Hoi An: your first hour after landing
You have just landed at Da Nang — Hoi An has no airport, and the lantern town sits about 45 minutes south by road. This guide covers the ride in and its real fares, where to sleep, the new per-site heritage ticket, the first banh mi and cao lau, the tailor's clock you start on day one, and the Cham ruins, marble hills and basket boats that fill day two.
In this guide
You just landed in Hoi An. You actually land at Da Nang, about 30 km north — a Grab car covers it in about 45 minutes with an Airalo eSIM live for the app, each old town heritage site now costs 20,000 dong at the door, and the dawn My Son run and the basket-boat morning are worth booking ahead through GetYourGuide.
Quick facts
Airport
Getting in
Currency
Languages
Time zone
Emergency
Plugs
Tap water
Tourist tax
Best months
Map
Stays, sights, and landmarks in Hoi An — live hotel prices plus the key places from this guide.
Settle in
Land at Da Nang Terminal 2: e-visa ready, one Grab ride south, lanterns by dark.
Set up data before you leave home — a Vietnam plan on an Airalo eSIM loads in minutes, so the Grab app works from arrivals. For a longer trip, compare Saily and Yesim.
Run the arrival checklist in this order:
- Carry a printed copy of your e-visa if you needed one — officers and airlines both ask
- Book the Grab from the marked ride-hailing pickup, not from anyone offering a ride in the hall
- Break one large note at the airport; tailors, boats and street stalls run on small dong
If a delayed or cancelled flight wrecked the arrival, AirHelp checks whether compensation is owed.
Getting around
Times are airport to city centre.
Grab car
The fare is fixed in the app before you ride, plus a small airport exit fee; you need mobile data, so set up the eSIM before you land
Metered taxi (Mai Linh or Vinasun)
Take the green Mai Linh or white-and-green Vinasun cars from the rank only, meter on — walk past anyone offering a ride inside the hall
Pre-booked private transfer
Often the cheapest car of all when booked a day ahead through your hotel or a transfer desk; the fixed price covers tolls, and a delayed flight is usually waited out
Scheduled shuttle bus
Booked ahead and runs to a timetable, with set stops rather than your door; the public city bus is cheaper still — route 1 from Da Nang centre, about 30,000 VND — but it does not serve the terminal
Hoi An itself runs on foot and bicycle — the old town is barely a kilometre across, and its core streets close to vehicles from 09:00 to 11:00 and 15:00 to 21:30. The rides in from DAD:
Choose Grab by default — the fare is fixed before you ride. Choose the private transfer for late flights and big bags.
Or be met: a Kiwitaxi transfer or Welcome Pickups puts a driver in arrivals at a fixed price. Driving yourself, price the pickup on AutoEurope first — a car is for road days out, never the old town.
In town, rent the bicycle: about 50,000 to 80,000 VND a day, and the whole map opens up — An Bang beach in 15 minutes, the Cam Thanh coconut forest in 15, Tra Que's herb gardens in 10. Grab covers the rest.
In the city
Start early, before the day-trippers land. The Japanese Covered Bridge — the timber bridge with a temple in its side, the image on the 20,000 VND note — was built by the Japanese merchant community some 400 years ago and restored in 2023 and 2024, so the paintwork looks newer than you expect.
Spend your site entries where they count. Since August 2026 there is no booklet: each of the 21 ticketed sites costs 20,000 VND at its door, children under 16 free, and the lanes cost nothing. The best value doors are the Fujian Assembly Hall, all carved timber and courtyards, and the Tan Ky old house, still lived in by the family that built it.
Wander the Central Market in the morning, then measure up: a first tailor fitting lands 24 to 48 hours after you order, so the measuring happens today, not on your last afternoon.
Finish on the river. As the light drops the lanterns come on along Bach Dang, boats load for short Hoai River cruises, and the night market sets up across the An Hoi bridge. Browse the town listings on GetYourGuide for walking tours that pair the halls and houses, and compare Klook when stacking activities.
After you land in Hoi An: Bookable experiences
Where to stay your first nights
Anantara Hoi An Resort.
Best for the riverside splurge — colonial-style rooms on the Thu Bon, a short walk from the old townSleep at 1 Pham Hong Thai, on the Thu Bon riverbank a few minutes' walk from the old town — colonial-style rooms around gardens and a riverside pool, opening onto porches with daybeds. Book it for the calmest version of the lantern town.
La Siesta Hoi An Resort and Spa.
Best for a resort stay at the old town edge — two wings, two pools and rice-field quietStay at 132 Hung Vuong, at the old town edge beside the rice fields — two wings, two pools and a leading spa, one wing styled as old town townhouse villas. Book it for resort space with the old town a short walk away.
