10 Best Things to Do
Hoi An’s trading past survives in yellow-walled merchant houses, assembly halls and the Japanese Covered Bridge, clustered beside the Thu Bon River. Beyond the lantern-lit streets, Tra Que grows herbs, Thanh Ha makes pottery and Cam Kim’s lanes run through rice fields. An Bang and Ha My offer beach stays within reach of town, while My Son’s Cham temples lie farther inland. Choose accommodation by setting: the historic centre, countryside and coast each involve different daily journeys.
Walk Hoi An Ancient Town
Historic centre, Vietnam
Hoi An’s historic streets reward a walk that goes beyond the lantern-lit riverfront. Merchant houses, assembly halls and the Japanese Bridge reveal how a trading port absorbed different architectural and cultural influences over several centuries. Choose a few interiors rather than trying to tick off every monument, leaving time to notice timber details, courtyards and the relationship between the streets and river. A knowledgeable local guide can turn the attractive buildings into a more coherent story of the town.
Architecture and trading-port history
Explore My Son Sanctuary
My Son, approximately 45 km from Hoi An, Vietnam
My Son places the region’s history in a different frame from Hoi An’s merchant streets. The surviving brick and stone towers belonged to a Hindu sanctuary of the Cham civilisation, set within a mountainous valley. Time, warfare and conservation have all left visible traces, making interpretation especially valuable. Allow a proper half-day excursion with a guide, comfortable walking shoes and time to look closely at surviving architectural details. The landscape is part of the experience, rather than simply a backdrop for photographs.
Cham history in a green valley
Cook at Red Bridge
Cam Thanh; meeting at Hai Cafe, Vietnam
Red Bridge’s half-day class connects the market, river and kitchen in one practical outing. After meeting in town, participants shop for ingredients, travel by boat and visit the herb garden before moving into the cooking session. Demonstrations lead into hands-on preparation, with lunch providing the satisfying conclusion. It is particularly useful early in a stay, when learning about ingredients and techniques can make subsequent restaurant meals more rewarding. The structured format suits travellers who want to participate rather than only watch.
A market-to-kitchen Vietnamese cooking class
Visit Tra Que herb gardens
Tra Que village, Vietnam
Tra Que brings Hoi An’s food culture back to the soil. Village paths pass beds of herbs and vegetables tended through farming traditions that include fertilising with local seaweed. A guided garden visit makes the plants and working methods easier to understand, while optional harvesting and cooking sessions add a practical dimension. Keep the focus on learning from the growers and respecting their working plots. It is an engaging countryside stop for anyone interested in where the flavours on the dinner table begin.
The agricultural roots of local cooking
Cycle Cam Kim and Kim Bong
Cam Kim island, Vietnam
Across the river from Hoi An, Cam Kim offers a gentler cycling landscape of small lanes, fields and waterways. The pleasure comes from the changing everyday scenes rather than a single landmark, with Kim Bong’s carpentry tradition adding a cultural stop to a carefully planned route. Go with a local guide if you would like introductions and context, or keep an independent ride modest and unhurried. This is a good way to balance the intensity of the historic centre with a quieter morning outdoors.
Quiet lanes and living craft traditions
Meet Thanh Ha pottery makers
Thanh Ha village, Vietnam
The most rewarding part of Thanh Ha is the living craft found in its family workshops. Watching clay take shape on a wheel reveals the coordination and judgement behind objects that can seem simple when seen on a shelf. Some visits include a chance to try shaping clay, but observation and conversation are worthwhile in themselves. Concentrate on the village’s working lanes and makers, allowing time to understand the process and buy directly if you find something you genuinely want to take home.
Working family pottery workshops
Visit Precious Heritage Museum
26 Phan Boi Chau, Hoi An, Vietnam
Precious Heritage brings together Réhahn’s portrait photography and a collection of traditional clothing from communities across Vietnam. The rooms invite close attention to textiles, individual stories and the differences that a broad national label can obscure. An indigo-focused space adds another thread to the exhibition, while the historic-house setting keeps the visit intimate. Give it enough time to read and reflect rather than treating it as a quick gallery stop; it offers a thoughtful change of pace from the busiest shopping streets.
Photography, dress and cultural documentation
See Teh Dar
Hoi An Lune Center, An Hoi, Vietnam
Teh Dar uses acrobatics, bamboo structures and live music to create a contemporary performance inspired by Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Its appeal lies in the coordination of movement, sound and staging, making it an absorbing evening even without following a spoken narrative. The show offers a different kind of cultural encounter from Hoi An’s historic buildings and daytime workshops. Allow time to reach the riverside venue, settle into your seat and enjoy the production as a complete performance rather than a brief sightseeing stop.
Contemporary circus and live music
Spend an afternoon at An Bang Beach
An Bang coast, Vietnam
An Bang offers a straightforward change of rhythm after Hoi An’s dense historic streets. Come for a walk along the sand, an unhurried seaside meal and time to enjoy the open horizon. It works well as a deliberately light afternoon rather than another packed excursion, particularly when paired with a morning in town or the nearby countryside. Sea conditions determine whether swimming is sensible, so treat the beach as a place to enjoy in several ways rather than relying on a guaranteed swim.
A relaxed coastal break
Cruise the Thu Bon River
Thu Bon River, Hoi An, Vietnam
A short cruise gives Hoi An a different scale, placing the waterfront and surrounding countryside within the river landscape that shaped the town. The experience is best approached as an hour to slow down and look, with late-afternoon light adding atmosphere when conditions cooperate. Operators offer different boats and inclusions, so choose the format that suits your group rather than assuming every departure is identical. It is an easy complement to a walking day, giving tired feet a rest while the scenery changes.
A slower view of the riverside landscape