Hoi An Overview

A highlight of any trip to Vietnam, Hoi An is a town oozing charm and history, having largely escaped the destruction of successive wars. Once a sleepy riverside village, it’s now quite definitely a tourist town – with hotels, restaurants, bars, tailors and souvenir shops dominating the old centre. Despite this air of irreality, Hoi An’s charisma pervades.

The local People’s Committee periodically clamps down on touts, and while this doesn’t mean a completely hassle-free visit, a stroll down the street is usually more relaxed here than in Hué or Nha Trang. Hoi An is pedestrian-friendly: the Old Town is closed to cars and the distances from the hotels to the centre are walkable. It’s a great place to hire a bike.

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Sights in Hoi An

Assembly Hall of the Cantonese Chinese Congregation | Assembly Hall of the Chaozhou Chinese Congregation | Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese Congregation | Chinese All-Community Assembly Hall | Chuc Thanh Pagoda | Hoi An Handicraft Workshop | Hoi An Old Town| Japanese Covered Bridge Temple | Museum of Sa Huynh Culture & Museum of the Revolution | Museum of Trading Ceramics in Hoi An

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How to get to Hoi An

Land
Bus
The main Hoi An bus station (861 284; 96 Ð Hung Vuong) is 1km west of the centre of town. Buses from here go to Danang (8000d, one hour), Quang Ngai and other points. More frequent services to Danang leave from the northern bus station (Ð Le Hong Phong) from 5am until the late afternoon.

A regular stop on the open-bus route, it’s easy to pick up a service to or from Hué (US$3, four hours) or Nha Trang (US$6 to US$8, 11 to 12 hours).

Car & motorbike
To get to Danang (30km) you can either head north out of town and join up with Hwy 1A, or east to Cua Dai Beach and follow the excellent new road along China Beach. The going rate for a motorbike taxi between Danang and Hoi An is US$4 to US$6. A taxi costs around US$10.

Shop around for rates on car hire. A journey to Hué can vary from US$35 to US$70. A day trip around the surrounding area, including My Son, is about for US$15 to US$20. Agree on your itinerary in advance and get a copy in writing.

Air
The closest airport is 45 minutes away, in Danang. Book flight tickets to Hoi An at www.firstchoice.vn/vietnam/flights/ (Flight Centre)

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Restaurants in Hoi An

Brother Cafe
a film set, in one of the finest French-colonial buildings in town, the attention to designer detail is perfect. It is properly pricey by Hoi An standards, so many just drop by for a drink in the gorgeous riverside garden.

Café 43
Stuck away in a quiet laneway, this humble restaurant occupies the doorstep of a delightful family's home. At night it's lit with red silk lanterns. The food's excellent (try the banh xeo ) and incredibly cheap, and the ice-cold beer's even cheaper

Café Can
Housed in a grand old French building, this café has a wide sundeck out front for a breezy bite to eat. Choose from Vietnamese and international dishes or just dabble with the drinks.

Café des Amis
This little riverside eatery has earned a loyal following over the past decade. There's no menu; the set dinner is whatever the chef, Mr Kim, feels like cooking that day. It's always delicious and there's always a vegetarian option.

Dac San Hoi An
True to its name (translating as Hoi An specialities), this place does great banh xeo, cao lau and 'white rose'. The upstairs balcony affords a great view of one of Hoi An's nicest streets

Good Morning Vietnam
The real deal with Italian owners and chefs, they serve the best pizzas and pastas in town.

Green Moss
Housed in a lovely French colonial house, Green Moss serves a tasty mix of Vietnamese and Thai dishes with plenty of vegetarian options. Try for the two-person tables under the shade of the trees on the colonnaded balcony

Hai Scout Café
Another interesting Old Town building, it stretches into a large garden courtyard which breaks into a bar by night. It serves sandwiches, western-style breakfasts, Vietnamese and European

Hoai River Restaurant
A cheap and friendly traditional family restaurant. Food is bought to order from the nearby market - so expect super-fresh but slow.

Mango Rooms
Don’t look for cao lau here. This restaurant specialises in putting a modern spin on Vietnamese cuisine, and chef and owner Duc Tran has concocted fresh, unexpected flavours in every dish. Even Mick Jagger’s come to sample the menu. Both the formal dining room and the chilled-out riverside space are decorated with playful splashes of primary colours. Adjoining them is the kitchen, where the staff do all their chopping and cooking in full view of the customers

Mermaid Restaurant
One of the original Hoi An eateries, this is still a favourite for its fried spring rolls with noodles and herbs, and its excellent 'white rose'.

Miss Ly Cafeteria 22
A local institution for local specialities.

Omar Khayyam's Indian Restaurant
The place for curry connoisseurs, with plenty of vegetarian options.

Restaurant Café 96
With paint peeling to expose the brick beneath and a woven flax ceiling, this riverside restaurant has the perfectly decrepit look Western interior designers would spend a fortune creating. The food is sublime - traditional Vietnamese with all of the Hoi An specialties. Try the set menu or at the very least the grilled fish wrapped in banana leaf.

The Cargo Club
If you're chasing an omelette for breakfast or a baguette for lunch, this is your place. They've mouth-watering pastries downstairs and distinguished dining upstairs, plus a balcony terrace overlooking the river. The menu's an eclectic mix of French, Italian, Vietnamese and Thai. After dark it morphs into a groovy bar.