Hoi An attractions in 2026

844 historic buildings, UNESCO-protected since 1999, architecture from the 15th–19th centuries. Merchant houses, a Japanese bridge, Chinese assembly halls and Buddhist pagodas. Below is every worthwhile stop with prices, opening hours and ready-made 1-, 2- and 3-day itineraries.

Information current as of July 2026. Prices are converted at roughly 25,000 VND = $1 — always confirm on the spot.

• Japanese Bridge (Chùa Cầu): Covered by the single Old Town ticket — Heart of the Old Town
• Hoi An Old Town (Phố Cổ Hội An): Single ticket 120,000 VND (~$4.80) — UNESCO since 1999
• An Bang Beach (Bãi biển An Bàng): Free — 4 km from the Old Town
• Cham Islands (Cù Lao Chàm): Tour from 400,000 VND (~$16) — UNESCO biosphere reserve
• Central Market (Chợ Hội An): Free — 06:00–21:00
• Tan Ky House (Nhà Cổ Tấn Ký): Covered by the single ticket — 200-year-old merchant house
• Fujian Assembly Hall (Hội Quán Phúc Kiến): Covered by the single ticket — 17th-century Chinese heritage
• My Son Sanctuary (Thánh Địa Mỹ Sơn): 150,000 VND (~$6) — 40 km from Hoi An | UNESCO

Hoi An Old Town — an open-air museum

Hoi An's Old Town is a compact grid of a few streets where every building has a story. The single ticket costs 120,000 VND (~$4.80) and opens 5 of the 22 heritage sites of your choice: museums, temples, old houses, assembly halls. Children under 16 are free. The ticket is valid for your entire stay, not for a single day as many assume.

Three main streets — Trần Phú, Nguyễn Thái Học and the Bạch Đằng riverfront — run through the heart of the Old Town, and this is where almost everything sits. The pedestrian zone runs twice a day: 08:30–11:00 in the morning and 15:00–21:30 in the evening. Come at opening and the crowds are thin and the heat hasn't landed yet.

Hoi An was once the largest trading port in Southeast Asia, where four cultures met — Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese and European — and each left its mark on the architecture. But this is no museum behind glass: the descendants of those merchants still live and trade in the 200-year-old houses.

Ticket booths sit by the Japanese Bridge, by the market and on the corner of Trần Phú and Lê Lợi. You buy the ticket, get a booklet with a map and a list of the 22 sites by category — old houses, assembly halls, museums, temples, workshops. Pick 5, and a coupon is torn off at each entrance. Want to see more? Buy a second ticket.

The Japanese Covered Bridge — the symbol of Hoi An

The Japanese Covered Bridge (Chùa Cầu) is the icon of Hoi An, once printed on the 20,000 VND note. Japanese merchants built it in 1593–1595 to link their quarter with the Chinese one across the canal that divided the two communities.

The bridge is only 20 metres long, yet it holds a small temple inside. It honours Trấn Vũ Bắc Đế, a deity of happiness, wealth and health. The Japanese added the temple section in 1653 — by legend, to pin down the monster Namazu that causes earthquakes.

The bridge is covered by the single Old Town ticket. Come at dawn or just before sunset — by day it fills with tour groups, but in the early morning you can photograph it empty.

At each entrance stand statues of monkeys and dogs. One story says construction began in the Year of the Monkey and ended in the Year of the Dog; another says they guard the bridge from evil spirits. It has been restored many times — the last big one in 2023–2024 — so it looks well kept today.

The old houses — Tân Ký, Phùng Hưng, Quán Thắng

Three houses worth stepping into:

• Tân Ký — the first house recognised as national heritage, over 200 years old. Its architecture blends Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese styles: a Japanese roof, Chinese carved beams, a Vietnamese floor plan. Eight generations of one family have lived and traded silk here.
• Phùng Hưng — an 18th-century house where descendants of the Phung Hung family still work as guides. The upper floor has a balcony from which the family once watched the river and its ships.
• Quán Thắng — a typical merchant house with columns and an inner courtyard. Quieter and calmer than Tân Ký — fewer groups pass through.

