Where to Stay in Hoi An: A Local’s Guide for First-Timers

I live in Da Nang, which is about 40 minutes away from Hoi An. Like today, I frequently ride my scooter from Da Nang to Hoi An for coffee, lunch, dinner, or to explore. I’m having coffee and lunch at Nghé Coffee & Vegan in the rice fields outside Hoi An while putting notes together for this guide.

This is one of many great places to relax, have coffee, or grab a bite in Hoi An’s rice fields; I highly recommend checking out some of Hoi An’s rice field coffee shops when you visit. I’ve covered this place and others further down in the rice fields section.

This is a long guide with a lot of my personal photos and videos. My goal when putting this together is that, by the end, you’ll have all the information you need to choose the right place to stay in Hoi An. If you’re only interested in hotels (without learning about the different areas), then see my new Hoi An hotel guide.

Accommodation options in Hoi An are mainly boutique hotels, homestays, villas, and resorts. There aren’t high-rise hotels with far-reaching ocean or mountain views like in Da Nang, but Hoi An beats Da Nang for the boutique hotel experience.

As someone who’s lived in Da Nang for years and visited Hoi An too many times to count, I think the best areas to stay are in (or near) Old Town, the beaches (An Bang or Cua Dai), or out in the countryside (rice fields). For each location, I give my recommended hotels below.

You’ll need to know the best time to visit Hoi An, and here’s my sample three-day Hoi An itinerary to get you started. This guide covers things to do in Hoi An.

I’ve also written Where to Stay guides on Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Da Nang, and Hue.

Where to Stay in Hoi An Map: Best Areas and Hotels

Here’s a map of the areas and hotels I recommend in the article. 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 Hoi An’s best areas and hotels. The hotels around Old Town and on An Hoi Island (purple and green) are in great locations for wandering Old Town.

Staying in Old Town (Ancient Town)

Hoi An’s Ancient Town (Old Town) is a UNESCO World Heritage site. All of Old Town is very walkable and pedestrian-friendly. Read more on how to get around Hoi An here.

If you’re visiting Hoi An for the first time, you should stay in or around Old Town. This is the best place to stay for first-timers because of its nearby attractions, convenience, and walkability.

Search for hotels in Ancient Town Hoi An (on Agoda / Booking).

I will share many personal photos from my wanderings around Old Town. All the hotels I recommend below are within walking distance of all the places in my Old Town photos.

At around 3 PM, the city closes the Old Town area to foot traffic only. Prior to this, scooters will be zipping throughout Old Town. It starts getting very busy from around 4 PM onward, and will stay busy until night. Old Town is beautiful at night, with all the lit lanterns, but it does become pretty busy.

Here’s a video I filmed at night in Old Town.

The three-star Hoian Central Hotel (see on Agoda / Booking) and the five-star Little Riverside Hoi An (see on Agoda / Booking) are great hotel options on the eastern edge of Old Town. The Hoian Central Hotel is on a slightly busier street, and the Little Riverside is in a quieter area along the Thu Bon River.

Finding low-key coffee shops and enjoying the river or Old Town ambiance is one of my favorite things to do in Hoi An. There are also great opportunities to interact with locals and have some cheap, tasty coffee.

Little HaNoi Egg Coffee on Phan Boi Chau is around the corner from both the Hoian Central Hotel and the Little Riverside. They make great egg coffee. This coffee shop is indoors and has two floors (with air conditioning!).

I’ve also visited Little HaNoi’s Ho Chi Minh City locations. Those are great, too. In the photos below, I had their cacao coffee (cold) and their egg coffee (hot). Both are great. They cost 40.000 VND each. Here’s the article I wrote about Little HaNoi Egg Coffee.

I’ve read the experiences of many travelers over the years who’ve called Hoi An a “tourist trap.”

In Hoi An’s defense, its Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With that title comes heavy tourism and local businesses. This is common across the world. Furthermore, the Old Town is not all of Hoi An; not even close.

While the Old Town area is touristy, this isn’t the only part of Hoi An to explore. As soon as you wander outside the Old Town area, Hoi An becomes very local, very fast. There are a lot of great areas and experiences to be had outside Old Town.

When I visit Hoi An, I’m not hyper-focused on the individual shops or touristy parts. Rather, I like taking in the bigger picture of the overall area of Old Town, including the Thu Bon River and rice fields outside town, imagining what was going on here hundreds of years ago as an ancient trading port.

That’s my advice. Admire the architecture and the history. There are a ton of friendly locals around, too. Personally, I think the buildings, architecture, and scenery are worth experiencing. I always have a nice time in Hoi An by just buying coffee and wandering around or sitting and people-watching somewhere.

On the northern edge of Old Town, I like the luxury Allegro Hoi An (see on Agoda / Booking) and the very highly rated boutique Lion King Hotel (see on Agoda / Booking). The Lion King Hotel is an awesome 3-star choice in a great location for exploring Old Town.

On the western edge of Old Town, I like the La Charm Hoi An (see on Agoda / Booking) and the Cozy Savvy Boutique Hotel (see on Agoda / Booking). The La Siesta Hoi An Resort (see on Agoda / Booking) is a very nice five-star boutique hotel that is as far west as I would go.

