EmThere are so many amazing things to do in Hoi An, one of my favourite cities in the whole world. I’ve been twice – once in 2010 and again in 2024, and both times I’ve loved it.
While much of Vietnam has changed immensely during that period, Hoi An has a timeless feel to it. I cannot recommend a trip to this vibrant city highly enough, and I’ve laid out my favourite things to do in Hoi An below!
If you’re looking for a detailed guide on how to get to Hoi An, where to stay and how long you should spend in this amazing town, check out my guide Hoi An, Vietnam: Everything you need to know before you go.
The best things to do in Hoi An
Enjoy Hoi An at night
More than anywhere else I’ve been, Hoi An feels like a nighttime town. The city comes alive at night, with the traditional, local-made lanterns lighting the streets. Just walking around feels magical, and that’s before you even get to the river.
One of the best things to do in Hoi An is visit the night market on An Hoi island for a busy, bustling shopping experience. This starts up around 5pm and there are stalls selling all sorts of things. The riverfront at An Hoi is also full of bars – it’s a great place to stop and have a drink. There’s even a Mr Bean themed bar, if you’re a fan of the man and his bear.
You can also visit Hoi An’s delicious restaurants, many of which have outside seating. There are also quieter bars in the main town if the bustle of An Hoi is too much for you. I really enjoyed The Son Bistro, which has craft beers and a happy hour, and is highly rated for food.
Take a lantern boat ride, one of the most popular things to do in Hoi An
One of the most famous things to do in Hoi An is to take a lantern boat ride, and it’s worth the hype! Hoi An is famous for beautiful, ornate paper lanterns. As twilight approaches, boats all along the river will start to light their lanterns. The river takes on a magical glow, as hundreds of boats cluster near the banks. You’ll also find locals selling small paper lanterns with candles inside. s you relax on your boat ride down the river, you can set your lantern free while making a wish.
The best way to take a lantern boat is to use one of the official sellers. These have a set price and time, and are the best way to avoid being ripped off. They can be found at the end of the bridge across to An Hoi, opposite where the night market starts. When I visited in 2024, a boat ride cost 150k VND for 1-3 people and 200k VND for 4-5 people. This doesn’t include the cost of a paper lantern to set free – these cost around $1.
The official boat ride takes you from the bridge to An Hoi down to the bridge to Cam Nam and back. It’s a slow ride – the river is crowded! It was extremely busy when I went at around 6pm, as it was getting dark. If you want a less crowded experience, consider going later.
As you walk through Hoi An at night, there will be many people approaching you for boat rides. These are not official boats and are likely to cost more.
Japanese bridge and other cultural highlights
One of the most famous sites in Hoi An is the iconic Japanese bridge. Built in the 17th century with the support of Japanese businessmen, this bridge is a must-see in Hoi An and is even on Vietnamese banknotes.
To visit/cross the Japanese bridge, you’ll need to buy a ticket to Hoi An’s cultural attractions. Known as a Hoi An Ancient Town ticket, this gives you access to a number of sites across the city. and costs 120k VND ($5). There is a ticket stall on one side of the bridge, as well as at a number of other spots around the town.
You can also see the Japanese bridge from the riverfront for free, which gives you a chance to take beautiful pictures. However, not being able to cross it can be inconvenient.
Among other sites included in the ticket are a number of temples, which are beautiful to wander into as you walk around. My favourite things to do on the ticket are the ancient/old houses. These are traditional family homes which have been set up to reflect their past. and give a fascinating insight into life in Hoi An in the past. Some also have measures showing the height floods have reached at different points in Hoi An’s history. This shows the mindblowing impact that flooding has on the town.
The Ancient Town ticket offers you access to a set number of sites in different categories. I found it difficult to keep track of which categories I’d visited – it‘s worth taking a pen to tick them off as you go. This site has a comprehensive guide on what you can visit with your ticket.
Visit Reaching Out Tea House, one of the most peaceful things to do in Hoi An
Just by the Japanese Bridge is the beautiful and peaceful Reaching Out Tea House. Founded in 2021, Reaching Out Tea House is staffed by people with physical impairments, including people who are deaf. The tea house cultivates an atmosphere of quiet and tranquility, using order forms instead of verbal orders and encouraging guests to whisper.
It’s a chance to support an important social enterprise, while at the same time enjoying truly delicious coffees and teas. They offer tasting sets of both tea and coffee as well as a range of homemade biscuits. Drinks are presented beautifully. If you’re lucky, you’ll grab a spot in one of the windows overlooking the street – it felt like being in a fairytale.
Tailoring
Full disclosure, I haven’t had anything tailored on either of my trips to Hoi An. But no guide to the city would be complete without mentioning the opportunity to get yourself some beautiful tailored clothes.
Hoi An is famous for tailoring, and shops are available throughout the city and particularly in the main market. If this is your thing, take the time to browse the different shops to find the perfect outfit for you. You then return the next day (usually) for your final fitting.
Many are active on Tiktok or TripAdvisor. It’s worth noting that it’s common in Vietnam to ask customers to complete a review while staff are present. This means that reviews can be skewed positive as people don’t want to be impolite.
