Last updated: 24th October 2021
Table of Contents
Getting to Hoi An
ContinuingΒ ourΒ tour throughΒ Vietnam we leftΒ HueΒ andΒ took to the scenic road along theΒ National Highway One, south to Hoi An which took around 3 hours.

Hoi An the road to Danang

Goats and a fortress along the Hai Van Pass
The drive took us pastΒ wonderful countryside and was slightly hair raising at times as we zig zagged our way up and down the mountain pass –Β Hai Van Pass forΒ a short stop at Da Nang. TheΒ Hai Van Pass was featured in the BBC’s Top Gear Vietnam Special, Jeremy Clarkson saidΒ it ‘wasΒ one of the best coast roads in the world’ Β Incredibly scenic, just don’t look down too often!

Magnificent views along the road to Da Nang

Countryside near Hoi An

Fishing near Da Nang
Da Nang
Da Nang is Vietnam’s 4th largest city, a popular resort town with visitorsΒ from South East Asia. It’s a very nice place neitherΒ polluted or crowded.
We stopped at the immaculate beach –Β My Khe which was made famous during the Vietnam War by the American Forces. ItΒ was their place for rest and recuperation, whoΒ nicknamedΒ it ‘China Beach’, but don’t use that phrase anymoreΒ as it’s considered disrespectful. Phil went for a paddle in the sea and said it was the warmest he’s ever experienced, it had strongΒ currents on the day we were there, so swimming was not allowed.

Da Nang’s ‘China Beach’

Da Nang’s My Khe beach

Signs from the past – Old hangars of the former American airbase
On the road out of Da Nang, not far from Marble Mountain we saw some of the old US army airbase hangars which appeared to be intact.Β Hoi An was just another 30 minutes away from here, we were now excited!
Hoi An’s Old Town – A Living Museum
The small coastal town Hoi An used to be anΒ important trading port in the whole of Asia during the 16th & 17th centuries. Vast numbers of foreign merchant ships came to Hoi An for annual commercial fairs lasting up to 6 months at a time. It was a prosperous place trading in silk and spices where many traders from Japan, China, India and the Netherlands established their own living quarters and emporiums.
Eventually the River Thu Bon silted up and all trading moved to nearby Da Nang. Β Today the Old Town appears romantically frozen in time as all the whole townΒ is incredibly well preserved unlike other Vietnamese cites, which have undergone mass development. The fact it’s so well intact is what makes it picturesque and a pleasure to visit.

Beautiful Hoi An
The architecture is aΒ blend of Vietnamese, French colonial, Dutch, Chinese and Japanese influences. Buildings are now restaurants orΒ shops catering to tourists, as we explored we really did feel like we were in the past, the whole town is like a living museum.

Hoi An’s colourful streets
Hoi An’sΒ ancient Old Town is also aΒ UNESCOΒ World Heritage SiteΒ soΒ you have to pay once for a ticket to access the 22 streets (traffic is banned during the day) The ticket gives you access to 5Β of the main sights, howeverΒ you can use your ticket as many times as you want to enter the Old Town.

Fruit vendor carrying a traditional yoke with baskets full of bananas

Locals out before the heat of the day

A street next to the Japanese Covered Bridge

Street food vendors in Hoi An

Distressed walls in shades of yellow ochre are everywhere
Hoi AnΒ reminded us of our visit toΒ Havana, where the faded colours look like photosΒ straight from an Elle Decoration coffee table book. Garth loved the distinctive yellow colour palette around the Old Town and the distressed textures of paint crumbing away in the sunshine.
The other thing weΒ noticed was justΒ how clean Hoi An is compared to Hanoi, streets don’t have rubbish scattered aroundΒ and the streetsΒ don’t smell. Β Instead you pass aromas of incense one minute, freshly baked baguettes or the smell of lemongrass which is really nice.

Hoi An – a popular place for wedding photography

Hoi An waterfront boats

Early morning in Hoi An

Pretty waterfront scenes
Must-See Sights of Hoi An
There are various old assembly halls, old merchant houses, communal houses and museums to explore in Hoi An, here’s the ones we visited.
Japanese Covered Bridge
Standing for over 400 years is the Japanese Covered Bridge – Itβs Hoi Anβs must see landmark. Built in the 18th century to join the former Japanese quarter with the rest of the town.Β We used our ticket to cross the bridge and haveΒ a look atΒ the small temple inside.

Japanese Covered Bridge

20,000 Dong banknote
It also features on the 20,000 Dong banknote, and looks great at night too. However this isn’t theΒ only Japanese bridge in Vietnam, we saw anotherΒ one in the countryside outside Hue.

