10 things to do in Hoi An, Vietnam

What to do in Hoi An, Vietnam? We visited this charming Vietnamese town on our honeymoon in 2007 and were so enamoured that we stayed for almost two weeks.

The original plan was to continue travelling around the country, but Hoi An fulfilled all our wishes so we simply stayed. Here are ten tips for things to do in Hoi An, along with photos from our trip.

A city with a long history

Hoi An is one of Vietnam's oldest cities. Its history is strongly linked to the ancient Kingdom of Champa, which was established between 200 BC and 200 AD. In this kingdom, My Son was the spiritual capital, Tra Kieu the political and Hoi An the commercial.

The Nguyen family established Hoi An as a trading port around 1595, and for a time it was the largest port in Southeast Asia. People from China, Japan, the Netherlands and Holland settled in enclaves in the town. A reminder of this is the 'Japanese Bridge', so named because you had to cross it to get to the neighbourhood where the Japanese lived.

After an uprising in the late 18th century, the Nguyen family fell, but one of the family members (Gia Long), with French help, took back power in 1802. The French were rewarded with trade privileges, and today French influences can still be found in the form of baguettes and elderly Vietnamese people hopefully asking "Parlez vous francais?".

Things to do in Hoi An

Hoi An is a relatively small town. According to Wikipedia barely 90,000 people lived here in 2009. But despite its small size, and despite being located almost midway between the big cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, this is a popular place for tourists. And it's not hard to see why - there's plenty to see and do in Hoi An!

1. strolling around the city

Hoi An is an incredibly charming town with a beautiful old town centre dating back to the period between the 15th and 18th centuries. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in order to preserve the appearance of the town centre, there are restrictions on the height of buildings and several streets in the central area are closed to motorised traffic.

2. Sewing up clothes at the tailor's

Hoi An is known for its large number of tailors, where you can make clothes at good prices. Unlike in Thailand, almost all tailors are women, and in addition to sewing clothes, you can also order shoes to be made.

3. Visit the market

The market in Hoi An is intense and lively. It sells fruit and vegetables, spices and herbs, fish and meat. Among other things. Sales are intense and the fish, which comes directly from the boats right next door, is fresh as a daisy.

4. take a cookery course

Many restaurants offer cooking classes for an evening. We booked ourselves onto this course, which started with a visit to the market where we bought all the goods. Then we got to help cook all sorts of dishes, including fresh Vietnamese spring rolls.

5. Eat cau lao

One dish that is almost impossible to miss in Hoi An is the traditional noodle dish Cau Lao, which is sold on almost every corner. This is a simple and cheap dish that is surprisingly tasty. In addition to rice noodles, the dish contains sliced pork, some kind of rice rice, spices, herbs and some broth.

6. Sunbathing and swimming

The beaches in Hoi An are long and beautiful. If you live in the town, you can get to the beach by moped or taxi or similar. Another option is to stay at one of the hotels by the beach. Then you can enjoy being within walking distance of the sunbeds, but instead you have to transport yourself to the city. Why we are alone on the beach by the way? Well, the Vietnamese themselves only bathed before the sun rose because they don't want to get sunburnt ...

7. Go on an excursion to Cham Island

Just outside Hoi An, Cham Island is a popular destination for Vietnamese travellers. There are nice beaches and good opportunities for snorkelling. We went here on a guided boat trip, which was guided in Vietnamese (!) but still very nice.

8. Visit the temple of My Son

A short distance from Hoi An is My Son, an ancient Hindu palace as old as the more famous Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Unfortunately, the palace was partially bombed by the Americans during the Vietnam War, and now you can see the remains of the temple and the bombs left behind.

9. socialising with local people

Please take the opportunity to socialise with the locals if you get the chance! Our experience was that Vietnamese people are very open and welcoming. We got to know our tailors, sisters Lena and Anh, and went with them to bars, karaoke and Vietnamese bush theatre. We were also invited home for dinner, which of course was a memory for life!

10. Hang out in the pool at the hotel

Last but not least, hang out and relax in the pool at the hotel. We chose a hotel that was in the centre of town, and since the beach is not next door, we made sure to find a hotel with a pool. Great to hang out here after an intense day in the city!