Coconut boat, one of the most Instagrammable things to do in Hoi An
One of the most famous things to do in Hoi An, driven by social media, is to take a coconut boat along the river. When I last visited Hoi An in 2010, this didn’t even exist, but today it’s immensely popular.
There are a number of places that you can go to hire a coconut boat. The and the ride lasts about one hour. Your rower be paddled down the main part of the river in a brightly painted round boat, usually by a female rower. You’ll turn into a smaller, quieter part of the river to row through nature, with the opportunity to fish for crabs along the way. Your rower will also likely make you some crafts using bamboo stripped from the nearby trees.
My hotel directed me to Phat Loc Eco Cooking. They offer boat rides, and the option to combine cooking classes and other activities. They were super friendly, spoke great English, and included a drink and cookies as part of the experience.
When I arrived, I was offered the chance of the peaceful/natural route or the more touristy route. I chose the peaceful route, and saw very few other boats/people, which made the boat a beautiful experience. If you choose the more touristy route, you can expect boats with loud speakers, lots of groups, and the option to do the famous spinning.
One thing to note is that tipping is a ubiquitous part of the experience for coconut boats. My rower demanded a tip as I was leaving, and I have heard that this is the norm across boat companies.
Looking for practical details on how to get to Hoi An, or where to stay? Check out my guide Hoi An, Vietnam: Everything you need to know before you go
Day trips from Hoi An
One of the other amazing things to do in Hoi An is leave Hoi An. There are many day trips from Hoi An if you want to see more of the country around the city. I took two, though there are some others available, which I’ve detailed in the Honourable Mentions section below.
You can combine My Son and the Marble Mountains in a one day tour if you are short on time. However, this would be pretty exhausting and I opted to do two separate half day tours.
Visit My Son, one of the most historic things to do in Hoi An
From Hoi An, you can visit the important archeological site at My Son. It’s about 1 hour drive from the city, and there are multiple tour operators offering tours.
My Son features a number of partially ruined Hindu temples. The Champa Kingdom built them between the 4th and 13th centuries. I found the site fascinating – the Champa people were driven out of this part of Vietnam after the 13th century and only exist today in small communities across south east Asia. The architecture is distinct from other cultures in Vietnam, and even today historians and archaeologists have been unable to reproduce the techniques used to build the structures.
As part of the trip, you’ll see areas of the site that have been restored with support from Unesco and various countries. You’ll also see the destruction wrought upon the site as part of the Vietnam war, with bomb craters still evident across the site. Finally, you’ll get to take in a traditional Champa dance show.
I would highly recommend visiting My Son with a guide, as this will really help to bring the site to life. I used this tour on Get Your Guide and our guide was knowledgeable and helpful. There are also early morning options available – the site gets both busy and extremely hot during the day, so it’s worth considering this if you’re a morning person.
Visit the Marble Mountains
Another popular day trip from Hoi An is visting the Marble Mountains, near Da Nang. These stunning mountains rear up from the otherwise flat landscape around Da Nang. They are about 1 hour drive from Hoi An, and can be visited as part of an organised tour as well as independently e.g. by motorbike.
Day trips offer the opportunity to first visit the Lady Buddha statue at Monkey Mountain. She is 67 metres tall, and was built between 2004-2010. She is beloved by locals, who attribute a number of miracles to her influence. This incredible statue is a truly beautiful site, and the temple grounds also offer stunning views of the Da Nang coast.
After visiting the Lady Buddha, you are taken to a marble workshop. While this is essentially just a shopping stop, it was incredible to see the level of skill that goes into the carving.
Finally, you arrive at the Marble Mountains. You’ll first descend into Hell, a dark and humid cave system featuring a number of depictions of what you can expect to endure if you end up in hell.
Afterwards, you can either climb or take the lift up to Heaven (I recommend the lift, as there are further steps once you get to the top). There are a number of temples at the top of the mountain, including a stunning sunlit cave and a pagoda at the highest point of the mountain.
Honourable mentions:
There are lots of other things to do in Hoi An that I didn’t get a chance to do! I’ve listed a few below.
Bana Hills
This is another famous day trip from Hoi An, primarily known for the enormously Instagrammable two hands bridge. I chose not to do this trip as it felt too touristy for me (it’s part of a giant theme park), but it’s enormously popular and worth considering while you’re in Hoi An.
Beach trip
Both Hoi An and nearby Da Nang have beautiful beaches. The beaches at Hoi An are close to the city, and offer a chance to get away from the bustle of the town for a few hours. The beaches at Da Nang are very developed, with lots of large resorts and beach bars.
Lantern making class
Many of the shops in Hoi An offer the opportunity to make your own beautiful lantern, which you can then flat pack to take home. These classes always looked great as I passed them and I seriously considered doing on – I just didn’t have space in my backpack for even a flatpack lantern.
You can find lantern making classes on Get Your Guide or Viator, or ask your hotel. There are also many advertised as you walk around Hoi An.
Looking for practical details on how to get to Hoi An, or where to stay? Check out my guide Hoi An, Vietnam: Everything you need to know before you go
