Being based in Da Nang, I’ve visited Hoi An more times than I can count.
The Old Town, while touristy, is loaded with architectural charm. The rice fields outside of town are fantastic, with several rice paddy cafes and restaurants where they can be enjoyed with coffee or a meal. Here’s one of my favorites. Here’s another.
The best time to visit Hoi An to enjoy the Old Town, rice paddies, and beaches is either February, March, or April. The worst months to visit Hoi An are September, October, and November. I say this as someone who’s experienced several seasons in the area.
Hoi An has an excellent boutique hotel scene. Here’s my guide on where to stay in Hoi An. I personally use Agoda or Booking for hotels in Hoi An and elsewhere in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
Look at the La Siesta Hoi An (Agoda / Booking) or the Allegro Hoi An (Agoda / Booking).
Here’s my sample three-day Hoi An itinerary. If you have any questions about Hoi An, join my free Da Nang & Hoi An travel planning group, where I’ll personally answer them.
If you’re debating whether to stay in Da Nang or Hoi An, this article compares the two cities. These guides cover getting around Da Nang and Hoi An. If you’re visiting central Vietnam as part of a larger trip, here’s my common Vietnam travel FAQs page.
Hoi An Weather: Seasons, Best & Worst Months to Visit
| Dry Season* | January to August |
| Rainy Season* | September to December |
| Hottest Months | June, July, August |
| Wettest Months | September, October, November |
| Best Months to Visit | February, March, April |
| Second Best Months to Visit | May, June, July |
| Worst Months to Visit | August to January |
Best Time to Visit Hoi An: February, March, April
What to expect: warm/hot temperatures, rare chance of rain
The best months to visit Hoi An are February, March, and April. The rainy season in central Vietnam usually ends in January, but gray skies sometimes linger into February.
The reason I included February as a good month to visit Hoi An is that it’s the coolest month, just after the rainy season. February has highs of 79°F (26°C) and lows of 69°F (20.5°C). Hoi An is a very walkable town, and you want to get out on foot and enjoy it.
March and April are perfect because they’re safely into the dry season, but are hotter than February. Both of these months also have slightly longer hours of sunshine per day than February.
In March, there are highs of 83°F (28°C) and lows of 72°F (22°C). For April, the highs are 87°F (30.5°C) and the lows are 75°F (24°C).
If you don’t mind the hotter weather but are guaranteed more daylight, pick March or April (with a lean toward the end of March or April).
Second Best Time to Visit Hoi An: May, June, July
What to expect: hottest temperatures, most daylight, rare chance of rain
The second-best months to visit Hoi An are May, June, and July. These three months have the longest amount of daily sunshine, but they’re also some of the hottest months, especially June and July. August is also hot, but it’s on the cusp of the rainy season, so there are better months to visit.
Here’s a video I filmed in July along the Thu Bon River in Old Town.
You could argue that May is also one of the best times to visit Hoi An. I didn’t include it in the section above because it’s a bit hotter than those months, but it’s still a great time to visit — blue skies, rare chance of rain, but hot. May has highs of 91°F (33°C) and lows of 78°F (25.5°C).
June and July are two of the hottest months of the year in Hoi An (and in Da Nang). Like May, these are great months to visit because of the blue skies, rare chance of rain, and long hours of daylight, but it will be very hot. Hoi An is largely a walking (or bicycling) town, so keep this in mind.
In June and July, there are highs of 93°F (34°C) and lows of 79°F (26°C).
Worst Time to Visit Hoi An: August to January
What to expect: warm/hot temperatures, highest chance of rain, cloudy skies
The rainy season usually starts sometime in August or September. October is the worst month to visit Hoi An or anywhere in central Vietnam. It’s the month with the highest yearly rainfall, with September and November being the next highest months.
To be clear, August isn’t necessarily a bad time to visit — it’s just among the worst months compared to the six months above. It’s one of the hottest months, with highs of 92°F (33°C) and lows of 78°F (25.5°C). And having a slightly higher chance of rain than the previous six months puts it in this category for me.
September has highs of 88°F (31°C) and lows of 76°F (24.5°C). October has highs of 84°F (29°C) and lows of 74°F (23°C). November has highs of 81°F (27°C) and lows of 72°F (22°C). December has highs of 77°F (25°C) and lows of 69°F (20.5°C). January has highs of 76°F (24.5°C) and lows of 67°F (19.5°C).
December and January have cooler temperatures, but there will be periods of rain and gray skies. The rainy season starts wrapping up in these two months, but in my experience living here, it lingers with gray skies into January or early February.
However, if you don’t mind the likelihood of gray skies or the chance of daily rain, the cooler weather may be more suitable for on-foot exploration. Also, Hoi An will be quiet this time of year, as these months are considered the low or off-season.
When to Visit Hoi An: Conclusion
Some of the best day trips outside of Hoi An can be ruined by rain and are more comfortable when the weather isn’t scorching. You’ll want to visit the My Son Sanctuary, the Marble Mountains, and Lady Buddha, which are all outdoor activities. If you plan to visit Da Nang, this article covers things to do there.
If you have total trip flexibility, March or April are the best months to visit Hoi An. If you want cooler weather and are OK with the possibility of a gray day or two, pick February.
May, June, and July are also great times to visit, but they bring intense heat, especially in June and July. As I said, Hoi An is a walking (or bicycling) town. If you were staying on one of Hoi An’s beaches, like An Bang Beach or Cua Dai Beach, then this wouldn’t be a bad time to visit at all. But if your plan is to wander Old Town on foot, it will be hot — totally doable, but hot. Thankfully, Hoi An has decent tree coverage and shops you can dip in and out of for shade or a cold drink.
The absolute worst month to visit Hoi An is October. It rains nearly every day, sometimes for days in a row, and if not, the skies are usually solid gray. A brief window of blue-skied, rainless sunshine is rare.
I also wouldn’t plan a trip to Hoi An for September or November either for similar reasons.
