Hoi An, Vietnam – Where to Stay, Visit, Transport - Page 1

Hoi An – Orientation – Maps

Map – The Center of Hoi An :

Look at the following Map :

The ancient city is marked in yellow. It is the center of gravity of Hoi An, the most interesting part. Bellow it, there is an “island” and between them the river. This part of the river is very active and nice at sunset (and at all times). There are little bridges between the 2 parts.

The Beaches, in front of Hoi An are at about 4 Km away.
Here an interactive Google Map, with the places mentioned :

Interactive Map : Hoi-An Center and Beaches

How is the city of Hoi An ?

A very cool place, a “must see” attraction in Vietnam, a Unesco world heritage site.
Hoi An was a trading port from the 15th to the 19th century (more history in Wikipedia).
Take a quick look at the photos appearing on this page to get a feeling of Hoi An.
As you can see, it looks like a village, the houses are small and antique, at least in the old part.

The old city of Hoi An is compact and is visited by foot, very convenient. There are a lot of tourists in Hoi An, but still it is a pleasant place to be with beautiful streets, cafés and restaurants. Hoi an is not just a place that you come in order to see a few tourist attractions, it is a place you really like. You can make great photos in Hoi An and if you don’t want tourists appearing in front of the monuments, wake up before 9:00 (or at night).

Even sitting in a café in Hoi An is a special experience :

How to arrive to Hoi An ?

Hoi An is very close to Da-Nang city. The 2 cities are just 26 Km apart :

Da-Nang is the third largest city of Vietnam and it is located at mid way between Saigon and Hanoi : 620 Km aerial distance to Hanoi and 610 Km aerial distance to Saigon.

Hoi An By Flight

There is no airport in Hoi An. You have to land at Da-Nang airport and continue the remaining short distance (about 26 Km) by bus or taxi.

You can book Flights, Trains and Buses inside Vietnam with the site Baolau or 12Go Asia. Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.

From the airport of Da-Nang to Hoi An :

You can use a Taxi or Grab (car or motorbike).
Shared minibuses, like the company Hoi An Express. Especially from the airport of Da-Nang.
There is a local bus. Bus number 1, that runs between Center Hoi-An and Da-Nang. The frequency is relatively high. In Da-Nang this bus has stops along the left side of the river (for example near the Dragon bridge). The travel fare is cheap and takes less than 1 hour. You can see the bus trajectory in the Da-Nang bus site.

The location of Da-Nang airport relative to the city of Da-Nang :

The airport of Da-Nang is very close to the city center of Da-Nang, so you may decide to visit Da-Nang, as well. See the page about Da-Nang for details.

Hoi An By Train

There is not a train station in Hoi An. You have to get down at Da-Nang and continue the remaining short distance (about 26 Km) by bus or taxi.

You can book Flights, Trains and Buses inside Vietnam with the site Baolau or 12Go Asia. Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.

From the Train station of Da-Nang to Hoi An :

You can use a Taxi or Grab (car or motorbike).
Shared minibuses, like the company Hoi An Express. Especially from the airport of Da-Nang.
There is a local bus. Bus number 1, that runs between Center Hoi-An and Da-Nang. The frequency is relatively high. In Da-Nang this bus has stops along the left side of the river (for example near the Dragon bridge). The travel fare is cheap and takes less than 1 hour. You can see the bus trajectory in the Da-Nang bus site.

The location of Da-Nang train station relative to the city of Da-Nang :

Quite close to the city center. See the page about Da-Nang.for details.

By Bus

Hoi An is a popular destination, and there are a lot of companies arriving to Hoi An, from all over Vietnam. You will easily find a place on a bus (day or night bus).

You can book Flights, Trains and Buses inside Vietnam with the site Baolau or 12Go Asia. Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.
See what I wrote about the buses in Vietnam in the page : What to Visit in Vietnam.

If you arrive from Da-Nang city center to Hoi An :

You can use a Taxi or Grab (car or motorbike).
Shared minibuses, like the company Hoi An Express. Especially from the airport of Da-Nang.
There is a local bus. Bus number 1, that runs between Center Hoi-An and Da-Nang. The frequency is relatively high. In Da-Nang this bus has stops along the left side of the river (for example near the Dragon bridge). The travel fare is cheap and takes less than 1 hour. You can see the bus trajectory in the Da-Nang bus site.

Where to Stay in Hoi An ? – Hotels

The concentration of Hotels may look like this :

Let’s look again on the Map of Hoi An :

Option 1 : Around the Ancient city

There are (almost) no hotels inside the historical ancient city (marked in yellow on the map above), most of the hotels are around it, at a walking distance. The typical hotel of Hoi An is small (max 3 floors), without elevator and it serves a breakfast (even the cheapest hotels). Many hotels have a small swimming pool, usually not suitable for swimming and also spas are very popular in Hoi An hotels.

You would expect a city like Hoi An to be quiet, but it is not the case. The streets are busy with motorcycles and you need to be lucky in order to receive a quiet room (the backside of an hotel can be quiet).

See Hotels in Center Hoi An. After you click and fill the dates, you will see a Map icon. Click on the Map icon and look for hotels. The Map is a great way to search for the right hotel (you immediately see the price and the score received by visitors).

