Things to do · Hoi An · Vietnam
16 best things to do in Hoi An
16 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
The essential sights in Hoi An are Japanese Covered Bridge (Chùa Cầu), Ancient Town streets and lanterns and Lantern boat ride on the Thu Bon. Of the 16 picks below, 4 are free, 4 work on a rainy day and 7 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Japanese Covered Bridge (Chùa Cầu)
- Free sights
- 4
- Good on a rainy day
- Tan Ky Old House
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese Covered Bridge (Chùa Cầu) | Ancient Town | 20 minutes | Low cost |
| Ancient Town streets and lanterns | Ancient Town | Half a day | Low cost |
| Lantern boat ride on the Thu Bon | Ancient Town | 20 minutes | Low cost |
| Tan Ky Old House | Ancient Town | 30 minutes | Low cost |
| Fujian Assembly Hall (Phúc Kiến) | Ancient Town | 30 minutes | Low cost |
| Quan Cong Temple | Ancient Town | 20–30 minutes | Low cost |
| Phung Hung Old House | Ancient Town | 30 minutes | Low cost |
| Museum of Trade Ceramics | Ancient Town | 30 minutes | Low cost |
| Hoi An Central Market | Ancient Town | 1 hour | Free |
| Hoi An Night Market | An Hoi islet | 1 hour | Free |
| Lantern-making workshop | Ancient Town | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| An Bang Beach | An Bang Beach | Half a day | Free |
| Tra Que vegetable village | Tra Que and the rice fields | 1–3 hours | Low cost |
| Bay Mau coconut forest | Cam Thanh and the coconut villages | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Thanh Ha pottery village | West of the Ancient Town | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Cam Kim Island | Across the Thu Bon River | Half a day | Free |
The 16 best things to do
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Landmark · Ancient Town
1.Japanese Covered Bridge (Chùa Cầu)
Built by the Japanese trading community around the end of the 16th century, this small covered wooden bridge links the old Japanese and Chinese quarters and has a tiny temple on its north side, with statues of dogs and monkeys at either end. It appears on the 20,000-dong note and reopened in 2024 after a major restoration.
See it at dawn, when the street is empty, and again after dark when lanterns light it from the river.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Neighbourhood · Ancient Town
2.Ancient Town streets and lanterns
Tran Phu, Nguyen Thai Hoc and Bach Dang streets are lined with ochre-walled shophouses that once served as merchants' homes and warehouses. In the evening the streets close to motorbikes, silk lanterns are lit and the riverbanks fill with candle sellers and boats.
The Ancient Town ticket covers entry to five heritage sites of your choice; buy it at the ticket booths on the edge of the old town.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- After dark
- Couples
- Photo spot
- History
Experience · Ancient Town
3.Lantern boat ride on the Thu Bon
After dark, small wooden boats rowed by local women take visitors along the river in front of the old town, where you can float a paper candle lantern for luck. The riverfront is especially atmospheric on full-moon nights.
Agree the price and length of the ride before boarding; 15–20 minutes is typical.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Couples
- After dark
- Kids
- Iconic
Historic site · Ancient Town
4.Tan Ky Old House
A merchant's house built in the late 18th century and lived in by the same family for generations, combining Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese styles with dark wooden beams, carved panels and mother-of-pearl inlay. Marks on the walls show the heights of past floods.
Go early or late in the day; the narrow house becomes crowded when tour groups arrive.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Religious site · Ancient Town
5.Fujian Assembly Hall (Phúc Kiến)
Built by merchants from Fujian province as a meeting hall and temple, it is dedicated to Thien Hau, goddess of the sea, and decorated with a bright gateway, dragon fountains, carved altars and coils of hanging incense.
Look for the model of a Chinese trading junk inside, and visit in the morning when incense smoke catches the light.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- History
- Art
- Photo spot
Religious site · Ancient Town
6.Quan Cong Temple
Founded in the mid-17th century opposite the central market, this temple honours Quan Cong, a revered Chinese general, whose large statue stands between two attendants and life-size horses. A carp-shaped rain spout and courtyard pond are details to look for.
Combine it with the central market across the road and the small Hoi An Museum of History behind.
- Time needed
- 20–30 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
Historic site · Ancient Town
7.Phung Hung Old House
Built in 1780 near the Covered Bridge, this two-storey house is supported by dozens of ironwood columns and has a hanging balcony and a trapdoor once used to lift goods above floodwater. The family still lives here and sells embroidery.
Climb upstairs to see the trapdoor and look out from the balcony onto the street.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Museum · Ancient Town
8.Museum of Trade Ceramics
A restored timber house on Tran Phu Street displays ceramics traded through Hoi An between the 9th and 19th centuries, including pieces from Chinese, Japanese and Middle Eastern kilns recovered from shipwrecks, showing how wide the port's trade reached.
