If you’ve done any research into places to stay in Vietnam, chances are you’ve come across the famous lantern town of Hoi An, just outside of Da Nang. It’s less likely that you will have heard of An Bang, the equally beautiful (albeit for different reasons) seaside village just a stone’s throw from the Hoi An ancient town. We lived in in An Bang (sometimes incorrectly referred to as Hoi An beach) for a month, finding the best places to eat, the most fun things to do and the most interesting places to go if you’re staying in Hoi An.
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Hoi An: Practical Tips
- Everywhere offers free WiFi.
- The closest airport is Da Nang. Getting from Da Nang Airport to Hoi An is best by car, which will set you back around £13 / $16 if booked in advance. Most villas or Airbnbs will assist you with this.
- Despite thinking we’d found a hidden gem, we realised soon after we arrived that Hoi An is very popular with tourists. Don’t expect to get photographs of the main attractions, like the Japanese Bridge, without dozens or more of other would-be Instagrammers in the shot.
- The monthly Hoi An lantern festival is a major draw, but don’t worry if you’re going to miss it. Walking around at night in Hoi An on any day of the month, you’ll see thousands of bright, colourful lanterns, street food vendors selling delicious treats all over town, experience the hectic night market and see lit up river boats travelling up and down the Thu Bồn River.
- Much of Hoi An and An Bang starts to wind down quite early. By 22:00, you’ll find most restaurants closed, with a few very rare exceptions staying open as late as 23:00 or 00:00.
Where to Stay in Hoi An
As far as I’m concerned, there are only two areas you’ll want to stay in when visiting Hoi An: An Bang Beach or Hoi An Ancient Town.
The beauty is, both a short cab or bike ride between each other, so regardless of which you choose, you’ll have ample opportunity to check out both sides.
Hoi An Ancient Town
Good for:
- The main tourist attractions
- Bustling town
- Plenty of restaurant options
- Lantern festival and lantern spotting
An Bang Beach
Good for:
- Lounging on the beach
- Getting away from the tourist hordes
- Laid back seaside village vibes
- Small, friendly community feel
- Beach clubs
Getting Around in Hoi An
Whether you’re staying in Hoi An ancient town or in An Bang, getting between the two is quick and easy. A 10 minute, 70,000 VND (£2.30 / $3.00) cab ride will get you between the two, or a slightly longer (but more rewarding) bicycle or scooter ride through the rice paddies will do the same.
Hoi An itself, as well as neighbouring An Bang, are small enough that it’s unlikely that you’re going to want to rent a car. In the event that you do decide to travel further afield (to My Son ruins or the Marble Mountains, for example), hiring a local driver in a comfortable air-conditioned car is very affordable. More so than hiring your own car, which will likely remain unused for much of your trip.
The simplest ways to get around Hoi An and An Bang are on foot (most of our time was spent walking around the town), hiring a bicycle, hiring a scooter or getting a taxi.
Walking: Gettting around the majority of the tourist hotspots in Hoi An on foot is not only possible, it’s advisable. The ancient town, especially around the Hoi An lantern festival, can get extremely busy. The ancient town itself is pedestrianised, but that doesn’t stop bicycles and scooters weaving through pedestrians at questionable speed.
Bicycles: Hiring bicycles in Hoi An is easy and affordable. There are rental shops dotted all around the town offering old Vietnamese jalopies like the fine specimen pictured above. We hired ours from this minimart and paid 30,000 VND (£1.00 / $1.30) per day.
Just keep in mind that these are not performance machines. They’re good for pootling along at a leisurely pace, but if you try to use them for long distances or to get any decent speed, they’re likely to fail. I managed to snap the chain on two bikes in the month we were there!
Most places we saw had child seats available which can be attached to the back of the bikes if you are planning a family day out which, despite appearances, were actually quite secure.
Scooters: Hiring scooters is by far the most common and advisable way for most to get around, although with a small children this can be a bit tricky. There’s no shortage of Vietnamese locals and western tourists bombing around town with toddlers on their scooters (often without helmets) but we opted not to.
Scooters can be rented throughout the town and the prices we saw were typically 120,000 VND (£4 / $5) per day.
