15 Best Things to Do in Hoi An: What’s Worth It & How the Ticket System Actually Works
- Shal & James
- Jan 15
- 15 min read
Updated: Mar 4
Things to do in Hoi An we genuinely loved, from the must-see highlights and how the Ancient Town ticket system actually works, to an honest take on bespoke tailoring and offbeat day trips beyond Ancient Town.
Crossing the bridge into UNESCO-listed Hoi An Ancient Town feels like stepping into a time capsule, with its lantern-lit streets, wooden rowboats, and yellow colonial buildings. Once a bustling global trade hub from the 15th to 18th centuries, it faded into a sleepy riverside town after Da Nang rose to prominence, leaving behind a perfectly preserved slice of Vietnam’s rich history.
Yes, Hoi An Ancient Town is crowded and touristy, and while that's not normally our vibe, we loved it here anyway. It feels like the Venice of Asia.
P.S. If it’s your first time in Vietnam, don’t miss our 15 essential travel tips, including how to cross the street without panicking and a few other handy nuggets we learned the hard way.
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15 BEST THINGS TO DO IN HOI AN
The majority of the best things to do in Hoi An is centred around Hoi An Ancient Town, and we’d strongly recommend staying within easy walking distance to make the most of it.
We stayed at The Signature Hoi An (£79 pn; converted: €91 / US$106), a boutique 4-star hotel with a traditional vibe and atmospheric, lantern-lit pool that was just a 5-minute stroll away from the pedestrianised Ancient Town. The rooms are small, the beds are firm and there's no hair conditioner or body lotion, but you can't beat the location. The super luxe stays are mostly by the beach or riverfront, such as the The Four Seasons Resort: The Nam Hai or Anantara Hoi An Resort, both around 15 minutes from Ancient Town by taxi or on foot (respectively).
HOI AN ANCIENT TOWN
FURTHER AFIELD IN HOI AN
DAY TRIPS FROM HOI AN
We’ve included what we paid with currency conversions based on current exchange rates to help with planning, but things change, so it’s always worth double checking to dodge any last-minute surprises.
Yellow ticket huts: Daily 9AM - 5PM
Ancient Town entrance ticket: 120,000 VND pp (converted: £3.39 / €3.91 / US$4.56) [cash]
Buy Hoi An Ancient Town entrance tickets 9AM - 5PM at yellow huts near bridges (see map above for ticket counter locations), NOT at the historic sites themselves. Tickets are 120,000 VND and remember, it’s cash only!
One ticket grants entry to the Ancient Town for your entire stay and you can use it to access historic sites for three consecutive days. While we didn't experience a ticket check unless we were entering a site, it’s a good idea to carry it with you just in case.
One ticket lets you explore six of Hoi An Ancient Town's 22 historic and cultural sites (see map above):
1 LIGHT BLUE: Japanese Covered Bridge OR Quan Cong Temple & Quan Am Pagoda
3 BROWN, DARK BLUE & PINK: Old houses, family chapels, communal houses, assembly halls
1 GREEN: Museums
1 Dance performance
To see more, we ended up buying two tickets each. Some of the assembly halls didn't check our tickets or didn't mind that we had already used up all of our sites. All of the sites close at ~5PM.
If you’re short on time (or attention span) and only buying one ticket per person, we recommend seeing:
Japanese Covered Bridge (don't scan your ticket for the tiny temple inside, save it for Quan Cong)
Quan Cong Temple & Quan Am Pagoda (counted as one site)
Phuc Kien Assembly Hall & Quang Trieu Assembly Hall (most ornate options)
Tan Ky Old House (skip the other old houses & all family chapels)
1 museum that strikes your fancy from the list
Dance performance
Want to see everything? Budget at least 2 full days. We kept it tight and museum-free in our 1.5 days, and felt like we could have seen less since the old houses looked nearly identical except for Tan Ky and the family chapels were underwhelming.
Below, we dive into each type of site with a bit of history, plenty of photos and our honest take as to what's worth a ticket scan, plus extra sites outside the ticket system and day trips.
1 | STROLL THE STREETS
24/7
Included in Ancient Town entrance ticket
Strolling through Hoi An Ancient Town's pedestrianised lanes means brushing past fruit sellers balancing impossible loads, slipping into old merchant houses that once handled silk and spices, and wandering along those and those iconic yellow walls, once a symbol of wealth and good fortune, now faded by time and trade. Every shopfront and laneway invites you to discover artisans, cafés and crafts that blur the line between past and present.
