Hoi An itself is about 40 minutes south of Da Nang, and most travelers to the area visit both cities. Hoi An Ancient Town is the city’s biggest draw, but there’s a lot more to Hoi An, including the rice fields and beaches, like An Bang Beach and Cua Dai. Still, the Ancient Town is the main attraction.
🏨 La Charm Hoi An (see on Agoda / Booking): One of my most recommended hotels in Hoi An, right on the edge of Old Town
🏨 Little Riverside (see on Agoda / Booking): 5-star hotel on the edge of Old Town, right on the Thu Bon River (great location)
🎟️ Tours & Activities: Hoi An Memories Show tickets and learning to make Vietnamese coffee
This guide is written from my years of experience living in Da Nang and dozens of visits to Hoi An. If you’re researching your Hoi An trip, you’ll see the Ancient Town referred to as Old Town — they’re the same. When I’m visiting Hoi An, I hear “Old Town” spoken far more often than Ancient Town.
This guide covers more things to do in Hoi An besides Old Town. And if you’re researching where to stay in Hoi An, see my hotel guide here.
Hoi An Ancient Town Map
Here’s a map I put together of Hoi An Old Town and some attractions and hotels discussed below. You can view the full map here.
How to use this map: Ahoy! Click the arrow in the top left-hand corner to view the layers. I color-coded the map with an outline of Hoi An Old Town. The four hotels on the map are great locations for wandering Old Town.
Visiting Ancient Town (Tips and Ticket Information)
Hoi An Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and with that designation comes a high level of tourism. No matter when you visit Hoi An, expect the Old Town to be touristy. There are lots of locals selling items, tours, or other services like boat tours on the streets. If you aren’t interested, prepare to wave off street sellers continuously.
Important ticketing info: The Old Town itself is free to visit. However, there is an entrance ticket that costs 120.000 VND (less than $5 USD), which gives you access to the heritage sites inside the Old Town area. The ticket also covers crossing the Japanese Covered Bridge.
You can buy the ticket at any of the small booths around the Old Town.
Important note: Tickets are not required if you only want to walk around Old Town without going inside the sites or crossing the bridge. I’ve visited Hoi An to walk around Old Town and get coffee or lunch many times without needing a ticket. When I want to enter some of the sites or cross the bridge, I buy a ticket.
The Old Town area is very walkable (read about getting around Hoi An here). Before 3 PM, scooters will be zipping through the area. These are usually locals doing business/deliveries or the occasional tourist. But after 3 PM, the city closes Old Town to pedestrian-only traffic.
From about 2 PM, the Old Town gets very busy with tourists and lasts until nighttime. If you prefer fewer crowds, visit earlier in the day. From 11 AM to 1 PM, it’s quieter, but this is because it’s usually pretty hot. If you don’t mind the heat, this is a better time to maneuver through Old Town.
Here’s a video I filmed in Old Town at night. You can see how beautiful it is, but also how busy. I personally like exploring Hoi An more during the morning or daytime when it’s much quieter and easier to get around.
Monthly event: The Hoi An Lantern Festival is a monthly event that happens on the 14th day of each lunar month. Restaurants and shops turn off their electric lights, and the lit lanterns light up the Old Town.
Other than this, it isn’t a typical “festival,” so don’t expect a ton of excitement. The event starts around 6 PM and lasts until around 10 PM. This is a popular lantern-making class in Hoi An.
What to Do in Hoi An Old Town
Hoi An Old Town has several heritage/cultural sites inside which you can visit if you buy the 120.000 VND entrance ticket mentioned above. But like I said, if you just want to wander around Old Town’s streets, have coffee, get something to eat, or walk along the river, you do not need to buy a ticket.
The area is packed with tons of restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops, leather shops, and tailors. If you’re interested in getting tailored shirts, dresses, suits, or other clothes, this is the place to do it in Vietnam.
Here are some shots from my most recent trip to Old Town. I visited many of the cultural sites and the Japanese Covered Bridge (pictured above).
The first item, the Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum, is free to visit.
When I stumbled upon him, his shop was set up outside an unused tea shop on Nguyen Thai Hoc Street here.
If you’re in Vietnam, you should definitely try egg coffee. One of my favorite places is Little HaNoi Egg Coffee. They have locations in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Hoi An (here is their Hoi An location). I’ve visited all of them, and they’re all excellent. They serve food, too. Here’s my article on Little HaNoi Egg Coffee.
I also just like wandering the streets in Old Town. It is touristy, but they’re lined with all kinds of shops, tailors, clothing stores, places to eat, and so on. There are small alleys connecting the bigger streets, which also have things to discover inside, like smaller eateries and coffee places.
Just outside the main Old Town area, there are two shows definitely worth seeing if you’re in Hoi An. I recently saw the Hoi An Memories show twice and the Teh Dar show at the Lune Center on An Hoi Island. I cover both in this article on things to do in Hoi An.
Here’s a video I filmed from the Hoi An Memories Show.
The Lune show does not allow photos or videos during the performance. It’s a small and intimate theatre, and the staff members are strict about these rules.
This show is indoors, with air conditioning, but it is on the expensive side. You can walk here from Old Town. It’s just over the walking bridge onto An Hoi Island.
Where to Stay in Hoi An Old Town
There are tons of hotel choices all around Hoi An Old Town. The entire Old Town area and its surrounding streets are very walkable.
The La Charm Hoi An (see on Agoda / Booking) is a great 4-star pick for staying in Hoi An if you want to be near Old Town. The Hoian Central Hotel (see on Agoda / Booking) is one of the few hotels directly inside Old Town. It’s not fancy, but the location is excellent too.
The Moire Hoi An (see on Agoda / Booking) is a 5-star hotel on Cam Nam Island across from Old Town. It’s in a great location on the Thu Bon River. It has an outdoor pool in the back of the hotel that overlooks the river.
I would also look at the Allegro Hoi An (see on Agoda / Booking) and the Lion King (see on Agoda / Booking). All five of these hotels are in great locations for exploring Old Town on foot. I’ve added their locations to the map above.
Hoi An really has a lot of great boutique hotel options. These are just a few of my recommendations. You can see more in my guide to where to stay in Hoi An.
