Hoi An

Hoi An, Vietnam

The banh mi at Banh Mi Phuong on the corner of Phan Chau Trinh and Hoang Dieu has been called the best in Vietnam for so long that it now has a line outside by 7am. The bread comes out of the oven soft; the pate and pickled vegetables and coriander go in; you eat it standing on the pavement. It costs about 30,000 VND. If someone asks you what you ate in Hoi An, this is the correct answer.

Hoi An is often described as perfectly preserved, which is roughly accurate and slightly misleading. The Old Town is genuinely old, a 15th-century trading port where Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese architectural influences merged into something that doesn’t exist quite this way anywhere else. It’s also very much a working tourist economy. There are more tailor shops per street than you can count, lanterns hang across every alleyway, and the central streets near Hoi An Market fill up with visitors by mid-morning. None of this makes it bad. It just means the charm is real and the crowds are real simultaneously.

The Old Town

Walking the Old Town requires a ticket (120,000 VND, around $5) that grants access to five of the historic sites. The Japanese Covered Bridge on the western end of Tran Phu Street is the most photographed object in the city. The Phuc Kien Assembly Hall, built by Fujian Chinese merchants in the 17th century, is elaborate and atmospheric. The ticket system means some alleys require checking tickets; most of the street-level architecture is visible without one.

Go early. By 7am the Old Town is quiet. By 10am the central area is crowded. By 3pm it’s borderline overwhelming in high season. The evening when lanterns are lit is beautiful, but evenings also bring the most visitors.

The full moon each month brings the Full Moon Lantern Festival. Electric lights are turned off in the Old Town, candle lanterns are floated on the Thu Bon River, and the streets fill with people and music. It’s genuinely special and correspondingly crowded.

Eating

The food here is excellent and specific to the region. Cao lau, a noodle dish using pork, greens, and crackling, the noodles traditionally made with water from a particular local well, is the one to order. White rose dumplings (translucent shrimp dumplings steamed in the shape of white roses) are equally good and found at a handful of specialist restaurants. Banh mi Phuong at the corner of Phan Chau Trinh and Hoang Dieu makes arguably the best banh mi in Vietnam, and the queue is worth it.

Morning Glory on Nhi Trung Street is a reliable mid-range option for Vietnamese cooking. Reaching Out Tea House does good coffee and tea in a calm setting, run as a social enterprise employing deaf staff.

Tailoring

Hoi An’s tailor scene is a significant draw. Custom clothing made quickly (48 hours typical turnaround) and cheaply. The quality varies enormously. If you want something specific made well, allow longer, request to see samples of previous work, and be precise with measurements. Yaly Couture, Bebe Tailors, and A Dong Silk have better reputations than the average shop. Don’t expect perfection from a rush order.

Beaches

An Bang Beach is about 4km from the Old Town by bicycle or motorbike. It’s a long sandy stretch with beach bars and reasonably calm water. More relaxed than the resort beaches at Da Nang to the north. Bicycle hire from the Old Town is about 50,000 VND per day.

Where to Stay

The Old Town itself has smaller boutique guesthouses and hotels, more atmospheric but pricier. Cam Chau and Cam An to the north and east of the centre are cheaper and a short bicycle ride from the action. An Bang Beach area has a growing number of relaxed guesthouses if being near the beach is the priority.

Getting There

Da Nang International Airport is the nearest, about 30km north. Taxis take around 40 minutes; the fare should be roughly 400,000-600,000 VND, negotiated in advance or via Grab. Several trains daily from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City stop at Da Nang.