Hoi An called ‘the Yellow City’ is absolutely going to amaze you, it takes a look to fall in love with it!
Hoi An Ancient City in Vietnam was listed among 25 most beautiful cities in the world. Located in Central Vietnam with the biggest nearby city Da Nang, Hoi An is a small port city, one of the most cosy and peaceful towns in the whole country. This 3-day itinerary for Hoi An Ancient Town will allow you to explore its full charm. The town welcomes you with amazing architecture, yellow hued-walls and incredibly friendly atmosphere and the city illuminates at night time with lantern lights.
Central Vietnam - the most beautiful region.
Central Vietnam is probably one of the most fascinating parts of Asia – I was stunned by Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park – the biggest Caves in the world, fascinating Dalat and magnificent Hoi An Ancient Town. This ancient town thrived as a trading port between China and Europe, which welcomed their traditions cultures.
The river flowing across the town is a lovely walking area especially on the evening time when hundreds of lanterns come alive turning the place in one of the most scenic in the world.
How to get to Hoi An Ancient town?
To get to Hoi An you will first need to get to Da Nang by road, rail of flight. There are many air fares to Da Nang for a very good deal if you book in advance. From Da Nang you will have to take a scenic road, there is no train neither flights directly to Hoi An. Bus tickets can be easily booked on 12go.asia. From Da Nang Airport or City to Hoi An you can book a convenient and very affordable private car charter with Klook or even cheaper Shuttle Bus.
Hoi An does not have an airport, travelers usually arrive at Da Nang International Airport in Da Nang city, which is approximately 40km away from Hoi An.
You might find useful these travel essentials for Vietnam:
FLIGHTS: Check Skyscanner.com for last minute flights and best deals.
BUS & TRAIN TICKETS: 12Go.Asia is probably best platform to book tickets for Vietnam.
ACCOMMODATION in Hoi An: Check on agoda.com.
ATMs: ATMs are accessible in Hoi An, card payments are accepted in hotels & restaurants.
SIM CARD: Best to get with Airalo.com.
3-day itinerary for Hoi An Ancient Town.
It may seem 3 days are enough for a small port town in central Vietnam, but trust me this city is so different, unique and special that 5 days weren’t enough for me. It is not the city to rush on visiting, it’s an amazing place to relax, take walks through flowery, yellow walls, explore some historical influences and admire the atmosphere. Grab a smoothy or coffee and enjoy the riverside with lantern lights and magic atmosphere.
You might want to visit local tailor shops to see a different side of you once they are finished with your outfit 😉 The outfits are highly impressive.
Day 1: Get to know the Old Town of Hoi An.
To get to the Old Town tickets must be purchased but the admission is as cheap as $2.50 and can be booked on Klook. Since the region is Unesco World Heritage it is really interesting to explore a rich history of the place. There are many small museums and exhibitions which you can easily explore by wondering around.
Japanese Bridge is a masterpiece and it’s a symbol of Hoi An. This 18th-century bridge is a fusion of Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese architectural styles.
Sites not to miss in the Old Town:
- Sacred Temple Quan Cong (on the photo), a beautifully preserved temple dedicated to a revered Chinese general, featuring elaborate woodcarvings and statues.
- Old House of Tan Ky is an authentic 18th-century merchant’s residence, showcasing traditional Vietnamese architecture.
- Hoi An Museum offers insight into the town’s history and culture through various exhibits, artifacts, and displays.
- Assembly Halls – these historic communal meeting places were built by Chinese communities and each hall is dedicated to a specific deity.
Hoi An Lantern Festival and night walk.
Enjoy evening walk or a boat cruise along the Thu Bon River. With many boats paddling around and lantern light the town looks magic.
Lantern Festival of Hoi An is celebrated on the 14th day of every lunar month when the moon is full. Thousands of people are signing up for Lantern Making Classes in Hoi An.
Day 2: Golden Bridge & Stunning places nearby Hoi An.
- There are many stunning places nearby Hoi An, Klook offers best tour options with greatest deals and tens of thousands bookings of these top popular tours among travelers:
- GOLDEN BRIDGE is a must-see attraction – Klook offers the best tour option among all: Ba Na Hills & Golden Bridge Day Tour.
- The best seller tour to number of top attractions: Private Car to Ba Na Hills, Hoi An, Hue, Vinwonder Nam Hoi An from Da Nang and Vice Versa
- Amazing Coconut Forest tour in the nature – these charming location is often compared to the famous Mekong delta: Coconut Forest Basket Boat Ride Admission Ticket in Hoi An.
- Best tour to My Son Sanctuary: My Son Sanctuary Half-day Tour or if you prefer All-day Tour from Hoi An.
- Hoi An City and the Countryside Tour
- Marble Mountains and Monkey Mountains Sunset Tour from Hoi An
My Son Sanctuary and Hue Royal Palace capture a lot of interesting hitory, so you better try to squeez them in your 3-day itinerary for Hoi An Antient Town. Hue Imperial palace is a magnificent riverside Royal Palace, surrounded by brick walls. There is a fantastic paintings gallery.
Day 3: Cooking classes & local flavours.
Apart from Japan, Vietnam cooking classes were the best experience I had. The dishes are still one of my favourites with Oyster mushrooms friend with ginger and seasame seeds, wraped and cooked in bana leaves and rice. Eco cooking and Basket Boat Tour is a real HIT in Hoi An. You may also like Sabirama Cooking Classes.
Hoi An street food delights will totally spoil you and needs to land in your 3-day itinerary for Hoi An. With very spicy options across most of the country, it is a nice change to taste some really delicious flavours. There’s plenty of options to choose from fresh fruit smoothies, lovely noodle soups, spring rolls (I fell in love with fresh/not fried/ rice paper spring rolls with famous Gadu Gadu peanut sauce – Vietnam is famous for this dish and I didn’t come across it anywhere else in south-east Asia). There are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options on the street menu, arising each year with tourist preferences.
Visit the street food market and try local specialities.
After exhaustive cooking & tasting activities you may wish to try Ylang Ylang Spa Massage Experience in Hoi An with free PickUp. The massage was beautiful, in fact the massages are very different for each of the south-east Asian countries (I even survived extremely strong Myanmar massages!).
Renting a bike is a great idea to spend a day and visit nearby beaches: An Bang Beach and Cua Dai Beach.
Here are some Attractions & Shows you might also like:
Where to eat in Hoi An?
No, this is not Cuba, it’s the Yellow City of Hoi An with lovely restaurants and bars. You may try Cao lau – very famous dish made of rice noodles in a sauce with marinated pork, shrimps and quail eggs. Unfortunately not for vegetarians 😉