Head upstairs to the balcony for a view over the tiled rooftops.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Market · Ancient Town
1.Hoi An Central Market
The riverside market on the eastern edge of the old town sells fish, herbs, fruit and spices in the mornings, while its covered food hall serves cao lầu, mì Quảng and chè at long counters. Fabric stalls with in-house tailors fill the hall behind.
Come early for the fish landing by the river, then eat breakfast in the food hall.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- Shopping
Market · An Hoi islet
2.Hoi An Night Market
Every evening Nguyen Hoang Street on An Hoi islet fills with stalls of silk lanterns, souvenirs and street food such as grilled skewers, bánh xèo and mango sticky rice, with the lit lantern shops making a popular photo backdrop.
Buy a collapsible lantern here to take home, and bargain politely.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- After dark
- Shopping
- Food
- Kids
Experience · Ancient Town
3.Lantern-making workshop
Workshops in and around the old town teach you to stretch silk over a folding bamboo frame and finish your own lantern in about an hour or two, with a lantern-maker guiding each step.
Choose a smaller lantern size for children; the finished lanterns fold flat for packing.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Art
- Rainy day
- Couples
Beach · An Bang Beach
4.An Bang Beach
Hoi An's most popular beach, about 5 km north of town, with fine sand, beach restaurants that rent sunbeds to customers and fresh seafood. The water is usually calm and warm from about April to August, rougher in winter.
Cycle there through Tra Que's vegetable gardens and come back at sunset.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Couples
Experience · Tra Que and the rice fields
5.Tra Que vegetable village
A farming village about 3 km north of town whose herbs and greens supply Hoi An's restaurants, grown in neat raised beds. Farming experiences and cooking classes let you water, hoe and plant before cooking a meal with the harvest.
Visit on the way to An Bang by bicycle, early in the morning or late afternoon when farmers are working.
- Time needed
- 1–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Food
- Outdoors
Nature · Cam Thanh and the coconut villages
6.Bay Mau coconut forest
Channels lined with water coconut palms in Cam Thanh, where you ride in thúng chai — round bamboo basket boats — paddled by local boatmen, some of whom show off by spinning the boats. It is lively and touristy, but fun, especially for children.
Go in the morning before the tour buses, and agree whether the price includes the spinning show and crab-fishing.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Experience · West of the Ancient Town
7.Thanh Ha pottery village
A riverside village about 3 km west of the old town where families have made pottery for centuries. You can watch potters at work, try the wheel yourself and visit the terracotta park with miniature clay models of world landmarks.
Reach it by bicycle along the river road; children enjoy shaping their own small pot.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Art
- Off the beaten path
Island · Across the Thu Bon River
8.Cam Kim Island
A rural island across the river from the old town, with rice paddies, village lanes and the Kim Bong carpentry village, where boat-builders and woodcarvers still work. It is ideal for a self-guided bicycle loop.
Take a bicycle across by the local ferry or bridge and follow the lanes; carry water and small change.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Off the beaten path
- Active
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Fujian Assembly Hall (Phúc Kiến), Museum of Trade Ceramics, Lantern-making workshop and Thanh Ha pottery village |
| History | Japanese Covered Bridge (Chùa Cầu), Ancient Town streets and lanterns, Tan Ky Old House and Fujian Assembly Hall (Phúc Kiến) |
| Outdoors and nature | An Bang Beach, Tra Que vegetable village, Bay Mau coconut forest and Cam Kim Island |
| Food and markets | Hoi An Central Market, Hoi An Night Market and Tra Que vegetable village |
| After dark | Ancient Town streets and lanterns, Lantern boat ride on the Thu Bon and Hoi An Night Market |
| With children | Lantern boat ride on the Thu Bon, Hoi An Night Market, Lantern-making workshop and An Bang Beach |
| On a rainy day | Tan Ky Old House, Phung Hung Old House, Museum of Trade Ceramics and Lantern-making workshop |
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Hoi An?
Japanese Covered Bridge (Chùa Cầu). Built by the Japanese trading community around the end of the 16th century, this small covered wooden bridge links the old Japanese and Chinese quarters and has a tiny temple on its north side, with statues of dogs and monkeys at either end.
+What can you do for free in Hoi An?
Hoi An Central Market, Hoi An Night Market, An Bang Beach and Cam Kim Island. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Hoi An when it rains?
Head indoors to Tan Ky Old House, Phung Hung Old House, Museum of Trade Ceramics and Lantern-making workshop.
+What is there to do in Hoi An at night?
Ancient Town streets and lanterns, Lantern boat ride on the Thu Bon and Hoi An Night Market are best after dark.