Explore Hoi An Ancient Town - Asia' most beautiful ancient city

Traveling to Hoi An ancient town and don't know where to go or what to do? Let's immediately explore the details of tourist attractions in Hoi An ancient town, review from A - Z about accommodation, transportation,... and travel experiences you need to know!

Traveling to Hoi An ancient town , you will not only discover cultural values through nostalgic architecture, folk art activities or poetic natural scenery, but also have the opportunity to enjoy delicious dishes. specialty "satisfying arriving guests, satisfying departing guests". Pocket right from A - Z the most complete destinations, accommodation, travel and Hoi An ancient town travel experiences to make your trip convenient and complete!

Introduction to Hoi An ancient town

Traveling to Hoi An ancient town is an interesting and memorable experience for many domestic and foreign friends. Hoi An Ancient Town is a famous tourist destination about 30km southwest of Da Nang city center. No noise or bustle, Hoi An has a peaceful and ancient beauty. The appeal of the more than 400-year-old city comes from its ancient architecture, moss-roofed houses, and colorful lantern streets...

Hoi An

In addition, Hoi An is also famous for its unique traditional festivals such as village tutelary festivals, commemorations of industry masters, celebrations of religious saints,... and games. folk songs such as drill chants, rice pounding chants, hut songs,...

Not only can you immerse yourself in the simple beauty of the old town, traveling to Hoi An ancient town you will also discover the interference between Eastern cultures from Japan, China and Vietnamese culture. Because Hoi An was originally the busiest and busiest trading port that existed under the Nguyen Dynasty about 200 years ago, it was the trade between Vietnam and other countries (Japan, China,...) that created a Multicultural and colorful Hoi An exists to this day...

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When is the best time to travel to Hoi An ancient town?

The ideal time to travel to Hoi An ancient town is from February to April every year because during this time the spring weather is cool, Hoi An has little rain & light sunshine, very suitable for tourists to visit and explore. .

Hoi An

May to August is sunny and beautiful, although the period from May to June has some hot sunny days that require a bit of patience, but in return this is a great time to dive and see coral at Cu Lao Cham. Besides, if you plan to travel to Hoi An in other months, please actively monitor the weather forecast to have the most favorable trip!

How to get to Hoi An ancient town

Traveling to Hoi An ancient town, you can choose to travel by many different means: plane, train, bus, passenger car or personal vehicle.

  • Plane: To get to Hoi An fastest, you take a flight to Da Nang airport because this is the closest airport to Hoi An (about 30km). From Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, many airlines operate this route, flight time is about 85 minutes. If you want to hunt for cheap tickets, you should research and book tickets about 3 - 6 months in advance.

Hoi An

  • Train: you can choose to take the train to Da Nang station. If departing from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, the travel time lasts about 14 - 17 hours. Ticket prices range from 400,000 - 1,800,000 VND depending on train type and seat type.

Hoi An

  • Passenger cars: If you want to save more money, you can choose passenger cars from reputable bus companies. However, if traveling from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, it will take 18 - 20 hours. Ticket prices range from 400,000 - 500,000 VND/way.

  • Bus: Because the airport or train station to Hoi An are both in Da Nang, there will be very convenient bus routes to travel between these two locations.

  • Personal vehicle: If you want to have an active "backpacking" trip, you can choose to ride a motorbike or car. Hoi An is about 30km from Da Nang, the road is flat and easy to go.

Means of transportation in Hoi An ancient town

To explore Hoi An ancient town tourist areas, you can choose one of the following means of transport:

  • Motorbike: this is your personal vehicle of choice. With 120,000 - 150,000 VND/day, you can do a tour of Hoi An ancient town at your own discretion, turning into every big and small alley, stopping to check-in and visit whenever you want.

  • Taxi: if you know your way around and don't want to waste time looking for directions, taxi is the most ideal choice to travel to Hoi An tourist attractions.

  • Cyclo : walking around the old town by cyclo is an interesting and memorable travel experience you should try. If you want, take a cyclo at Tran Phu or Phan Chau Chinh street, the price is about 150,000 VND/bike/hour.

