Top 15 interesting things must do in Hoi An

Hoi An not only attracts tourists by its mossy ancient streets, tiled roof houses, and small winding roads, but also with its rich and fluctuating historical stories. Every brick and tile roof here seems to be telling tourists about the golden age of the busiest commercial port in Vietnam. If you are planning a trip to the ancient city of Hoi An, let's explore the top 15 interesting things you must do in Hoi An that Hoi An Memories Land recommends and you might not find anywhere else!

Hoi An ancient city and top 15 interesting things you must do in Hoi An 

1. Explore every corner of Hoi An ancient town

Walking is the best way to fully explore every corner of Hoi An ancient town. Under the sparkling lanterns light, the tiled roof houses covered in moss or the winding golden walls along narrow streets all enchant tourists with this antique beauty. Tourists will have the opportunity to admire unique and rare ancient architectural works in the world that are preserved till today, such as Tan Ky ancient house, Chaozhou Assembly Hall, Cau Pagoda, ancient well, etc.

Exploring well-preserved ancient structures to this day

2. Explore the cultural and artistic heritage of Hoi An ancient town

Hoi An ancient town preserves precious intangible cultural heritage, long-standing traditional craft villages and unique traditional festivals, creating a diverse and colorful cultural picture. Traditional craft villages such as Thanh Ha pottery, Kim Bong carpentry, etc. all have their own unique characteristics, expressed through sophisticated production techniques and exquisite handmade products. The ancient city also regularly organizes traditional art performances such as Hat Boi, Tuong, Bai Choi, etc., reflecting the unique culture of the Vietnamese in general and Hoi An in particular. In addition, Hoi An also attracts tourists by traditional festivals such as the Lantern Festival, Cau Bong Festival, Cau Ngu Festival and more, creating a bustling atmosphere and helping tourists experience local culture.

Cau Ngu Festival - A unique feature in the culture of coastal people in Hoi An ancient town

3. Spend relaxing time at An Bang beach

An Bang Beach, located about 6km from Hoi An city center, can be easily conquered by bicycle or motorbike. From the center of Hoi An, follow Hai Ba Trung street to Cam An ward, at the end of the road, you will admire An Bang beach, one of the most beautiful and experience-worthy beaches in Vietnam. This place is favored by nature with fine white sand, clear blue sea water and fresh air. An Bang Beach is an ideal destination for those who want to find a place to relax and enjoy beautiful nature. Besides, tourists can immerse themselves in nature with interesting experiences and activities such as swimming, surfing, or simply strolling along the white sand beach admiring the sunset.

Blue sea and white sand are the beauty that nature bestows on An Bang beach

4. Explore 800 artifacts inside Hoi An museum

With over 33 years of operation, Hoi An Museum of History and Culture, located at 10B, Tran Hung Dao street, Hoi An city has become an unmissable destination for those wishing to learn about the glorious past of the once bustling trading port. The museum houses more than 700 precious artifacts, including original artifacts and photographic documents such as ancient scales, bells of all sizes with intricate patterns or items used by ancient people in their daily life. The museum has 3 exhibition rooms, including: Revolutionary Traditions Gallery, Hoi An Gallery from the past to the present and Paintings Gallery. When coming here, tourists will admire and discover the stories behind hundred-year-old objects, contributing to vividly recreating the history, culture and life of Hoi An people through various periods.

Hundred-year-old artifacts hundreds at Hoi An Museum of History and Culture

5. Learn to make lanterns

Hoi An lanterns have long been an indispensable symbol of this ancient city. Many tourists visiting Hoi An want to make their own lanterns as a souvenir of their trip. Understanding this desire, many lantern making workshops in Hoi An have opened day classes for tourists. Lantern artisans will provide detailed step-by-step instructions to complete a traditional lantern. This will be a wonderful and interesting experience for tourists to gain a deeper insight into the culture and appreciate the value of traditional lanterns.

An exciting lantern making experience for tourists

6. Participate a local cooking class

The local cooking class at Hoi An Memories Land is an experience where tourists should try in order to learn how to prepare and cook traditional Hoi An dishes such as Cao Lau, fresh spring rolls with shrimp and meat, seafood pancakes, etc, under the guidance of experienced local chefs. The class is held at AN BISTRO Restaurant with a spacious, airy space located on Hoi An Memories Land where you can get there by bicycle, electric car or boat. The uniqueness of the class lies in combining the combination of market shopping experience with local people, witnessing firsthand the diversity of ingredients, learning how to choose fresh food and learning about the culture of buying and selling at the local market. Moreover, upon completing your dish, you will be provided a certificate from Hoi An Memories Land and enjoy the results you made with your own hands.