Option 2 : On the “left island”

This island (marked as 2 on the map above) is a cool place to stay. During the evenings, the river in front of the old city is the most beautiful and active place of Hoi An (candles and boats on the river). There is also the night market and bars till late, on this part (the bars are just on the first line, in front of the river).
Most of the hotels on this island are “home stay”. A home stay is a very small hotel run by a family (could be just 4 rooms).

If you stay in a home stay, you would need to meet all the family and be nice to their babies. You will also need to take off your shoes at the entrance.

The left side of the island is more isolated and quiet.
There are also big hotels here, not just “Home stay”.

Option 3 : On the “right island”

This island is still at a walking distance to Hoi-An center (at least the part which is to the left of the bridge). There is nothing interesting in this area except some tranquility in some parts of the island. There is only 1 bridge connecting the island to the center and I wish this bridge was wider.

Option 4 : On the beaches

The beaches are at a distance of about 5 Km from the center of Hoi-An. Choose this option if you have already seen everything in life or if you have a way of transport like a rented motorbike, in order to move between Hoi An and the beaches. What I mean is this : living near the beaches is an advanced option, if it is your first time in Hoi An, you may prefer to live near the center, also for the reason of the nightlife.

See Hotels near An Bang beach, in front of Hoi An. After you click and fill the dates, you will see a Map icon. Click on the Map icon and look for hotels. The Map is a great way to search for the right hotel (you immediately see the price and the score received by visitors).

How is the Climate in Hoi An ?

Cooler than Saigon, warmer than Hanoi.
Here are average temperatures and rain :

Month	Max (C)	Min (C)	Rain (mm)
January	25	19	65
February	26	20	19
March	28	22	24
April	31	23	31
May	33	25	63
June	34	26	52
July	34	26	80
August	34	25	115
September	32	24	297
October	29	23	490
November	27	22	407
December	25	20	208

Like in all Vietnam, there is the dry season and the rainy season. As you can see it is very rainy in the months : August to January.

How to Move in Hoi An ?

By Foot

Compared to Da-Nang (and to any typical city), the city of Hoi An is a heaven for people who like to walk and not to use transports. The ancient city is compact (around 1 Km square) and the hotels and the nightlife is usually at a walking distance.

By Taxi or Grab Taxi (car or motorbike)

Usually, you will use a Taxi just to go outside town, like for the beaches, for example.
See what I wrote about Grab, in the Saigon Transport page.

Rent a Motorbike

Tourists can rent a motorbike in Hoi An. It is convenient (and cheap) in order to visit the suburbs and the beaches.
A typical rent price is 150,000 Dong per day.
Make sure you have experience riding a motorcycle and it is better to be equipped with an international driving license for the case of accident.

Rickshaw

It is more a tourist attraction, but also a way of transport, I guess.

What to Eat in Hoi An ?

The food in Hoi-An is good. There are a lot of tourists around and so there is also international cuisine and Vegetarian options and it is all at a walking distance.
In front of the river, in the ancient city, there are cute small restaurants and some of them serve pizzas made in wooded oven. If you ask to eliminate the pineapple in the pizza, it is good.

For economic options, you can eat at the night market, things like that :

Strangely, I met a frog on a street near the night market and I wondered if he didn’t escape from there:

But I asked (yes, I showed the picture in the night market) and I was told that it is not the same type of frog and in fact, the one in the picture is poisonous for eating (its liver).

There is a lot of other stuff to eat in the night market, like pancakes, fruits and a lot of sea food.
For restaurants in Hoi An look at the guide of Tripadvisor, Google Maps or Happy Cow if you are Vegetarian.

One restaurant that I can recommend : MIX Greek restaurant. They are located inside the ancient city and they have healthy and tasty dishes.

What to Buy in Hoi An ?

Products from pure silk are popular in Hoi An :

I bought a sleeping bag, made of silk, in Hoi An, a long time ago and I threw it away after a while, it was too warm inside and the size was too small. Maybe it was not real silk, who knows, or maybe cotton is better for a sleeping bag.
There are a lot of shoes to buy in Hoi An :

And other clothes :

You can always buy a pointy Vietnamese hat :

There is a market (in the old city, beside the river) with articrafts and food :

Part of the market is covered :

And inside the covered market, also things like that, for the persons who are not Vegetarian.

Where to go out at Night in Hoi An ?

The place to be in the evening is beside the river, between the ancient city and the “left island”.

There are little boats on the river and very nice illumination.

And flowery candles. You can buy one from the many vendors

and then put it in the river.

Luckily, the city imposes “no traffic” periods during the day, inside the old city. There are no motorbikes for a few hours at sunset (also in the morning). A great feeling.

The night market is also a hot point in the evening, it is located on the “left island”.

As the evening progress, the activity inside the ancient city ceases (around 22:00)

and bars with music continue near the night market.

Continue to Page 2 – What to Visit in Hoi-An ?

On Thailand :

Other Stuff :

What to Pack ? the visual list that will help you prepare the suitcase.
Visit my Vegetarian Page. Why be Vegetarian ? What to eat ?
Visit my Salsa Dance Page. Salsa main Styles. Why Dance Salsa ?
See City Information about 2 more cool cities: Barcelona and Tel-Aviv.
Listen to nice Songs with translation in French, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew.
Listen to basic Words In Spanish, French, Hebrew

If you find incorrect data on this page, like a restaurant that has closed or a big river that has moved or you want to tell me something, please write me to contact.

A Visit in Vietnam

www.VietVisit.com

Hoi An, Vietnam – Where to Stay, Visit, Transport – Page 1