Lanterns, Culture, and Charm: Hoi An Travel Tips and Personal Insights

Danang is just a 30-40 minute drive from the ancient town of Hoi An, which is a must-visit destination recommended by Lonely Planet and is also listed as a beautiful ancient city. So, don’t miss it when you come to Danang!

✅ YES

🌾 Rice fields: The rice fields are truly beautiful! You can search on the map, there should be many cafes/smoothie shops with scenic views. Listening to the wind blowing through the rice fields is one of my favorite activities.
🚲 Bicycles: You can rent bicycles from hotels or street corners, greatly expanding your range of activities; many places in the ancient town are actually only suitable for walking or biking.

☕️ Coffee shops: Vietnamese coffee never disappoints, egg coffee, salt coffee, coconut coffee, etc., are all my favorites. Sitting in a coffee shop to rest after walking around is very comfortable.
🤵 Tailoring: I didn’t do it myself because during travel, you have to buy one thing and throw away another due to luggage constraints.

The prices here are cheap, and my friend got a custom-made three-piece suit for only $200, and it fits perfectly.
🚶‍♀️ Strolling: Lanterns and handicraft shops set against yellow-walled ancient houses, the beauty of time stands still.
💡 Night tour of the ancient town: The lantern boats on the Thu Bon River and the reflections of the lanterns on both banks shine like a galaxy.

It’s recommended to stay until the small boats drift along the riverbank, watching the lights until they fade before returning.
🥖 Banh Mi: There’s a highly popular Banh Mi Phuorong recommended by an American celebrity chef. If you go at a non-peak mealtime, you can walk right in, but many people just queue up outside (shh).

Another place I didn’t try, but my Canadian friends really enjoyed, is Banh Mi Queen.

❌ NO

🥥 Coconut boat: It’s overly commercialized, and actually, riding a coconut boat isn’t a great experience. If you have a drone, taking photos would be nice, otherwise, it’s suggested to just take a look.
🍝 Cao Lau: It’s a specialty of Hoi An, but I always believe that if it’s good, it should at least be found nationwide, so I usually leave a question mark for local specialties.

A French friend whose grandmother is Vietnamese recommended a place to me, but after trying it, I thought, hmm, I’d rather have banh mi, hahaha.