2 | JAPANESE COVERED BRIDGE
24/7
Free
The Japanese Covered Bridge isn’t just a pretty spot for selfies, it’s one of Hoi An’s most iconic landmarks, built in the 16th century by the Japanese community to link them with the Chinese quarter across the river. It’s even got a tiny temple tucked inside to protect sailors and merchants (because who doesn’t want a little divine backup on business deals?).
You can admire and walk through the Japanese Covered Bridge for free, so we did just that and saved our ticket scan for Quan Cong Temple and Quan Am Pagoda, which count as one site. Once your ticket’s scanned at the bridge, all you get to see is the small altar at the tiny temple inside, so unless you plan to buy a second Ancient Town entrance ticket, it’s better spent on the temple and pagoda instead.
3 | QUAN CONG TEMPLE & QUAN AM PAGODA
Included in Ancient Town entrance ticket
The Quan Cong Temple and Quan Am Pagoda are basically a two-for-one special, connected by a shared history and a single ticket scan. The pagoda is dedicated to Quan Am, the goddess of mercy, while the Quan Cong Temple honours General Quan Cong, a revered Chinese general known for his loyalty and integrity.
4 | COMMUNAL HOUSES & ASSEMBLY HALLS
3 old houses, family chapels, communal houses, OR assembly halls included per Ancient Town entrance ticket
In Hoi An, temples, communal houses, and assembly halls all serve different purposes, but they all let you pray. Temples are for worship, communal houses are where locals gather for celebrations, and assembly halls were once the hangouts for merchant groups.
Aside from the grand Phuc Kien Assembly Hall (above) showing off since the late 1600s, the rest of these beauties didn’t pop up until the 1800s, making them the "new kids" on Hoi An’s historic block.
If you're not going to buy multiple entrance tickets to see them all, prioritise Phuc Kien Assembly Hall, Quang Trieu Assembly Hall and save the third site on your ticket to see Old House Tan Ky. Shal insisted on seeing all seven assembly halls and communal houses. We think they're all worth seeing over the other old houses and family chapels which we found underwhelming in comparison.
Cam Pho Communal House
One of the oldest communal houses in Hoi An, this one's a nod to the town’s earliest settlers and where big community decisions—and probably a fair share of gossip—once went down.
Minh Huong Communal House
Built by Chinese immigrants without strong clan ties, it became a welcoming spiritual and social hub, a way to find connection and community in a new land.
Hoi An Communal House
The town’s namesake communal house, it's a symbol of unity, where locals gathered to honour ancestors and hold village meetings before smartphones ruined attention spans.
Quang Trieu Assembly Hall
Also called the Cantonese Assembly Hall, this flashy spot was built by Cantonese traders to honour a sea god because when you’re sailing from China, you really want good weather.
Phuc Kien Assembly Hall
The grandest of them all (photo above), this hall was built by the Fujian Chinese community to worship a goddess who protects sailors.
Hai Nam Assembly Hall
Erected by merchants from Hainan Island to honour 108 traders wrongfully executed, basically part temple, part memorial, all heart.
Trieu Chau Assembly Hall
This elegant hall was built by the Chaozhou community to worship the god who protects seafarers, with stunning wood carvings.
5 | OLD HOUSES & FAMILY CHAPELS
3 old houses, family chapels, communal houses, OR assembly halls included per Ancient Town entrance ticket
The old houses and family chapels in Hoi An offer a peek into merchant life from centuries past, and while their history is undeniably cool and their facades help set the town’s dreamy vibe, we found most of the interiors pretty underwhelming, just seeing the beautifully preserved Tan Ky Old House gave us the best sense of it.
6 | DANCE PERFORMANCE
Daily 10:15 AM, 3:15 PM, 4:15 PM
Included in Ancient Town entrance ticket
The tiny Hoi An Traditional Art Performance House serves up a charming 30-minute cultural show daily with live music and traditional dance. Arrive at least 15 minutes early to snag a seat or you’ll be stuck standing in the back, peering over heads like a curious meerkat.
7 | HOI AN MEMORIES SHOW
Memories Land: Wed - Mon 4PM - 10PM
Memories Show: Wed - Mon 8PM - 9PM
£18 pp (converted: €20.77 / US$24.16) advance "eco" seats
Who doesn’t like history with a side of pyrotechnics and synchronised choreography? Hoi An Memories Land is basically a history-inspired theme park, with the main event being a 500-performer show celebrating how Hoi An evolved over the centuries.
