Hoi An reviews 2026: is it worth it?

Hoi An splits travellers into two camps. One says "the best place in Vietnam, I want to go back." The other says "pretty, but you've seen it all in two days." Usually both are right: nearly everyone falls for the atmosphere, and the people who leave disappointed came expecting a big resort or a town that would fill a whole week. Here's the honest version — what earns the praise, what draws the complaints, and who should skip it.

The overall verdict on Hoi An

Overall score: 8 out of 10. A solid eight, not a ten: the atmosphere and food pull it up, the crowds and the rainy-season weather pull it back down.

What people praise — 7 reasons to go to Hoi An

1. The Old Town atmosphere

This is what people come for. Over a thousand old wooden buildings from the 15th–19th centuries, yellow walls, tiled roofs and strings of silk lanterns, UNESCO-listed since 1999. On festival nights the electric lighting goes off and it's all candles and lanterns. In review after review the atmosphere is the number-one reason to come — and, in the same breath, the reason it's always busy.

2. The food

Hoi An is Vietnam's culinary capital. Three signature dishes of the town:

• Cao lầu — noodles made with water from a single ancient well (30,000 VND / ~$1.20)
• White rose — shrimp rice dumplings (25,000 VND / ~$1)
• Bánh mì Phượng — one of the best-known banh mi shops in town (20,000 VND / ~$0.80)

A restaurant meal averages 100,000–200,000 VND (~$4–8). At a market, 30,000–50,000 VND (~$1.20–2).

3. The lantern festival

Every full moon: thousands of lanterns, candle boats floating on the river, live music. Free. As one common review line puts it — "worth the trip for that one evening alone."

4. Tailored clothes

A made-to-measure suit runs about $90, a dress from ~$25 — one to three fittings, ready in 24–48 hours. There are hundreds of tailors in the Old Town, and here's the honest caveat: quality is a lottery. Established shops like Yaly Couture and A Dong Silk get consistently good reviews; the unnamed stalls on the tourist streets draw plenty of complaints about wonky stitching and fit. Don't order if you fly out the next day. More on this in the piece on Hoi An's attractions.

5. An Bang beach

4 km from the centre. White sand, a gentle entry, beach bars. More in our round-up of Hoi An's beaches.

6. Safety

Hoi An is a quiet town. No aggressive traffic (the centre is pedestrianised), almost no crime, and far less pushy hawking than in Ho Chi Minh City. Reviewers routinely mention solo women walking around comfortably at night.

7. Prices

Hoi An is cheaper than Nha Trang, Phu Quoc and Da Nang. More detail in the Hoi An guide.

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What people criticise — the honest downsides

Flooding (October–November)

Hoi An's biggest problem. The Thu Bon river bursts its banks and the Old Town floods by 30–100 cm. Hotels are used to it — they lift furniture and move guests upstairs — but on those days you can only get around in rubber boots.

Heat (June–August)

Up to 38°C and humidity of 80%+. Walking the Old Town midday is uncomfortable. The fixes: the beach, air conditioning, early-morning strolls. The best weather window is February to April.

Crowds and "too touristy"

The single most common complaint in reviews. After dark the Old Town is shoulder-to-shoulder, worst of all during the lantern festival — fifty people photographing the Japanese Bridge at once, queues outside the popular cafes. A lot of reviewers say the place has become over-commercialised and heavily Instagrammed: souvenir shops, touts and near-identical coffee bars. The fix everyone lands on is the same — walk the Old Town early (06:00–08:00) before it fills, and in the evening drift into the side lanes away from the bridge.

Touts and boat sellers

Tailors, boat tours, massage parlours — someone's calling you over on every corner, and the boat sellers by the river can be pushy. It's polite but persistent; a firm "no, thank you" and they move on. Mild next to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, but a jolt if you turned up expecting a sleepy town.

No nightlife

After 22:00 the town goes to sleep. No clubs, no discos — a handful of riverside bars is about it. If you want a night out, this isn't the place.

Small, and it repeats

The Old Town really is compact: you cover the core in 1–2 days, and by day four you're walking the same streets. Treat Hoi An as a base rather than a week-long resort — with day trips (My Son, the Cham Islands, the Marble Mountains, Da Nang) it stretches comfortably to 4–5 days.

All the old houses look alike, and there's no point visiting them all. Walking the streets of old Hoi An, though, is very pleasantnikale, Vinsky forum, 2022, translated by VietnamSpot

No airport of its own

The nearest airport is in Da Nang, about a 40-minute taxi away. Minor, but it's an extra transfer to factor in on arrival and before your flight out.

Expectation vs reality

Who Hoi An suits

Perfect for: 

• Couples (romantic atmosphere, lanterns, food)
• Photographers (one of the most photogenic towns in Asia)
• Families with kids (safe, VinWonders, the beach)
• Food lovers (a genuinely unique cuisine)
• History buffs (UNESCO, My Son, the assembly halls)

Not for: 

• Nightlife seekers (there are no clubs)
• People wanting an all-inclusive beach resort (this isn't Nha Trang)
• Serious shoppers (little beyond tailors and souvenirs)
• Anyone coming purely for the sea (An Bang is nice, but it's no Phu Quoc)

Hoi An vs other Vietnamese resorts

For the full picture, see the complete Hoi An guide.

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