The Old Town is for walking
Motorbikes and cars are kept out of the core streets from about 09:00–11:00 and 15:00–21:30 (21:00 in the cooler months). Get dropped at the edge, by Hai Ba Trung or Hoang Dieu Street, and walk in.
Hoi An, lantern by lantern.
Today's exchange rate, how far the beach, My Son and Da Nang are, where the town eats its cao lau, banh mi and chicken rice, and a pocket map for walking the Old Town or riding pillion out to the herb gardens and the sea. From Toward Local's Hoi An hosts, with every address checked on Google Maps on 3 October 2026.
You don't visit Hoi An. You unlock it.
The Old Town walk
1.3 km · 7 stops · about 20 min of walking
Walk it with the map →
1.3 km · 7 stops · about 20 min of walking
- Right now in Hoi An
- --:-- · …Loading what locals are doing at this hour…
- Vietcombank rate today
- 1 USD = …Counters pay less for worn or torn notes
- Weather this month
- …
- WhatsApp a local
- +84 334 370 563Mr Tim · we usually reply within a few hours
Money, distances and the right season
Three things to sort before your first bowl of cao lau: what your cash is worth, how long the trips out of town take, and which months each place is at its best.
Today's exchange guide
Vietnam uses the dong (VND, ₫)
Rates below are Vietcombank's cash buying rates, the price one of Vietnam's biggest banks pays for foreign banknotes today.
Expect a little less at the counter. Exchange counters, hotels and gold shops check every note. Torn, taped, stained or written-on bills, very worn notes and older series are bought below this rate, and badly damaged ones can be refused. Bring clean, recent notes.
USD
At the Vietcombank rate: …Counters pay less for worn or damaged notes.
₫
That's about …
Know your notes
Changing and spending
- Change cash at banks, the airport or licensed exchange counters, and keep the receipt.
- Crisp notes get the best rate. Keep your cash flat and dry, and don't write on it.
- ATMs are everywhere. Most charge a fee per withdrawal, and your home bank may add its own.
- Cards and QR payments work in malls, hotels and many cafés. Street stalls and markets want cash.
- The 20,000₫ and 500,000₫ notes are both blue. Count the zeros before you hand one over.
How far from Hoi An, and when to go
Road distances measured from the Japanese Covered Bridge on OpenStreetMap
By road
Speedboat
Best months
Good, with some rain
Wet or rough seas
Special season (see notes)
Times are by car on today's roads and stretch at weekends and holidays. Boats to the Cham Islands only run in calm weather. In October and November the river can rise into the Old Town's lowest streets for a day or two, so keep your plans loose in those months.
Getting around Hoi An
The Old Town ticket
Walking the streets is free. Going inside the heritage houses, assembly halls and museums takes the Old Town ticket: 120,000₫ for international visitors, good for five sites of your choice. Buy it only at the official yellow booths, in cash.
Arriving and ride-hailing
Hoi An has no airport or train station: Da Nang's are about 30 km north, 40–50 minutes by car. Around town, Grab and Xanh SM book cars and motorbike taxis with the fare shown first, and bicycles suit the flat lanes out to the rice fields.
Ride as a passenger
An International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 convention isn't valid in Vietnam, and riding without a valid licence can void your travel insurance. Sit behind a licensed local driver instead. Emergency: 113 police · 114 fire · 115 ambulance.
Where Hoi An eats
Nineteen places our hosts send friends to, grouped by what you're craving: cao lau noodles, banh mi, chicken rice, white rose dumplings, grills and river snacks, vegetarian plates, and tea or coffee. Hours and ratings come from each place's Google Maps listing, checked on 3 October 2026.
- DirectionsOpens Google Maps with a route from where you're standing. Tap the motorbike icon for two-wheeler routes.
- Show driverShows the address in large Vietnamese for your Grab or taxi driver.
- On our mapJumps to the pocket map below, with the place highlighted.
- Before you goDownload Hoi An for offline use in Google Maps, and carry some cash: street stalls rarely take cards.
Hoi An's photo spots, and how to reach them
Eighteen places worth the photo, with the best time of day, what it costs and a one-tap route from wherever you're standing. Walking and riding times are estimates from the Japanese Covered Bridge.
Must-try experiences in Hoi An
Lantern boats, a basket boat through the water-coconut palms, a morning in the herb gardens, a suit made in a day, an egg coffee you whisk yourself: the things to do here, first on your own, then with our hosts in Hoi An and Da Nang. Everything marked Toward Local is hosted by our own team.
Hosted by Toward Local
Eat Hoi An from the back of a motorbike
White rose dumplings, banh mi and a bowl of cao lau in town, then out past the rice fields to the herb gardens of Tra Que and the Cam Nam riverside. Your local driver rides, you sit behind, and the Hoi An beyond the lantern streets comes to you.
- You ride as a passenger. A licensed local driver rides; helmet included.
- Hotel pick-up in selected areas, 3–4 hours.
- Stops follow the day: the weather, the traffic and what's cooking decide the route.
- Rather walk? The Old Town food and sightseeing walk covers the dumplings, banh mi, cao lau and coffee by the river on foot.
Things to do on your own
Checked by our hosts; no booking with us needed.
Toward Local in Hoi An
Two ways to eat the old town with one of our local hosts: on foot through the lantern streets, or pillion out to the herb gardens. Tap a tour for the full itinerary, or ask us on WhatsApp which one fits your trip.
And in Da Nang
The city is 40–50 minutes north of Hoi An, and most visitors pass through it. Nine more ways to spend half a day there, from an egg coffee workshop to a night ride. Ask us about getting there.
All our tours are also listed on towardlocal.com: Hoi An tours · Da Nang tours. Heading north? Read our Da Nang guide. Want a route built around your dates? Message us on WhatsApp.
Walk the Old Town, or ride to the sea
Two routes drawn on real Hoi An streets: a 1.3 km walk through the Old Town from the market to the Japanese Covered Bridge and over to the night market, and an 18 km ride out to the herb gardens of Tra Que, An Bang Beach and the water-coconut forest. Switch to "All places" to see every address on this page. Drag to move, pinch or use the buttons to zoom.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Help us make this guide better
Tell us what worked, what didn't and which places we missed. It goes straight to our team, and we read every message.
Your message
Sent by email to the Toward Local team.
What happens next: one of our hosts reads it. If you asked something, we reply by email or WhatsApp. We visit the places you suggest ourselves before adding them to the guide.
Planning Hoi An? Message our hosts.
Toward Local is a small team of local hosts in Saigon, Da Nang and Hoi An. Ask about routes, weather, food, or which tour fits your trip. We usually reply within a few hours.
WhatsApp · Mr Tim+84 334 370 563
WhatsApp · Mr Vinh+84 934 146 935
EmailTowardlocal@gmail.com
Websitetowardlocal.com