Hoi An's ancient town, a UNESCO-listed trading port that thrived between the 15th and 19th centuries, is preserved almost entirely intact (Chinese temples, Japanese bridges, French colonial shopfronts) and lit each evening by thousands of silk lanterns.
The Ancient Town by Lantern Light
The Japanese Covered Bridge, the town's most iconic structure, dates to the 1590s and connected the Japanese and Chinese merchant quarters. Visit the ancient town after dark, when the lanterns are lit and the day-trip crowds from Da Nang have mostly departed.
On the full moon, the town switches off electric lighting entirely in favour of lanterns alone, the Hoi An Lantern Festival, held monthly, turns the riverside into a genuinely magical scene of floating paper lanterns released onto the water.
Tailoring and the Beach
Hoi An is famous for custom tailoring, suits, dresses, shoes made to measure within 24 to 48 hours. Quality varies enormously between shops, so ask your hotel for a genuine recommendation rather than the first storefront you pass, and budget time for at least one fitting.
An Bang Beach, a short bike ride from the old town, offers a calmer alternative to the historic centre, beach chairs, seafood shacks, and noticeably fewer crowds than the town itself during the day.
Recommended Stay · Hoi An · Ha My Beach
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai
An oceanfront resort of Vietnamese pavilion-style villas set around three infinity pools stepping down to the beach, a short drive from the ancient town, with a genuinely restorative sense of scale and space.