Okay, it sounds cheesy, but trust us, this show is absolutely worth it. (And we say that as a couple who's allergic to tourist traps.) Get there about 30 minutes early to snag a good seat for the Hoi An Memories Show, and plant yourself as close to the stage as possible unless you want to watch the show through a sea of raised smartphones (even though taking videos technically isn't permitted).
Seating officially opens at 7:30PM; we rolled in not long after, grabbed spots in the eco middle section, 4th row. No one in front of us and a crystal-clear view. English subtitles are displayed on a screen to the lower left, so heads-up: if you sit too far to the right, you might miss them.
Before the main event, there's a little historic town with mini-shows to wander through so you may want to get there with an extra 30-60 minutes to enjoy them. With that said, Memories Land opens at 4PM so you can go even earlier if you fancy eating there or souvenir shopping.
You could try buying tickets at the gate, but to dodge any heartache, we booked ours ahead of time and picked them up onsite at the Hoi An Memories Theme Park ticket office, 200 Nguyen Tri Phuong, Cam Nam.
Here's a hot tip that sounds totally backward but trust us on this one: buy the cheap seats. Thanks to some deep-diving into reviews, we learned the pricey seats can actually have worse views.
Getting back, though? Slightly less magical. Apparently, scoring a GrabCar after the show is like finding a unicorn, so we did the 28-minute stroll back to our hotel (we actually ended up walking both ways and lived to tell the tale).
8 | LANTERN RELEASE BOAT RIDE
~4PM - 9:30PM
120,000 VND per boat not pp (converted: £3.39 / €3.91 / US$4.56) [cash]
For a truly magical moment, hop on a 20-minute lantern release boat ride along the Hoai River. This isn’t just a touristy thing to do, it’s a heartfelt tradition to honour ancestors and wish for a prosperous year.
Lanterns may officially light up the river on full moon nights (the 1st and 15th of the lunar calendar), but tourists can get their glow on any night of the week.
Along the riverbank, women sell “wish candle” lanterns, perfect for the ritual. After a bit of haggling (we snagged two for 40,000 VND (converted: £1.13 / €1.31 / US$1.52), they’ll guide you to a table to buy your boat ticket for 120,000 VND (converted: £3.39 / €3.91 / US$4.56) per boat, non-negotiable. One ticket gets you a private boat just for your party. The boat rower will light your lantern for you (and expect a tip when you’re done).
You can’t book this in advance unless you join a tour, but even with the crowds there were no queues. Just head to the small rowboats by the river and hop in, no tour required.
9 | HOI AN NIGHT MARKET
Nightly 6PM - 10PM
Free
The Night Market on Nguyen Hoang Street has over 50 vendors selling everything from souvenirs to street food. But, full disclosure: it’s a bit of a tourist trap. Still, it’s definitely worth checking out for the experience, if only for the sheer spectacle of it all.
Here’s a quirky detail: Lantern vendors often ask for 10,000 VND (converted: £0.28 / €0.33 / US$0.38), if you want to take a photo in their stalls. Same goes for locals with those charming fruit baskets they’re all too happy to pose with.
10 | 7 BRIDGES CRAFT BEER TAP ROOM
Daily 10 AM - 11 PM
If craft beer’s your thing, don’t skip 7 Bridges. This leafy beer garden is prime for sipping a crisp yuzu IPA (which, by the way, was chef’s kiss). It’s Western-priced, sure, but we didn’t meet a beer we didn’t like, and we had a tiny tree frog join us for the evening. Best drinking buddy ever.
11 | SHOPPING (TAILORS IN HOI AN)
Hoi An’s known for its tailoring, and with so many shops around, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. To avoid decision paralysis, identify a tailor before you arrive, figure out what you want before you go and bring photos of garments you want made or, even better, bring something you want copied.
Shal had three linen shirts made based on an Oxford shirt she brought for fit, and James got a bespoke work shirt. A bespoke suit’s the classic pick, but consider something you’ll wear on the regular, like a linen set or blazer. Still stylish, just far more useful than a suit collecting dust (even if said suit is gorgeous).
We chose Blue Chic Tailor after seeing a ton of glowing Google reviews, and we were pleased with our choice. They’re open until 8:30 PM, so we popped in right after checking into our hotel. We probably should have tried to haggle a bit more on price (£143; converted: €165 / US$190 for 4 shirts), but we were really happy with the quality, the fabric, the fit, and the immaculate stitching.
