Hoi an is located 30 km south of Da Nang and 60 km northeast of Tam Ky. Hoi An used to be a international trade centre by sea on the east area in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was the busiest trading port in Dang Trong region of Nguyen dynasty of Viet Nam as merchants from China, India, Holland, Japan, Spain, ect… often stopped over to buy and purchase goods.
In the historical progress of establishment and development, Hoi an was known by foreign merchants as Faifo, Hoai Pho. According to the archaeological relics and records of architectural dwellings, Hoi An was also an important meeting place of many cultures, such as Champa, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese, and has been greatly impacted upon by Vietnamese and Chinese civilization.
Among Vietnam’s destinations, Hoi an is always attracted tourists by a particular way of Hoi an as ancient buildings, the peacefulness of old town along in the river.
Hoi An is not only a interesting place to visit or chill out, but it is also a “ friendly” city with any of tourists traveling to Hoi An in diverse life and enjoying special local foods.
hoiandanang.com will recommend you all informations of Hoi an, and you can search any of informations on this website. We hope it seems to be your travel notebook during your stay in Hoi an, as well as Da Nang.
When you getting to Hoi an:
The perfect time to getting to Hoi an? Tourists all wonder when they’ve been planning on travelling to Viet Nam, as well as Hoi An.
It is a perfect time to be at Hoi an in dry season which falls between February and April. The climate is beautiful, mild with moderate temperature, low humidity, less rain and warm sunshine. Come october, the rainy season begins, with sometimes heavy rain and the potential risk of floods, it is a bad time to visit Hoi An.
If you are lucky enough to arrive at the old town on 14th of each lunar month, as an occasion, you will see Hoi an will be charming with “full moon festival” and “no electric lights” on that day.
How you getting to Hoi An
If you arrive Hoi an, first you have to fly or go train to Da nang, then by taxi or bus to Hoi an (there is no railway train or airport in Hoi An), it is a important note in your travel notebook travelling to Hoi an. From Da nang, you can travel by bus, private car and taxi to hoi an, it cost you about 20 usd for one way ( similarly from Hoi an to Da nang), or you can take local bus, you must get to the bus station ( not in Da nang airport) before going to Hoi An.
If you have time, you can get travel around Da Nang city, it is also the best destination of Viet Nam.
There is a few options when it comes to Hoi an, which depend on what type of transportation is preferred:
- By air:
Nowadays, there are cheap flight tickets in priority for most tourist have been travelling. You may contact travel agents to book the flight tickets or you can book air ticket online. There are three airlines that services Viet Nam’s domestic routes: Vietnam airlines, Jetstar airlines, Vietjet air.
Da nang airport had very limited international flights, most tourists was forced to fly through Ha Noi or Ho Chi Minh, but now, it is easier and more convenient for international flights to fly straight to Da Nang operate from Singapore, Seoul, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.
- By Train
Most tourists going to Hoi an by train must stop Da Nang or Tam Ky train station, Da Nang is a big station with modern facilities, everyday there are many domestic trains from Ha Noi, Ho chi minh, Nha Trang, ect.
- By Open Tour Buses
Hoi an is one of the stopping spots of Open Tour Buses from Ha noi, Ho Chi Minh, Da Lat, Nha Trang, ect. If you have plan on traveling to Hoi An, there are many open tour buses suitable for tourists to choose. You can save a little budget for travel, and you also can save time if you choose the night buses.
Note: There are two common routes from Da nang to Hoi an
- Route 1: From Da nang, go ahead to Dragon Bridge and towards the beaches. Turn right Vo Nguyen Giap Street. Continue straight ahead for 20 km, pass along Truong Sa Street and Lac Long Quan street as well. See Hoi An Welcome sign and more 5 minutes then coming to An Bang beach of Hoi an, it is one of the most destinations when travelling to Hoi an.
