Hoi An Things Not to Miss: A Guide to Must Do in Hoi An

In fact, there are so many things to do in Hoi An, one of the 10 best cities in Asia by Travel + Leisure in 2021. It has a lantern-filled town, with tranquil countryside and sandy beaches in close proximity. Each “place” provides different things, allowing travelers to know or experience different slices of culture and nature. Off its coast, Cham Islands is widely known for one of Vietnam’s best marine lifes and fantastic activities under the sea. Due to a large number and variety, travelers are not easy to pick what they should do and must do. Yes, this takes time to research and decide.

This article lists all things not to miss in Hoi An to help you easier plan the itinerary for the trip ahead. Just note and arrange them, you may complete the traveling days without much effort. We also recommend reading our article Hoi An Travel Guide before arriving at the city. It covers everything you need to know, from see, do, eat, sleep, rejuvenate to travel around.

Hoi An Lantern Festival

Hoi An town by night is famous for a mind-blowing scene of countless hanging lanterns that are varied in size, shape, color and location. That’s why it’s a thing not to miss for all travelers. Not all about silk lanterns in ochre yellow quarters, paper lanterns with a candle are also dropped down the river nearby. All before the eyes of visitors is surreal, wow-making. The “best” night is on the full moon when the Lantern Festival takes place (the 14^th day of each lunar month). At this time, more lanterns are lit up due to electric lamps not encouraged to be used. While touring around, there are so many photo opportunities.

Lantern Boat

Lantern boat is a highlight in Hoi An Old Town after the sun goes down. Walking along the waterfronts, travelers will see many sampans to board and view millions of twinkling colorful lights while slowly cruising the river. There are many photo opportunities, especially to take pictures with both hanging lanterns on the shore and glimmering paper lanterns floating on the water. The passengers are given a paper lantern too, to light up by themselves and drop it down. This ride is an experience that should not be missed when visiting Hoi An.

Hoi An Cooking Classes and Schools

Cooking schools and classes are numerous in town, including options for vegans and travelers who frequently work in the kitchen. No matter what, a class provides fun hands-on experiences and much knowledge about local cuisine. Some typical Vietnamese traditional dishes and specialty foods are picked by the local chief to teach during its time. Before learning, learners may have a visit to the market and there, the chief introduces local ingredients and shopping culture. In the end, everybody can sit together and taste things that are just made. All members in the family can participate in this activity.

Handicraft Workshops in Hoi An

Hoi An used to be a large workshop where different handicrafts were produced over centuries for both local use and exportation. Today, many traditions are still passed down from father to son, such as pottery, carpentry. Artisans also open classes in town to guide visitors how to create things with traditional materials and skills. The most attended one is about lanterns, one of Hoi An’s symbols. From the instructions of the artisan, travelers can make souvenirs to bring home by their own hands. That are definitely very meaningful to themselves and their loved ones. Other classes are about bamboo root carving, leather, coffee, mask, more.

Read also: Handicraft workshops in Hoi An

An Bang Beach

4 km north of the Old town, this is the best beach package for travelers. It provides clean sand spaces to lounge, plenty of sun chairs to relax, clean water to swim and lots of sun in summer time. Along the seafront, there are numerous restaurants, local eateries and massage rooms. It’s perfect to have a delicious fresh seafood platter as the main, devine cocktail with cool breezes around the hair and sound of waves. Live music is active in several nights. Late night bars and backpacker pubs are handful in the village or by the coast of Tan Thanh.

Read also: Travel guide to An Bang beach

Hoi An’s Best Food Specialties and Coffee

Cao Lau

Cao lau is the signature noodle dish and only found in Hoi An. The main ingredient is the brown noodles (sợi cao lầu) made by special techniques that require fine locally-sourced rice, water from an ancient well and wood ash from an offshore island. After placing the noodles in the bowl, the makers add thinly-sliced char siu pork, blanching bean sprouts, squared crackers, raw vegetables and little bold sauce. Herbs must be from Tra Que village (3 km from Old Town). Locals say that this specialty food is influenced by Japanese and Chinese cuisine.

