Hoi An Old Town: what to see and how to get there from Da Nang

Hoi An (Hội An) is a trading port of the 16th–17th centuries where Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese lived, and that is why the town looks so little like the rest of Vietnam. Yellow walls, tiled roofs, boats on the Hoai River and thousands of paper lanterns: in 1999 the old town was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. It is searched for with queries such as “Hoi An old town ticket”, “what to see in Hoi An”, “excursion from Da Nang to Hoi An” and “Hoi An in the evening”.

The ticket, hours and how to avoid queues

The centre of the old town is closed to cars, and you can enter it only with a general ticket (about 120,000 ₫, give or take by the year’s tariffs). It gives the right to enter several museums and historic sites of your choice: old merchant houses, assembly halls of the Chinese communities, some of the bridges. Control is carried out at the cordoned approaches, especially in the evenings, so do not throw the coupon away until the end of the day. See tickets in roubles as part of a tour with transfer and a Russian guide in the catalogue below.

Queues form at the Japanese Covered Bridge (Chùa Cầu) and on the lantern embankment. The quietest time is dawn and the first half of the day: from 6 to 8 in the morning the lanes are empty and the light on the yellow walls is soft. After 17 hours the tour buses arrive and the lantern boats start to gather queues.

How to get there from Da Nang and the airport

• By taxi or Grab. It is about 30 km from the centre of Da Nang and the airport, roughly 45–60 minutes. Cars stop in the car parks on the edge of the old town, and from there you walk.
• By city bus no. 1. Services from Da Nang to Hoi An run from morning to evening; you pay the driver or conductor. The timetable changes, so check on the day of your trip.
• By group tour. In the morning the Marble Mountains and caves, and Hoi An by evening: convenient if you have no time to work out routes.
• From hotels on An Bang beach. It is about 5 km to the centre, and you can go by bicycle or taxi.

What to see and where to go

The main axis runs along Tran Phu and Nguyen Thai Hoc streets. The Japanese Covered Bridge (Chùa Cầu) is considered the symbol of the town and is shown on a banknote. Nearby is Tan Ky House (Tân Ký), a model merchant house where a Japanese roof combines with Chinese carved beams. The assembly halls of the Chinese communities of Fujian (Phúc Kiến), Guangzhou and Chaozhou are decorated with carvings and courtyards with dragons, and the Quan Cong temple always smells of incense. In the evening boats with candle lanterns run on the Hoai River, paid for separately right at the pier, and at the night market on the other side of the bridge souvenirs and street food are sold: here you find cao lau (noodles made only in Hoi An), banh mi and white roses, rice dumplings.

If you arrive at full moon, you will catch the lantern festival: on the 14th day of the lunar calendar the lights in the centre are switched off, and boats with little lights fill the river. Details are in the articles the lantern festival in Hoi An and a lantern workshop.

Which tickets and tours there are

Prices are as of 10 October 2026. Check the contents, language and conditions on the page of the offer you choose.

What else is nearby

Combine it with Ba Na Hills. All offers: excursions in Da Nang and Hoi An.

Restrictions and tips

• Dress code. In the assembly halls and temples shoulders and knees must be covered. Shorts and sleeveless tops may not be let into a hall.
• Transport. In the centre, restrictions on motorbikes and cars apply at certain hours, so prepare for 10–15 minutes on foot from the car park.
• Money. Money changers and cash machines are on Nguyen Thai Hoc. Haggle in the shops, but not in restaurants.
• Floods. From October to December Hoi An is often flooded, and on such days the route goes by boat. The best time is February to May.
• Tailors. You can order clothes within 1–2 days, but clarify the fabric, the number of fittings and the deadline in advance. Take your passport for an order with delivery.
• Drones. Flying over the old town is banned.

The description is based on Trip.com cards; opening hours and the contents of offers may change.