What is worth knowing in advance: how the service works, what to ask, what to look at. Each guide is written for its own city and links to that city’s listings in this directory.
Four Hoi An cooking classes: where they are, what is included (market, boat, herb garden), when to book and what to do in the rainy season.
Which licence you need for a bike in Hoi An, three rentals from our directory with addresses and phones, when motorbikes are banned in the old town and when a bicycle is better.
In Hoi An a foreigner gets a SIM on a passport at a Viettel, MobiFone or VinaPhone shop. Where the shops are, which documents you need, how eSIM works and what to do if your SIM is blocked.
Hoi An has no airport or railway station. The nearest airport is Da Nang (about 30 km, 40-60 minutes by taxi or Grab). From Nha Trang and the big cities you take a train or a flight to Da Nang, then bus 1, a taxi or a pre-booked transfer.
The driest months in Hoi An are February to April; October and November are the wettest, when the Thu Bon river rises and floods the old town. In October 2025 it reached about 3.4 m, close to the 1964 record. Beach weather runs from May to July.
Hoi An's lantern night happens every month on the 14th day of the lunar calendar: lanterns are lit around 6 pm and the crowds thin out by 9–10 pm. How to work out the date, where to watch, whether it is free and what to do in rain or floods.
You can walk Hoi An's old town streets without a ticket. The ticket is for going inside old houses, assembly halls, museums and the Japanese Bridge. What it covers, how long it lasts, where to buy it and what if nobody asks.
In Hoi An, withdraw dong at an ATM or change cash only at a bank or an agent with a «Đại lý đổi ngoại tệ» sign. Where the banks on Hai Bà Trưng are, roubles and Mir, what to pay with and the fines for street exchange.
Where to go beyond Hoi An's old town: Thanh Ha potters, Kim Bong carpenters, Bay Mau coconut forest, An Bang and Cua Dai beaches, the Cham Islands, VinWonders and Memories Land, My Son. Distances, hours and a 1–2 day route.
Three pharmacies in Hoi An, hours from maps and directories, why prescription medicines are not sold without a prescription, and where to go after an injury or poisoning.
The Japanese Bridge, old merchant houses, the assembly halls on Trần Phú, lanterns on the Hoai River and the An Hoi night market. How the Old Town ticket works, pedestrian hours, flood season and a one-day route.
How tailoring works in Hoi An: style and fabric, measurements, one or two fittings, 24–48 hours for a suit. Why to order on day one, what to check at the fitting, how to tell silk, and how to ship clothes home.