All three are covered by the single ticket.

The assembly halls — traces of great trading communities

Communities from different Chinese provinces lived in Hoi An, and each built its own assembly hall (hội quán). The four main ones:

• Cantonese Hall (Quảng Đông) — the brightest and largest. Dragons, fountains, mosaic — Chinese opulence dialled to the max. Built in 1885.
• Fujian Hall (Phúc Kiến) — the most visited. Dedicated to the sea goddess Thien Hau (Thiên Hậu). Inside: a model trading ship and an incense-filled altar.
• Chaozhou Hall (Triều Châu) — less touristy, but with striking woodcarving.
• Hainan Hall (Hải Nam) — built in memory of 108 Hainanese merchants executed on a false charge of piracy.

Each hall was more than a building — it was the heart of a community, where disputes were settled, festivals held and prayers said for good fortune in trade. All are covered by the single ticket.

Temples and museums

If you have coupons left after the assembly halls, look in on:

• Quan Cong Temple (Quan Công) — dedicated to a legendary Chinese general. Red walls, the scent of incense, calm.
• Phước Lâm Pagoda — one of the oldest in Hoi An, a little off the tourist trail.
• Museum of Trade Ceramics — a collection of pottery unearthed in and around Hoi An, showing how the port linked Japan, China, India and the Arab world.
• Museum of History and Culture — a compact display, good for context, with Cham, Chinese and Vietnamese artefacts from bronze bells to 17th-century trade documents.
• Museum of Folk Culture — the daily life of ordinary Vietnamese: fishing gear, looms, kitchen tools. Less hyped than the others, but it gives you the "real" Hoi An without the gilding and dragons.
• Handicraft Workshop — watch artisans make lanterns and pottery live. Don't confuse it with Thanh Ha village — this show is right in the Old Town.

💬 "Hoi An Old Town is a place you don't just look at, you feel. Everything is signposted, nothing is hard to find. But come early — by 10 am it's already crowded." — traveller review, Tripadvisor, 2025

For the city as a whole, see our full Hoi An guide.

One spot that rarely makes the guidebooks is the night market on An Hoi island (An Hội). It runs every evening from 17:00 to 22:00, selling lanterns, souvenirs and street food. Prices are touristy, but the atmosphere is worth the walk. Haggle without hesitation — the first price is often triple the real one.

Next to the night market is the jetty where the evening river-boat rides set off. Twenty minutes on a lantern-lit boat is one of the most photogenic things in Hoi An — from 100,000 VND (~$4) for the whole boat (seats 2–4 people).

The lantern festival — when Hoi An turns into a fairy tale

On every full moon (the 14th day of the lunar month) Hoi An turns off its electric lights and the town glows softly with thousands of silk lanterns and candles. This isn't some invented tourist gimmick: the tradition began in 1998, and the lantern festival is now recognised intangible cultural heritage in Vietnam.

Along the Thu Bồn river, vendors sell paper lanterns with floating candles — 10,000 VND (~$0.40) each. You set them adrift with a wish. The effect is hypnotic: the river turns into a stream of little lights, and the yellow walls of the houses glow under hundreds of coloured lanterns.

The two biggest festivals in 2026:

• Tet Nguyen Tieu — 2–4 March (the 14th–16th day of the first lunar month). Lion dances, street performances, shows on the riverfront.
• Mid-Autumn Festival — October 2026. Lanterns, masks, sweets for the children.

Even if you miss the full moon, evening Hoi An is still beautiful. The lanterns burn every night; the full moon just makes the atmosphere something special.

The lanterns are made by hand — from silk, bamboo and wire. You can join a lantern-making class at the Lantern Lady Workshop in the Old Town, from 100,000 VND (~$4). In an hour you make your own lantern to take home — the best souvenir from Hoi An.

