Why come here
Hoi An was a Japanese, Chinese and Dutch trading port that stopped being useful when its river silted up, which is why the sixteenth-century town survived. It is beautiful and it is busy — between ten in the morning and six in the evening the old town is very full.
The way to enjoy it is to invert the day: old town early and after dark, countryside in between. The fields, the herb villages, the basket-boat fishermen and the beach are all within a short bicycle ride, and almost nobody makes the trip.
What to do
- The ancient town at 6am and again after the lanterns come on
- The Japanese covered bridge, the assembly halls and the old merchant houses
- Tra Que herb village and a cooking class that starts at the market
- Basket boats through the water coconut palms at Cam Thanh
- Round-net fishing with the fishermen who still do it for a living
- Thanh Ha ceramic village and its five-hundred-year-old pottery
- An Bang beach, fifteen minutes away by bicycle
- Tailors — three days is the minimum for anything worth taking home
When to go
February to August is dry and warm, with the sea calmest from April onwards. October and November are the flood months — the old town has been under water more than once and low-lying lanes become impassable. December and January are cooler with some rain.
Our trips that go here
Plan a trip here
Tell us your dates and we will build Hoi An into a route that works with the rest of your trip.