Many hotels offer free bikes to guests or rent them out. The quality of bike rentals can vary from hotel to hotel. However, the hotel’s staff can arrange bicycle or scooter rentals for you, too. Ask the front desk.

For bike tours around Hoi An, check out Heaven & Earth Bicycle Tours on An Hoi Island. Here is their website.

Two islands are just south of the Old Town area, across the Thu Bon River. One of them is An Hoi Island, and the other is Cam Nam. These are also walkable and fun to explore. You can walk, bicycle, or scooter over both bridges connecting to both islands.

An Hoi Island is smaller and home to the Hoi An Night Market. There is a lot more packed into the small An Hoi Island — a lot of cafes, restaurants, and hotels. This little island is very walkable. I’ve posted some pictures below.

The Lantana Boutique Hotel (see on Agoda / Booking) is in a great location on An Hoi Island.

Nearby the Lantana on An Hoi Island is the 5-star RiverTown Resort (see on Agoda / Booking). This is a solid choice for families, as the hotel has two pools: one for adults in the front and another for families in the back.

Cam Nam Island is west of An Hoi Island. It’s a pinch further outside Old Town, and a lot more local. The five-star Moire Hoi An (see on Agoda / Booking) is right at the front of Cam Nam Island. This is a luxury hotel, with its pool out back along the Thu Bon River. There’s a small bridge connecting the island with the mainland, so you can walk into the Old Town area in about five minutes.

Three short bridges connect An Hoi Island to the Old Town area. One of them, located here, is a short and scenic walking bridge. This immediate area is a crossroads of several smaller roads in Old Town. In my photo, I’m at that crossroads, and you can see the small bridge on the right-hand side.

11 Ca Phe is on An Hoi Island. You don’t have to stay on An Hoi Island to enjoy this place. It’s in a great and surprisingly peaceful area on the Thu Bon River.

Here’s a video I filmed having coffee at 11 Ca Phe. That’s the owner’s friendly and sleepy dog next to me.

Here are some of my photos from outside the coffee shop on An Hoi Island. This is looking back at Old Town across the Thu Bon River.

This whole riverfront area on An Hoi Island facing Old Town is a great and peaceful place to chill, people-watch, and catch your breath.

Papa’s Coffee is on Cam Nam Island in Hoi An. If you stay at the Moire Hoi An, you’d be right around the corner from here. You can walk here from Old Town. Papa is a grandfather who runs the coffee shop with his family. They’re all lovely. Plus, the river views and quietness of this area are great.

If you can ride a bike for 15 to 20 minutes or rent a scooter, getting outside the Old Town area into the countryside is a great experience. The numerous rice fields surrounding Hoi An are amazing when the skies are clear. Sunset or sunrise are other great times to visit these.

This is one of the great experiences outside of Old Town that I mentioned earlier. There’s more to Hoi An than just the Old Town area.

The following photos and video were taken at the Cam Thanh Rice Fields here, east of Old Town. This area of Hoi An is called Cam Thanh. There are also a lot of places to stay out in the rice fields, and even more the further out into Cam Thanh you go. I discuss where to stay in the rice fields later in this guide.

When I was exploring here recently, a group of tourists zipped by on Hoi An’s new-ish electric carts. This is another popular way to get around Hoi An.

Hoi An also has a very popular tailoring and custom-made clothes scene. I have personally never had anything tailored here, but I know of people who’ve had custom suits, shirts, and dresses made while on vacation.

Blue Chic Tailor (Facebook page) and Yaly Couture (website) are popular and well-regarded tailors. If you’re interested in something like this while in Hoi An, I’d start my research with them.

Let me know if you need help doing tailoring research. Feel free to contact me directly in my free Hoi An, Da Nang, and Hue travel planning group.

Staying on Hoi An’s Beaches

An Bang Beach

An Bang Beach is one of Hoi An’s beaches. The 2024 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards ranked An Bang Beach as the 5th best beach in Asia. My Khe Beach in Da Nang was ranked 6th.

An Bang Beach is usually pretty busy and crowded. But you won’t find many locals swimming here — it’s mainly vacationers. There are several roped-off swimming areas on the beach. Even though it can be busy, it’s actually a laid-back environment.

Find hotels in An Bang Beach (on Agoda / Booking).

Here’s a video I filmed overlooking An Bang Beach.

You can rent sun loungers on An Bang Beach for between 50.000 and 100.000 VND each for the entire day. There are restaurants along the beach that will let you use them for free if you buy food, drinks, or smoothies.

The Linh Seaside Villa (see on Agoda / Booking), the AIRA Boutique Hoi An Hotel ( see on Agoda / Booking), and the Under the Coconut Tree Hoi An Homestay (see on Agoda / Booking) are three of the best hotels in the An Bang Beach area.

The immediate area around An Bang Beach is very walkable. There are tons of restaurants and cafes jammed into the tiny beachside area.