- Route 2: Start from Tran Thi Ly bridge, turn right at traffic circle and ahead to Ngu Hanh Son street, ride straight for 25 km, along the linking Le Van Hien street, Tran Dai Nghia street and Nguyen Tat Thanh street. If you choose this route, you can not see the buffalos wading in the paddy fields, vegetable villages, even beaches.
Vehicle in Hoi An
There are many vehicles used by people around Hoi An such as: bike, motobike, car, cycle, ect.
Rent a motobike with reasonable price from 120.000 vnd – 150.000 vnd per day.
The most exciting during your stay in Hoi An is a walking trip or taking a rent bike, then wander around Hoi An to look closely at Hoi an’s charming by day or by night. You can rent a bike from any of detailers with 30.000 vnd per day.
Where to stay in Hoi An
Hoi An is well known as one of the 10 leading tourism cities in Asia, with high accommodation and facilities. Although there are a many hotels, resorts, villas, and homestays located in heart of Hoi an city, countryside, beach as well; but you can not be easy to seek any of rooms in high season of Hoi An.
To help you in planning your trip, here are the best area to stay in Hoi an for hotels, homestays, or villas:
- Santa Villa: Near An Bang beach
- Sunshine hotel: 2 Phan Dinh Phung street
- Hai Au hotel: 576 Cua Dai street
- Essence Hoi An hotel & spa: 132 Hung vuong Street
- Sunrise Hoi An resort: Au Co street – Cua Dai beach
- The Nam Hai resort: Ha My beach
Note: if you have plan on traveling to hoi an in high season, you need to book hotels in advance, there is no need to worry about accommodation for the rest of your trip.
Santa Villa Hoi An
Hoi An ancient town’s main attractions
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Japanese Bridge:
It is no doubt why Japanese bridge is emblematic of Hoi An, no trip come to Hoi An without visiting it. This original Vietnamese name of this bridge is “ Lai Vien Kieu”. Japanese Bridge is located on the bridge crossing a small creek in old town, connecting Tran Phu street with Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street. Japanese Bridge is constructed by Japanese trading community in 1593 to connect them with the Chinese area on the other side of small stream. It remains until today as a spectacular attraction and is a beautiful trace of the Japanese influence in Viet Nam.
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Assembly Halls:
- FuJian Assembly Hall: is located at 46 Tran Phu Street, it is established in the year 1697 as temple that holds the sea goddess Thien Hau (the traders worship this goddess and also fear her). Nowadays, among the five assembly halls of Hoi an, Fukian is voted as the greatest and most famous.
- Cantonese Assembly Hall: is located at 176 Tran Phu street, it is a popular tourist attraction.. On the early days, it was a place for Chinese traders and sailors to rest a while and also exchange goods. Based on records say this hall was built by Chinese Cantonese merchants, so all parts of the building are made in China. You will be enchanted by this architectural heritage of Vietnam.
- Chaozhou Assembly Hall: is located at 92B Nguyen Duy Hieu street, it is a large assembly house equally to FuJian House. It used to be a place for community activities and specific beliefs from Chaozhao people. This place worships General Phuc Ba who tames the waves of sea in trading journeys.
There are two more Assembly Halls like Duong Thuong Assembly Hall (aslo called Trung Hoa- 64 Tran Phu street ) and Hai Nam Assembly Hall (10 Tran Phu street)- as the five top Assembly Hall in Hoi An.
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Old house in Old Town Hoi An
- Tan Ky Old House: was built 200 years ago and in at 101 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street. It is the most well- preserved in Hoi An with seven generations of family have strive to keep this house in good condition. Tan Ky Old House is a unique combination of Vietnam, China and Japan architecture style. It is better if you have a tour guide who will tell you all details of this hourse.
- Quan Thang Old House: is currently seen as the nicest ancient house in Hoi An, it is 150 year old and carries architecture style of China. This is a main spot in journey of discovery the world cultural heritage in Hoi An. It is located at 77 Tran Phu street.
