9 Things to Do in Hoi An on Your Next Trip!

Because I spent four years living in Ho Chi Minh City, I’ve visited Hoi An quite a few times over the years. And although this town is small, I’m always surprised at all the things to do in Hoi An that are completely different from what you’d find anywhere else in Vietnam.

The reason for my (re)visit to Hoi An was my family’s big trip to Vietnam. We spent three days exploring the town and its nearby attractions. While I’m usually a hop-on-a-motorbike-and-see-what-I-can-find type of girl, I was traveling with my mom and sister so I let them take the reins which was kind of a fun change of pace for me.

My sister was in full tourist mode and really wanted to see it all – which is fully understandable since this was her first-ever visit to Vietnam and Southeast Asia – so we tried our best!

If you’re Vietnam-bound and looking for things to do in Hoi An, here is my insider’s guide to all of the must-see attractions.

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9 Things to Do in Hoi An

9 Fun Things to Do in Hoi An, Vietnam - Travel Lush

1. Wander aimlessly around the Old Town

For those who read my blog, you know that my favorite way to explore any new city is by walking, walking and walking. Because cars aren’t allowed to drive in the historic Old Town, the area is prime for exploring on foot.

This is one of the top things to do in Hoi An. And sure, it was touristy, but I loved marveling at the old buildings, snapping photos of the postcard-perfect alleyways and popping into all of the little shops. I spent an entire afternoon just wandering around alone, sampling street snacks and stealthily shopping for birthday presents for my sister – and had a thoroughly enjoyable time.

You honestly never know what gems you’ll stumble upon in Hoi An’s historic center.

2. Ride a bicycle to temples, rice paddies and the beach

One of the things I loved about traveling with family was that I was able to see Southeast Asia through the eyes of two people who had never set foot here before. Things like rice paddies, Buddhist temples and water buffalos (and their egret bird friends!) are all familiar sights to me, but these things are so new to them!

That’s part of why I was so excited to take a free bicycle from our hotel (cycling is big in Hoi An) to bike along the town’s emerald-green rice paddies to the beach. To be honest, I’ve not ridden a bike for an embarrassingly long time and I was nervous that I would just tip right over. (It came close to happening.) But I guess what they say is true: you never forget.

My sister and I biked to beautiful temples, glimpsed rice paddies and baby water buffalos, and saw everyday street scenes on our way to the beach – and loved every minute of it.

hoi-an-rice-paddies-1 — Look at the little one!

While the main road heading to An Bang Beach from Hoi An is busy, and not quite as atmospheric as I would have liked, it’s mellow compared to the streets of Ho Chi Minh City. There’s literally a bike lane, so for anyone who’s nervous, you’ll be just fine! You can also veer off the main road onto little dirt paths and bike around the rice paddies, which is pretty cool.

3. Take a dip at An Bang Beach

After biking around for a couple of hours, we landed at An Bang Beach (another one of the top Hoi An attractions) and met up with our mom. We were super ready to take a dip and drink a beer so we took a walk to the northern end of the beach and just kind of plopped ourselves down on some lounge chairs.

What can I say, the place had beer and we were thirsty. Plus, the lounge chairs were free with the purchase of a drink or food. What’s not to love?

I’ve been to a lot of beaches in Vietnam and from my experience tides can be strong and vary wildly based on the season. We traveled in early April and the waves and current were strong.

We went far enough in to cool ourselves off but didn’t dare to actually swim (and we’re from San Diego, California), so we’re no strangers to big waves and currents.

But, it was lovely all the same! In some months the ocean is perfectly calm. But either way, the beach was gorgeous – it actually looks a lot like San Diego’s beaches.

4. Sample Hoi An’s famous dishes

If you’re wondering what to do in Hoi An as a foodie, you’re in luck! Eating your way through this city is incredible.

Vietnamese food is complicated and it varies wildly from city to city and region to region. Since I’m a vegetarian I do miss out on a lot of Vietnam’s famous food. Being a vegetarian also makes it super tough to figure out where meat-eaters should dine in Vietnam. But because I’m the one who lives here, selecting restaurants fell into my hands.

Thankfully, I did manage to find a restaurant called M orning Glory in the Old Town that did vegetarian variations of cao lau (a rice noodle dish that Hoi An is famous for) and also had a ton of traditional dishes for my meat-eating family.

banh-xeo — You’ll find these savory pancakes all over the place in Hoi An.

If you’re in Hoi An, it should be a goal of yours to do all the eating possible. Hoi An’s most famous dishes are cao lau, mi quang (turmeric-infused noodles topped with broth, meat and herbs) and banh xeo (a crispy “pancake” stuffed with everything from shrimp to pork to mushrooms). But there’s so much more to eat than just these things.