You’ve got to hit up the tailor right away since you’ll need a couple of fittings and squeezing them in around all the sightseeing can take a bit of planning.
Also worth knowing: 100% linen will shrink, even on a cold hand wash. Case in point, Shal's sleeves now stop well short of her wrists, but luckily she was aiming for that artfully dishevelled, rolled-up look anyway...
12 | AN BANG BEACH
24/7 Beach
~10 AM - 10 PM Services
Nothing says “vacation mode” like a fresh coconut, swaying palms, and waves on repeat. So on our last day in Hoi An, we kicked back at An Bang Beach — a sandy stretch lined with beachside cafés, all ready to rent you loungers and umbrellas so you can live your best lazy vacation life.
We snagged two chairs and an umbrella for 100,000 VND (converted: £2.84 / €3.28 / US$3.81), and yes, that price holds whether you order food or not (although honestly, how do you not order a coconut at a time like this?).
Getting there was a breeze: a quick 10-minute GrabCar from the Ancient Town set us back just 72,000 VND (converted: £2.05 / €2.36 / US$2.74). Some hotels (including The Signature Hoi An) offer a free shuttle, but the departure and pickup times are limited.
13 | CUA DAI BEACH
If you’re craving something even quieter, Cua Dai Beach might just be your jam. It’s another option, but according to reviews, it’s way more low-key. It’s just a 12–14 minute GrabCar ride from most hotels in the Ancient Town, so super easy to reach if you’re in the mood for some peace and quiet.
Full disclosure: we didn’t make it there ourselves (An Bang’s siren song of beach loungers and cold coconut drinks got us first).
14 | DAY TRIP TO MY SON SANCTUARY
There are a few day trips you can take from Hoi An, and we highly recommend making time for UNESCO-listed My Son Sanctuary. Tucked away in the jungle, this ancient gem was the heart of the Hindu temple complex of the Champa Empire. It’s a mind-blowing 800 years older than UNESCO-listed Angkor Wat in Cambodia and a lot less crowded.
After soaking in the ancient wonders of My Son, head over to the Marble Mountains, a stunning cluster of limestone peaks offering panoramic views of Da Nang, mysterious caves, and quiets pagodas, all while being surrounded by some seriously impressive natural beauty.
Learn more about our private My Son Sanctuary tour from Hoi An (including the Marble Mountains) and/or book the tour we took here (£68 pp; converted: €78.39 / US$90.93).
15 | DAY TRIP TO HUE
For a deep dive into Vietnam’s royal past, Hue is where it’s at. Home to UNESCO-listed sites like the Imperial City, a sprawling two-square-mile labyrinth of temples, palaces, gates, and gardens, complete with a Forbidden City plus opulent royal tombs. Complex of Hue Monuments was Vietnam's first UNESCO listing and for good reason.
After hours of research, we figured out that while you can book a private or group tour to explore either the Imperial City or the three Imperial Tombs (plus Thien Mu Pagoda), there's no tour that includes both.
So, we went rogue: hired a private driver to pick us up in Hoi An and take us around Hue at our own pace. The original plan was to hit up all the sites, but, surprise, we got way too carried away in the Imperial City and ended up with just one royal tomb and Thien Mu Pagoda under our belts. Time flies when you're lost in history, right?
Learn more about our private Hue day trip from Hoi An and/or book our driver here (£44.16 pp for 10 hours; converted: €50.90 / US$59.05).
We booked tickets to the Complex of Hue Monuments in advance on Klook (from £6.25 pp; converted: €7.20 / US$8.36) to dodge the dreaded long queues and avoid any disappointment.
When we got to the monuments, there were no lines, and it was way cheaper to just pay cash on-site. That said, nothing would be more heartbreaking than making the trek all the way there and not getting in. So, yeah, we'd probably book tickets in advance again just to be safe!
Or, if you’re cool with sticking to a schedule, you might fancy the small group version of this tour we almost booked ourselves: From Hoi An/Da Nang: Hue Imperial City Group Tour with Lunch (£30 pp; converted: €34.45 / US$39.89).
NOT QUITE DONE EXPLORING?
About to check Vietnam off the bucket list? Start with our 15 Vietnam travel tips for first-timers and exact 3 week Vietnam itinerary, or opt for the pared-back 2 week Vietnam itinerary if you’re travelling on a tighter schedule.
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