A lantern-lit riverside town of yellow shophouses, tailor shops, and quiet canals where bicycles outnumber cars.
Hoi An is the Vietnam destination that makes people fall in love with the country. The Old Town is a UNESCO site of mustard-yellow merchant houses, covered bridges, and canals that glow at night under hundreds of silk lanterns.
Days here are slow and sensory — coffee on a balcony, a custom suit or dress from a local tailor, a cooking class in the countryside, and a bike ride to An Bang Beach. Evenings mean riverside dinners of cao lau, white rose dumplings, and fresh seafood.
It's also the perfect pairing with a few nights somewhere wilder. Add Ninh Van Bay for dramatic cliffside luxury, or head north to Danang and Hue for temples, palaces, and a different slice of central Vietnam.
Trip highlights
- UNESCO-listed Old Town and Japanese Covered Bridge
- Tailor-made clothing and artisan leather goods
- Lantern boat rides on the Thu Bon River
- Countryside cooking classes and market tours
- Day trips to An Bang Beach and My Son ruins
Where to stay
Six Senses Ninh Van Bay — Ninh Van Bay, near Nha TrangThe easy add-on to Hoi An for clients who want dramatic luxury. Private pool villas tucked into rocks and jungle on a secluded peninsula — reachable by boat from Nha Trang, and the kind of place that makes somebody stop scrolling.