💬 "Hoi An Full Moon Lantern Festival is one of those experiences that stays with you forever. The river glowing with hundreds of floating candles, the silk lanterns reflecting off the water — pure magic." — review, Lonely Planet, 2025

Day trips from Hoi An — My Son, the Cham Islands and Ba Na Hills

Hoi An is a great base for day trips. Three that are worth the day.

My Son Sanctuary — Cham temples from the 7th–13th centuries

My Son is the second UNESCO site near Hoi An — a temple complex of the Cham civilisation tucked into a valley among green hills 40 km from town. The temples were built from the 7th to the 13th century, and some still stand despite the bombing of the Vietnam War.

Entry is 150,000 VND (~$6). An organised tour from Hoi An runs from about $30 with transfer and guide. Morning tours (departing 05:30–06:00) are the best pick: it's still cool and almost empty.

There's a Cham dance show on site — free in the mornings. Try to catch the one before 09:00.

Bring comfortable shoes, a bottle of water and sunscreen — there's little shade on site, and central Vietnam's midday heat is serious. Most temples are roofless brick towers, so you'll be walking in the open.

Part of the complex was damaged by American bombing — the craters are still visible. It adds a poignancy: the 7th century meets the 20th, and the gap between what builds and what destroys is right in front of you.

The Cham Islands (Cù Lao Chàm) — snorkelling and island life

Eight islands 20 km offshore make up a UNESCO marine biosphere reserve. Coral reefs, tropical fish, clear water. Snorkelling here is one of the best things to do in central Vietnam.

A full-day tour is from 400,000 VND (~$16) with boat, lunch and snorkelling. A speedboat gets you there in 20 minutes; a regular boat in 1.5 hours.

You can also stay overnight on the islands — locals run guesthouses from 200,000 VND (~$8) a night. It's a completely different rhythm: fishing villages, quiet, and a starry sky with no city glow. If you have the time, it's worth it.

Ba Na Hills and the Golden Bridge

~65 km from Hoi An, about 1.5 hours by car. A mountain resort with one of the longest cable cars in the world and the famous Golden Bridge "held up" by giant stone hands.

A day tour is from $75. Inside: a theme park, gardens, a French village. The 5,801 m cable car climbs to 1,489 m — the temperature can drop up to 10°C from the plain. In July it's +35°C below and +25°C at the top — a break from the heat.

The Golden Bridge (Cầu Vàng) is that Instagram structure with the giant stone hands. The photo queue is 10–15 minutes on a weekday, up to 40 at weekends. The best light is in the morning, before the mist lifts.

You can combine it with the Marble Mountains (Ngũ Hành Sơn) on the way back — five marble outcrops with caves, pagodas and viewpoints. Entry is 40,000 VND (~$1.60). For more on Da Nang and around, see our Da Nang guide.

Villages around Hoi An — pottery, herb gardens and a coconut forest

Beyond the Old Town are three villages that show you a different Hoi An — no yellow walls, no selfie-stick crowds.

The Bay Mau coconut forest and basket boats

Bay Mau (Bay Mau) is a water coconut forest 3 km from the Old Town. The main draw is riding round bamboo basket boats (thuyền thúng). The boatmen spin the basket on the spot, dance in it and sing — half attraction, half old fishing tradition.

Entry is 30,000 VND (~$1.20). A boat with a rower is 90,000–150,000 VND (~$3.60–6) for two. It lasts 30–40 minutes.

The best time is early morning or late evening, when there's no midday heat and fewer people.

Besides the basket boats, you can try Vietnamese-style fishing with a round cast net. The boatman shows you how to throw it, and if you're lucky the catch becomes lunch — grilled over coals right on the bank.

💬 "The basket boats were the most fun thing we did in Vietnam. The boatman spins the basket, you squeal, the coconut palms sway — pure joy." — from traveller reviews, Tripadvisor, 2025

Thanh Ha pottery village

Thanh Hà is a potters' village with 500 years of history. Entry is 35,000 VND (~$1.40), and the price includes a class: you sit at the wheel and shape something under a master's hand, then take home a clay whistle as a souvenir.

On the grounds are the Nam Diệu temple and the Xuân Mỹ communal house. The village is 2 km from the Old Town — a 10-minute bike ride.

