What are the best things to see in Hoi An?
The essential first-timer list pairs the Old Town's heritage houses and assembly halls with a lantern night on the river, a beach or coconut-forest morning, and a half-day at the My Son ruins. One clarification first, because it confuses everyone: the Hoi An Ancient Town heritage ticket costs 120,000 VND, admits you to five of 22 listed sites (you choose which), and is valid for 24 hours. It is entirely separate from My Son, which charges its own fee.
Here is the Top 5.
The Japanese Covered Bridge (Chua Cau) is the 400-year-old icon on the town's banknote, a roofed wooden bridge with a small temple built into it. It reopened in August 2024 after a careful two-year restoration. The interior uses one heritage-ticket punch; the exterior on Tran Phu Street is free.
Fujian Assembly Hall (Phuc Kien) is the grandest of the Chinese community halls, a richly decorated temple to the sea goddess Thien Hau with a vivid gateway and incense coils. One heritage-ticket punch; on Tran Phu Street, open daytime hours.
The Old House of Tan Ky is a beautifully preserved 18th-century merchant's home, still owned by the same family after seven generations, blending Vietnamese, Chinese, and Japanese carpentry. Watermarks on the walls show how high past floods have reached. Practical note: a heritage-ticket site (one of your five punches), just off the riverfront on Nguyen Thai Hoc Street.
The Old Town lantern streets and Hoi An Night Market are the experience most people picture: silk lanterns glowing over the lanes, candle-floats drifting on the river, and a busy night market across the bridge on Nguyen Hoang Street. Practical note: wandering the streets is free; floating a paper lantern from a sampan costs a small fee paid to the boat rower, best from dusk onward, riverfront and An Hoi islet.
An Bang Beach is the relaxed white-sand beach about 5 km from town, lined with easygoing beach bars and far nicer than the eroded Cua Dai stretch. Practical note: free to access, beach loungers come with a drink or a small charge, a 15-minute cycle or short Grab from the Old Town, best in the morning before the crowds and vendors arrive.
Also worth your time:
- My Son Sanctuary, a UNESCO-listed cluster of brick Cham Hindu temples from the 4th to 13th centuries, makes a classic half-day trip about an hour inland. Foreign admission is 150,000 VND (which includes the shuttle buggy and a short traditional dance performance), open daily 6am to 5pm. Go at opening for cool air, soft light, and fewer crowds.
- Tra Que Vegetable Village, a centuries-old organic herb-growing village between town and the beach, is a lovely cycling stop with hands-on farming and cooking experiences.
- The Cam Thanh coconut forest basket boats at Bay Mau, about 10 to 15 minutes from town, are round bamboo coracles paddled through water-coconut palms, touristy but genuinely fun for families.
- The monthly Full Moon Lantern Festival, held on the 14th night of each lunar month (the eve of the full moon), sees the Old Town switch off its electric lights from roughly 6pm to 10pm and glow by silk lantern alone. In 2026 the dates fall on 2 Jan, 1 Feb, 2 Mar, 1 Apr, 30 Apr, 30 May, 28 Jun, 27 Jul, 26 Aug, 24 Sep, 23 Oct, 22 Nov, and 22 Dec.
A note on tailoring, because it is the Hoi An signature: the town is famous for fast, affordable custom-made clothing. Pick a reputable shop with strong recent reviews, allow at least 24 to 48 hours and two or three fittings for a good result (do not leave it to your last day), and bring clear photos of what you want. Trusted, long-established names include Yaly Couture, BeBe Tailor, and A Dong Silk; quality and price vary widely, so the shop you choose matters more than the bargain.
Where should you eat in Hoi An?
The dish to chase in Hoi An is cao lau, a smoky bowl of thick noodles, slices of char siu pork, fresh herbs, and crisp croutons, traditionally made only here with water from a specific local well. Eat that first, then widen out. Seek white rose dumplings (banh bao banh vac), delicate translucent shrimp dumplings unique to the town; com ga Hoi An, turmeric-yellow chicken rice with shredded poached chicken and herbs; and the celebrated local banh mi, a baguette stuffed with pate, pork, and herbs.
For cao lau, Cao Lau Ba Le, tucked in an alley near the museum in the Old Town, is a long-running local favourite where dishes start around 30,000 to 50,000 VND, and it also does excellent white rose and chicken rice. For banh mi, Banh Mi Phuong on Phan Chau Trinh Street is the spot Anthony Bourdain made famous, open roughly 6:30am to 9pm with queues by late morning, so go early. For com ga, the old-guard chicken-rice houses around the central market are the local benchmark.
What does a perfect 3-day Hoi An itinerary look like?
A perfect first-timer plan gives Hoi An three days: day one for the Old Town's heritage houses and your first tailor fitting, day two for the beach and a slow cycle through the herb villages, and day three for the My Son ruins and a lantern night on the river. Three days covers the essentials without rushing, and leaves time for two tailoring fittings. Here is the shape we use most.
Day 1, the Old Town and the tailors. Buy your heritage ticket and walk the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Fujian Assembly Hall, and the Old House of Tan Ky in the cool morning. Choose a tailor and place your order early so there is time to adjust. Rest through the heat, then return for the riverfront and night market after dark, floating a lantern on the Thu Bon.
Day 2, the beach and the paddies. Cycle out to Tra Que herb village and on to An Bang beach for a slow swim and a long lunch. Come back through the rice paddies in the late afternoon, and slot in your first tailor fitting before dinner.
Day 3, My Son and a lantern night. Leave at dawn for the My Son ruins to beat the heat and the crowds, back by early afternoon. Collect your finished tailoring, browse the lantern shops, and end with a final riverside dinner, ideally on a full-moon festival night if the dates line up.
This unhurried three-day rhythm is the heart of our Vietnam Heritage Route journey, which threads Hoi An's Old Town and tailors together with the wider central-Vietnam heritage trail and pairs naturally with Hanoi and Halong Bay if you have more time.
