The Hoi An Old Town has many things to see, such as historical sites, museums, traditional markets, religious buildings, rivers, streets, festivals and events, cultural shows, performances,… So, many visitors are quite confused about which ones are worth seeing amongst them. In this article, HoiAn Day Trip Company will list all of the must sees in Hoi An Old Town. By that, visitors find out their own favourite things easier.
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• Content by Tam Le, founder of HOIAN DAY TRIP CO.,LTD
• Designed by Giang Cong Minh, co-founder of LS E&C LTD and his team
• Photo by Dang Cong Loi, Dao Xuan Son, Tam Le & others
Tran Phu Street – Hoi An’s Most Beautiful Street
Tran Phu Street is the oldest and the most important road in the Hoi An Ancient Town world heritage area. It had the first quarter of Hoi An international trading port which became prosperous between the 15th and 19th centuries. Along this 750-meters-long road, visitors can see nearly all historical and cultural landmarks of the town, such as the Japanese Covered Bridge, Cantonese Assembly Hall, Fujian Assembly Hall, Quan Cong Temple, Hoi An Central Market, Trung Hoa Assembly Hall, Hainan Assembly Hall, Minh Huong Communal House, Duc An Old Town, Quan Thang Old House, Kazik Park, Sa Huynh Culture Museum, Trade Ceramics Museum, etc. Other buildings (mainly shophouses) are also built in the traditional style, decorated by lanterns and flowers. A walk along this street is definitely fantastic. See more information & details
In 2024, Tran Phu street of Hoi An was one of 71 most beautiful roads in the world. No doubt, it’s the most beautiful street in Hoi An.
Bach Dang Wharf/Street
Bach Dang Wharf/Street is a riverside road in Hoi An. Its northern side is lined with preserved traditional houses, featuring yellow walls and tile roof, and its southern side is the jade-green Hoai River. In the early morning, visitors can go to the park by Nguyen Phuc Chu Street, on the other side of the river, to see/photograph the old quarter along this street. During the sunset and evening, Bach Dang Street is great to take a walk because it’s so colorful and lightful thanks to thousands of lanterns (including floating lanterns on the water). See more information & details
The Japanese Bridge – Symbol of Hoi An
In the heart of the Hoi An Ancient Town, the Japanese Covered Bridge was built in the 17th century by Japanese people, to connect their quarter with the China town on the other side of the canal. Later, this 18-meters-long wooden bridge was restored by Chinese people and Vietnamese carpenters. At the time, a small temple was added behind the bridge, giving it the new name ‘Pagoda Bridge’ or ‘Bridge Pagoda’. See more information & details
Nowadays, the Japanese Bridge is the emblem of Hoi An and one of the must sees in Hoi An’s Ancient Town due to its uniqueness. On the Vietnamese currency 20,000 VND, visitors can see this landmark which represents the economic integration of Vietnamese with the world.
Colorful Lanterns in Hoi An Old Town
Hoi An is known as the city of lanterns because this town has lanterns everywhere. Back to history, lanterns were introduced into it by Chinese people and they often hang lanterns at their houses, shops or temples. Later, other communities living in the town do the same, making it so lovely and charming. At night or during the monthly full moon lantern festival, there are more lanterns hanging up. For that reason, lots of people come here to watch and take photos with the lanterns. See more information & details
Lantern Streets in Hoi An
Old Wooden Houses in Hoi An Old Town
There are over 1,000 traditional houses within the Hoi An Ancient Town world heritage site today. All of them have yellow brick walls, a tile roof, and wooden windows/doors, furniture, and frame. They have one or two stories. In 2-storied houses, the owners would sell something on the ground floor, and live on the upper floor. The most special house has two entrances, opening to two roads.