Beyond the traditional pottery, Thanh Hà has a "Terracotta Park" (Công viên đất nung) — an open space with giant clay sculptures and installations. It's a separate ticket, 35,000 VND (~$1.40). Photogenic and almost empty: very few tourists find their way here.

Tra Que herb village

Trà Quế is a 300-year-old village that grows the herbs for every restaurant in Hoi An. Entry is 20,000 VND (~$0.80). You can try the farm work — planting greens, fertilising the beds (the fertiliser is river algae) — followed by a cooking class.

The village is 3 km northeast of the Old Town. An hour and a half covers everything.

Tra Que is the best option for families with kids. Little ones love digging in the beds, and the cooking class suits all ages. Adults get something out of it too: you learn where the herbs in your cao lầu and mì quảng come from.

The Hoi An Memories show — 500 performers and the town's history

The largest live show in Vietnam — over 500 performers on stage at once. It tells the story of Hoi An: from fishing village to international trading port, through Japanese merchants, Chinese sailors and French colonisers.

The show is staged on Hoi An Impression island — a theme park where every member of staff wears period costume. You can visit the park by day too, but the main event is the evening show.

Schedule: daily except Tuesday, 20:00–21:00. It runs 60 minutes.

Worth the money? If you like big-scale spectacles, yes. If not, spend the evening on the lantern festival instead.

One downside: the park runs at half power by day — many attractions are built for evening guests. Book tickets ahead through Klook or GetYourGuide — the price is the same on site, but you can waste time in the queue.

Getting there: taxi or Grab from the Old Town — 15 minutes and 50,000–70,000 VND (~$2–2.80). There are cafés and restaurants on Hoi An Impression island, but prices are noticeably higher than in town — eat beforehand.

Beaches near Hoi An

Hoi An isn't only history. Ten minutes' ride from the Old Town, the coast of the South China Sea begins.

An Bang Beach is Hoi An's best. Tripadvisor put it in the top 10 most beautiful beaches in Asia in 2025. A wide sandy strip, coconut palms, seafood restaurants right on the sand. A lounger and umbrella are from 50,000 VND (~$2). Order food at a beach restaurant and the lounger is usually free.

It's a 15-minute bike ride from the Old Town, or 5 minutes by taxi, past rice paddies that look especially good at dawn. On the beach there are surf schools (a lesson from 500,000 VND, ~$20), kayaking and paddleboarding.

Cua Dai Beach is closer to the centre (5 km) but has suffered from erosion. Part of the shore has been rebuilt. Quieter and calmer than An Bang. The downside: little infrastructure on the sand, and in the rainy season (October–December) the water can turn murky.

Hidden Beach is a small stretch between An Bang and Cua Dai. Hard to find, but bike out and you'll have almost the whole beach to yourself. No loungers, just sand and sea.

The bicycle is Hoi An's main transport. Rental is from 30,000 VND (~$1.20) a day, and most hotels lend them for free. Every beach is 15 minutes at most along a flat road past the paddies.

For serious beach time, look at the Hoi An beaches guide — they're a short ride away and among the best in Vietnam.

What to see in 1, 2 or 3 days — itineraries

The ideal length for Hoi An is two full days. One day for a quick look, three to take it slow and fit in a trip.

One-day route — the Old Town and an evening of lanterns

Morning (08:30–12:00): Buy the single ticket and start at the Japanese Bridge. Then along Trần Phú to the Fujian Assembly Hall. Look in on Tan Ky House. Have a coffee on a balcony over the river.

Afternoon (12:00–16:00): Lunch — cao lầu at any café on Nguyễn Thái Học (from 30,000 VND, ~$1.20). This is Hoi An's signature dish: thick rice noodles, pork, greens and crisp croutons. It's made with water from one particular well in town — which is why the real cao lầu only exists here. Also try mì quảng — turmeric noodles with prawns and peanuts — and bánh xèo, a crispy stuffed crepe.