Things to Do in Hoi an (With Kids)
While it may seem quite overwhelming at first, Hoi An is a great place for family travel, offering excursions that both parents and kids can enjoy. Pair that with one of the best beaches in Vietnam, you’ll have no shortage of things to do with kids in Hoi An.
Early Morning or Night Market
The famous night market is one of the main tourist attractions in Hoi An, and for good reason. It’s chaotic and exciting and a great place to experience local Vietnamese culture.
Calling it the night market is a bit of a misnomer, as it’s open all day, but really comes into its own in the evening.
However, if you’re staying in An Bang and want to shop where the locals do, it’s also worth checking out the local morning market there. It’s smaller and calmer and you’ll get to rub shoulders with the local restaurateurs who are sourcing their ingredients to prepare their menus later that day.
Bear in mind that, while it stays open until lunch time, the earlier you go, the better. It opens at 05:00 and by 08:00, a lot of people have already started packing up.
Don’t forget to haggle. While westerners often struggle with haggling on price, the Vietnamese expect you to do so. Just remember to always do so in good spirits. Don’t get angry or lose patience, as this will be considered very offensive to the person you are dealing with.
Making Lanterns
While you’ll find no shortage of shops selling beautifully crafted lanterns in Hoi An, why not book a class to learn from a local how to make one yourself, which you will get to keep at the end.
Website: hoianhandicraft.com
Address: 08 Đường Trần Cao Vân, Phường Cẩm Phổ, Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam
Pottery
Pottery is one of the main crafts in Hoi An. There is a government funded village with 75 houses where the families make and supply pottery to Hoi An and throughout Vietnam. We were lucky enough to take a pottery class with one of these families.
Cooking Class & Eco Tour
There’s an abundance of places to do cooking classes and market tours in Hoi An. I stumbled upon Phat Loc cooking class by accidentally taking a wrong turn on a solo bike ride, and I’m very glad I did.
Their cooking class and eco tour was one of the highlights of our trip to Hoi An. Our host, Mai was brilliant with our 4-year-old daughter and the food we prepared in the class was delicious!
The market tour was very interesting and gave me the confidence to shop at the market by myself for the remainder of our trip. The traditional basket boat tour was a nice touch and was in a much quieter stretch of the Thu Bồn River river than a lot of the other similar tours I saw, which were overrun with noisy tourists.
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/ixdgnCVDiv1zf3o17
Website: phatlocecocooking.com
Day Trip to My Son Ancient Ruins
Pamper Yourself at a Luxury Spa Day
While Vietnam is dotted with impossibly cheap spas, offering all kinds of pampering and beauty treatments, sometimes you want a bit if luxury. If you’re looking to spend a little extra, I recommend Ginger Spa, overlooking a beautiful rice paddy.
We spent 1,800,000 VND (£60 / $77) each to get pampered within an inch of our lives for half a day.
Alternatively, if you’re looking for something more affordable, you can get an hour massage in most local places for about 300,000 VND (£10 / $13).
Where to Eat in Hoi An
Vietnam is rightly famous for its fresh, mouth-watering cuisine and Hoi An is no exception. Expect delicious, fresh flavours wherever you eat, whether it’s at a fancy restaurant in the Hoi An ancient town geared for tourists, or a lady selling Vietnamese street food from the side of a bicycle near An Bang beach.
These are some of the places we tried and can absolutely recommend to you.
Salt Pub
If you’re craving western food in a comfortable and casual but stylish setting, Salt Pub is a great option. Part-owned by an Australian, you’ll find any kind of sport you can imagine (including the Australian Football League) on big screens in the bar, with a huge, grassy garden outside, overlooking the beach.
They do free-pour beers (unlimited draft beer) for 300,000 VND (£10 / $13) for the day and have great food and coffee as well.
Address: 32 Nguyễn Phan Vinh, Cẩm An, Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/YHB7XZSQDzkYDXNm6
Kahunas Beach Club
Run by the backpackers staying on the property, this is the perfect place to bring the kids for an afternoon of fun. A private pool, which is free to use if you’re eating or drinking, hammocks, swings and an area to play pétanque are all great ways wile away a scorchingly hot afternoon with the family (which we did several times).
