Taking it Easy in Charming Hoi An, Vietnam

The charming little French-inspired town of Hoi An, Vietnam is the perfect place to relax and take in the atmosphere in the middle of your trip to Vietnam. If you’ve just come from bustling Ho Chi Minh City or have been whisking off to waterfalls and villages on the back of a motorbike in Dalat, Hoi An’s relaxed vibe, pretty stucco buildings, and charming lantern-lit streets are the perfect setting to take in the simple beauty of central Vietnam.

Hoi An's streets are especially charming at night.

That said, Hoi An is not the place for those looking for excitement or adventure. Aside from the endless opportunities for shopping (Hoi An is famous for its clothing, both custom and ready-made) there are basically three attractions: Hoi An Ancient Town, My Son Ruins, and Cua Dai Beach.

Food, Travel, and Accommodation:

We took the bus from Nha Trang to Hoi An, an 8 hour ride that cost $11. When we arrived at the bus stop the customary taxi drivers were there to take us to our hotels, but we opted to walk instead. Hoi An is a pretty walkable city, and the center ended up not being too far from the bus stop. We stayed at Hop Yen Hotel on the outskirts of the city center, a great location. Hop Yen has dorms for $5, but we bargained for a double room with a detached bathroom for $6 a night. It was a great bargain for a room with free wifi, but the added price was having to climb five flights of stairs to get there! Hop Yen also has a pretty decent-priced restaurant downstairs, though we didn’t eat there. One of our favorite places was Des Amis Cafe in the city center for their fantastic and very filling pancakes, lovely French music, and great coffee! We also frequented a great noodle soup street stand for dinner located near Mermaid restaurant.

Hoi An Ancient Town:

The river near Old Town

Hoi An’s Ancient Town (or Old Town) is a curious attraction, as admission works on a coupon system. At the various ticket booths around the town’s center, tickets are sold for 90,000 dong ($4.50) and will gain you admission to all of Ancient Town’s old streets and five attractions: one of the four museums, one of the four “old houses,” one of three assembly halls, the handicraft shop and a traditional show, and either the Japanese covered bridge or Quan Cong temple. Kim and I decided to forego tickets to Ancient Town, as we were enjoying the rest of town just fine and weren’t sure if the admission price was worth it for us. To decide if it’s worth it for you, check out this feature on Travelfish; the prices are a little outdated, but it will help you decide which attractions to hit, and which ones to miss.

My Son Ruins:

At the My Son Ruins

The My Son Ruins 55 km outside Hoi An are remains of the ancient Cham Kingdom and some of the most important ruins in Vietnam. While the ruins are an important historical and cultural sight, when seen in terms of value, the ruins take on a different significance for budget travelers. 

Tours to the ruins run from $5-$7 depending on which you choose. $5 will get you a bus there and back with an English speaking guide. $7 will get you a bus there and a boat back with an English speaking guide, free lunch, and a stop at Cam Kim Island to see a local handicraft village. At first glance, the $7 tour seems like a great value. We booked this tour and found ourselves on the way back from the ruins sitting on an extremely loud, water-polluting boat, eating a tiny rice and vegetable lunch (we ate a second lunch upon our return to Hoi An), and our stop at the handicraft village was only a ten-minute stop at a single store that sells wood carvings. For those who really want to see the ruins, book the $5 tour and get back in time to eat a real lunch and take a ferry to Cam Kim later on your own.

That being said, there are some who won’t want to do the tour at all. The ruins themselves aren’t very impressive, especially since many of them were destroyed by U.S. bombs during the Vietnam war. Our tour consisted of our very bored tour guide leading us through one of the major sites, explaining a few historical facts, and leaving us to see two other sites on our own. The tour itself lasted about half an hour. My favorite parts of the whole thing were understanding a bit more about the destruction the Vietnam war caused to the landscape and hearing our guide humorously explain the yoni and linga symbols placed throughout the ruins. So, is it worth it? For budget travelers who have already seen ruins such as those in Siem Reap or Ayutthaya, no. We certainly weren’t very impressed. But for those who have a little more time and money to spend, or who are especially interested in the cultural and historical significance of the ruins, it’s not a bad way to spend a day.

Cua Dai Beach and Other Ways to Spend Your Time:

For those who forfeited a stop in Nha Trang, the tourist beach capital of Vietnam, Hoi An is your chance to make up for it with a little sun-soaking. Cua Dai Beach is easily accessible by bike, and bike rental is only around $1 for a day’s use. Kim and I opted not to make the trek, but reviews of the beach are generally positive and we met one fellow traveler who said it was worth half a day and the short ride/walk out of town. Another idea is to take a romantic sunset river tour with your significant other, or shop ‘til you drop at the dozens of clothing shops lining Hoi An’s streets. By far our favorite activity in this city was simply sitting back at our favorite cafe and enjoying the quiet, pleasant atmosphere of Hoi An.

Happy traveling!