- Phung Hung Old House: is over 100 year old with combination of many ancient styles. This house is located at 4 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street as a display to show many valuable documents about architecture, art and culture.
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Tran Family Chapel:
Tran Family Chapel, Hoi An dates back to 1802. Originally, it serves as a worshipping place for Tran family’s ancestors, as well as reminder about Tran family’s tradition to the following generations. Tourist can find this famous must- see place in Old Town Hoi An, at 21 Le Loi street.
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Hoi An museums:
- Museum Of History and Culture
It established in 1989 and only building that is familiar as museum of Quan Am (Guan Yin) Pagoda.
The exhibits include pottery, ceramics, bronze, iron, paper, wood, etc… which are classified into three eras: prehistory, Champa period and Dai Viet period. These phases correspond to Sa Huynh Culture, Champa culture and Dai Viet, Dai Nam Culture.
Located at 7 Nguyen Hue Street.
- Sa Huynh Culture Museum.
The museum provides diverse information about the ancient residents of Sa Huynh Culture. It exhibits over 1000 artifacts of Sa Huynh Culture during back around 2000 years. Sa Huynh Culture Museum is considered the largest and most unique collection in Viet Nam.
Situated at 149 Tran Phu street
If you have an occasion to visit Hoi An, you can think about two more museums here such as: Hoi an museum of folk culture (33 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street) and Hoi An Museum of Trade Ceramics (tg80 Tran Phu Street).
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Hoi An Handicraft Workshop
It is typical handicraft workshop in Hoi An Old Town, as well as a potential tourist attraction in Hoi An. It has gathered many traditional handicraft together like carpentry, pottery, art lanterns, rattan and bamboo, conical hats, mats, weaving, embroidery, lacquer ware, woodcarvings…Coming to Hoi An Handicraft Workshop, tourists will immerse in a peaceful atmosphere of Hoi An Village and witness ingenious hands and great skills of artisans who create high quality and best technique of products.
In particular, tourists will a part of the shows which include music, song, dance and also bingo game, are worth sticking around for. Every day its has two times for tourist enjoying show: 10:15 AM and 3:15 PM.
Where are ticket offices?
Ticket Office 1: Located at 5 Hoang Dieu street
Ticket Office 2: Located at 12 Phan Chau Trinh street ( at the corner of Phan Chau Trinh & Nguyen Hieu streets)
Ticket Office 3: Located at the corner of Tran Phu and Nguyen Hieu streets
Ticket Office 4: Located at 87 Tran Phu Street ( at the corner of Le Loi & Tran Phu street)
Ticket Office 5: Located at 155B Tran Phu Street (near Japanese Covered Bridge)
Ticket Office 6: Located at 677 Hai Ba Trung street
Ticket Office 7: Located in Chau Van Thuong street ( on An Hoi island)
Price: It costs 120.000 vnd per ticket for international tourists and 80.000 vnd per ticket for domestic tourists. With each ticket, tourist will visit all streets in the ancient town; 5 of the 21 sightseeing places; artistic activities; folk games and night market.
Exploring the local villages in Hoi An Countryside
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Water Coconut Jungle of Bay Mau Forest Hoi An
Recently, Cam Thanh village has been a favourite spot for tourists because of its vast and beautiful water coconut jungle of Bay Mau forest Hoi An. It is located 5km from the ancient town in hamlet 2 and 3 of Cam Thanh Commune. There are two ways to get to Cam Thanh Village:
- By Boat: tourist can take a boat along Hoai River to arrive the village from Bach Dang wharf and from Wharfs on Hoai river.
- By Bike or Motobike: Just ride along Tran Nhan Tong street from the ancient town. If you are lost, just asking local peple for directions because they are willing to give you specific instructions.
Tourists should visit Cua Dai bridge because you can see Cham island and breathtalking landscapes from on top of the bridge.
