3 DAYS IN HOI AN: THE ULTIMATE 3-DAY ITINERARY

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Hoi An is one of Vietnam’s most popular destinations. With quaint yellow houses, loads of interesting sights, great shopping, a beautiful river and of course thousands of lanterns it is the prototype of a top tier vacation spot.

Due to the surprising number of activities and sights it can be difficult to know what to see and do. Read on for my three day itinerary. Not only does it hit all the highlights but I also give you plenty of insider tips on how to avoid the pitfalls of Hoi An – crowds and over-tourism.

My mini-vacation in Hoi An

As Hoi An is quite close to Da Nang I at first planned on one or two day trips during my four week stay in Da Nang. However, as I learned more about Hoi An I realized that the city shines at night. The illuminated buildings, sparkling lights on little boats, and of course the colorful lanterns are definitely a highlight!

I am not really a fan of traveling at night and also realized that going back and forth between the two towns several times would add up. So instead I booked two nights at the De Vivre Hotel and visited Hoi An for a three day mini-vacation.

You may notice that I did more organized tours than I usually do. This was mainly due to two reasons: a) tours in Vietnam are quite affordable and b) after traveling solo in Asia for three months I liked the idea of meeting some fellow travelers! However, if you dislike organized tours you can still follow the itinerary for the most part!

Optimized three day itinerary for Hoi An

Day One – Ancient Town, Rice Fields, and Show

Morning: Explore Hoi An’s Ancient Town (with optional tailor visit)

Order any custom clothes if you want to purchase some

One of Hoi An’s biggest claims to fame is of course custom-made clothing. If you walk along any street near the town center you will see row upon row of tailor shops. In general, getting your clothing measured and made takes three days. So if you want to get a custom-made suit or a nice dress, the tailor shop should be your very first stop of the day!

Tip: If you plan on getting custom-made clothes, stop by the tailor first thing during your time in Hoi An to make sure there is enough time.

As I did not visit any tailors myself I can’t really speak to the process or cost. I do know that even in Vietnam having your clothing tailored is not dirt-cheap. Much more affordable than in other places, yes. But cheap, no.

You probably will have to fit any additional tailor visits around the rest of this itinerary but it shouldn’t be too difficult as Hoi An is quite small and compact and this itinerary is flexible enough to incorporate a quick stop.

My main recommendation if you are planning on hitting the tailors is to do some research prior to your trip and come up with one or two shops you want to use. There are many, many tailors in town and deciding once you are there might feel a bit overwhelming (and take more time than necessary).

Tip: Make a short-list of tailors prior to getting to Hoi An.

Explore the Ancient Town of Hoi An

Spend the rest of your morning exploring Hoi An’s biggest attraction: Old Town. Depending on your preferences (and how much time you have) you can either just stroll through town or do some serious touring (see day 3 below for more info).

After taking a Grab from Da Nang and checking into my hotel I just walked around town to get a general feel. I had decided to wait with actual attraction visits (which requires a ticket to visit the inside of various temples and buildings) for day three. Looking back, I wish I had checked some attractions checked off on the first day as I did not have enough time (and energy) on the last to visit all I was interested in.

But this is really a matter of personal preference. Just walking through town and exploring the narrow streets and the pretty riverside is a lot of fun. You don’t even have to decide ahead of time. If you feel like more serious sightseeing you can just buy an Old Town ticket (120,000 VND) right there.

Eat a delicious Lunch

Claypot Hoi An has indoor and outdoor seating

Hoi An is an extremely touristy town so there are restaurants everywhere. If you get hungry during your sightseeing and see an inviting place just go in. Alternatively, I can recommend Claypot Hoi An. This restaurant is about half-way between Old Town Hoi An and the rice fields. I ordered a curry and it was very tasty at a reasonable price.

Afternoon: Explore the rice fields and relax

Walk through the Rice Fields

If you continue further northwards along D. Hai Ba Trung you will come to the rice fields. These were a definite highlight for me! If you are more athletic than me, you could take part in one of the organized bike tours.

I just walked along the narrow paths – you can’t really get lost as the fields are quite open and you can see pretty far. If you have a lot of energy (or if you are riding a bike) you can make it all the way to Hoi An’s beach.