Today, visitors can visit 4 typical houses in the Hoi An Old Town:
– Tan Ky Old House: a late-18th-century house with exceptionally well-preserved architecture and furniture. See more information & details
– Phung Hung Old House: a late-18th-century house with exceptionally well-preserved architecture and furniture, and with on-site hand embroidery workshop. See more information & details
– Duc An Old House: a 19th-century house with exceptionally well-preserved architecture and furniture, and home of Cao Hong Lanh (man), a nationalist and politician. See more information & details
– Quan Thang Old House: an 18th-century house with exceptionally well-preserved architecture and furniture, and a home of a few families making white rose dumplings. See more information & details
Hoai River – Hoi An’s River With Lanterns
The Hoai River runs between the Hoi An Ancient Town world heritage area and An Hoi Island, a small island on the Thu Bon River. It’s strongly linked with the history of Hoi An in the past (particularly from the 15th to 19th centuries). Boats of merchants from the rest of the world docked along its bank, and then traded with locals in the inner quarters.
In Vietnamese language, ‘Hoai River’ means the river of ‘homesickness’. The reason is that many people living in the town came from other regions of Vietnam, and from other countries. These ‘migrants’ name the river to express their homesickness.
During the day, this river is calm, and wears a jade green color. From Nguyen Phuc Chu street promenade, visitors can see reflections of the old buildings and wooden boats on its water. For sure, beautiful photos can be taken from here. In the sunset, the Hoai River is golden, shimmering, and perfect to hunt great pictures.
At night, the Hoai River becomes sparkling due to lots of lantern boats carrying visitors, and hundreds of floating lanterns on the water. The best spots to see this romantic and brilliant scene are along Bach Dang riverside street, An Hoi Bridge, and Nguyen Phuc Chu street promenade. See full information & details
The best time of the month to see the Hoai River at night is the full moon night when locals celebrate the traditional lantern festival. They hang up more lanterns in their houses, and release more lanterns on the river. The townscape was so brilliant at that time.
Hoi An Lantern Festival in Full Moon
The Lantern Full Moon Festival is the most famous cultural festival in Hoi An. It occurs every full moon night (or the 14th day of lunar months) in the Hoi An Ancient Town. Traditionally, on this day, local people will prepare offspring to worship ancestors, hang up red lanterns to get good luck, see temples to pray, and go to the river at night to release lanterns to make wishes.
In the Hoi An full moon lantern festival, visitors will have the best nighttime experience. It’s possible to see/photograph streets filled by colorful and lightful lanterns, the river with thousands of floating paper lanterns, a vibrant atmosphere, busy night markets, fun Vietnamese folk games, and performances. See more information & details
Hoi An Central Market – Hoi An’s Biggest Market
The Hoi An Central Market is the oldest and biggest traditional market in Hoi An. It has a market hall surrounded by 4 streets, with an indoor food court and vegetable and fish stalls outside. In the food court, visitors can see and try a variety of local specialty foods, such as cao lau noodles, mi quang noodles, banh mi sandwich, white rose dumplings, fried wonton,… as well as famous Vietnamese foods. The price here is inexpensive.
Along streets outside the Hoi An Central Market, an abundance of vegetables, fruits, local products, fishes, and souvenirs is for sale. Visitors can go around to have a look, see/photograph local life and buy something. See more information & details
Hoi An Memories Show – Vietnam’s Best Show
The Hoi An Memories Show is debuted in 2018, and is the largest outdoor art visual performance in Vietnam, with over 500 actors. Within one hour, spectators will be told about the history of Hoi An, from the beginning to the present day. This night show is opened up by a small local family who live in a cottage, catch fishes and pick snails to eat, and have a happy life. Other chapters is about young boys reclaiming the new land and building new villages, the wedding of Vietnamese princess and Champa king in 14th century, the love between local boy and local girl, trading activities in Hoi An trading port, and performances of ladies wearing ao dai (Vietnam’s national costume) who dance with conical hats, ride the bicycle, or play traditional musical instrument. All together make viewers go from a surprise to another, and not to leave the eyes off the stage. See more information & details
Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) to book ‘Hoi An Memories Show’ tickets and have a discount. Thank you very much!
