The main reason for visiting Hoi An is to stroll around the historic town centre, visiting ancient houses and temples, and watching the boats float by on the Thu Bon River. There are heaps of things to see in Hoi An’s Old Town, but there’s an art to it, so it’s best to be prepared before you go.
You see, you’ll need a ticket if you want to visit the main attractions and sights in the Old Town. You can’t just pay on site at the individual places.
The Hoi An Old Town Entry Ticket
If you just want to wander around the streets of the Old Town in Hoi An, you can do so for free. But if you want to enter some of the main temples, old houses, assembly halls and museums, you will need a Hoi An tourist ticket.
How much does the Hoi An Old Town entry ticket cost?
The Hoi An Ancient Town ticket costs 120,000 VND (about £3.50) so is pretty cheap considering you get to enter 5 attractions. You can always buy another ticket if you want to see more. Your ticket will be scanned at each attraction, and funds from ticket sales go towards preserving the Old Town.
If you simply wish to stroll around the Old Town and not enter the attractions, you don’t need a ticket.
Where can you buy entry tickets for Hoi An’s Ancient Town?
We found this a little confusing as many of the ticket kiosks aren’t well marked. Apparently they’re supposed to be yellow, and there are several dotted around the historic centre, but we struggled to find a couple of them despite using the map.
I’d suggest you just go straight to the ticket kiosk by the Japanese Covered Bridge. It’s easy to find (inside a building on the south side, nearest the river – beside 149 on the map), and you’ll be visiting the bridge anyway, so it’s best to keep it simple.
When you buy a ticket, you’ll be given a map showing the locations of the different attractions included in the ticket.
How does the Hoi An ticket work?
The entry ticket for Hoi An Old Town gives you access to 5 out of the 25 different attractions, so you need to plan your sightseeing carefully to make sure you see the places you most want to check out.
Word of warning: We thought that the ticket gave us entrance to any 5 of the 25 sites, and that we could therefore choose at leisure. However, what wasn’t explained when we purchased the Hoi An tickets is that you can technically only visit one attraction per colour-coded category. So, for example, if you’ve already see one old house (in the brown category), you can’t then go and see another with the same ticket.
You will see the colour coding on the key of the map above.
- Brown = old houses
- Green = museums
- Purple = communal houses
- Pink = assembly halls
- Blue = pagodas and temples
- Orange = cultural sites
We did find that tickets weren’t always checked at the temples and assembly halls, or if they were, they just waved us in anyway despite us having already seen an attraction in the same category. The only place we were actually turned away was the second old house we tried to visit.
So, to be on the safe side, visit the 5 attractions (1 per category) you most want to see first. But chances are you’ll be able to bag a few more temples and assembly halls than the ticket technically allows.
Tickets are valid for 24 hours – something to think about if you’re planning on spreading your Old Town sightseeing over a few days.
Best sights to visit with the Hoi An Old Town ticket
1. Japanese Covered Bridge
Hoi An Ancient Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Japanese Covered Bridge sits at its heart. Technically, the bridge is a ticketed attraction, but it’s usually too crowded for the attendants to bother checking tickets for people who are just crossing over. We were never asked for our tickets despite crossing several times over the course of 3 days. However, you will need a ticket to enter the small temple inside.
This pedestrian bridge was constructed out of wood by Japanese merchants during the 16th century to connect the Japanese and Chinese quarters of the city. It’s one of the town’s most iconic sights and does get rather busy, so you might have to wait a while if you want a photo inside.
The best view of the bridge is actually from down by the river, from another pedestrian bridge that crosses the canal. Come at night when it’s all lit up!
2. Old Vietnamese Houses
We’d heard that Tan Ky was the best old house to visit in Hoi An, but had already been into Phung Hung Old House before realising that we could only visit one attraction per category with our tickets. Despite being a bit disappointed that we hadn’t been told this before, we enjoyed wandering around Phung Hung Old House and the street views from upstairs looking back towards the Japanese Bridge were great. So, despite Tan Ky supposedly being the better house, we were quite happy with what we saw at Phung Hung.
Built in 1780 by a Vietnamese merchant, the Phung Hung Ancient House once sold spices, silks and ceramics. Family descendants still live in the house, giving tours and preserving the heritage of the residence. It’s beautiful inside, with lots of wooden beams and balconies, as well as traditional furniture used by the residents today. There’s a blend of architectural styles, with Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese features all present.
You can’t initially just wander around Phung Hung house. On entry, you’ll wait in the living area and soon a member of the family will give you a short tour. We felt it did focus rather on the handicrafts that were being sold in a room in the back, but managed to escape upstairs when it became apparent we weren’t going to buy anything.
3. Assembly Halls
There are lots of Assembly Halls in Hoi An, so it’s best to pick a couple rather than trying to see them all. We chose these two based on which looked the most impressive in photos on Google! Yeah, shallow I know, but we were not disappointed.
Quang Trieu (Cantonese Chinese Assembly Hall)
This was our favourite, with its ornate ceramic dragon sculpture, colourful courtyards and a peaceful garden area out the back. If you only have time for one Assembly Hall, make it this one!
The hall was built in 1885 by Cantonese merchants who had come from China to trade in Hoi An, which had become a lucrative and bustling port town. Much of the construction was actually done in China, before being shipped over to Hoi An and assembled. Today, you can wander through the halls and courtyards, admiring the architecture, historical artefacts and greenery.
Quang Trieu continues to be used by the Cantonese community in Hoi An for meetings and celebrations.
Fujian Assembly Hall (Phuc Kien)
The Fujian Assembly Hall is another popular attraction to visit in Hoi An, and its very photogenic. It was constructed in the 1690s for the Fujian Chinese community living in the town for meeting and worship. Once again, it’s still in use today, and you will see people burning incense offerings at the altars to pray for good fortune in the coming months.
