Tours out of Ho Chi Minh City and across Vietnam
Central Vietnam
Hoi An, timed around the quiet hours
Three days in the old port with the busy middle of the day deliberately left empty, so the town is yours at dawn and after dark.
Overview
The point of staying three days
Hoi An is small enough to see in an afternoon, which is why most people do exactly that and leave thinking it was pretty and crowded. It is both. What changes with three days is that you stop seeing it at the worst time. At half past six the lanes belong to the people who live on them; at ten the coaches arrive; after dark the lanterns go on and it becomes a different place again.
So we plan around the clock rather than a list of sights. The mornings are early, the middle of each day is yours to spend in the shade, by a pool or with a tailor, and the evenings are on the river. The guided part is one long morning, which is all the old town needs.
- Length
- 3 days, 2 nights
- Start and finish
- Da Nang airport or station
- Transfer
- About 45 minutes each way
- Pace
- Easy, long free middays
- Guide
- Day 2 only
- Best months
- February to August
Nights
Where you sleep
We place you just outside the pedestrian centre — close enough to walk in, far enough to sleep. If you would rather wake up by the sea, An Bang beach is ten minutes by bicycle and we can move the nights there at the same tier.
Day by day
Day by day
Day 1
Da Nang to Hoi An, and the town at dusk
Your driver meets you at Da Nang airport or station and the road south takes about forty-five minutes. The afternoon is free to settle in. Around 17:00, when the heat eases, take the hotel bicycles into town: the riverside is at its best as the lanterns come on, and the market by the water starts cooking for the evening.
Day 2
The old town before the crowds, and a family kitchen
The covered bridge with nobody on it
Your guide meets you at 06:30 and you walk the old town while it is still waking: the covered bridge built by the Japanese community, two of the Chinese assembly halls, a merchant house still owned by the family that built it. The guide’s job here is to explain how a trading port worked — who lived where, and why the houses are so narrow and so deep. Coffee at 08:30 by the river, and the walk ends around 10:00, just as the day visitors arrive.
At 14:30 a cook collects you from the hotel for the market and a class in her family’s kitchen outside town. You shop for the dishes, cook four of them, and eat them at about 18:00. It is a working house rather than a cooking school, which is the reason we use it.
Day 3
The coconut palms at Cam Thanh, and back to Da Nang
A last early start, this time by car or bicycle to Cam Thanh, where the water palms line the tidal creeks about five kilometres east of town. A local boatman takes you through them in a round basket boat for an hour. Back for breakfast and a late check-out, then the transfer to Da Nang for your onward connection.
Price
Price
| Travellers | Tier 1 — simple | Tier 2 — comfortable | Tier 3 — the good ones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 travelling | from 395 | from 495 | from 750 |
| 4 travelling | from 325 | from 405 | from 615 |
| 6 travelling | from 290 | from 365 | from 555 |
The hotel tier moves this price more than on most of our trips, because Hoi An has a very wide range and the top end is expensive. Dates matter too: February to April is the busiest period and the best rooms go early. Tailoring is not included and should not be — you pay the tailor directly.
Included
What is included
What the price includes
- Two nights in a hotel at your chosen tier, with breakfast
- Private transfers between Da Nang and Hoi An
- Guided old-town morning with an English-speaking guide
- Old-town entrance ticket for the houses on the walk
- Market visit and cooking class with dinner
- Basket boat at Cam Thanh and the hotel bicycles
What it does not include
- Flights and trains to Da Nang
- Meals not listed, and drinks
- Tailoring and shopping
- Visas, insurance and tips
Practical
Floods, tailors and the ticket system
The old town sits at river level and floods most years in October and November, sometimes for a day, sometimes for three. Shops raise their stock, boats appear in the streets, and life carries on; it is not dangerous, but it is not the Hoi An of the photographs. September to December is the central coast’s storm season, and we tell you plainly if your dates fall in it.
The heritage houses are entered on a ticket that covers a set number of sites. We choose the ones worth your time. As for tailors: there are hundreds, quality varies enormously, and allow at least two fittings over two days. If a new suit matters to you, tell us before you arrive and we will arrange the first fitting for day 1.
Not for everyone
Who this does not suit
Travellers looking for nightlife or a party should know that Hoi An goes to bed early, and the bars that stay open are not the reason to come. If a town full of other visitors spoils a place for you however early you rise, spend these nights on the beach instead of the old town and come in only at dawn. And if your dates fall in late October or November and you want sun, the south coast is the better bet.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Why only one guided morning?
Because the old town is small and the extra hours of a guide add little. Most of Hoi An is better on your own, on a bicycle, at the times we suggest.
Can we stay at the beach instead?
Yes. An Bang is ten minutes by bicycle from the old town and quieter at night. The programme does not change.
Is the cooking class suitable for vegetarians?
Yes, tell us when you book and the cook will choose dishes that work without meat or fish sauce.
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Or talk to us:+84 766 045 399