  • Bicycle: this is the ideal choice for you to walk around and explore the peaceful beauty of Hoi An ancient town. Some hotels have free bicycles available for your stay, or if needed, you can rent a bike for only 40,000 VND/day.

Leisurely view Hoi An ancient town by bicycle (Source: dulichvietnam)

Tourist attractions in Hoi An ancient town cannot be missed

Explore the Hoi An ancient town tourist map, you definitely cannot miss the famous & attractive places below!

The ancient houses have bold, ancient architecture

  • Phung Hung Ancient House: The house of one of the richest merchants in Hoi An at that time, known as the largest and tallest house in the area. The house is completely built of good ironwood, precious wood, has traditional architecture and shows a well-off life.

  • Tan Ky Ancient House: An extremely famous ancient house in Hoi An, it is an attractive place for tourists to stop to visit and check-in. After a century, even through the historic flood in 1964, the house remained intact. Tan Ky ancient house is a combination of Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese architectural styles in each pattern. Every detail in the house is built extremely meticulously and delicately, making this place a Hoi An tourist destination that attracts many tourists.

  • Duc An ancient house: This is an oriental house in Hoi An. A special feature of Duc An ancient house is the use of wood - a type of wood only found in Quang Nam. Not only attracted by its quiet beauty, this wooden house also holds many furniture, books... with a layout reminiscent of an ancient time.

200 year old Tan Ky ancient house in Hoi An ancient town (Source: vietnamtimes)

Famous ancient assembly hall in Hoi An ancient town

  • Cantonese Assembly Hall: Located right in the center of Hoi An ancient town, the Cantonese Assembly Hall is very popular. The Assembly Hall was originally a place for business meetings, built by a Chinese Cantonese merchant association, so it has a unique Chinese architectural style. The project is a delicate combination of wood and stone, with delicately engraved dragon and unicorn motifs.

  • Chaozhou Assembly Hall: also known as Ong Bon Pagoda. Sophisticated architecture, decorative motifs according to folk legends, especially embossed ceramic motifs create a unique feature of the Chaozhou Assembly Hall.

  • Phuc Kien Assembly Hall: known as the largest and most beautiful assembly hall among the assembly halls in Hoi An tourist area. Behind the three-entrance gate, there is a large garden with a rockery with a statue of a carp crossing the Vu gate. Coming to the Phuc Kien Assembly Hall, don't forget to visit the main hall worshiping Thien Hau Thanh Mau, Sinh Thai Goddess, and 12 Midwives. In addition, during the post-mortem, those who come here can light large incense wreaths, often hanging them with informational notes to pray for health and fortune.

Chaozhou Assembly Hall - the beauty of Hoi An beliefs (Source: collected)

Cau Pagoda - Check-in location for everyone

When traveling to Hoi An ancient town, you must definitely stop at Cau Pagoda - a unique check-in location here. Covered Bridge stands out with its wooden pillars, lacquered, elaborately carved, and most especially built on a stone bridge with soft arches.

Hoi An Covered Bridge - a unique check-in point in Hoi An

Covered Bridge is the bright spot of Hoi An, after 400 years it still stands majestically across a quiet branch of the Thu Bon River. In the past, this place was a busy trading port, so there is a bold architectural intersection of Vietnam and East Asian culture such as China, Korea, and Japan. At night, when the Cau Pagoda lights up, the pagoda's shadow falls on the water surface, shimmering and shining amid the prosperity and bustle of Hoi An.

Tran family church

The Tran clan church is a clan church that represents the model of the clan church of ancient Vietnamese people. After 200 years of wind and frost, the Tran family church still retains its ancient architecture. The church was built and decorated very artistically and carefully according to feng shui with a harmonious combination of Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese architecture. The highlight of the other Tran family church is the 1,500 m2 garden, surrounded by high walls, lush green trees and a hundred-year-old star fruit tree.

