Hoi An Vietnam Travel Guide: 11 best things to do in Hoi An
Hoi An is one of the most well-known destinations in Vietnam. It attracts tourists and nomads from around the world because of its rich culture and history.
As digital nomads we lived in Hoi An for 3 months and in this article I’ll go over things to do in Hoi An, that you cannot miss while visiting this ancient city.
Explore the Old Town
What Hoi An is best known for is it’s ancient old town. It’s full of charm and you can really get a glimpse into vietnamese life here. People are shouting, smoking meat, giving offerings and trying to sell whatever they have available. It’s beautifully decorated with the traditional vietnamese lanterns and full of cute little stores, cafes, bars and restaurants.
Because it is a well known tourist hotspot it can get very crowded, so if you want a more calm experience I would recommend coming here in the morning, before all the shops open. (That’s when we went out to take the pictures).
Take a Lantern Boat Ride
The lantern boat ride is probably one of the most famous things to do in Hoi An. Unfortunately, in my opinion it’s also one of the most disappointing ones. Our experience was not bad, but far from great.
Once you get to the river you get surrounded by the boat ride sellers shouting at you and trying to sell you the boat ride ticket, even if you already have one. Getting to the boat is quite a hectic process.
On the bright site it’s quite affordable (around €8 for a boat for 2 people). The ride itself is nice, but it feels more like a theme park ride, than the intimate experience it’s presented as. But don’t worry, there are better things to do in Hoi An, just keep reading.
Ride the Hai Van Pass
If you’re riding a scooter during your travels you MUST go through the Hai Van pass. It’s a beautiful scenic ride along the mountain, overseeing a stunning coastline.
To be precise it’s not exactly in Hoi An, the pass starts in Da Nang, which is around 40min ride from Hoi An. But hey, if you have a bike it’s not a problem. On the other hand if you’re not comfortable riding a scooter or motorbike, there are services available that will take you there on a back of a bike. One of those options is easyrider.com, you can check out their website to see the offers.
Personally I cannot recommend Hai Van Pass enough. It is definitely one of my favorite (if not THE favorite) things to do in Hoi An.
Visit Marble Mountain
About 30 minutes from Hoi An lie the Marble Mountains full of caves, temples, and stunning views from the top.
The five limestone hills, named after the five elements, are home to ancient pagodas and Buddhist shrines hidden inside caves. Be prepared for a bit more touristic and hectic experience. There will be big crowds and locals trying to push you into buying some stuff or paying for things you do not have to pay for. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.
There is for example a huge cave with a temple inside which really makes a great impression and the view from the top of the mountain is stunning. I would recommend to go early in the morning to avoid the peak hour.
Visit Tra Que Vegetable Garden
Just a few minutes away from old town you can find a charming village of Tra Que.
The main attraction there is the evergreen vegetable garden. You will have a chance to see how Vietnamese farmers work and get an insight into centuries old traditions and techniques. The best part is that it’s not JUST a show for tourists (it is as well but not only). It is real farming area, where local restaurants and cooking class services buy supplies. You can also buy freshly harvested herbs and vegetables for yourself.
Join a Cooking Class
Hoi An has some of the best food in Vietnam, and taking a cooking class is a great way to bring some of those flavours home with you.
Usually classes start with visiting the vegetable village (mentioned above) where you’ll learn how the farmers grow the local vegetables.
Afterwards your cooking teacher will take you to the local market, where you’ll pick up the fresh ingredients for your meal and learn about Vietnamese herbs and spices. Then, you’ll head to the kitchen to prepare dishes like fresh spring rolls, “Pho” soup or stir fried rice. You can choose the meals you wanna cook and if you’re vegetarian or even vegan I can whole heartedly recommend Rau Oi Eatery cooking class.
It also happened to be one of ours favourite restaurants during our stay in Hoi An, so learning how to cook our favourite dishes was really fun!
Go for a Coconut Boat Ride
Another very popular thing to do in Hoi An is going for a coconut boat ride. If you made some research about Hoi An before, you most likely already stumbled upon this activity.Traditionally boats were used by Vietnamese for fishing, but grew to a major tourist attraction nowadays.
The issue is that because of it’s popularity it became more of a theme park ride, rather than authentic experience. You’ll have groups of boats on a river blasting Gangnam Style from speakers that are bigger than me. BUT. If you’ll go a bit off the main spots you can find rides that are much more calm and serene. You will most likely still bump into the “Gangnam Style” groups, but it will be just a small part of a ride rather than the whole. Overall starting from the spot Amelie found we had a really pleasant experience that I would definitely recommend.
Visit My Son Sanctuary
Just an one hour ride away from Hoi An lies the most ancient attraction on this list, the My Son Sanctuary. Build between 4th and 13th century, making it over 1500 years old.
It’s a complex of many temples heavily influenced by an Indian culture. Temples have been build, ruined and renovated many times throughout history. The whole area is huge and it can take hours to see it all, so be prepared for a long day. But it’s a very pleasant way to spend a slow afternoon.
Try Local Cafés and Restaurants
Hoi An offers a very diverse culinary scene, from street food like Banh Mi (a delicious sandwich), to salt coffee or the traditional vietnamese soup “Pho”. You will find everything your heart desires, from original Vietnamese food, to more modern variations (such as vegan and vegetarian) to western food options.
We put together a whole other article about the best places to eat in Hoi An, check it out!
Get something tailored in Hoi An
The Hoi An tailors are one of the city’s most famous attractions. Over time, the tailors in Hoi An have shifted from making traditional clothing to offering more modern styles. You’ll find countless tailoring shops and workshops all around town.
While prices are lower than in Europe or the US, getting a custom-made outfit from a Hoi An tailor isn’t necessarily cheap. We paid around €30 for pants and €20-25 for shirts, but it’s absolutely worth it for a unique, perfectly fitted piece. But make sure to be very specific about what you want to have tailored, from the fabric to the fit, so the results meet your expectations. If you’re curious, you can check out our new Hoi An tailor-made outfits here!
Pro Tip: We checked out a lot of tailors and we loved LiMe Store the most, it has cute fabrics and modern cuts and you can try them on and choose between different prototyps beforehand, which makes it SO much easier.
Go to Karaoke
After spending three months in Hoi An, I no longer associate karaoke with Japan, I associate it with Vietnam. Karaoke in Hoi An is such a huge part of life here, it’s hard to explain. You’ll hear it blasting from dusk till dawn… and then again throughout the night. It’s wild!
But the upside is that there are tons of karaoke spots in Hoi An to check out. You can book a private room, grab some drinks, and sing your heart out with friends. It’s an amazing bonding experience, at least it was for us! We celebrated our friend’s birthday at a Hoi An karaoke bar, and it was really fun!
Final thoughts
Overall, Hoi An is my favorite place in Vietnam as there is just so much to do. It’s a great place to visit for digital nomad, backpackers and tourists.
If you want to know more about Vietnam and being a digital nomad, check out our other blog posts. I hope this list was helpful to you.
Best,
Kuba
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