tel: (84) 510 3915 915. Website: http://www.hoianessencehotel.com/
Little Hoi An Boutique Hotel & Spa: 02 Thoai Ngoc Hau, Song Hoai Square, Cam Pho Ward, Hoian Town, Quang Nam Province – Vietnam. Tel: +84.510 386 9999. Website: http://littlehoian.com/
Muca Hoi An Boutique Resort & Spa. Address: Cua Dai St., 115-117 Alley, 6 Hamlet, Cam Thanh Commune, Hoi An City, Quang Nam Provine, Viet Nam. Tel: (84) 510 3930 222. Website: http://www.mucahoian.com/

Best 4 star hotels in Hoi An:

Boutique Hoi An Resort: Address: Group 6, Block Tan Thinh, Ward Cam An, Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. Tel: +84 510 393 9111. Website: http://www.boutiquehoianresort.com/
Hoi An Beach Resort: Add: 01 Cua Dai St., Hoi An City, Quang Nam – Vietnam. Tel: (+84.510) 392 7011. Email: reservation@hoianbeachresort.com.vn. Website: www.hoianbeachresort.com.vn
Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort and Spa. Address: Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An Town, Quang Nam. Phone: (84) 510 3927 040. Website: https://www.victoriahotels.asia/en/overview
Hoi An Historic Hotel: Add: 10 Tran Hung Dao St., Hoi An City, Quang Nam – Vietnam. Tel: (+84.510) 386 1445. Website: www.hoianhotel.com.vn
La Residencia Hotel and Spa: 35 Dao Duy Tu Street, Song Hoai Square, Hoian Town, Quang Nam Province – Vietnam. Tel: (84).510.3929 222. Website: http://www.laresidenciahotel.com/
Vinh Hung Riverside Resort: 111 Ngo Quyen street, Hoi An, Quang Nam http://www.vinhhungresort.com/
Sunrise Hoi An Resort. Address: Cua Dai Beach, Au Co, Hoi An. Tel (84) 510 3937 777. Website: http://sunrisehoian.vn/

Best 5 star hotels in Hoi An:

Palm Garden Resort: Address: Lac Long Quan St., Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An, Quang Nam, Vietnam. Tel: (84.510) 3.927.927 or (84.510) 3.927.928 . Email: info@pgr.com.vn. Website http://palmgardenresort.com.vn/
The Nam Hai Resort: Address: Dong Ha My Block B, Dien Duong Ward, Quang Nam. Tel: (84) 510 3940 000 Website: http://www.ghmhotels.com/en/nam-hai/