Tran family church - historical relic in Hoi An (Source: kienthuc.net)

Hoi An Market - Culinary paradise voted by Lonelyplanet magazine

Besides Tsukiji fish market-Tokyo-Japan, Borough market-London-UK, La Pescheria-Sicily-Italy market, La Boqueria-Barcelona-Spain market, Mercado-Santiago-Chile central market and New World Central market -New York-USA, Hoi An market is honored to be in the top 7 culinary paradises attractive to both locals and tourists voted by Lonelyplanet magazine.

Hoi An Market - an attractive culinary paradise voted by Lonelyplanet magazine

The most attractive thing to anyone who visits this market is the food area. Countless specialty food stalls are sold close together, not only are they irresistibly delicious but the prices are affordable. Therefore, this is an indispensable place in your Hoi An tour!

Handicraft workshop

The handicraft workshop in Hoi An is a place to preserve and develop 12 traditional Vietnamese crafts including: carpentry, pottery, lanterns, mat weaving, fabric weaving, embroidery, garments, rattan and bamboo weaving. , lacquered hats, wood inlay. Extremely beautiful handcrafted products from meticulous and delicate skilled hands leave a special impression on visitors, making you even more proud and respectful of the Vietnamese people.

Experience traveling to Hoi An ancient town: What and where to eat delicious food?

Hoi An ancient town not only attracts tourists with its ancient architecture and quiet beauty bearing the mark of the past, but also captivates many tourists with its unique cuisine.

Hoi An chicken rice

Chicken rice sounds very familiar, but Hoi An chicken rice has a very different flavor. Delicious, sticky rice served with chicken, onions, Tra Que herbs and sour papaya; Add a cup of rich soup to help make the dish more attractive.

Address:

  • Ba Buoi chicken rice at 26 Phan Chau Trinh

  • Mrs. Huong's chicken rice - Sica alley

Hoi An chicken rice - a specialty of Hoi An town

Dam cake – stir-fried mussels

Banh Dap is made from fragrant, crunchy sticky rice; Delicious stir-fried mussels with rich flavors combined together is the dish that "satisfies arriving guests, pleases departing guests" the second most in Hoi An. For every layer of wet rice paper, there is another layer of grilled rice cake with mussels, dipped in a bowl of salty fish sauce, spicy and fragrant with the scent of sea fish, the taste is delicious and hard to resist. Reference price: from 15,000 - 50,000 VND.

Delicious places to eat:

  • Cam Nam Hoi An cake shop at 679 Hai Ba Trung, Hoi An

  • Ba Gia Hoi An cake shop - Cam Nam commune, Hoi An

Hoi An stir-fried mussel cake

Hoi An pancakes

Hoi An banh xeo attracts you with its crispy golden appearance and delicious smell of fresh shrimp & meat. The skillfully prepared dipping sauce, combining just the right amount of rich soy sauce and fragrant peanuts, has captivated the hearts of many food lovers at home and abroad.

Delicious places to eat:

  • Banh xeo at Gieng Ba Le restaurant - 45/51 Tran Hung Dao

  • Hai Dao pancake at 160 Ly Thai To, Cam Chau, Hoi An

Hoi An Banh Beo

Hoi An banh beo is prepared quite meticulously. To make delicious banh beo, the processor needs to choose good rice and prepare shrimp and meat ingredients. When customers come to eat, the owner puts the bowls on a tray, adds fragrant fillings and onions. To enjoy banh beo, you use a "bamboo knife" (a bamboo stick sharpened into the shape of a blade), this is also a special point that stimulates your curiosity when sipping this Hoi An specialty.

Delicious places to eat:

  • Ba Bay's Banh Beo - 2 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An

  • Banh Beo 17 - 17 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Hoi An

Hoi An Banh Beo

Corn sweet soup - Delicious and cheap Hoi An snack

Corn sweet soup is a rustic dish with a naturally sweet and fragrant taste from Hoi's famous Cam Nam corn. Hoi An corn sweet soup is not cooked with coconut water like Southern sweet soup, but only sprinkled with coconut water when eating to increase the fatty taste, so the sweet soup always retains the original flavor of freshly cracked corn.

