1. Explore Hoi An Ancient Town
2. Shop at Hoi An Market
3. Visit the Japanese Bridge (Pagoda Bridge)
4. Visit the museums in Hoi An
5. Visit Souvenir Shops
6. Experience boating on the Thu Bon River
7. Enjoy Hoi An cuisine
8. Participate in a Vietnamese cooking class
9. Participate in local festivals
10. Visit traditional craft villages
11. Cycle around the countryside
12. Visit My Son Sanctuary
13. Explore Cham Islands
14. Explore Bay Mau Coconut Forest
15. Visit the Parks in Hoi An
16. Explore Vinpearl Land Hoi An
1. Explore Hoi An Ancient Town
Hoi An Ancient Town is one of the most attractive destinations in Hoi An, recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site. Hoi An Ancient Town retains the ancient, unique, and colorful features of an international port from the 15th to 19th centuries. You can walk, cycle, or rent an electric bike to explore the old houses, small alleys, cozy cafes and restaurants, craft and silk shops. You can also buy tickets to visit 5 places in the old town, such as Tan Ky Old House, Phuc Kien Assembly Hall, Hoi An Church, Catholic Church, and Bridge Pagoda…
2. Shop at Hoi An Market
Hoi An Market is a great place for you to shop and experience local life. Hoi An Market sells everything, from fruits and vegetables, food, spices, to clothes, souvenirs, crafts, and silk. You can bargain and choose your favorite items. In addition, you should not miss the opportunity to enjoy the specialties of Hoi An at the market, such as bread, high floor, Quang noodles, pancakes, dumplings, white rose dumplings, and tea…
3. Visit the Japanese Bridge (Pagoda Bridge)
The Japanese Bridge is a symbol of Hoi An, built in the late 16th century by the Japanese community living here. The Japanese Bridge has a unique architecture, including a tiled roof, two ends of the bridge with two small temples worshiping the North Star and the South Star, and a monkey statue and a dog statue in stone on both sides of the bridge. The Japanese Bridge is believed to bring luck and peace to the people and tourists. You can buy tickets to visit the bridge and learn about its history and meaning.
4. Visit the museums in Hoi An
Hoi An has many museums that help you understand more about the history, culture, and art of this city. You can visit the Hoi An Museum of History and Culture, which displays artifacts and documents related to the development of Hoi An from prehistoric times to the present. You can also visit the Hoi An Trade Ceramics Museum, where you can admire collections of ceramics from different countries, demonstrating Hoi An’s role as an international trade center. In addition, you should visit the Sa Huynh Culture Museum, where you can learn about an ancient culture that existed in Hoi An over 2000 years ago.
5. Visit Souvenir Shops
Hoi An is a shopping paradise for those who love unique and quality souvenirs. You can visit souvenir shops in Hoi An’s old town, where you can buy handmade items, such as lanterns, oil paintings, wooden items, ceramics, embroidery, woven items, bamboo, rattan, silk, and fabric items. You can also visit souvenir shops in traditional craft villages, where you can buy items made with traditional materials and techniques, such as pottery, wicker, bamboo, leather, metal, and woven items.
6. Experience boating on the Thu Bon River
The Thu Bon River is one of the characteristic symbols of Hoi An, where you can enjoy beautiful landscapes, admire the old town and ancient houses from the river. You can choose to sail, motorboat, or forest boat to explore the Thu Bon River. Boating in the morning to watch the sunrise or in the evening to watch the sunset are the best experiences.
7. Enjoy Hoi An cuisine
Hoi An is a culinary paradise with many specialties such as bread, high floor, Quang noodles, pancakes, dumplings, white rose, wonton, che bot loc, smashed cake, sauteed clams… You can find delicious and cheap eateries everywhere, from street vendors to luxury restaurants. Don’t forget to try the special teas and coffees of Hoi An such as chrysanthemum tea, lotus tea, milk coffee, coconut coffee…
8. Participate in a Vietnamese cooking class
If you want to learn how to cook delicious dishes of Hoi An and Vietnam, you can join cooking classes organized by professional chefs or local housewives. You will be guided on how to choose ingredients, how to prepare and present dishes. You can also try your cooking skills and enjoy the fruits of your labor after the class.
