Hội An

Hội An travel guide

Hội An grew up as a trading port on the mouth of the Thu Bồn, and between the 15th and the 19th centuries ships from China, Japan and later Europe called here to trade silk, porcelain and spices. When the river silted up and trade moved to Đà Nẵng, the town was left more or less as it was. That is why Hội An Ancient Town became a UNESCO World Heritage Site: more than a thousand timber-framed buildings survive, among them shophouses, family chapels, Chinese assembly halls, a market and the small Japanese Covered Bridge.

It suits travellers who like to walk, eat well and stay a few nights rather than tick off a list. Food lovers come for the cao lầu noodles and the herbs grown just outside town, and many people combine a few days here with the beach. To walk into the old quarter you need a heritage ticket. It also lets you into a few old houses, halls and museums, and one ticket covers your whole stay.

The weather shapes any trip. From February to April the air is warm and fairly dry, which makes these the most comfortable months. From May to August it gets hot and humid, with afternoon storms towards the end of summer. The rains arrive in September and are heaviest in October and November, when the Thu Bồn often bursts its banks. Most years the low streets by the river go under water for a day or two; in a bad year the floods come back several times and last longer, so keep your dates flexible if you travel then. December and January are cooler and grey, with showers.

If you can, plan around the full moon. On the 14th day of each lunar month the old town switches off much of its electric lighting in the evening and lights up with silk lanterns instead, and small paper lanterns with candles float on the river. It is busy, but it is the evening most visitors remember.

Where to stay in Hội An

Staying inside or right next to the old town, in Minh An, Cẩm Phô or Sơn Phong, means you can walk out in the early morning before the day visitors arrive and come back for the lantern-lit evening. The price is noise: bars, music and boat sellers keep the river bank lively until late, and rooms facing the busiest streets can be loud. A street or two back from the water is usually a good compromise.

Cẩm Nam is the island across the bridge from the old town, quieter and more residential, yet still a few minutes on foot from the lanterns. Cẩm Châu, east of the centre, and Cẩm Thanh, towards the sea, are where the town turns into countryside. Here you cycle past rice paddies and fish ponds, and in Cẩm Thanh you reach the water palm forest where round bamboo basket boats paddle through the canals. Many villas with pools and family homestays are in these areas.

North of town, Trà Quế is a working village of herb and vegetable gardens, about 15 to 20 minutes by bike from the old quarter, and An Bàng beach lies a short ride further on. Cẩm An, near An Bàng, suits those who want the sea in the morning and the old town for dinner. Cửa Đại beach is further south-east. The land is flat, so a bicycle covers most of it; after dark or in the rain, take a taxi.

Homestays, old houses and hotels with character in Hội An

The homestay is the classic way to stay in Hội An. Usually a family lets a handful of rooms in their house or a building next to it, and breakfast is part of the deal: noodles, fruit, bánh mì or eggs, often served on a terrace. The welcome is personal, the hosts tend to help with bike routes, cooking classes or a tailor, and the rooms are simple but kept with care.

Out among the rice fields you will also find villas and small hotels built around a pool, with only a few rooms and plenty of green around them. In and near the old town there are small boutique hotels in renovated buildings and a few old merchant houses with wooden beams, tiled roofs and inner courtyards, where character matters more than space. Resorts are mostly towards the beaches.

A few practical points apply almost everywhere. Accommodation in Vietnam has to register foreign guests with the local authorities, so you will be asked for your passport at check-in; it is usually photographed or copied and handed back. Bicycles are often free for guests, which is worth checking, as they are the best way to get around. And if you plan to have clothes made by one of the town's many tailors, a stay of three or four nights leaves time for a fitting and any alterations.

Getting to and around Hội An

Hội An has no airport or railway station of its own. The nearest airport is Đà Nẵng, about 30 kilometres north, with domestic and regional flights; the drive takes about 45 minutes, a little longer at rush hour or in heavy rain. Trains on the north–south line stop at Đà Nẵng station, which is also around 45 minutes away by car.

Hội An is a good base for exploring the rest of central Vietnam. The ruined Cham temples of Mỹ Sơn, also a UNESCO site, lie about an hour inland; go early, when it is cooler and quieter. Speedboats leave from Cửa Đại port for the Cù Lao Chàm islands, about 20 to 30 minutes away, a protected marine area good for snorkelling in calm seas. Huế is a day trip or a next stop: about two and a half to three hours by car through the tunnel, or a longer, slower drive over the Hải Vân Pass with its views of the coast.

In town, walking is the way to go. For much of the day and the evening the heart of the old quarter is closed to cars and motorbikes, so a taxi may have to leave you and your luggage at its edge. The lanes are short and flat. To reach the villages, the rice fields or the beach, rent a bicycle or borrow one from your hosts. For longer hops, taxis are easy to find.