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Hoi An Travel Guide
Buy Vietnamese DongHoi An at a glance
Hoi An Ancient Town is the postcard version of Vietnam, lantern-lit lanes, a wooden covered bridge printed on the country's own 20,000-dong note, and a UNESCO World Heritage core that's genuinely walkable in an afternoon. Walking the streets themselves costs nothing, a ticket only matters for stepping inside the historic houses and halls, and the food alone, cao lau and white rose dumplings, two dishes that don't taste quite right anywhere else, is reason enough to visit. It has no airport of its own, sits about 45 minutes south of Da Nang, and has been administratively part of Da Nang City since a July 2025 provincial merger, though on the ground it still feels like its own distinct town.
Hoi An has no airport of its own. Da Nang International Airport, about 30km north, is the practical gateway for anyone flying in from India. From the airport, Grab or Be run roughly ₫250,000-350,000 and take 30 to 45 minutes, the most reliable and transparently priced option. Bus No. 1 (the yellow bus) is the budget anchor at ₫30,000, running every 20 to 30 minutes from Da Nang's bus station, though it takes 60 to 90 minutes and doesn't run from the airport directly. A private car, split among 3 to 4 people, can beat Grab on a per-person basis.
Day 1: Old Town on foot in the morning, the Japanese Covered Bridge and a couple of the ticketed old houses, lunch at a cao lau or white rose dumpling spot, afternoon wandering the lanes, evening back in Old Town for lantern-lit dinner (time it for the 14th of the lunar month if the Lantern Festival is on).
Day 2: An Bang Beach for the morning and early afternoon, back to Old Town or Cam Nam Island for a slower final evening before heading back to Da Nang.
Where to stay
Where you base yourself in Hoi An shapes the trip more than almost anything else.
Old Town
The most atmospheric base, walking distance to everything covered in this guide, lantern-lit at night. Priced accordingly, and can feel crowded with day-trippers through the middle of the day.
An Bang Beach
A proper beach base a short ride from Old Town, open-air seafood restaurants along the sand, a genuinely different pace from the historic core. Suits a traveller who wants beach time alongside the heritage sightseeing rather than a pure day-trip approach.
Cam Nam Island
Just across the river from Old Town, quieter, a short bicycle ride from the action, better value for a similar level of comfort. Suits a longer stay or a traveller who's already covered the Old Town itself.
Paying in Hoi An
For the dong itself, how much cash to carry, the ATM situation and the LRS and TCS numbers, see the Vietnam travel guide.
Before you fly it is worth reading what an ATM withdrawal in Vietnam actually costs.
What Hoi An actually costs
Set the length and style of your trip to see what to budget, in dong and rupees.
Indicative, excluding international flights and accommodation, per person per day. Converted at the verified mid-market rate on 17 September 2026, VND 100,000 ≈ ₹370, not a Matrix board rate.
Budget roughly ₹2,200 to ₹4,400 per person per day on the ground for a mid-range trip, two sharing a room, excluding flights.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Coffee | ₫25,000-45,000 |
| Cao lau bowl | ₫50,000-80,000 |
| Ancient Town ticket | ₫120,000 |
| Hotel (mid-range, per night) | ₫700,000-1,200,000 |
Getting around
The Old Town is genuinely walkable, most of what this guide covers sits within a comfortable stroll of the Japanese Covered Bridge. Bicycles, often free or cheap through hotels, are the classic way to cover the slightly longer distance to An Bang Beach or Cam Nam Island, and Hoi An's flat, low-traffic streets make cycling here noticeably more relaxed than in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City.
Grab covers the town for anything beyond walking or cycling distance, though availability thins out compared to Da Nang, worth building in a little extra patience for a ride, especially heading back toward the airport.
Common mistakes in Hoi An
Assuming a ticket is needed to walk the Old Town
Assuming a ticket is needed just to walk the Old Town streets, it isn't, only the heritage buildings' interiors require one
Leaving no buffer for the last Grab back to Da Nang
Booking the last Grab of the day back toward Da Nang without buffer time, availability genuinely thins out heading in that direction
Treating cao lau and mi quang as interchangeable
Treating cao lau and mi quang as interchangeable, they're related noodle dishes but distinct, and Hoi An's cao lau specifically is tied to local water and tradition
Visiting in October or November expecting dry season
Visiting during October-November expecting the same charm as dry season, flooding risk is real and worth checking the forecast.
Hoi An FAQs
Administratively, yes, since a 1 July 2025 provincial merger folded it into Da Nang City (it's now Minh An Ward, part of what was previously Quang Nam province). Practically, it still feels like its own distinct town and the journey between the two hasn't changed.
Only to step inside the heritage buildings, the streets, bridges, and lantern-lit atmosphere are free. The ₫120,000 ticket covers five of roughly 22 sites.
Two days covers the Old Town and An Bang Beach comfortably. It also works well as a one-night add-on to a Da Nang stay if time is tighter.
If the dates align, yes, it's free, genuinely atmospheric, and happens on the 14th of every lunar month, not just the biggest one. Check the specific 2026 dates against travel plans rather than assuming any full moon works identically.
Yes, noticeably. Hoi An's smaller, family-run restaurants and shops lean cash-only more than Da Nang's larger establishments do.
Either works. A day trip covers the Old Town's highlights, but an overnight stay allows the Old Town's evening lantern atmosphere and a proper An Bang Beach morning without rushing.
Buy vietnamese dong before you fly
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