Mad Monkey Hoi An.
Best for social budget beds — dorms and privates around a big pool between town and beachBed down at 250 Cua Dai, in Cam Chau between the old town and the beach — dorms and privates around a big courtyard pool with a swim-up bar, a free beer hour and nightly events. Book it to meet the trip.
Stay at the old town's edge for a first visit — inside the pedestrian core cars cannot reach your door, so pick a street a Grab can stop on. Choose An Bang if the beach matters more than the lanterns.
Book ahead for February to April and for full-moon weekends.
Where to eat first
Eat the town's own canon first: cao lau, the thick-noodle dish found almost nowhere else; white rose, the translucent shrimp dumplings; com ga, turmeric chicken rice; and banh mi, which Hoi An argues about like a sport. Three first stops:
Banh Mi Phuong, 2B Phan Chau Trinh.
Queue at the counter the late Anthony Bourdain made famous — a crisp baguette loaded with pate, cold cuts, pickles and herbs. One is a meal; go before the lunch rush.
The Central Market food hall, on Tran Phu at the river end of town.
Graze the stalls where the town eats: cao lau and white rose at local prices, pointing at what the next table is having. Cash only; breakfast and lunch are the strong sittings.
Morning Glory, 106 Bach Dang.
Finish with dinner at the riverside house that teaches half the town's cooking classes — white rose and cao lau done properly, plus the Quang noodles. Book for dinner in season.
Save room for a night-market graze across the bridge. For cooking classes and market tours, browse GetYourGuide and book ahead in the dry season.
Day trips and more
Three escapes cover the map: the Cham ruins inland, the marble hills on the Da Nang road, and the coconut forest on the town's own river.
My Son Sanctuary
The honest facts first: the sanctuary is about an hour inland, a UNESCO-listed valley of Hindu temple towers built by the Champa kingdom between the 4th and 13th centuries, part ruin since the war. This small-group run adds a Cham dance performance and a rice-paper village, then returns down the Thu Bon by boat. It runs 6 to 7 hours, from about US$14. Check availability →
Marble Mountains and the Lady Buddha
Five limestone hills on the Da Nang road, climbed by steps and one lift: pagodas, viewpoints and caves, including Am Phu, the underworld cave of Buddhist legend, then the stone-carving village and the Lady Buddha on Son Tra. It rates 4.7 out of 5, from about US$22. Check availability →
Basket boats in the coconut forest
Fifteen minutes east in Cam Thanh, the Bay Mau water-coconut forest is paddled in round basket boats: net casting, crab fishing, and the famous spinning-boat show, a small extra paid to the spinner. It rates 4.9 out of 5 from over 7,000 reviews, from about US$4. Go before 09:00 for the quiet version. Check availability →
Leave a spare day for the Cham Islands by speedboat in calm months, or the long run north over the Hai Van Pass to Hue.
When to go and what it costs
Come February to April for the town at its best — dry days, warm evenings, green rice fields and the sea calm enough for An Bang. Book ahead; everyone else has the same idea.
Come May to August for the beach version: hotter, busier with domestic holidays, and the months the Cham Islands boats run most reliably. Sightsee at dawn, swim late.
Respect September to January. In October and November the Thu Bon can push into the low riverside streets for a few days at a time — atmospheric in an upstairs cafe, miserable in a flooded ground-floor room. Book away from the river then, and keep a day spare.
Time one night for the full moon. On the 14th day of each lunar month the old town dims its electric lights for the Lantern Festival, and the Hoai fills with candlelit lanterns set afloat — the town's signature evening, and its busiest.
Budget by the fixed costs. A heritage site is 20,000 VND, a bicycle about 50,000 to 80,000 VND a day, My Son entry 150,000 VND for foreign visitors, the Marble Mountains 40,000 VND — the variables are the room and the tailoring.
What to pack
Tap items to check them off — your list is saved on this device.
Pack for heat, downpours and long eating days. This is the full list:
- Comfortable walking shoes Shop walking shoes on Amazon →
- Sunscreen Shop sunscreen on Amazon →
- Reusable water bottle Shop water bottle on Amazon →
- Phone charger and power bank Shop power bank on Amazon →
- Daypack Shop daypack on Amazon →
- Sunglasses Shop sunglasses on Amazon →
- Light rain jacket Shop rain jacket on Amazon →
Add swim kit for An Bang, mosquito repellent for countryside days, and a small zip cross-body bag (see Safety). In December and January add a real layer — river evenings run cool.