Otherwise, I recommend to walk in a circle (or I guess a rectangle) for the best experience. I got a bit spooked by some loose dogs (they were not doing anything, I am just a bit nervous with dogs) so backtracked instead.

While the rice fields as a whole were fun, a highlight was the tomb Mộ ông Tani Yajirobei in the middle of the fields. I just happened to stumble across it but you can easily find it by checking on Google Maps.

Tip: If you are visiting Hoi An during a very hot time of the year it is better to move this walk/ride to the early morning. In March it was hot but doable even in the early afternoon.

Quick break in air conditioning

My hotel, the De Vivre Hoi An, was conveniently located close to Old Town so I walked back from the rice fields to freshen up a bit. Some time in airconditioning does help a lot to get back your energy.

Evening: Hoi An Memory Show and walk through town

Visit the Hoi An Memory Show

The Hoi An Memories Show is very popular

Around 5 pm I started walking towards the small island in the Thu Bon River on which the Hoi An Memories Show takes place. If you enjoy big shows, local history, and cute photo opportunities, the Memories Show will make a great end to your first day. You can find out exactly what to expect in my review of this nighttime activity.

Tip: In my opinion, the cheapest seats at the show are the best! Just make sure to get there a bit before they open the theater so you can choose the best one.

Stroll through Hoi An at night

After the show you can still enjoy night time in Hoi An but if you follow my itinerary and book the early tour for My Son Sanctuary it might be best to make it an early night like I did.

Day Two: My Son Sanctuary and Food Tour

Very Early Morning: My Son Sanctuary Tour

On my second morning I had booked the early morning tour to My Son Sanctuary and it worked very well for me. It did require a pick-up at 5:30 am which was a bit difficult. However, getting there early meant we beat the heat and the crowds!

At My Son Sanctuary you can tour the fascinating ruins of an ancient Hindu temple in a beautiful mountain setting. You can read up on all of the details in my tour review but overall it was great fun.

Variation: If your time in Central Vietnam is short and you won’t stay in Da Nang, I would do the combo tour of My Son Sanctuary and Marble Mountain. I did Marble Mountain independently and it is a must-see!

Afternoon: Relaxation

My room at De Vivre Hoi An

The morning tour included a breakfast (with noodles etc.) so I wasn’t really hungry at lunch. As I knew there would be a lot of food later on I just had a tiny snack. Depending on your appetite you might want to have something a bit more substantial though.

After getting back from my My Son Sanctuary tour I had a short nap (that early morning took its toll) and relaxed in the airconditioning. But this would also be a good time to spend some time at the pool or do some shopping.

Evening: Food Tour

There was a lot of food included with the food tour!

This is the perfect time for discovering the delicious food of Central Vietnam. I very much enjoyed the Hoi An Food Tour. It was a great chance to meet fellow travelers and learn more about Vietnam, all while trying out lots of local delicacies. And again I have a post you can read if you want more info!

Variation: You can just switch the two evening activities (Memories Show and Food Tour) if it works better for you. The food tour was already sold out on one of the days I visited so the order was locked in for me.

The food tour ends early enough that you can still enjoy time in Hoi An at night. While very touristy and crowded, it is also quite romantic and enchanting!

At night Hoi An shines especially brightly

Day 3: Ancient Town and Shopping

The bright yellow color is typical for houses in Hoi An

Morning: Exploring Ancient Town

Ancient Town is clearly Hoi An’s biggest claim to fame. It stretches along the Thu Bon River and is a mix of older buildings with normal shops, restaurants, and markets and specific sights, like museums and temple buildings. Be prepared: It is very touristy and gets quite crowded later in the day.

Tip: If possible start your touring fairly early in the day – Hoi An does get very crowded (and hot)!

Strolling through Ancient Town is completely free. However, if you want to see inside most of the temples and other sights (highly recommended), you need to buy a ticket (120,000 VND). These tickets can be easily bought at stalls near the borders of Ancient Town (I purchased mine near the Ba Mu Temple Gate).

The ticket is a bit complicated as it has very specific rules. Unfortunately, I did not know/understand these beforehand and thought a ticket means you can visit any of the attractions on the list. Not so! You can only visit one of the blue, one of the green and three of the remaining attractions per ticket (see below). Obviously, these rules are subject to change so check the most current ones (this was correct in March 2026).