The staff are friendly, the food on offer is good (albeit pricier than local options) and they do cocktail happy hours in the afternoon. Kahunas Beach Club attracts a younger crowd, who were all great with our kids whenever we were there.
Address: Nguyễn Phan Vinh, Cẩm An, Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/7V3SbRmk7SDibAzQ7
Cargo Club Restaurant
One of the only places we ate in Hoi An ancient town and one of the best. Booking is essential if you want one of the prime places on the balcony overlooking the river at sunset. A perfect spot to get the best of the Hoi An lantern festival while being raised above the hoi polloi below.
Excellent local cuisine and a delicious desert selection to boot.
Address: 109 Nguyễn Thái Học, Street, Hội An, Quảng Nam 560000, Vietnam
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/VuNxPX8H7pRBLT1eA
Website: tastevietnam.asia/cargo-club-cafe-restaurant-hoi-an
Rustic House
Rustic House, like many of the restaurants in An Bang, is a façade of a restaurant on the front of the owner’s house (hence the name). We tried it on the recommendation of our Airbnb host and liked it so much, we came back again.
Priced very reasonably, the food is standard Vietnamese fare, cooked brilliantly. Particular mention should go to the Vietnamese pancake (bánh xèo) and the cau lau, as well as the freshly mixed cocktails (which are available on a two-for-one deal in the evenings).
The owner and his family are unbelievably friendly and were very interested to get to know us and our opinion of Vietnam. Our kids took a shining to some of the toys lying around, which he offered to let them take home, bringing them back whenever they were done.
Address: 124 Nguyễn Phan Vinh, Cẩm An, Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/mLNkSGkXUZzgfmBm8
Tamarind Tree
A great, locally-owned restaurant that is affordably priced and offers a wide range of Vietnamese dishes.
If you or your kids are feeling less adventurous, they do pizzas too.
Shore Club
The Shore Club is one of the most upmarket beach clubs in the area. They often have DJs or live music, as well as wine tasting events, and a pool overlooking the beach.
Perfect for special occasions and comfortable enough to take the family and let the kids run around.
Bear in mind that this is not a local establishment, so prices will be higher than some of the alternatives in the area.
Deckhouse
Deckhouse is next door to Shore Club and shares an owner. Less of a beach club, Deckhouse is more of a restaurant (although still with great views of the beach) and a great menu of local and western dishes.
Bungalow Beach Bar
Although it’s not actually set on the beach, Bungalow Beach Bar was the first place we stopped at in An Bang, and for one reason – craft beer.
Sporting the best selection of local craft beers that we saw anywhere in Vietnam, the bar staff are knowledgeable about the beers and eager to make recommendations.
Bear in mind that craft beer is significantly more pricey than the local lagers. You’re looking at about 100,000 VND (£3.30 / $4.30) per beer, but after 3 months of drinking generic Asian lager, Bungalow Beach Bar was like an oasis on the horizon when I first saw it.
They do great food too and setting is comfortable and relaxed. While we were there, they were just breaking ground on an extension next door that was going to include a kid-friendly play area.
Bonus points for being one of the only places in the area that stays open until 00:00 if you’re looking for a late nightcap.
7 Son Bakery
Opening at 07:00 every morning, 7 Son Bakery is the perfect place to pick up an early morning pastry and a coffee. They do a very decent breakfast as well.
Burger Craft
Located at the main intersection in the centre of An Bang, Burger Craft makes some of the best burgers I’ve tasted, not just in Vietnam but anywhere. Think Patty & Bun (if you’re from the UK) or Bleeker Street (if you’re from the US). A great place to stop for a quick lunch or dinner if you’re looking for a break from the local cuisine.
Top Tips
- If going to the My Son Ruins, go as early as humanly possible. We got there at 08:00 and there weren’t many people around. By the time we left at 10:00, the entire parking lot was packed with coaches of tourists and there were hundreds of people milling around. If we could have arrived at 07:00, it would have been even better.
- Don’t forget to bring a form of ID when hiring bicycles or scooters. Never leave your passport with the rental company – insist they take a photo or a copy of the document instead.
- The sun loungers all along An Bang beach are free as long as you buy some food or drink from the bar, restaurant or beach club that they’re directly in front of.
