Worth It? Yes. Everyone goes to Hoi An at least once.
What to Do Get clothes made, stroll the old town, eat seafood on the beach, snorkel or dive at nearby Cham Island, and visit Vietnam’s biggest archaeological site at My Son
Best Time to Go Try avoiding wet October and November, when floods are common
How Long? Depends on how important shopping is to you. Two or three days at least; some regulars stay two weeks!
Gateway Open buses come straight here, but trains and planes stop/start at Danang, 30km north
Fact Called Fai Fo until 1954, the Hoi An area has been linked with seaport activity since the Cham set up here 1800 years ago; eventually Danang took over the commerce, but Hoi An’s taken over tourism – and stars! Some of the film The Quiet American was shot here, and Mick Jagger supposedly bought a villa near here in 2007

For many visitors, Hoi An is Vietnam at its best – with tailors making customized $30 dresses or suits, cute 19th-century, tube houses lit up by colorful lanterns on cobbled lanes, luxury beach resorts and mojitos served on canal-side balconies. For others it’s too crowded with wide-eyed tourists. The ancient Chinese trading town is certainly unlike anywhere else in Vietnam. Essentially no hotels (or AC!) are allowed in the center, a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is closed to motorized vehicles three times weekly. When you need a break, the nearby beach is terrific (if time’s short it could replace Nha Trang), and the Cham site at My Son (50km southwest) is Vietnam’s greatest archaeological site. Everyone needs to see it, at least once.

See the Hoi An Top 7 & One-Day Planner, or download the Hoi An map PDF.