While I had a general idea of what I wanted to see I was kind of flummoxed when I realized I would have to choose just a couple of those. And while I loved the places I saw, I did miss out on some I really wanted to see. If I had understood the process before I would have bought two tickets, one on the first day and one on the third. Instead I skipped serious touring on my first day as I thought it would be more cost-efficient to see all with one ticket.

My recommendation is to look at the various attractions beforehand and come up with what you want to see most. Then you can easily map a route through Ancient Town to cover them in a sensible manner.

Tip: Make sure you understand the ticket rules ahead of time and decide what you want to see.

Old Town has so many wonderful things to see

Afternoon: Optional Activities

I was pretty exhausted after exploring Old Town and as I hate traveling at night I took a Grab back to my place in Da Nang in the very early afternoon. However, you probably don’t get stressed by being out late or maybe you are still overnighting in Hoi An so might have a little more time than I did.

This would be the perfect time to do some souvenir shopping. And of course you will have to pick up your new clothes if you ordered any on day one!

Hoi An is known for its many, many lanterns everywhere

If that isn’t enough to fill your day, I would take one of the lantern making classes. I had that on my to do list but didn’t get around to it. And to be honest it is one of the things I regret not doing while in Asia. A home-made lantern would have been the perfect souvenir!

What if you have Four days instead?

Personally, I would not change too much with four days but instead spread out the activities a bit more. My recommendation does depend mostly on whether you will also visit Da Nang or if Hoi An is your only stop in Central Vietnam.

Da Nang’s beach is stunning

If Da Nang is not an additional stop on your itinerary

If you are not planning a separate stay in Da Nang, I would definitely go there on your extra day!

You can just get a Grab (or book a transfer) on your own – that’s what I did. The ride took about 50 minutes and cost a bit under 350,000 VND one way. Da Nang has plenty to keep you busy for a day or more. Check out my one day Da Nang itinerary for things to see and do there!

Da Nang’s biggest attraction is of course the stunning beach! The relaxed beach vibe is quite different from Hoi An and makes a nice change.

If Da Nang IS an additional stop on your itinerary

If you are planning on visiting Da Nang either before or after your Hoi An stay there are several other things to do in or from Hoi An.

I never made it to Ba Na Hills so this poster is the best I can do

Ba Na Hills Excursion

This is probably the most famous nearby attraction. The iconic photos of the bridge with the huge hands in Central Vietnam are actually from Ba Na Hills. Basically, it is a Disney-style attraction/amusement area on a mountain. The biggest highlights are cable car rides and photo opportunities.

I did not manage to get to Ba Na Hills as my entertainment budget was pretty much used up after my Hoi An trip. However, I had this full-day Ba Na Hills tour in my shopping cart as it has great reviews and seems to cover all the bases.

Cooking Class

Hoi An also offers a lot of cooking classes. If the Hoi An Food Tour made you wish you could recreate some of those dishes at home, learning how to cook them would be a good idea.

Just chill

Or you could just take it easy, spend some time at Hoi An’s beach or the pool at your hotel, take a bike tour along the rice fields, or explore Old Town with more leisure.

Where I stayed in Hoi An

I stayed at the De Vivre Hotel Hoi An and do recommend it. It was quite affordable (I paid USD 58 for 2 nights) and had a great location close to Old Town . The hotel wasn’t fancy but had all the necessary amenities. Best of all my room was very quiet at night – all I heard was crickets chirping in the field behind the hotel. As Vietnam is generally the loudest country I have been to this made for a nice surprise!

Hoi An – A true Jewel in Vietnam

Hoi An is a staple on most Vietnam itineraries and that isn’t surprising. This small town offers loads of activities, tours, and local sights. Not surprisingly, it does tend to be very touristy and crowded. But as long as you are prepared (and start your days early), Hoi An is more than worth a visit.

For me, highlights were the Memories Show, My Son Sanctuary, and the rice fields. And of course I loved Old Town (though I did not see all I wanted to). Three days were perfect for my mini-vacation from Da Nang. Staying overnight in Hoi An made it easy to stroll through town at night, probably the very best thing about this romantic city!

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