Before watching the Hoi An Memories Show, visitors should visit the Moonlight Bridge, a walking bridge inspired by the local full moon lantern festival, and the theme park. Here, the main things to see are the Vietnamese village, the Japanese village, the Chinese villages, and mini shows which happen frequently. See more information & details
World-class Teh Dar Show at Hoi An Lune Center
Popularly known as ‘Vietnamese bamboo circus’, Teh Dar Show is an internationally rewarded performance, and a must see in the Hoi An Ancient Town at night. It lasts an hour, inside a bamboo theatre looking like a full moon, not far away from the Hoi An Night Market or the Japanese Bridge. It’s directed and conceptualized by famed personalities.
This show is an amazing blend of bamboo circus, aerobics, and tribal music. It tells the audience stories about life and culture of ethnic minority communities living in Vietnam’s central highlands. Many artists are their members. They wear traditional costumes and masks, speak their own languages, and play their musical instruments. Absolutely, their performances are worth seeing. See more information & details
Ba Mu Temple – Hoi An’s Unique Temple
Constructed to worship midwives (ba mu) by Chinese communities and recently restored, Ba Mu Temple is a must see in Hoi An Old Town. Its entrance gate has a water lily pond in the front (with the temple’s reflection on the water) and two doors go inside. In the middle of the gate, there is a big circle symbolizing the full moon. Throughout the day, there are many visitors and locals coming here to take pictures because this bridge is a perfect background (especially when people wear a Vietnamese traditional dress ao dai). See more information & details
Museums in Hoi An Ancient Town
The Hoi An Ancient Town has many museums and exhibitions, helping visitors to know better about different sides of the town. Most museums require an entrance fee, but those who hold a ‘Hoi An Old Town’ ticket can use it to enter.
Here are the best museums in Hoi An Ancient Town:
– Museum of Sa Huynh Culture: a museum in an old two-storied house with a collection of artifacts, photos, and documents about Sa Huynh culture which existed from 1000 BC to 200 AD. See more information & details
– Museum of Trade Ceramics: a museum in an old two-storied wooden house with a collection of artifacts, photos, and documents about trade ceramics discovered in Hoi An’s archaeological sites and the shipwreck at Cham Islands. See more information & details
– Museum of Folklore: a museum in an old two-storied wooden house with a collection of artifacts, photos, and documents about Hoi An’s folk performing arts, handicrafts, customs and beliefs, and traditional works. See more information & details
– Museum of History and Culture (aka ‘Hoi An Museum’): a museum in a new two-storied building with a collection of artifacts, photos, and documents about all historical stages of Hoi An city. See more information & details
– Museum of Traditional Medicine: a museum in an old two-storied house with a collection of artifacts, photos, and documents about traditional medical practices in the town. See more information & details
– Museum of Local Products: a museum with exhibitions about local products in Quang Region that locals and foreigners traded in the past in Hoi An port. See more information & details
Gorgeous Sunset on Thu Bon River
The Hoi An Ancient Town is by the Hoai River, and also Thu Bon River. This river is longest in the province (205 km), originating from the Annamite Range and then flowing into the sea at Cua Dai estuary, Hoi An. There are some islands on it, to the south of Hoi An, such as Cam Kim Island. See more information & details
Thu Bon River is much larger than the Hoai River, so the sunset on this river is also much better. Visitors can go to bridges, such as the Moonlight Bridge, Cam Kim Bridge, or Cua Dai Bridge, but the best way is going on a boat trip.
