The hook
A beautifully preserved old trading port of ochre merchant houses and a Japanese covered bridge, strung at night with thousands of silk lanterns reflected in the river.
01Why it's worth it
Hoi An was a thriving international port from the 15th to 19th centuries, where Japanese, Chinese, and European traders met, and when the river silted and the trade moved to Danang, the town was left frozen in time rather than modernised. The result is a compact, wonderfully intact old quarter of tube houses, temples, assembly halls, and a famous Japanese covered bridge, all washed in faded yellow. It is famous for two more things: tailors who will run up custom clothes overnight, and lanterns, which fill the streets and float on the Thu Bon river at dusk, especially during the monthly full-moon lantern festival when the electric lights go off. It is undeniably touristy and can feel like a lantern-lit theme park at peak times, but early morning and the surrounding rice paddies and beach restore the balance.
02How to experience it
Wander the old town early before the crowds and again after dark for the lanterns and river. Get something tailored if you like, cycle out through the rice paddies to An Bang beach, and time a visit to the full-moon lantern festival if you can.
From the locals
Hoi An splits opinion more than anywhere else in the country, and both verdicts are worth having before you book. Against: "the only criticism I'd have is Hoi An and Da Nang are extremely overrated and touristy." For: "Hoi An is definitely a must visit — but it's not the only highlight of middle Vietnam." The synthesis most travellers land on is to go, go early or late in the day when the lanterns are lit and the tour groups have gone, and not to give the whole of central Vietnam to it.
The case against has sharpened since. In a 2025 r/VietNam thread asking for the country's most underrated city, the top reply was a correction aimed at everyone naming this one: "To all those that mentioned Hoi An… It is not underrated. It is the Disneyland of Vietnam and has become completely oversaturated with tourists. It's much less enjoyable than just a couple years ago. Considering, the massive development in the area it will only get worse." Read it as a trajectory rather than a verdict — the old town is still the old town, but it is moving in one direction.