Read also: The best places to eat Cao Lau in Hoi An

Banh Mi

Like Cao Lau, Banh mi (aka Vietnamese sandwich) can’t be missed in any visits to Hoi An. It’s a crunchy bread filled with homemade pate, different kinds of meats, raw vegetables and sauces. This everybody’s favorite is sold in restaurants and pavement stalls across the city, from morning to late night. No other local foods than banh mi means that diners have to stand in the queue to wait for trying. The best known places are Banh Mi Phuong and Madam Khanh, not far from walking streets of the Old Town. The first was praised by Anthony Bourdain (a reputable American chef) as the best banh mi of the world. It opened a new restaurant in South Korea recently.

Read also: The best places to eat Banh Mi in Hoi An

White Rose Dumplings

Bánh bao bánh vạc (white rose dumplings) is unique to Hoi An. Meaning that travelers have a chance to taste it in Hoi An only. Made by many generations of a local family in town, this dish has really nice flavours that everybody all wants to try.

Street Foods

Street foods in Hoi An are in abundance, from breakfast, lunch, pre-dinner, dinner to late night. In the Old Town, travelers are easy to see vendors selling bánh bèo (water fern cakes), bánh bột lọc (clear dumplings), chè (sweet soup), tàu hũ (tofu), bánh xoài (“mango cake”), bánh tráng nướng (grilled rice paper) or bánh ướt cuốn thịt nướng (fresh rice papers and barbecued pork skewers). On the middle day (15^th) of each lunar month, vegan dishes are mostly sold. Trying them allows you to know better local cuisine and culture.

Coffee

Coffee was introduced into Vietnam by the French and later, became a part of daily life of locals. In the early morning, travelers can have breakfast and then enjoy a cup of traditional coffee just like townies by Japanese Bridge. Robusta is used and dark-roasted, so the taste is better, strong and sweetened by condensed milk. In later times, tourist coffee shops open and in their menu, both traditional and western style are served. Arabica beans are popular in these houses. It’s absolutely possible to get an egg coffee – Vietnam’s special or coconut milk coffee – the best choice on hot days.

Read also: The best coffee shops in Hoi An

The Hoi An Memories Show

Debuted in 2018, Hoi An Memories is the largest outdoor visual art performance in Vietnam. It tells different stages in history of the town and the country, and cultures, giving the audience a great time at night. 500 professional dancers are in charge of performing in the graceful music, all wearing traditional dresses. In addition, before or after the show, travelers can wander around Hoi An Impression Theme Park to entertain, eat and drink.

Snorkeling or Scuba Diving

These are two popular activities that travelers book to discover the magical, colorful underwater world of the Cham Islands. Snorkeling is covered by daily tours by canoe from Hoi An’s harbours in the mouth of Thu Bon River. In these packages, scuba diving is optional. There are a couple of certificated diving operators in town, providing the best offers from modern equipment and professionally-trained staff. The best time to dive and explore is from March to September, with the best between June and August. Other times are not great due to typhoons and heavy rains.

Underwater Trekking

Having an underwater trekking is something different if I would like to discover marine life of the Cham Islands – a Unesco world biosphere reserve. It’s arranged by one tour operator only – the Sea Trek based in town. No where else across the region, travelers have the chance to have an experience the same, so it’s definitely a thing not to miss in Hoi An.

Instagrammable Spots and Iconic Landmarks

Pictures in instagrammable spots and iconic landmarks across the Old town are one of the best reminders about Hoi An. Ochre yellow walls, lantern streets and shop houses, lanterns at night, Japanese covered bridge, Chinese temples, tailor shops, and more can’t not be excluded in the visit around there. Street foods are also sold by vendors on the pavement and under flowering trees. Those are ideal places to photograph and post on social media. Fruit hawkers wearing casual clothings, with a conical hat on the head and a yoke on the shoulder, are really loved by instagrammers.