Delicious places to eat:

  • Sidewalk of Tran Phu street, Le Loi, Hoi An. Reference price: 7,000 VND/bowl.

Mi Quang

At first glance, Quang noodles seem similar to Cao Lau, but in fact, just try one bite and you will immediately feel the difference between the two dishes. Quang noodles have a rich flavor and are eaten with meat, shrimp, quail eggs and typical side dishes such as grilled rice paper and vegetables.

Delicious places to eat:

  • Ong Hai Quang Noodles Hoi An No. 6A Truong Minh Luong, Hoi An

  • Auntie Hat's Quang Noodles No. 4 Phan Chau Trinh, Hoi An

Cao Lau

According to the elders in the old town, Cao Lau is a dish that has existed for a long time, around the 17th century and is heavily influenced by Chinese and Japanese cuisine. Cao Lau attracts tourists because of the rich flavor of meat, shrimp and spices mixed with irresistibly delicious and chewy noodles.

Delicious places to eat:

  • Thanh Cao Lau Restaurant No. 26 Thai Phien, Minh An, Hoi An

  • Lien Cao Lau Restaurant No. 21B Thai Phien, Minh An, Hoi An

  • Hoi An Ba Be Cao Lau Restaurant, No. 19 Tran Phu, Cam Chau, Hoi An

Cao Lau -  the pride of Hoi An cuisine

What to buy as a gift when traveling to Hoi An ancient town?

What to buy as a gift when traveling to Hoi An ancient town? Below are ideal suggestions for you!

  • To he: Traveling to Hoi An ancient town, many people have chosen to buy to he as gifts for family and friends. To he Hoi An is not only eye-catching but also symbolizes the ingenuity of the artisan, is the childhood memory of Hoi An people and also the traditional folk culture of the nation.

  • Silk: Hoi An is famous for its 300-year history of exporting silk to Eurasian countries. Hoi An silk is not only precious because of its soft quality from natural silk, but also contains many valuable cultural and historical beauty of Quang. Therefore, when traveling to Hoi An, you often choose to buy silk, a Hoi An specialty, as a gift for your family.

  • Lanterns: Lanterns are a very familiar symbol in the space of Hoi An ancient town. Nowadays, in addition to traditional lanterns, Hoi An people have created lanterns that can be folded and carried easily, suitable for everyone to buy as gifts for friends and relatives.

Lanterns - familiar symbols in Hoi An ancient town

How much does it cost to travel to Hoi An ancient town on your own?

To travel to Hoi An ancient town on your own, you need to make a detailed plan and estimate costs for items such as: travel fees to Hoi An, travel fees to destinations while traveling to Hoi An, food and beverage costs, and hotel costs. Hotel, sightseeing tickets,... If you calculate the total necessary costs, it will cost you about 3,500,000 - 5,000,000 VND for a self-sufficient trip to Hoi An for 3 days and 2 nights, not including shopping and expenses. Other arising fees.

This cost is for reference only, costs may be lower or higher depending on each person due to the type of vehicle, hotel accommodation, attractions, dining, service use, and shopping.

Travel to Hoi An on your own (Source: collected)

Things to know when traveling to Hoi An ancient town

To make your trip to Hoi An smoother, immediately pocket some notes and experiences when traveling to Hoi An ancient town!

  • Some tourist attractions in Hoi An ancient town do not have tickets. If you want to visit inside, you should proactively buy tickets at the Hoi An Sightseeing Guide Office.

  • Hoi An in the morning is extremely quiet and peaceful because at this time only Hoi An people prepare to welcome the new day. This is the most suitable time for you to explore and enjoy the fresh air and idyllic beauty here.

  • On special occasions such as Tet or the full moon, the number of tourists increases so you should actively book a hotel room in advance to ensure there is a room to stay.

  • Hoi An is easily affected by storms and floods. Although not too severe, you should still carefully monitor the weather forecast for a smooth trip.

  • Every night at Bach Dang Wharf, there are cultural boats performing traditional music, come and feel it!

Experience traveling to Hoi An ancient town (Source: collected)