An exciting experience to cook specialty dishes by yourself at Hoi An Memories Land

7. Scuba diving at Cu Lao Cham

Cu Lao Cham - a beautiful island not far from Hoi An, is an ideal destination for those who love scuba diving. The sea water at Cu Lao Cham is clear, calm and is an ideal habitat for many aquatic species. While scuba diving, tourists can admire vibrant coral reefs, schools of colorful fish swimming around and other fascinating marine creatures.

8. Kayak along the banks of Hoi An river

Kayaking is an exciting experience that allows tourists to discover the beauty of the ancient town from a different perspective. tourists will be able to kayak on the romantic Thu Bon River, weave through lush green coconut trees and admire the ancient moss-covered houses along the banks.

9. Enjoy the Hoi An Memories show 

Hoi An Memories is one of the beautiful real scene shows meticulously staged on a vast outdoor stage spanning 25,000m2. With the presence of nearly 500 actors and a modern world-class sound and lighting system, the show promises to bring new artistic experiences to tourists.

The Impressive Integration performance with different cultures gathered in Hoi An

The Hoi An Memories show is a journey back in time, bringing tourists back to the past of the ancient town. The unique feature of Hoi An Memories is its focus on exploiting historical and cultural stories. Each performance is a separate story, giving tourists new perspectives on the cultural life and customs of Hoi An people through the ages.

The show opens with the Life performance, taking the audience back in time to the origins of the nation, witnessing the process of exploring and establishing the land of Hoi An from its early days. Next, the Wedding performance recreates the historic wedding ceremony between Princess Huyen Tran and the King of Champa, honoring the beauty of Vietnamese - Cham culture and the profound spiritual value of the nation. Transitioning the Lamps and Sea performance, the audience is immersed in the touching love story between the girl from Faifo and the young man working year round at sea. Although this love is fraught with challenges yet filled with hope and happiness. The Integration performance is a vivid picture of cultural interference between Hoi An and Eastern and Western countries, contributing to the prosperity of the once bustling trading port. The program concludes with the Ao Dai performance, an image of a graceful, elegant image of Vietnamese Ao Dai and honoring the pride of the nation's traditional costumes.

Information about the Hoi An Memories show:

• Show schedule: Every day of the week, except Tuesday
• Duration: 60 minutes (8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.)
• Location: Hoi An Memories Land - Hen island (turn left at 200 Nguyen Tri Phuong), Cam Nam, Hoi An.

Ticket price (depending on ECO, HIGH or VIP seat type):

• Tourists: From 600,000 - 1,200,000 VND for adults, from 150,000 - 600,000 VND for children from 1M - 1M4
• Locality: From 350,000 - 950,000 VND for adults, from 120,000 - 480,000 VND for children from 1M - 1M4

10. Take lots of beautiful photos in Hoi An ancient town

With its unique architecture and poetic natural landscapes such as ancient houses, rivers and rice fields and more, every moment you take the photo will create wonderful photos. So don't forget to take lots of pictures to preserve beautiful memories of this place.

Famous photography locations in Hoi An:

• Cau Pagod: The bridge spans the creek flowing into the Thu Bon River, bordering Nguyen Thi Minh Khai and Tran Phu streets.
• Faifo Coffee: No. 130 Tran Phu, Minh An Ward, Hoi An city.
• Le Nghia Basketball Court: No. 31 Phan Chu Trinh, Hoi An city.
• Thanh Ha Pottery Village: Pham Phan Street, Block 5, Thanh Ha Ward, Hoi An city.
• Duy Vinh old brick kiln: Vinh Nam village, Duy Vinh commune, Duy Xuyen district, Quang Nam province
• Bay Mau coconut forest: Group 2, Can Nhan village, Cam Thanh commune, Hoi An city.

The vast coconut forest is a must-visit location for check-in 

11. Visit Hoi An night market

The night market is usually gathered from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., when night falls and the lantern lights illuminate, creating an extremely poetic and romantic scene. The night market has many stalls selling souvenirs, from exquisite handicrafts to sparkling jewelry. Tourists can also find unique souvenirs to give to friends and relatives. Additionally, the night market is also a place where tourists can enjoy a variety of delicious street foods.

The night market is bustling with many stalls waiting for tourists to explore

12. Visit Tra Que vegetable village

Located about 3km from the center of Hoi An ancient town, Tra Que vegetable village is a unique destination that attracts tourists with its simple and peaceful beauty. This place is known as the "vegetable area" of Hoi An, providing clean vegetables to the whole city and surrounding areas. With an age of more than 400 years old, Tra Que vegetable village is famous for its traditional vegetable farming system and specialty herbs.

