5 min read
Hoi An is a town made for slow days. A former trading port on the Thu Bồn river, its UNESCO-listed Ancient Town is a maze of saffron-yellow merchant houses, tailor shops and tiny cafés — and the countryside around it hides craft villages, rice paddies and palm-fringed waterways. Here is how to make the most of a single, unhurried day.
Morning — the craft villages
Start before the heat in the villages that have fed Hoi An for centuries. Watch potters at their wheels in Thanh Hà, see boat-builders shaping timber in Kim Bồng, or pick herbs with the farmers of Trà Quế. It is hands-on and uncrowded, and it sets the tone for the day — this is a town that still makes things by hand.
Midday — the Ancient Town
Cross the 400-year-old Japanese Covered Bridge (Chùa Cầu), wander the yellow lanes, and step inside an old merchant house. This is also tailor country: a good shop can make a garment in a day. For lunch, eat what only Hoi An does well — cao lầu noodles, “white rose” dumplings, and the bánh mì that food writers fly in for.
Afternoon — out on the water
Trade the streets for the river. In the coconut-palm water village of Cẩm Thanh you can spin around in a round basket boat with a local rower; or cycle out through the rice paddies as the light softens. It is the cool, green counterpoint to a morning in town.
After dark — lanterns on the river
Hoi An is at its most magical once the sun drops and thousands of silk lanterns come on. Take a small boat onto the river, set a paper flower-lantern adrift for luck, and let the night market — all street food, lanterns and Vietnamese flags — carry you into the evening.
Marvelous Adventures
Ready to see it for yourself?
The complete Hoi An day: countryside craft villages, a hands-on cooking moment, a buffalo ride, the UNESCO Ancient Town and a lantern boat after dark.