Hoi An's central market — fruit, spices, souvenirs. It opens early, but it's most interesting for visitors around lunchtime: hot food, fresh tropical juices and the cheerful chaos of Vietnamese trade.

If you're after tailored clothes, drop by a tailor: a shirt is sewn in 4–6 hours from 300,000 VND (~$12). A suit is from 1,500,000 VND (~$60), a dress from 800,000 VND (~$32). Hoi An has hundreds of tailors, but the best are on Lê Lợi and Trần Phú — more on the craft in our áo dài guide.

Evening (17:00–21:00): Head back to the Bạch Đằng riverfront. Buy a lantern (10,000 VND) and float it on the water. Have bánh mì for dinner (from 20,000 VND, ~$0.80) — Hoi An makes the best in Vietnam. The legendary Bánh Mì Phượng on Phạm Hồng Thái has a 15-minute queue, but it's worth it.

Two-day route — plus villages and beach

Day 1: The Old Town plus the evening (route above).

Day 2 morning: The Bay Mau coconut forest — basket boats (90,000 VND). From there, bike to Thanh Ha pottery village (35,000 VND).

Day 2 afternoon: An Bang beach — a seafood lunch and some downtime.

Day 2 evening: The Hoi An Memories show (from 600,000 VND) or a free evening in the Old Town.

Three-day route — plus a day trip

Day 3: A trip to My Son (from $30) with an early departure. Back by lunch. Spend the rest of the day at Tra Que or free.

Alternative: a day tour to the Cham Islands (from 400,000 VND) with snorkelling.

What each route costs

This excludes lodging and food — just entry tickets, transport and activities. Lunch at an Old Town café is from 50,000 VND (~$2) with a drink. A hostel night is from 150,000 VND (~$6), a boutique hotel from 600,000 VND (~$24).

Travelling with kids? The two-day route works best. The basket boats delight children of any age, Tra Que village with its garden beds is educational and fun, and the evening candles on the water stick in the memory.

If you're combining Hoi An with Da Nang, it's easier to stay in Hoi An and day-trip to Da Nang than the other way round. Hoi An has cheaper lodging, a more intimate feel and shorter distances.

Getting to Hoi An

Hoi An has no airport of its own. The nearest is Da Nang International Airport (Sân bay quốc tế Đà Nẵng), 35 km north.

Grab works well — the fare is locked in the app, no haggling. For a group of 3–4 the gap with the bus is minimal. Download the app in advance and add a card; Grab takes cash too, but a card is easier.

Another option: many Hoi An hotels arrange a free or cheap transfer from Da Nang airport. Ask when you book — it's often included with the room for stays of 2 nights or more.

Bus No. 1 leaves from Da Nang bus station (Bến xe Đà Nẵng) and runs to the station in Hoi An, roughly every 20 minutes from 05:30 to 18:00. It has air conditioning, but the route winds — hence 1.5 hours for 30 km.

From other cities: from Hue, 3–4 hours by bus (from 120,000 VND); from Hanoi, the train to Da Nang (14–17 hours) plus a transfer; from Ho Chi Minh City, a flight to Da Nang (1.5 hours) plus a transfer. Hue is often paired with Hoi An — for what to see there, read our Hue attractions guide.

Inside Hoi An you don't need transport. The Old Town is compact — 15 minutes on foot end to end. For the beaches and villages, take a bicycle (from 30,000 VND/day) or Grab. A motorbike is useless in the Old Town itself — it's pedestrian-only with nowhere to park.

For more, see our Da Nang guide and the full Hoi An guide.

Hoi An attractions — price table

Prices current as of July 2026. They can change — confirm on the spot.

Know before you go to Hoi An

A few practical points that save time and money:

Weather. The best time to visit is February to May: dry, warm (25–33°C), a calm sea. October to December is the rainy season, and the Old Town streets can flood — in November 2024 the water rose to knee height and only the upper floors of cafés were open.

Dress. Temples and assembly halls require covered shoulders and knees. Shorts and tank tops won't get you in. Bring a light shirt and long trousers or a skirt.