Japanese Covered Bridge interior

Sculptures of a dog and monkey guard each entrance
Tan Ky House
Tan Ky is a perfect example of an old wealthy merchants house. It’s overΒ 200 years old and has been passed down 7 generations, who keep everything presented exactly as it was. The house often gets flooded every year, there’s photos and markings on the wall to show this. InΒ December,Β theΒ month after we went the whole town was flooded, we watched pictures on Facebook of people navigating the narrow streets on boats.

Tan Ky merchant house

Inside the Tan Ky house
Phuc Kien
There are 5Β Chinese assembly halls in Hoi An, we went to one of them – Phuc Kien. Assembly halls were built byΒ Chinese migrants when they settled in new countries toΒ keep their traditions alive for their nextΒ generation. Primarily it was aΒ place for them toΒ socialise and worship.

Phuc Kien assembly hall dates back to 1757

Large incense coils inside the main hall

Ornamental plants and Bougainvillea flowers fill the small gardens
Central Market
We’d definitely recommend getting up early to exploreΒ the Central Market, before Hoi An gets busy, especially if you’re into photography. You can eat breakfast here if you like, the food is cheap from the ladies with small stalls, even if they are a little pushy.

The Central Market

The meat hall inside Central Market
Further into the market is the meat stalls, get ready for a shock as it’s nothing like what we’re used to! Β There’s no fridges, instead isΒ meat piled up high on tables next to the sound of cleavers whacking wooden blocks.Β All theΒ meat isΒ divided up and every part of the animal appears on sale, like pigs snouts, it’s fascinating to witness and surprisinglyΒ there were no flies despite the appearance!

Phil inside the fruit and veg market

Hoi An’s fish market
The next sectionΒ is the aΒ vegetable market, really colourful and busy we saw the vegetableΒ they call ‘morning glory’ which is water spinach and the most common vegetable used inΒ Vietnamese cooking. Β Then a few more steps away is the fish market right next to the river, with brightly coloured baskets full of liveΒ crabs.
Local Food Dishes –Β Cao Lau
We tried the local signature dish of Cao Lau, usually eaten at lunch. Barbecued pork, bean sprouts, mint and other fresh herbs with chewy and thick yellow rice noodles, and crispy croutons it’s really cheapΒ atΒ Morning Glory RestaurantΒ which is considered to sell the best Cao Lau in Hoi An. Garth loved this dish and ordered it a fewΒ times.Β Morning Glory alsoΒ had a range of cookingΒ classes, so you may want to consider adding a lesson to yourΒ itinerary.
A couple more local dishes we tried in Hoi An were Com Ga – a rice dish with chicken,Β andΒ White RoseΒ – dumplings filled with either pork or prawns and topped with fried garlicΒ with aΒ sweet dip. Hoi An was food heaven!

Cao Lau – Hoi An’s signature yellow noodle dish

Fusion Cafe in Hoi An
OneΒ evening we crossed the bridge toΒ the opposite side of the river to Fusion Cafe.Β It’s in a great location as it overlooks the Old Town which is beautifully reflected in the water. Β Grab a glass ofΒ Larue – the local beer and just sit back and people watch.

Larue, the local beer

Hoa Anh Dao Sakura and Old Town by night
We’d also recommend Hoa Anh Dao Sakura, a restaurantΒ in the Old Town on the waters edge.Β Make a reservation upstairs, over looking the river, like we did for anΒ atmosphericΒ night and listen to the sound of the locals playing a weird outdoor bingo type game next door, we still never worked out what it was.
It’s really all about the Lanterns
OurΒ tripΒ nearlyΒ coincided with The Hoi An Lantern Festival or known by locals as the Full Moon Festival, but not the ones you usually associate with Asia! Β Itβs when locals pay their respects to their ancestors by burning fake money, symbolising prosperity. Our timings wereΒ out by a couple ofΒ days, which was annoying but there was still plenty of activity with people setting offΒ paper lotus flower shaped cups with candles inside down the river. It’s on the 14th day of any lunar month.

Hoi An full moon festival

Lotus flower paper cups flicker down the river

Silk lantern shop at night
As day turns to night, Hoi An turns into an incredibly magical and romantic place whereΒ the whole town twinkles in a lovely warm glow. AlthoughΒ Garth felt these busy streets had an air ofΒ Disneyland about them, probably because they wereΒ full of Western tourists, so not quite as authentic as evenings in Hanoi.

The beautiful coloured silk lanterns at night

Silk lanterns are everywhere
The shopsΒ selling the silk lanternsΒ make for wonderful photos! they look so good all bunched together. They also make a perfect souvenir as most fold up, weΒ weren’tΒ too sure if they would work with our decor at home! but we should have just bought one, as they’re not expensive. Worth notingΒ thatΒ all the shops close early at 9pm.

