City guide · Vietnam
Our guide to Hoi An: the UNESCO old town and Japanese bridge, the beaches, Cam Thanh village, the market and My Son: lanterns, hours, prices and the best addresses.
Hoi An reveals itself on foot or by bike, lantern after lantern.
A UNESCO World Heritage site, the old town packs its covered bridge, merchant houses and Chinese temples into a maze of pedestrian lanes. You explore it unhurried, among century-old houses, quiet beaches and villages that keep age-old crafts alive.
Pont japonais · Maisons & temples
A UNESCO World Heritage site, Hoi An's old town packs its covered bridge, merchant houses and Chinese temples into a maze of pedestrian lanes.
The city's symbol
Over 400 years old, this humpbacked covered bridge is Hoi An's single must-see. Built in the 16th century by the Japanese community to link the neighbouring Chinese quarter, it shelters a small pagoda at its centre, roofed in yellow and green tiles. Even more striking after dark, when it lights up.
The finest house in town
A local merchant's home in Sino-Japanese style, the Tan Ky house is over 200 years old and remarkably well preserved. It's the finest traditional house to visit in Hoi An.
Three centuries of devotion
Built in pink brick, the Quan Cong temple (17th century) is named after a Chinese general honoured for honesty, loyalty, justice and integrity. The Fujian assembly hall (Phuc Kien temple), dedicated to Thien Hau, protector goddess of fishermen, was the gathering place for Chinese from Fujian. The Chuc Thanh pagoda, founded in 1454 in Cam Ha village, is the city's oldest pagoda and keeps a carp-shaped wooden gong.
Wander with no plan
Beyond the ticketed monuments, the real joy of Hoi An is in its pedestrian lanes: ochre-yellow façades, tailor shops, colourful silk-lantern workshops and craft stalls follow one another as you stroll. It's here, between two shops, that the town reveals its most authentic atmosphere — especially in the late afternoon, when the low light warms the weathered walls.
The evening ritual
Every evening at dusk, the old town transforms: the banks of the Thu Bon river glow with coloured lanterns, while dozens of small boats offer to float a wish-lantern out on the water. An unmissable sight, especially magical on full-moon nights, when the town switches off its electric lighting in favour of lanterns alone.
« Hoi An isn't visited in a hurry — you let it carry you through, lantern after lantern. »
An Bang · Cua Dai
A short pedal from the centre: two go-to beaches and a few quieter coves, at the end of a bike ride through the rice paddies.
Just a short pedal away
An Bang (4km) and Cua Dai (5km) are the two go-to beaches, reached by an easy bike ride through the rice paddies. For more quiet, head to Hidden Beach and Tan Thanh, tucked between the two, or Ha My, a kilometre north of An Bang.
Cam Thanh
A few kilometres from the centre, this village keeps rural and craft traditions alive, away from the tourist bustle.
Fishing, coconut palms & basket boats
5km southeast of Hoi An, this river-crossed village lives from fishing and coconut farming. The best way to visit is by basket boat — a small round bamboo craft — through the water-coconut forest: fishermen show off their floating quarters, the net-casting technique, crab fishing, and let you pick coconuts.
Precious Heritage · Marché central
A moving photographic museum and the market where you taste the town's signature noodles.
A photographic tribute
This extraordinary museum, where French photographer Réhahn Croquevielle celebrates the diversity of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups, presents huge, moving portraits alongside traditional costumes and stories of the encounters behind them.
The flavours of Hoi An
Among pyramids of mangoes, pomelos and dragon fruit, the central market is the ideal place to taste local specialties: banh xeo (a crispy pancake) and cao lau, the town's signature noodles, found nowhere else.
Sanctuaire Cham · Excursion d'une journée
An hour away by road, the brick towers of a forgotten kingdom, listed as World Heritage.
UNESCO World Heritage
About an hour's drive from Hoi An, this preserved temple complex of the Champa kingdom was only rediscovered in 1889, though built between the 4th and 14th centuries. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it remains one of the most remarkable examples of Champa civilisation, which inhabited the region between Da Nang and Binh Thuan province.
That's the Les Voyagistes principle: tell us your dates, and we'll reveal the destinations that are in perfect season — Hoi An is best from February to July.
Find my destinations →Hoi An isn't seen in a day — you let it carry you through, one lane at a time.