Haggling. At the central market and in Old Town shops, prices are marked up 2–3x for tourists. Haggle. The opening price on a souvenir is a starting point, not the final sum. At tailors, bargaining works if you order several pieces.

Money. Jewellery shops on Trần Phú give a better exchange rate than banks or the airport. Cards are taken in restaurants and hotels, but at the market and in the villages it's cash only — carry a stash of small notes.

Visas. Most nationalities (US, UK, EU, Australia and many more) can get Vietnam's 90-day e-visa online at the official evisa.gov.vn — apply a few days ahead and print the approval. Check the current rules for your passport before you fly, since eligibility and length depend on nationality.

Safety. Hoi An is one of the safest towns in Vietnam for visitors. Theft is rare and scams are uncommon. The one real risk is pickpockets in the crowd during the lantern festival — keep your phone and wallet on you.

Wi-Fi and connectivity. Free Wi-Fi is in almost every café and hotel, fast enough for video calls. For data on the move, grab a local eSIM before you fly or a Vietnamese SIM on arrival — from about 100,000 VND (~$4) for 30 GB. WhatsApp works fine, and English gets you a long way in apps and on menus.

Lodging. Hoi An isn't expensive. A hostel is from 150,000 VND (~$6) a night. A boutique hotel in the Old Town is from 600,000 VND (~$24). A river-view place with a pool is from 1,500,000 VND (~$60). Book on Booking or Agoda — walk-in reception prices are often higher.

Timing your day. Morning (08:00–10:00) is best for temples and museums: cool and few people. From 10:00 to 15:00, the beach. After 16:00, back to the Old Town: soft light, lanterns coming on, cafés filling up. A golden schedule for the perfect day.

💬 "Hoi An is easily the most charming town in all of Vietnam. Don't rush it — two or three days is perfect to soak in the atmosphere." — recommendation, Nomadic Matt, 2025

FAQ — common questions about Hoi An attractions

How much is the Hoi An Old Town ticket?

The single ticket is 120,000 VND (~$4.80). It lets you enter 5 of the 22 heritage sites of your choice: museums, temples, old houses and assembly halls. Children under 16 are free. The ticket is valid for your whole stay, not just one day as the small print might suggest.

What can you see in Hoi An in one day?

Morning — the Japanese Bridge, the Fujian Assembly Hall, Tân Ký House. Afternoon — lunch with cao lầu, the central market and a tailor. Evening — the lantern-lit riverfront and floating a candle on the water. Full route in the "One-day route" section above.

When is the Hoi An lantern festival?

Every full moon — the 14th day of the lunar month, roughly once a month. The biggest event in 2026 is Tet Nguyen Tieu, 2–4 March. The second is the Mid-Autumn Festival in October. But even without a festival, evening Hoi An is lovely: the lanterns burn every night.

How do you get from Da Nang to Hoi An?

30 km, 30–40 minutes by taxi (350,000–500,000 VND, ~$14–20) or 1.5 hours on public bus No. 1 (16,000 VND, ~$0.65). Grab is cheaper and easier than a taxi. For a group of 3–4, Grab comes out close to the bus per person.

How many days do you need in Hoi An?

Two full days is the sweet spot. One day for the Old Town and the lantern-lit evening. A second for the villages, the beach and the show. Add a third if you want to visit My Son or the Cham Islands.

Can you walk around the Old Town without a ticket?

Walking the streets is free and open around the clock. But to go inside the buildings — museums, old houses, assembly halls and the Japanese Bridge — you need the ticket. It isn't always checked, but it's worth it: about $4.80 for 5 sites is cheap for this level.

Are the lanterns better from the bridge or a boat?

From a boat, no contest. The An Hội footbridge gives you the big picture, but on the water the little candles drift right past you. A boat is from 100,000 VND (~$4) for 20 minutes at the jetties along the riverfront. Boatmen wait for customers along Bạch Đằng — just walk up and agree a price. There's no fixed rate, but don't pay more than 150,000 VND.

Information current as of July 2026. Prices and conditions can change — check official sources before you travel.