Language, visa and entry
✓ Visa-free entry
Vietnamese runs Hoi An. Old town hotels and tailors work in English; markets and boat rowers mostly do not — the chips below go far.
Six phrases do most of the work:
Sort the paperwork before booking anything non-refundable. Citizens of 24 countries — the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, South Korea and others — enter visa-free for 45 days. Everyone else uses the e-visa: up to 90 days, US$25 single entry or US$50 multiple, from the official evisa.gov.vn only — lookalike sites charge multiples. Allow three working days, and name Da Nang DAD as your entry point.
Pay no tourist tax at the hotel — Vietnam levies none. Photograph your tailor's deposit slip and measurements before you leave the shop.
Safety and health
Plan around the river in October and November
Flood season is the town's one real hazard: the Thu Bon can cover the low riverside streets for a few days, closing ground floors and boat trips. Book away from the river or on an upper floor, and never wade moving floodwater.
Agree every boat and ride price before you move
The lantern boats on the Hoai, cyclos and unmetered cars all run on negotiation — settle the price, the route and the time on the water before anyone casts off, and pay at the end. Inside the apps there is nothing to argue about: Grab's fare is the fare.
Keep your bag on the building side of the pavement
Ride-by snatching from motorbikes is a Vietnam-wide habit, aimed at phones and loose straps near the kerb. Wear the strap across your body, and step back from the road to check the map — the old town's pedestrian hours remove the risk there twice a day.
Respect the heat, the sun and the mosquitoes
Hoi An is hot most of the year: water, shade and a midday pause are strategy, not softness. Dengue circulates — use repellent at dawn and dusk on countryside days. Dial 113, 114 or 115 in an emergency.
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The Da Nang ride, the new ticket and the tailor's clock, in short.
Facts verified October 2026
Grab car is the default: about 350,000 to 450,000 VND, 40 to 50 minutes, fare fixed in the app. Metered Mai Linh and Vinasun taxis run about 400,000 to 550,000 VND, a pre-booked private transfer starts around 300,000 VND, and a scheduled shuttle costs about 150,000 to 250,000 VND. There is no direct airport bus.
Citizens of 24 countries — including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan and South Korea — enter visa-free for 45 days. Everyone else, including Americans, Canadians and Australians, needs the e-visa: up to 90 days, US$25 single or US$50 multiple, from evisa.gov.vn, in about three working days.
Since 10 August 2026 the old 120,000 VND booklet is gone. Each of the 21 ticketed heritage sites — assembly halls, old houses, museums, the Japanese Covered Bridge — costs 20,000 VND at its door, the same for everyone, and children under 16 enter free. Walking the streets and riverfront costs nothing.
February to April: dry, warm, the river calm and the rice fields green. May to August is hotter beach season. September to January brings the rains, and in October and November the low riverside streets can flood for a few days — book away from the river then.
Order on your first afternoon, not your last. Simple shirts and dresses can be ready in about 24 hours; a suit needs two to three days, with a first fitting 24 to 48 hours after you order and one adjustment after that. A 24-hour suit leaves no time to fix the fit — two full days is the honest minimum.
Do not drink it straight from the tap. Hotels provide filtered or bottled water, and the tubular ice in cafes is factory-made and safe.
Prices are typical 2026 rates in Vietnamese dong (VND). Visa rules, fares and entry requirements verified October 2026.
Hoi An, in your pocket
Landing soon? Get the printable PDF — ticket links, the airport transport cheat sheet, our 3 restaurant picks with maps, and the packing checklist. Everything above, formatted for your phone.
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Sources and last verified
Ancient Town fees against 2026 Hoi An reporting: since 10 August 2026, under Da Nang City Council Resolution 98/2026, entry is 20,000 VND per ticketed site for all visitors, children under 16 free — the old 120,000 VND booklet most guides still print no longer applies. E-visa fees and the 45-day exemption list against evisa.gov.vn and 2026 immigration reporting. Airport fares against 2026 route guides; there is no direct airport bus. My Son (150,000 VND) and Marble Mountains (40,000 VND) entry against 2026 price lists. GetYourGuide products opened and read; hub hoi-an-l831 confirmed — hoi-an-l918 is Alanya, a different city, and was not used. Hotels from the properties' own sites; Expedia returned HTTP 429 during this build, so hotel URLs are empty pending the confirmation pass. Photo credits as in the guide data. Last verified October 2026.
Affiliate disclosure: hotel names, transfers, experiences, and products linked in this guide may earn After You Land a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices and times were checked in Oct 2026 and change often — confirm before you book.