Hoi An

Hoi An, Vietnam: The Ancient Town That Earned Its Own Ticket System

Here is the thing about Hoi An that nobody warns you: you will spend ten minutes standing on a bridge, watching lanterns drift downstream, and quietly resent every place you have been before. After two years of closure and a 20-billion-VND restoration finished in August 2024, the Japanese Covered Bridge is back open, and it has never looked better. The timing could not be more fitting for what is arguably Vietnam’s most photogenic town.

Hoi An sits along the Thu Bon River in central Vietnam, and its UNESCO-listed Ancient Town is a condensed archive of who traded here over five centuries: Japanese merchants in the 16th century, Chinese guilds, Dutch and Portuguese ships. Unlike most “heritage” towns, this one actually works. Tailors cut cloth at 6am. Banh mi vendors appear before the street lights go off. The smell of cao lau from a back-lane kitchen will reorder your priorities faster than any alarm clock.

Getting In: The Ticket System

The Ancient Town charges 120,000 VND per person for foreign visitors (around $5 USD), which covers entry to five heritage sites of your choosing from a list of 22. Kids under 15 get in free. The ticket is technically valid for the duration of your stay, though you cannot re-enter the same site twice. Buy it at any of the booths on the perimeter of the old town, not from touts on the street. The booths are easy to find and the queue moves fast.

One practical note on timing: the town restricts motorbikes between 9am and 11am, and again from 3pm to 9pm. If you want to actually walk without ducking exhaust, get out by 7am or plan around those windows.

What to See

The Japanese Covered Bridge is the non-negotiable first stop. Built in the late 16th century by Japanese merchants, it was closed in December 2022 and methodically restored with input from Japanese preservation experts. The reopening ceremony in August 2024 coincided with the 20th Hoi An-Japan Cultural Exchange event. Standing on it at dawn, before the tour groups arrive, is worth setting an alarm for.

Phuc Kien (Fujian) Assembly Hall consistently gets less attention than the bridge, which is a mistake. The interior is a riot of red lacquer, gilt carvings, and incense smoke that backs up in your clothes for hours. This was where Chinese merchants from Fujian province gathered; the main deity inside is Thien Hau, goddess of the sea and protector of sailors. The detail in the ceramic roof mosaics alone justifies the detour.

Tan Ky Old House (101 Nguyen Thai Hoc) is a merchant townhouse from the late 18th century still owned by the same family. Seven generations have kept it largely intact, and if you visit in the rainy season (September-November), you may notice the old flood marks on the walls, recorded in pencil by the family going back decades. The house was specifically designed to withstand flooding: the lower furniture is built to be moved upstairs in hours.

Tra Que Herb Village sits about 3km outside town and is exactly what it sounds like: a farming village built around a patchwork of herb plots fertilized with seaweed from the river. You can cycle out there in 20 minutes, join a planting or harvesting session with local farmers, and make a morning of it. Go before 9am while it is still cool. This is a genuine working farm, not a staged exhibit.

Where to Eat

Banh Mi Phuong (2B Phan Chau Trinh) is the one that Anthony Bourdain called the best banh mi in the world, and the queue at 8am suggests he was not wrong. The bread is baked fresh, the filling combinations are generous, and the whole thing costs less than a dollar. Do not complicate this by looking for a “better” alternative. Just go.

Morning Glory (106 Nguyen Thai Hoc) is unapologetically tourist-facing, but the food is consistently good and the cooking classes run by owner Trinh Diem Vy are worth doing. The cao lau here is reliable, the white rose dumplings are made properly (the wrapper is deliberately thicker than you expect), and the staff do not rush you. It is a reasonable splurge at around 200,000-350,000 VND per main.

For something more local, look for mi quang on any street with plastic stools. This turmeric-yellow noodle dish is the one Hoi An locals eat for breakfast, not cao lau, which is more of a restaurant dish. A bowl should cost 30,000-50,000 VND. If you see a place with a handwritten sign and a grandmother running the pot, that is the right place.

Lo Gach Cu, out in the countryside past the rice paddies, is worth the 15-minute cycle if you want coffee somewhere genuinely unusual: an old brick kiln repurposed into a cafe, surrounded by green fields. The views are exceptional and the cold brew is excellent. It is the kind of place you find by accident and then refuse to tell anyone about.

Where to Stay

Anantara Hoi An Resort (1 Pham Hong Thai) occupies a quiet bend of the Thu Bon River just under a kilometre from the Old Town. The 94 rooms all have balconies or terraces, and the boat service into town makes the distance irrelevant. It is expensive by Vietnamese standards (expect $150-250/night) but the river setting and the spa justify it for a longer stay. Worth two nights, not one.

La Siesta Hoi An sits on the western edge of the Old Town, about a 12-minute walk to the heart of things. It hits the mid-range sweet spot: genuinely comfortable rooms, a pool, and staff who will actually sort out your tailoring appointments without charging a fee. Around $60-90/night depending on season.

If you want to stay inside the Ancient Town itself, there are smaller guesthouses and boutique hotels on the quieter lanes, but be aware that the no-motorbike hours make luggage arrival complicated. Worth factoring in if you are arriving by taxi.

An Bang Beach

Ten minutes by bicycle east of town, An Bang Beach is the local’s pick over the more famous Cua Dai, and for good reason. Cua Dai has suffered significant erosion over the past decade; An Bang is cleaner, less eroded, and has a better concentration of beach bars and seafood restaurants right on the sand. Tripadvisor named it among the top ten most beautiful beaches in Asia in 2024, which has brought some crowds, but it remains manageable outside of Vietnamese public holidays. Rent a bike from your hotel (around 50,000 VND/day), grab a coffee from one of the bamboo beach cafes, and stay for sunset.

Tailoring

Hoi An has around 400 tailor shops, and the quality varies sharply. The shops on the main tourist drag (Tran Phu, Nguyen Thai Hoc) charge more and turn work around in 24 hours, which often means cutting corners. If you have time, give any tailor three to four days and ask to see samples of their finished work. A well-made ao dai runs 400,000-800,000 VND; a suit from a reputable shop costs $80-150 USD. Bring reference photos and be specific about fabric weight. The consultations are free and the salespeople are patient; do not let anyone rush you into fabric choices.

Getting There and Around

Da Nang International Airport is 30km north and handles direct international flights. A taxi or ride-share to Hoi An takes 45-60 minutes and costs around 300,000-400,000 VND depending on traffic and negotiation. Grab (Vietnam’s Uber equivalent) is usually 20-30% cheaper than metered taxis. There is no train stop in Hoi An itself; the nearest is Da Nang.

Within town, bicycles are the best option and are available from almost every hotel for 50,000 VND/day. The Ancient Town is small enough to cover on foot, but a bike gives you range to reach Tra Que, An Bang, and the countryside. Card payments are increasingly accepted at hotels and larger restaurants, but carry cash for street food, markets, and small shops. Tipping is not expected but appreciated; rounding up at restaurants is common.

The Full Moon Lantern Festival happens on the 14th of every lunar month. The electric lights in the Old Town are switched off, candles and lanterns take over, and the streets are pedestrian-only from early evening. It is genuinely moving the first time and worth planning around if your dates align.