A curated guide toHoi An

From beautifully-preserved homes that have been passed down through several generations of the same family to magnificent assembly halls, Hoi An’s winding streets offer new surprises around every corner.

Whet your appetite with our curated guide on the top attractions in Hoi An.

Temples

From quiet shrines largely hidden by clouds of incense to colourful pagodas bedecked with dragons, everywhere you go in Hoi An you can feel the pull of the sacred. Many of the temples reflect the city’s multicultural past.

Phuc Kien Assembly Hall is a tropical explosion of colour which was originally built by Hoi An’s Chinese community. Look out for the weather vane shaped like a fish and intricate figures perched on the roof, which were meant to bring good luck.

Quan Cong temple was built especially for merchants to pay their respects to the ancestors before heading out to sea. Inside, expect beautiful murals and collections of ritual weapons used for processions.

UNESCO sites

Hoi An Ancient town is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century, and therefore the entire site has Unesco status. Simply strolling through its narrow streets admiring the tiled buildings with carved wooden doors is an experience in itself. Entrance to the old town costs 120,000 VND (around $7.50).

On your wanders, look out for the Japanese Covered Bridge, which dates back to the 1590s, and Phung Hung Old House. This old mansion’s entrance hall is lit by colourful lanterns and lined with exquisite silks.

Hidden among the mist-wreathed mountains in the Duy Xuyen District, at the mouth of the Thu Bon river, you’ll find My Son, the Vietnamese equivalent of Angkor Wat. These romantically crumbling ruins, gradually being reclaimed by the forest, were built between the 4th and 13th centuries by the Cham tribes. A day’s boat trip from Hoi An will take you into the heart of the sanctuary, via traditional villages such as Duy Hai and Tra Nhieu.

The closest airport to Hoi An is Da Nang and you can fly from Melbourne, Sydney and Perth with a single layover in Singapore. From there, take bus number one to Hoi An, which costs 30,000 VND ($2) and takes just under an hour. You can also book a hassle free transfer with Muvv Private Car Airport Transfer. This will cost around $35.

By road

You can travel to Hoi An by road from most major cities in Vietnam.

Overnight buses are a wallet-friendly option that make sense if you aren’t short on time and can cope well on not much sleep. Some buses are practically luxurious, with two floors and mattresses, although others are standard coaches with seats that barely recline.

If you’re travelling the 17 hours from Ho Chi Minh, most buses depart from the tourist hub of Pham Ngu Lao. Travelling from Hanoi? Head to 208 Trần Quang Khải to catch the daily Queen Cafe sleeper bus, which takes 18.5 hours.

Vietnam Bus Tickets offers a comprehensive service and often has deals.

Crispy crepes filled with shrimps. Elastic noodles swimming in rich pork broth. Snakehead fish wrapped in mustard leaves and dipped in zingy sauce… Hoi An’s food scene is a delicious blend of French, Chinese and Japanese influences, as well as quirky local specialities that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. So, where exactly are the best restaurants in Hoi An?

For a meal that looks as good as it tastes, head to White Rose Restaurant. These delicate mouthfuls of minced pork wrapped in thick white dough that’s pinched to resemble a flower are made to a top secret recipe that has been passed down through three generations of the same family. Don’t forget to peek at the team of women making them at the back of the restaurant.

For a cheap dinner on the go, try Banh Mi Phuong. This humble hole in the wall restaurant may not look like much, but their signature banh mi (baguettes filled with pork, cream cheese and a garden of fragrant herbs) got the thumbs up from celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain when he visited for his No Reservations television series.