Itinerary: 3 days in Hoi An

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Hoi An is like Vietnam that has been dressed up and put on a pedestal. Everything is picturesque and traditional and laid out for you in a small area so you don’t need to walk too far. Except for the beach – we didn’t visit the beach here as we decided to have a bit of a beach break in Da Nang instead. Hoi An is where we wandered and soaked up all the beautiful lanterns and lights and culture.

GENERAL INFO

Getting there and away:

Hoi An is only about 1 hours drive from Da Nang Airport. Da Nang airport is a major hub and there are plenty of affordable flights around Vietnam from here particularly from Hanoi and Ho Chi Min City. Da Nang Train Station also has trains travelling the length of the country.

Getting around:

Once you have reached Da Nang, the easiest way to get into Hoi An is by private car – your hotel in Hoi An will arrange this for you. A transfer very affordable here (even more so than in the rest of the country) so I definitely recommend paying for the convenience in this instance.

If you wanted to visit some attractions outside of Hoi An then you can fit them in as part of a transfer also. We hired Mr. Tim (Private Car with Driver – Watsapp +84 (0) 775 518 084) who we found online to take us from Hoi An back to Da Nang with 2 out of the way stops – he waited for us and continued to Da Nang when we were ready.

Once in Hoi An, you can walk to all of the attractions in the ancient town and this is a great way to see the town as Hoi An is a great place to wander around.

Accommodation:

There are so many nice, affordable hotels all over the ancient town. Do a search on booking.com and you will come up with plenty of viable options. We stayed at La An Central Boutique Villa which was perfect as it was right next to the night market and the river and it had a pool which was very necessary in the sweltering heat.

Food:

Hoi An is a particularly pricey place to eat but there are definitely some great spots if you are prepared to pay a little more than usual!

• Madam Kieu – We had a lovely drink by the water here. They also played Cocomelon songs for my daughter to keep her entertained while we were here so big ups to the staff.
• The Soul – This restaurant is attached to a nice hotel. It’s pricey but well located, beautiful and has really tasty traditional Vietnamese dishes.
• Pho Xua Restaurant – This is one of the few really good budget options in Hoi An – plus its very close to the Fujian Assembly Hall so you can time a visit to this with lunch or dinner. The Pho here is excellent. 35 Phan Chau Trinh Street.

Top Tip:

My top tip for Hoi An is to time your visit for the monthly Lantern festival (although Hoi An is such a drawcard that its pretty festive every night). During the lantern festivals hundred of lanterns are lit and boats are out on the water while people release lanterns into the water. The largest and most spectacular lantern festival is the first one of the new year.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES

Get some clothes tailor made

Hoi An is famous for its hundreds of affordable and very capable tailors and they are so fast. You will find tailors everywhere and its a great opportunity to get something custom made. In high season you may need to wait 2-3 days for your clothing to be made so make sure this is the first thing you do. In low season, the tailor we went to produced 2 custom blazers in less than 24 hours.

Visit the Hoi An Night Market

The Night Market is located on An Hoi Islet right in the midst of the action. It opens at 6pm and closes around 10pm and it’s bustling atmosphere is perfect for nighttime when the temperature drops just slightly and you can brave coming out of your hotel. Many of the shops on either side of the market sell lanterns and they are beautifully lit and displayed. If you want to pose for a picture with the lanterns you will have to pay. The vendors here make most of their money charging for photographs rather than selling lanterns but we purchased one of the beautiful silk lanterns to take home as a souvenir.

There are stalls in the middle selling all types of knick-knacks and this is a great place to practice your bargaining. You can also have some local snacks (such as grilled octopus or banana crepes) here as there are a few street food stalls or you can eat at one of the many restaurants or bars in this part of town.

Be wowed by the Fujian Assembly Hall

The Fujian Assembly Hall is one of the most opulent buildings in all of Hoi An and is well worth a look – you can go inside and take a look there is no fee.

Explore the Ancient Town

Walk along the riverside and the streets around the ancient town taking in the atmosphere and doing some shopping in the little stores. Explore the cobbled lanes around the Japanese Covered Bridge and watch the boats in the water of the river.

Visit Sunworld Amusement Park

Sunworld Amusement Park is about 40 minutes drive from Da Nang or 1 hour drive from Hoi An. It is a very strange (but quite typical for Asian countries) theme park. The entry price is very expensive for Vietnam and its probably not worth it unless you make a full day of the theme park but there are a few worthwhile attractions here such as a very very high cablecar (the theme park is situated up a mountain), a stunning bridge called the Golden Hand Bridge and a few good rides.

Visit My Son Sanctuary

My Son Sanctuary is a UNESCO world heritage site very close to both Da Nang and Hoi An (approximately 1 hour’s drive). It is a well preserved ruin of the ancient base of the Champa Kingdom. Its a bit of a walk to the ancient site and around in heat and it gets quite busy so I recommend visiting early in the morning/ Exploring the area should take about 2-3 hours. There is a traditional dance show performed every morning also that is worth watching.

Take in the Bamboo Circus Show

I didn’t personally go to this as I had to look after my kids and the circus is adult only but a couple of my family members went to see the bamboo circus and said it was absolutely phenomenal. It is a great local show to take in and also see the bamboo performing centre which is stunning too.

If you have an extra day to spend in the area I would head to the beach or out to the Cham Islands (there are lots of day tour options or you can head out onto the Islands and stay overnight). We didn’t do either this time around but would love to fit this in next time.

Erika xx