Phil and Garth under the lanterns

Vendors line streets selling their glorious paper cards
Shopping & Tailoring
If you’re into shopping then Hoi An will be paradise for you! The Old Town is full of shops especially clothes shops as Hoi An is the tailoring capital of Vietnam.Β Β You can get a suit made in 24-48 hours, we noticedΒ the quality varies dramatically between shops. Β Be prepared for a hard sell, as ownersΒ entice youΒ to enter their shops, we felt a bit badgered after a few places. If you do want to get measured up give yourself 2 days to allow for fittings and just be careful it still fits after all that delicious Cau Lau!

Bep Truong coffee shop and bookstore

Hoi An bespoke tailors

Hoi An shopping

Silk worms

Silk scarfs for sale

Paper cutout greeting cards

Decorated coconut shells
You’ll find loads of silk in shops Hoi An and if you want to see some real life silk worms then head to Ken Tam Cocoon on Tran Phu street, they sell some good quality silk scarfs which we bought as presents, Phil also liked their decorated coconut bowls for sale. Garth loved the nearby Bep Truong – a coffee shop and bookstore selling old propaganda art and bought various posters.
Reaching Out Tea house
Reaching OutΒ is a charming tea house where tea is served like an art form. It’s also a charity (NGO) andΒ supports disabled people, the tea house staff are hearing impaired orΒ deaf so you use small wooden blocks to communicate. It was full of stylish people and was just lovely and tranquil.

Reaching Out tea house

Reaching Out tea house
Reaching OutΒ also have an Arts and Crafts shop – this shop is AMAZING, go there. It’s full of unique andΒ tasteful things –Β homeware, clothes, all sorts. We bought a few itemsΒ including a beautiful handmade silk bed runner. Β At the back of the premises you walk throughΒ the small workshop and see the artisansΒ they are supporting hard at work.
Hoi An was easily the most picturesqueΒ city on our travels through Vietnam.Β Although it’s a bit of a tourist trap, the charming old houses and pretty riverside make up for it.Β We would also recommendΒ the hotel we paid for which turned out to be one of our favourites, Hoi An Historic Hotel it’s just a short walk to the Old Town and had a lovely rooms and a glorious pool which you will need in the heat!
Hoi An Practical & Useful Information

Phil and Garth in Hoi An
Phil and Garthβs Top 5 Hoi An Tips
- Tip #1: If you are visiting in November like we did, take a poncho just in case, as itβs the wet season.
- Tip #2: If you have moreΒ time – hire a bike from your hotel and goΒ to the nearby countryside.
- Tip #3: Wander around at 7am before the shops open and tourists wake up.
- Tip #4:Β The town is easily walkable because it’s so small – so no need for taxis.
- Tip #5:Β Got even more time? Go see the nearbyΒ ancient My SonΒ ruinsΒ or the pristine white sandy An Bang Beach.
How We Did It
- We paid for a guided tour (Vietnam & Cambodia Uncovered) with Inside Asia Tours
20 comments
Wow great post! Only just discovered you guys through Pinterest but will definitely read more! I am going to vietnam in may starting to get very excited! Xx
I love your 60 sec videos π They’re so helpful!! I’m so going to use them to plan all future trips with π Great post as always guys! Love the pics as well! stunning π
I wish my photos from Hoi An were anyway near as beautiful as yours! You really captured the vibrant, upbeat nature of the place. Oh and Cao Lau is my favourite Vietnamese dish! The houses and temples around town really are nice to visit and you can definitely understand why it has become such a popular tourist destination. Just beautiful guys!
So pretty! Your photography is amazing. Loved the quirky, quaint tea house. A cooking lesson sounds like a great idea to add to the itinerary. #feetdotravel
So I’m pretty sure you are both Vietnam experts by now! Thanks for sharing all this information with us. Will definitely reference back when we make our way to that side of the world again. I need to get my hands on some Cao Lau, looks so yummy!
Spectacular photos as we’ve come to expect from you guys plus the informative content gives us great insight. It almost feels like I’ve been but I will go just to make sure. π
Such an inspiring post! I really love your photos and video! Thanks for sharing. π
Great post and I love the pictures! Really inspires me to travel to Vietnam and learn more about this country. I love the lanterns and vibrant colours and the food looks delicious once again. Hope to go one day!
Everything. Everything about this post made us want to be in Vietnam. That immaculate beach, the lanterns, that delicious noodle dish. As usual your video captured the atmosphere of the place perfectly! Awesome guys.
Love your detailed guides every time! Do you write them down straight away the same night? I struggle with my memory sometimes ha! Excellent photogtaphy again and great tips too! The 60 second videos are an icing on the cake! The lanterns are a beautiful sight too as long as they aren’t released to litter the nature once they fall down from the sky. Well done!