Along Bach Dang street quay, near the Hoi An Central Market, visitors can see many wooden boats. One boat can carry up to 12-15 passengers, and the price depends on the duration. The shortest trip is about 15-20 mins, on which visitors are taken to the Moonlight Bridge to see sunset on the river, take photos with the bridge, and release paper lanterns. Longer trips are to rural villages. See more information & details
The Hoi An Night Market – Hoi An’s Biggest Night Market
The Hoi An Night Market (or Nguyen Hoang Night Market) is a must see in the Hoi An Ancient Town. It includes over 150 stalls and vendors that are arranged along a 300-meters-long walking street (Nguyen Hoang Street, not far from the Japanese Bridge). Visitors can find a variety of food options, from local specialty dishes, street snacks, barbecues, to famous Vietnamese dishes. To shop, stalls here sell local handicraft products, lanterns, paintings, trinkets, photos, shirts, ao dai long dress, leather items,… In the surroundings, it’s possible to see restaurants with live music, bars/pubs, photo spots, and activities, such as lantern boat ride, cultural shows. See more information & details
Hoi An Memories Land Theme Park
Located on an island on Thu Bon River, the Hoi An Memories Land (formerly Hoi An Impression Theme Park) is a fascinating theme park with thematic zones inspired by Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese cultures. This place is a must see in Hoi An at night because it has lots of places to visit and photograph, interesting activities as well as exciting shows which happen minute to minute. The grandest show here ‘Hoi An Memories Show’ is the best cultural show in Vietnam, a world-class outdoor art visual spectacle with a participation of about 500 artists. See more information & details
Hoi An Traditional Art Performance House
Several times during the day, Hoi An Traditional Art Performance House opens and shows the visitor a series of performances about local culture. In which, the audience will have the chance to see, feel, photograph and learn about traditional musical instruments of Vietnamese people, Vietnamese opera, dancings, singings and Bai Choi, a mix of bingo game and singing that was honored by Unesco as intangible cultural heritage of the humanity. To watch, it’s needed to have a ‘Hoi An Old Town entry ticket’ which costs 120,000 VND (for 5 places). Anyway, the cost is much cheaper than spectacles in the town. See more information & details
Moonlight Bridge in Hoi An Memories Land
Spanning a small branch of Thu Bon River, the Moonlight Bridge is a must see in Hoi An Vietnam. This 110-meters-long pedestrian bridge has an inspirational and special design with structures depicting the full moon (when the town celebrates the lantern festival). On its top, visitors can see the whole Hoi An Memories Land theme park, floating lanterns and cruise boats on the river, and lights in the city. The views are very fantastic and worth watching. From the Old town, the boat ride to Moonlight Bridge to see/photograph it and release lanterns is the favourite thing to do for many visitors. See more information & details
Chinese Assembly Halls in Hoi An Old Town
Chinese people migrated to Hoi An some hundreds of years ago, due to business and political reasons. Now, five Chinese communities (and others) make a diversity of populations in the town. All of them have a common assembly hall, and 4 of them have their own assembly hall. Function of these halls are to worship ancestors and patron gods, to organize communal activities/meetings, and to be an ‘ambassy’ for community members.
Today, visitors can see these best Chinese assembly halls in Hoi An:
– Fujian Assembly Hall: a 17th-century assembly hall of Fujian community with ornate buildings and main temple used to worship the Goddess of Sea (Thien Hau, Mazu). See more information & details
– Cantonese Assembly Hall: a 19th-century assembly hall of Cantonese community with ornate buildings and main temple used to worship Quan Cong (Chinese general). See more information & details
– Hainan Assembly Hall: a 19th-century assembly hall of Hainan community with ornate buildings and main temple used to worship the 108 Hainan Brothers. See more information & details
– Teochew Assembly Hall: a 19th-century assembly hall of Chaozhou community with ornate buildings and main temple used to worship Ma Yuan (Chinese general). See more information & details
– Trung Hoa Assembly Hall: a 18th-century assembly hall of all Chinese communities and Hakka community, with ornate buildings and main temple used to worship the Goddess of Sea (Thien Hau, Mazu). See more information & details
Rooftop Café in Hoi An Old Town
There are a couple of rooftop café in Hoi An Ancient Town. At these places, visitors will enjoy an interesting view of the whole town which has houses of dark tile roofs and yellow walls, below streets and the sunset at the end of the day. All of them become popular Instagrammable spots where both locals and tourists want to visit and take some amazing pictures.