When travelers ask for advice, I always tell them that Hoi An’s beaches, An Bang Beach and Cua Dai Beach, are not within walking distance of Old Town in Hoi An. But this is where bicycle or scooter renting comes in handy. It’s a beautiful ride on a bicycle, and you’ll pass through some awesome rice fields.

Electric cars (electric shuttles/golf carts) also transport guests around Hoi An, including to and from the beach areas. Many hotels now have these as a service. You’ll see these golf carts zipping all over Old Town.

Here are the directions from Old Town to An Bang Beach on Google Maps.  

I highly recommend downloading the Grab app to get around Hoi An. It’s a very convenient app for traveling in Vietnam. Using the Grab app to book a taxi from Old Town to An Bang Beach will cost around $3 USD — even less on a GrabBike (moto-taxi).

Cua Dai Beach

Cua Dai Beach is another beach in Hoi An. As mentioned above, it isn’t within walking distance of Hoi An’s Ancient Town area. This beach is south along the coast from An Bang Beach.

The Hoi An Beach Resort (see on Agoda / Booking) is a four-star hotel directly across the street from Cua Dai Beach. Alternatively, the Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort and Spa (see on Agoda / Booking) is a more private and quieter experience directly on Cua Dai Beach.

Search for hotels near Cua Dai Beach (on Agoda / Booking).

There’s a nice beach resort that I visited recently called the Palm Garden Resort (see on Agoda / Booking). This is directly on Cua Dai Beach in Hoi An.

You can ride bicycles from here to Old Town along Cua Dai Road. It’s one long road right outside these hotels to downtown Hoi An. Here are the directions from Cua Dai Beach to Old Town on Google Maps.

Alternatively, as I’ve said before, hiring taxis through Grab is easy, cheap, and convenient. The Grab app is the most useful app you’ll download for your trip. You can find my other suggested travel apps here.

If you’re interested in Da Nang’s beaches, read about my favorite beaches here. This guide covers getting from Da Nang to Hoi An. Here’s my Da Nang travel guide.

Staying in Hoi An’s Countryside

The picture above is from the cafe that I mentioned at the beginning of this article (NGHE Rice Paddy Cafe).

The Hoi An countryside has some of my favorite views in Vietnam. The air feels fresh, and there are areas with rice fields as far as you can see. There are rice fields outside Hoi An in nearly all directions, depending on how far you go. The Cam Thanh Rice Fields are in this area. And the rice fields north of town are in this area. They have small paths you can bike or scooter through.

I recently visited a hotel in the Cam Thanh Rice Fields area: Chez Mimosa Rice Fields Retreat (see on Agoda / Booking). Here’s a video I filmed here.

In this same general area is the unique resort/retreat that I mentioned in the beginning, the ZEN Retreat (see on Agoda / Booking).

For some other choices in and around the rice fields, I like the Hoi An Rustic Villa (see on Agoda / Booking) for a budget accommodation, and the Legacy Hoi An Resort (see on Agoda / Booking).

These are some shots of me cruising through Hoi An’s rice fields on my scooter. They are everywhere once you get outside the Old Town area.

And a bit further out into the Cam Thanh area of Hoi An, I like the ENSO Retreat Hoi An (see on Agoda / Booking) and the Hoi An CoCo River Resort & Spa (see on Agoda / Booking).

The downside is that the further outside Hoi An you go, the less convenient the area becomes locally. You can still order food through the Grab app, and there are local eateries scattered about, but you won’t have countless food options right outside your hotel (like in the Old Town area).

The rice fields and countryside are great if you want a quiet and peaceful vacation, decide to rent a scooter, or if you’re okay with bicycling a bit. Otherwise, as mentioned, walkability to many food choices and cafes is somewhat limited.

There are some eateries and cafes with incredible views in the countryside surrounding Hoi An, though. They just aren’t exactly easy to access on foot. No matter where you stay in Hoi An, you should 100% get out into the countryside and check out the rice fields.

Besides Nghé Coffee & Vegan, I like Coffee Xóm Chiêu and Roving Chill House. These three are all north of Hoi An’s Old Town.

Bonus Hotel in Hoi An

I spent some time exploring different hotels around Hoi An recently. This hotel is one of my newest discoveries: the Silk River (see on Agoda / Booking). This is a great 4-star hotel in Hoi An.

The reason I created a bonus section just for this hotel is that it doesn’t quite fit into any specific section above.

It’s east of Old Town, right along the Thu Bon River. But it’s also west of the Cam Thanh Rice Fields area I discussed above. From here, you can walk into the Old Town area in about 20 minutes (or you can bike). But it’s a nice and pleasant walk. You can also walk directly along the river.

You’re also only about 10 minutes from the bridge that connects to Hoi An Memories Land, where the Hoi An Memories Show takes place (an awesome outdoor show in Hoi An).

Here’s a video I filmed at the Silk River Hotel in Hoi An.

If you need help planning your trip or have any questions about where to stay in Hoi An, ask me in the comments section below. Alternatively, join my Hoi An, Da Nang, and Hue travel planning group. I moderate this Facebook group personally.

If I had to pick one area to stay in Hoi An, I’d stay in or near Old Town.