This is one of the most ornate assembly halls in Hoi An, and the vibrant pink colour gives the place an enchanting feel. The main gate is made from ceramic tiles, and the curved roof pays homage to the quintessential yin and yang philosophies.
There are courtyards and fountains, as well as dazzling altar areas that give a glimpse into traditional Chinese philosophy and faith.
4. Temples and Pagodas
We chose to visit the Quan Cong Temple, because it was easy to find and looked the most impressive.
Quan Cong Temple
This sacred shrine is another example of the incredibly ornate architecture that you’ll see all across Hoi An’s Old Town. Quan Cong was built in 1653 by Chinese settlers to pay homage to an esteemed military general named Quan Cong who became known as a god after he died.
On the façade, you’ll see examples of Confucian architecture, with plenty of colourful tiling, and of course a few dragons and unicorns. Meanwhile, head inside to see the shrine and soak up the atmosphere – it’s a very sacred place and even if you’re a non-believer you can’t help but be drawn into the moment here.
We were getting a bit of temple fatigue by this stage, so decided we’d seen enough for one trip! They’re gorgeous, but they’re all quite similar.
Other free sights in Hoi An
There are several free attractions in Hoi An that don’t need an entry ticket. Here are our favourites:
Ba Mu Temple Gate
For something slightly different, the Ba Mu Temple Gate is worth a detour on your wanders. This gate originally linked two palaces (or temples) – the Cam Ha Temple and the Hai Binh Temple. They were built in the 17th century in a different location, but after being destroyed by war and weather, just the Ba Mu Temple Gate remained standing. The gate was restored and moved to its current location.
There’s not much to see now as just the gate and outer wall are left, but the lily pond in front makes a great setting, and it’s a peaceful spot for a moment of contemplation away from the busy streets.
Phap Bao Temple (Phac Hat Pagoda)
This highlight of visiting this Buddhist temple is the stunning floral courtyard that you walk through on the approach. There are several statues dotted around the garden, and a few shrines hidden away in the greenery too. You can look inside the temple (after taking your shoes off) and see the ornate alter. It’s a very peaceful spot, and free to visit.
Hoa Van le Nghia (Buddhist Temple)
This Buddhist temple is the epitome of serenity, and a peaceful little retreat from the bustling streets. The inner courtyard is pretty and there’s lots of Chinese architecture to admire, with lavishly-coloured columns, delicate carvings and the traditional curved roof.
I wouldn’t say it’s a must-see, but if you happen to be passing, it’s worth a quick look.
What else to see in the Ancient Town?
Riverbanks and boats after dark
The other reason to come to Hoi An is to walk along the riverbank after dark and see all the boats with their colourful lanterns bobbing about on the water. This is one of the most iconic scenes from the city, and something you need to experience at least once during your stay. We walked out every evening and never tired of watching the boats and enjoying the almost festive atmosphere. You can take a boat ride if you want to be part of it, but we decided it was a bit touristy so stuck to dry land instead.
I will say that along the riverbank there was a lot more neon and loud bar music spilling out into the street than I’d expected, but Hoi An is no longer a sleepy backwater frequented by only the most intrepid of travellers. It’s been well and truly ‘discovered’. Having said that, the energy was relaxed, and we still loved wandering around taking it all in.
Night market
There’s a night market too, focused in the streets around the An Hoi Bridge (the one with all the garish lights on it). If you’ve not been to a Southeast Asian night market before, it’s worth a browse and a good place to practice your haggling skills. But to be honest we were a bit disappointed – it seemed to be just a lot of tat and a few household items, nothing that made us want to part with a few dong.
Best time to visit Hoi An’s Old Town
You can explore the historic centre at any time of day, but it’s more pleasant between 9 – 11 AM and 3 – 9 PM when the streets become pedestrian only, with no motor vehicles allowed. To be honest, we were there during the middle of the day as well as evening and didn’t find the motorcycles to be a huge problem.
As for time of year? Come between February and April for mild temperatures and little rain – this is generally the best time to visit Hoi An. September to November is good too, as it’s less busy at this time of year. It’s very hot between June and August. Avoid the rainy season from September to January because flooding can disrupt travel and make visiting Hoi An a challenge.
How long do you need to see Hoi An’s Old Town?
You can see the main sights and stroll around the ancient streets in just one day. But we recommend lingering a little longer so you can enjoy it all at a relaxed pace, because this is a town that is meant for strolling, not rushing. We actually spent 3 nights in Hoi An, just focusing on exploring the Old Town, and loved being able to experience the place at different times of day and night, without feeling like we were cramming everything in.
Many people like to use Hoi An as a base for day trips, and there’s plenty to see in the surrounding area too. We loved taking a day trip to My Son Sanctuary from Hoi An – the hidden temples deep in the forest reminded us of Angkor Wat, but without the crowds.
Our top tips for visiting Hoi An’s Ancient Town
- Attraction names: the names of attractions can be confusing, with places having an ‘English’ name, as well as a couple of different local spellings. Sometimes temples are called pagodas too for a bit of extra confusion. We found it hard trying to pinpoint attractions on Google Maps, as the names on here often didn’t match with the ones we had on a paper map or the local sign boards outside the attractions. Not much you can do about it, just be warned.
- Dress code: the assembly halls and temples are sacred places, so wear modest clothing and don’t go in wearing anything too short or disrespectful.
- So many temples and halls: it does seem like there are a lot of temples and assembly halls to get through, but honestly, once you’ve seen a couple, that’s probably enough as they’re all quite similar.
