4 or 5 Days Hoi An Itinerary
Day 1
Highlights; Getting familiar with the ancient city & a lantern boat ride.
Morning
Start the day early when the outside temperature is pleasant. During the first morning in Hoi An, I suggest getting a couple of things organized so there will be no need to rush around during your last couple of days.
The Ancient Town of Hoi An is the same place as “Old Town” but there are specific ancient landmarks in the town that have a lot of historical importance.
Visitors can purchase tickets for 60,000 VND to visit up to 5 sites in the Ancient Town. There are 23 sites in total and once you have the passes you can visit whichever 5 you wish, at any time throughout your stay in Hoi An. There are well-signed ticket booths all over town where you can purchase these tickets.
Along with the ticket you will be given a pamphlet that gives a description of each of the 23 sites. Chose depending on your interests but these are the 5 we visited and I really enjoyed all of them. And, each site doesn’t take much more than an hour to visit.
Museum of Trade Ceramics
Tan Ky (Old House)
Minh Huong Communal House (built in 1820)
Phuc Kien Assembly Hall (built in 1757)
Performance at Hoi An Traditional Art House
Did you know that Hoi An is famous for high-quality tailor-made clothes & shoes?
Why not grab some screenshots of designer-made outfits that you’ve been dreaming of and get one of Hoi An’s talented locals to replicate them for you?
Finding a tailor is the first challenge, there are so many to choose from. And, this is why I suggest doing it during the first morning of your Hoi An itinerary. Plus, making the clothes takes time and it’s important to ensure your clothes will be ready before you leave.
To begin with, we visited the Cloth Market, this indoor market is full of stalls and wall after wall of material. To be honest, my experience here wasn’t the best, everyone was very pushy and I didn’t find the material very good quality.
In the end, we found a store in the centre of Old Town and absolutely loved our experience there.
The store was called Silk Road, and they also have excellent reviews on Tripadvisor.
The two ladies were a lot of fun, very attentive & happy to negotiate the price. For 2.7 million Vietnamese dong my husband and I got; Men’s suit pants, a men’s dress shirt, a female oversized shirt and a female silk skirt.
Afternoon
After all the mornings running around take some time to rest and escape the heat. And of course, have some lunch.
There’s a list towards the bottom of this post with the most delicious food spots in Hoi An.
You will also have time this afternoon to visit your first site as part of the Ancient Town ticket.
Evening
The streets of Old Town Hoi An come alive after dark and it makes the town even more beautiful. Colourful lanterns and fairy lights sparkle giving it a real magical feel.
But what doesn’t make it feel magical is the thousands of other tourists walking the streets now that the sun has gone down. I visited in June which is during the Vietnamese school holidays and walking along the river was like being in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Haha sorry, not trying to scare you! Just a warning that June is very busy.
After dinner is the perfect time to take a lantern boat ride along the river. Seeing all the different coloured lanterns shining along the river is stunning. You’ll almost immediately be approached by a local asking “do you want to go on a boat”, these trips are for 20 minutes and definitely barter with them. We were originally quoted 200k each, but in the end, paid only 150k total!
Then to finish off day 1 of your Hoi An itinerary, why not visit the night market and browse the beautiful local crafts or souvenirs?
The Hoi An Night Market is open from 6 pm – 9 pm and it’s a really fun and welcoming place to shop. This is also where you can get insta-worthy photos surrounded by the famous Hoi An lantern. Shopkeepers will charge for this but also ensure nobody else gets in your view.
Day 2
Highlights; Ancient Town sights & rooftop bars
Morning
For the second morning of this Hoi An itinerary head to Central Market to see a real slice of local life. The market is open from 6 am and during the earlier hours, the market is in full swing.
Witness all the colours and smells of fresh produce, seafood & meat. I always find local markets to be so photogenic and here you’ll see plenty of locals who really look the part and as if they belong on a postcard.
Although if taking photos of locals always ask first. Not just because it’s polite but some people will actually demand payment if they see you taking photos of them.
After breakfast check out a couple more of the Ancient Town sites, I always kept this pamphlet in my bag because it lists each of the sites you could see and also included a map.
Afternoon
If travelling to Hoi An during the hottest months, June to August, around midday the streets of Old Town are very quiet. This made it a great time to get photos without the crowds. But it really was so hot (averaging 38 degrees celsius), it became a struggle to stay out all afternoon.
So after lunch and a few photos head back to your hotel for a rest & a cool down.
During day 2 you will most likely have your first fitting with the tailor. Your items won’t be complete but this is a good chance for you to see the progress, try everything on and ensure you’re happy with how it’s looking.
Evening
To end your second day in Hoi An, head to one of the many rooftop restaurants for dinner and drinks.
One of the things I loved most about Hoi An was all the rooftop bars and restaurants. The views were always so good and it was fun watching all the busy crowds below.