2. Cham Island
Cham Island are located in central Vietnam and 15 km from Cua Dai beach. There are seven small islands altogether named according to their shape or characteristics. They are called Lao (pear), Dai (Long), La (leaf), Kho (dry), Tai (ear), Mo (tomb) and Nom (east wind). There is such a wild nature full of green, wonderful beaches with white and light yellow sand, many types of coral and fish … will be attractive to tourist at first sight.
You can get Cham island by ferry or speed boat. If you like speed boat, it’ll take 20 minutes to arrive there with 150.000 – 200.000 vnd for one way. Otherwise, ferry goes slowly about 2 hours but it is cheaper than speed boat and you can take motorbike with you.
3. Tam Thanh Fresco Village
The program is held as a part of a community arts exchange culture between Viet Nam and Korea with hope of breathing new air into the small coast village. 100 houses in small fishing village has repainted by handy artists as a giant fresco with pictures of cartoon characters, portraits, Vietnam’s nature and people. Nowadays, Tam Thanh Fresco is becoming a tourist destination that attract many tourists to visit and enjoy the beauty of the village.
4. Phu Ninh Lake
Phu Ninh lake is an artificial lake in Phu Ninh district, Quang Nam province, Viet Nam. Phu Ninh Lake is 7 km south from Tam Ky City, 70 km from Da Nang City and about 15 km from Chu Lai International Airport. Phu Ninh Lake is just a new tourist destination with many activities and services all will be served for tourist.
5. Vietnamese Heroic Mother
The monument is made of Vietnamese heroic mother Nguyen Thi Thu on the area of 15 hectares on the peak of Mount Cam, in the village of Phu Thanh, Tam Phu commune, Tam Ky district, Quang Nam province, central Vietnam. The monument is considered one of the most interesting sightseeing spots to tourists in the future.
6. My Son Holy Land
My son is uniquely masterpiece of the ancient Cham religion, is day by day attracting thousands of tourists elsewhere. If you plan your vacation to Hoi An Old Town, do not miss there because My Son is a must see place in your trip. My Son is located inside the valley complex of Quang Nam province, around 70 kilometers southwest of Da Nang city, and 45 kilometers from Hoi An. My Son Holy Land is regarded one of the foremost Hindu temple complexes in Southeast Asia and is the foremost heritage of this nature in Vietnam.
7. Handicraft villages in Hoi An
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Thanh Ha Pottery Village
The village originated in Thanh Hoa province and it formed at the end of 15th century, developing in the late centuries, at the same time as the Hoi An port. The products made by the villagers mainly serve the daily lives of native people in domestic markets. The pottery products include bowls. jars, pots, animals shapes, in multiforms and colors, and they are lighter than the same products in other places.
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Tra Que village
Tra Que village considered as one of the traditional handicraft villages in Hoi An city, which is surrounded by De Vong lake as well as seaweed manure taken out of beneath water of De Vong for all of vegetables growing process. Tra Que has been famous for a long time with the pleasant smell of many herbs such as: letture, basil, coriander, fish leaf, shallots,… that has given daily meals of Hoi An more flavor.
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Kim Bong Carpentry Village
It is located on the ground of Cam Kim, Hoi An city, Quang Nam province, Kim Bong was built in the late 15 century. It takes about 10 minutes by ferry from Bach Dang wharf to Carpentry village. The wood products such as furniture, cabinets, statues of Buddha… in Kim Bong have been ordered from domestic and foreign merchants so far.
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Phuoc Kieu Bronze Casting Village
Phươc Kieu Bronze Casting Village is located in Dien Phuong Commune, Dien Ban District, Quang Nam province. Some of products by this village are bells, gongs, gongs like music instruments, incense burners, lamp holders, ancient vases, and other bronze musical instruments which are normally used in festivals, ceremonies and daily life.