I highly suggest doing a food tour while in Hoi An to really get an understanding of the cuisine. I’ve heard great things about the Bike and Bite Food Tour which takes you around the city to sample nine different dishes. Plus you get to see rice paddies along the way!

And if you happen to be a vegetarian, check out my post all about where to find vegetarian food in Hoi An.

5. Shop (or people watch) at the Night Market

Every night you’ll see streams of people heading over the bridge from Hoi An’s Old Town to the An Hoi Peninsula. The Night Market is one of the top things to do in Hoi An, so it does get busy!

Here you’ll find plenty of riverfront bars and restaurants as well as a ton of vendors selling everything from elephant pants to quirky foods to all manner of touristy trinkets.

I didn’t actually buy anything at the market but I really enjoyed wandering around and people-watching. It’s definitely worth venturing across the bridge to check out all the mayhem.

6. Get sunset drinks along the river

If you’re looking for a sunset cocktail but want to escape the crowds you can actually head to the end of the Night Market on An Hoi Peninsula (where the pier is that takes you to the Cham Islands) and grab a beer or cocktail at one of the makeshift bars.

Basically, they both sell drinks from modest stalls and you can sit on a tiny plastic stool and look out over the river as the sun goes down. I kind of liked this side of the peninsula because there were very few people there.

7. Go temple hopping

It’s no secret that seeing the temples is one of the top things to do in Hoi An. There are dozens of incense-filled temples all around this city. But my favorite find was the Ba Mu Temple (pictured above), which dates back to 1626 and is located in the Old Quarter.

But during my time in Hoi An, I spotted dozens of temples. You can buy a pass in the Old Quarter, which gives you entry to some temples, among other attractions.

But there are also a handful of temples and pagodas located outside of the Old Town that are stunning and totally free to enter.

Day trips from Hoi An:

8. Wander around the Marble Mountains

When it comes to things to do in Hoi An, visiting the Marble Mountains is a must. They are located 18km from Hoi An and are a super easy half-day trip from Hoi An or Danang.

There’s really no need to book a tour to visit since you can take a Grab there for about $10 or book a private car from your hotel for roughly the same price. The Marble Mountains are definitely touristy but I was pleasantly surprised by our visit.

We got there around 9:30am before most tour buses arrived and hiked all around the main mountain, which is called Thuy Son. I hadn’t done much research into Thuy Son, but it’s filled with stunning caves, lovely pagodas, and ornate temples, and if you hike to the very top, you get killer 360-degree views of Danang and its endless beach.

It’s well worth spending a few hours at Thuy Son. Timing is everything so try to go into the more popular caves (like An Phu Cave) when large tour groups are just leaving. It makes all the difference and you can totally wait them out! It’s better to have the place all to yourself versus sharing the space with hundreds of sightseers. Trust me.

9. My Son Ruins

Checking out the My Son Ruins is easily one of the coolest Hoi An activities. The My Son Sanctuary is located about an hour from Hoi An. If you’ve never experienced the region’s ancient Cham architecture before, I’d recommend heading out there if you have the time. My mom and sister had never seen ruins like this before, so I’m glad we made the trip to My Son.

As someone who’s seen a lot of ancient ruins in the region, including Angkor Wat, they weren’t the most magnificent or well-preserved temple complexes I’ve seen.

It’s also worth noting that the complexes are in pretty bad shape and were heavily damaged during the Vietnam War. There are currently only 20 temples left. Sadly two-thirds of them are gone. Even still, I do recommend visiting if you have an interest in the ancient structures and the history of the region.

We booked a driver through our hotel for about $18 and went for sunrise. If you are going to My Son for the sunrise do note that the ticket booth doesn’t open until 6 am. My sister really wanted to see the sun actually rise over the ruins, but once we made it to the actual ruins it was already light outside.

There are a few perks to visiting early though: the temperature is pleasant and there are barely any visitors at that time. Literally, there were six other people there when we visited. I do, however, wish we would have had a tour guide. We would have learned a lot more about the ruins had we had a guide. You can book a tour, with a guide, here. For $16, a tour is a good option, especially if you’re traveling solo.

Where to stay in Hoi An

Hoi An is chock full of amazing boutique hotels. It’s almost impossible to choose! After a lot of research, I went with the Green Apple Hotel. We were trying to stick to a budget but our minds were boggled by what we got for a mere $26 a night.

Located a 10-minute walk from the Old Town this place had a pool; an enormous buffet breakfast; spacious rooms with balconies, comfy beds, tons of amenities, free bikes, the most amazing customer service ever…I could go on. It’s a steal and I highly recommend it.