9. Participate in local festivals
Hoi An is a place with many attractive and unique local festivals, showing the unique culture of this place. You can participate in lantern festivals, flower lantern festivals, palanquin parades, music festivals, food festivals… to have fun and interact with local people. You can also witness artistic performances, folk games, beautiful fireworks displays.
10. Visit traditional craft villages
Hoi An is also famous for its traditional craft villages such as fabric weaving village, lantern making village, stone carving village, rice paper making village, rice wine making village… You can visit these villages to learn about the production process, techniques, and secrets of the artisans. You can also try making craft products and take them home as souvenirs.
11. Cycle around the countryside
If you want to experience the rural life of Hoi An, you can rent a bicycle to wander around villages, rice fields, fruit gardens, ponds… You can enjoy the green nature, meet and talk with local people, participate in agricultural activities such as plowing, harvesting rice, picking fruits… You can also enjoy the specialties of the countryside such as chicken rice, steamed rice cake, small rice dumpling, water fern cake…
12. Visit My Son Sanctuary
My Son is one of Vietnam’s world cultural heritages, located about 40 km southwest of Hoi An. My Son is a relic site consisting of more than 70 temples and towers built from the 4th to the 13th century by the Cham Pa dynasty. You can visit and admire the unique architecture, exquisite carvings, and divine statues of the Cham people. You can also learn about the history, culture, and religion of the Cham people through information boards, maps, models, and videos displayed at the visitor center.
13. Explore Cham Islands
Cu Lao Cham is an archipelago located about 15 km east of Hoi An. Cu Lao Cham has many beautiful beaches, clear blue sea water, fine white sand, and colorful coral reefs. You can participate in exciting activities such as scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing, kayaking, visiting fishing villages, visiting Hai Tang temple, visiting the sea museum… You can also enjoy delicious seafood dishes such as grouper, squid, crab, snails, clams…
14. Explore Bay Mau Coconut Forest
Bay Mau Coconut Forest is an eco-tourism area located about 3 km southeast of Hoi An. Bay Mau Coconut Forest has an area of about 7 acres, including thousands of fresh green coconut trees, clear river water, and many species of animals and plants. You can take a coracle, forest boat, or motorboat to explore the coconut forest, enjoy the natural scenery, take photos, participate in folk games such as shooting, fishing, climbing coconut… You can also enjoy the specialties of the coconut forest such as grilled rice paper, rolled rice paper, mixed rice paper, coconut water…
15. Visit the Parks in Hoi An
Hoi An also has many beautiful parks ideal for those who want to relax and enjoy the fresh air. You can visit An Hoi Park, Hoa An Park, Thanh Ha Park, Cam Thanh Park… to walk, rest, read books, play, picnic… You can also meet and interact with local people, participate in cultural and artistic activities at the parks.
16. Explore Vinpearl Land Hoi An
Vinpearl Land Hoi An is a modern and diverse amusement park, located about 10 km south of Hoi An. Vinpearl Land Hoi An has many attractive areas such as the zoo, water park, cultural area, culinary area, shopping area… You can participate in many adventurous, interesting and attractive games such as surfing, water sliding, skateboarding, electric cars, water bikes, trains… You can also admire the artistic performances, fashion shows, art collections at Vinpearl Land Hoi An.
Hoi An is a must-visit tourist destination when you come to Vietnam. With 16 things to do when tourists visit Hoi An, you will have an impressive and unforgettable trip. You will immerse yourself in the peaceful and romantic atmosphere of the old town, admire art and cultural masterpieces, enjoy unique and rich flavors, learn useful skills and knowledge, and immerse yourself in the cool and clear water. Hoi An will definitely make you fall in love and want to return many times.