13. "Cup" of delicious Hoi An specialties

Hoi An has a rich and unique cuisine. Each dish tells a story, a quintessential feature of the local culture, making tourists remember it forever. When you come here, don't forget to enjoy the specialties below, otherwise you will regret missing out:

Cao Lau

Cao lau, a traditional dish with golden noodles, rich broth and diverse toppings, brings a rich, irresistible flavor. Prices range from 30,000 - 60,000 VND, the Cao Lau restaurants you should experience are:

• Cao Lau of Hoi An Green Space High Floor: No. 687 Hai Ba Trung Street, Hoi An City
• Cao Lau of Hoi An Trung Bac: No. 87 Tran Phu Street, Hoi An City
• Cao Lau of Mrs.Thanh Hoi An: No. 26 Thai Phien Street, Hoi An City

Hoi An chicken rice

Hoi An chicken rice is frugal and light with fragrant rice, well-boiled chicken and rich chicken broth. Prices range from 35,000 - 50,000 VND. Recommended spots to try Hoi An Chicken Rice include:

• Mrs. Buoi’s Chicken Rice: No. 22 Phan Chu Trinh Street, Hoi An City
• Mrs. Ho’s Chicken Rice: No. 16 Phan Chu Trinh Street, Hoi An City
• Mrs. Nga’s Chicken Rice: No. 8 Phan Chu Trinh Street, Hoi An City

Phuong’s Banh Mi

Phuong’s Banh Mi with delicious grilled meat, fatty pate and vegetables, creating a harmonious flavor, stimulating the taste buds. Prices range from 20,000 - 30,000 VND, located at 2B Phan Chu Trinh, Hoi An City.

Clam served with smashing rice paper

Clam served with smashing rice paper is a unique combination of grilled rice paper, steamed thin rice pancake, stir-fried mussels and raw vegetables, providing a crispy, chewy, rich experience. Prices range from 15,000 - 50,000 VND, the Clam served with smashing rice paper stalls you should experience are:

• Cam Nam Hoi An: No. 679 Hai Ba Trung Street, Hoi An City
• Hoi An Clam served with smashing rice paper: No. 82 Nguyen Tri Phuong Street, Hoi An City
• Ba Gia Hoi An: Village 1, Cam Nam, Hoi An City

Water fern cakes

Water fern cakes in small cups are soft and smooth, made with rice flour, braised shrimp, pork and sweet and sour fish sauce, creating a rich and easy-to-eat flavor. Prices range from only 2,000 - 3,000 VND/1 cup, the water fern cake stalls you should experience are:

• Mrs. Bay's Water fern cake: No. 2 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hoi An City
• Mrs. My’s Water fern cake: at the end of Tran Phu street, adjacent to Phan Chau Trinh, Hoi An City
• 17 Water fern cake: No. 17, Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Hoi An City

14. Explore Hoi An Memories Land

Hoi An Memories Land - A must-try tourist, resort and entertainment complex

Memories Land is a unique tourist, resort, and entertainment complex, where beautiful memories of Hoi An's culture, history, and people are preserved. Walking along the shady green paths, tourists can admire the houses reconstructed in the ancient architecture of Hoi An's ancient town and participate in various exciting entertainment activities.

Coming to Memories Land, tourists should not miss more than 20 outstanding art performances organized continuously from 5 p.m to 7 p.m. every day in different areas such as the Hoi An World show at 5 p.m. at the gate, the Trang Ti performances at 6:10pm at Vietnamese Village and a number of other performances. Most especially, you should not miss the Hoi An Memories show - a magical story about the 400-year historical journey of the ancient town with a magnificent stage, vivid sound and light effects, and a talented actor that will take tourists from one surprise to another, leaving unforgettable impressions.

15. Enjoy a super chill time at a beautiful cafe

Hoi An has countless cafes with diverse styles, from classic vintage to youthful modern, from romantic river views to vibrant rooftops such as Faifo Coffee, The Chef Cafe, Hoi An Roastery, etc. Each cafe has its own beauty, creating unique experiences for tourists.

Conclusion

Hoi An ancient town is not only a tourist destination but also a journey to discover unique cultural and historical values. With the top 15 interesting things listed above, Hoi An Memories Land hopes that you will have more travel experience in Hoi An as well as a complete experience when visiting this heritage land.

Contact Hoi An Memories Land immediately if you want to book tickets with the best seats for the Hoi An Memories show!