8. Beaches in Hoi An
- Cua Dai Beach
Cua Dai Beach is located in the area of Cam Nam ward, about 4km northeast of Hoi An Town and 30km from Da Nang City. It is at the confluence of 3 big rivers, namely Thu Bon River, Truong Giang River and De Vong River. Cua Dai is an ideal bathing beach with beautiful natural along scenery along the nice white sand and clear blue sea water.
- An Bang Beach
An Bang Beach is very close to Cua Dai Beach, just taking 10 minutes for a ride straight. An Bang Beach brings a particular beauty captivating tourists from over the world with endlessly white sandy shores stretching, clear blue sea water along with the gentle and romantic waves… Immersed in this wonderful beach is one of the best things to do in Hoi An
Beside beauty of the beaches in Hoi An Town, there are many other attractions which you do not miss such as Thuan Tinh Eco Island, Van Dua Eco Island, Ao Xanh Eco Island…
Entertaiment Activities in Hoi An
- Hoi An Tradional Art Performance
Address: 66 Bach Dang street, Hoi An Town
Phone: 0235.3861159
- Hoi An Water Puppet Show
Address: 548 Hai Ba Trung Street, Hoi An City
Phone: 0235.3861327
- Water Sport Games
To participate in the water sport games: jet skiing ( water motor), canoes, rubber boats, kayak boats, flying umbrellas, skating, diving (shallow and deep diving), fishing, flying kites, playing football on sands, … at Cua Dai Beach, An Bang Beach or Cham island.
- Movie theater
Address: 47 Phan Chau Trinh Street, Hoi An City
- Boat trip on Hoai river
Address: Hoai River Square
Phone: 0235.3910035
8 interesting experiences in Hoi An
- Walking around night town
- Releasing lanterns on Hoai River
- Enjoying coffee at Hoi An
- Having clothers made in the soonest time
- Swimming
- Playing folk games
- Buying a lantern as a souvenir
- Visiting Hoi An on the full moon day
Places you must eat in Hoi An
Hoi An Ancient Town is beautiful not only its antique architecture but also its local foods that touch people’s hearts. Here are some local foods that you have to try when visting Hoi An.
- Phuong Bread (2b Phan Chau Trinh street) and Madam Khanh Bread (115 Tran Cao Van Street)
- White Rose: 533 Hai Ba Trung street
- Chicken Rice: Madam Buoi (26 Phan Chau Trinh Street), Madam Huong, Madam Minh (Phan Chau Trinh street), Madam Dung (Ly Thuong Kiet street), Mr Xi ( Ba Le lane)…
- Cao Lau: Thanh Cao Lau ( 24 Thai Phien street), Be Cao Lau ( Hoi An Market)
- Grilled Pork: finding it easy at any lanes or streets
- Wonton: Van Loc Restaurant ( Tran Phu Street) or 26 Thai Phien Street
- Rice Paper- Minced Clams – Corn Sweet Soup: Across Cam Nam Bridge and turn left
- Banh Xeo (Bale Well Restaurant – Phan Chu Trinh lane), Quang Noodle, Banh Beo…
Buying Souvenir
Hoi An Old Town is a great tourist city- where you not only come to visit, but you aslo can experience shopping delight with a lot of wonderful shops such as:
- Lantern: Huynh Van Ba Shop (54 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street) and Ha Linh (72 Tran Nhan Tong street)
- Artwork, Silk Clothing, … as nice souvenirs to give them to your relative or friends.
- Shopping for food: It La Gai Cake (38/16 Nguyen Truong To street), Su Se Cake (134 Nguyen Thai Hoc street)
The best spots to take selfie in Hoi An Town
- Around Japanese Bridge
- On Hoài River
- Cua Dai and An Bang Beaches
- Lanterns all over Old Town
- Coffee Shops at Old Town
Here are some informations sharing to tourists who are planning on coming to Hoi An City. “Hoi An General Information” thing is a handy guide to help you make the most out of your holiday.
