IS A FOOD TOUR IN HOI AN WORTH IT?

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you — if you make a booking or purchase through them. I only recommend services and products that I personally use, trust, or believe will benefit you. Thank you!

Looking for a good evening activity in Hoi An? Wondering if a food tour is worth your money? Confused by all the different offerings? You have come to the right place!

I had a great time on my food tour in Bangkok so decided to also take one in Vietnam. Somehow, I never got around to it in Da Nang but during my short mini-vacation to Hoi An I took the plunge!

Read on to find out what the food tour was like, how much food there was, and whether I would recommend it.

There is a lot going on at night in Hoi An!

Booking the Food Tour

There were several Food Tours offered by Get your Guide in Hoi An. I booked this food tour for USD 25.72 as it had the most reviews and the best ratings. It definitely lived up to its reputation!

One caveat: If you are interested in this tour make sure to book early! While many food tours are run by larger organizations with several guides, I believe this one is run only by Lily. As there are only 8 spots it does tend to get fully booked (only one of the nights I was in town was still available).

Getting there and Check-in

Hoi An is a much smaller town than Bangkok or Chiang Mai so finding the meeting place was easy. The tour started at 6 pm at the Starbucks near Old Town. As my hotel was quite close by, I had just a 5 minute walk and finding it was easy.

As Hoi An is so small, you likely won’t have any difficulties finding the meeting spot. Just make sure to give yourself time to navigate the busy streets with crowds of pedestrians and scooters everywhere!

Our guide was there right on time and checking in posed no problems at all.

What to expect on the tour

As soon as the group is assembled, you will start walking to various small restaurants and food stalls. This food tour had less stops than the one I took in Bangkok but the dish sizes in general were bigger. There was less sharing or splitting of single dishes.

General Observations about the Food

The food was delicious with a good mix of Vietnamese specialties. There was nothing that would be called “weird” (like chicken feet or crickets). Everything was well-suited to the average foreign palate. While some dishes had a slight kick, the food wasn’t especially spicy/hot either.

As is common, this food tour would be a bit difficult if you have dietary restrictions. If you are Vegan or have a lot of allergies you are probably better off just touring Hoi An yourself and ordering according to your requirements.

Guide and Group

Lily, our tour guide, was very friendly and spoke excellent English. She did a great job including everyone and helping the group to connect. She whisked us from place to place so we didn’t have to stand in lines or wait long for our food.

I especially appreciated that she shared quite a bit about daily life in Vietnam. It did paint a much richer and clearer picture of local customs and culture than just walking through town on your own.

I believe there were 8 of us in the group – mostly couples but also several solo travelers. We had a couple of stops with dishes shared by the whole table but at other restaurants each got a full serving. A bit much for me but I do have a smaller than average appetite.

The Food

Just as with any food tour, the exact dishes and locations can change from day to day. So this is just a general indication of what types of food you will eat and how much you can expect.

Stop 1 – Cao Lau Noodle Dish

Cao Lau is the most famous dish in Hoi An

Our first stop was at a small traditional restaurant for the traditional Cao Lau with noodles, veggies, and meat in a broth. It was pretty much a full sized dish so I didn’t finish (there was more to come) but it was tasty.

Stop 2 – Banh Mi

Our next stop was a Banh Mi restaurant made famous by Anthony Bourdain. A big advantage of being on the tour was that we had a table reserved for us upstairs. There was no need to stand in the long line downstairs or to wonder where to eat the sandwich once we got it.

Another advantage was that every one of us got to choose which sandwich they wanted. So any likes or dislikes were easy to accomodate. Lily gave recommendations on which sandwiches were most popular/best.

The main disadvantage – at least for me – was that this was another full-sized meal. I don’t have a huge appetite so an entire Banh Mi would be enough for my dinner. As I also hate wasting food I didn’t want to just throw it out after two bites (it was tasty!) so after this second stop I was basically stuffed.

Stop 3 – Variety of Vietnamese Specialties

Luckily, our next stop served a variety of Vietnamese specialties for the entire table. So instead of everyone having their own full dish you could just take a small sample of each of the dishes.

These included:

Egg Rolls – nice and crispy

Grilled Pork and Pork Satay

The famous Rice Pancakes – Banh Xeo

These rice pancakes are a bit tricky to prepare/eat as you take rice paper, fill it with the crispy pancake, shrimp, and vegetables, and then roll it up and dip it into various sauces. However, our guide explained it quite well and showed us what to do. Definitely a must-try when in Da Nang or Hoi An!

Mango Custard – this was definitely my favorite. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with mango but in this dish it was delicious.

Stop 5 – Dumplings

Our last real food stop was a restaurant that served dumplings as their specialty. By that time I was so full that I only had a small bite. Luckily, this was again served on plates for everyone to share so I did not waste food.

I am sure the dumplings were tasty but as I was so full I didn’t enjoy them as much as I would have otherwise.

Stop 5 – Mot Hoi An

I think everyone was quite full by that time so we all appreciated that our next stop was for a refreshing drink, Mot Hoi An. This is a refreshing herbal drink and apparently combines lemongrass, lime, lotus leaf, and licorice.

The place selling it on the street was extremely busy and gave the drinks out with amazing speed. I enjoyed this beverage more than I would have expected based on the description (I am not a massive fan of licorice).

Stop 6 – Mango Cake

Our very last treat was a sweet: Mango Cake (Banh Xoai). This turned into a massive surprise. Apparently, the name does not imply that this dessert has any mango in it or tastes like mango! Instead the outside is a rice-based dough and the filling is made of nuts.

So why the name? Supposedly, the shape is reminiscent of a mango? I don’t really see it… Anyway, I was so full that I could not possibly eat it. Instead, I took it back to the room with me and had it later. It was pretty tasty but probably would have been better when fresh (I didn’t eat it until the next day).

Tour End

The tour ended at the river after around 2.5 hours. Hoi An is a bustling place at night and it would have been early enough to enjoy the nightlife. However, I had gotten up before 5 am for my tour of My Son Sanctuary so was exhausted and went straight back to my hotel.

Pros and Cons of the Hoi An Food Tour

All in all, it was a great tour but of course there are always pros and cons.

This tour had a lot less stops than my Bangkok food tour but did still offer plenty of varieties. We tried many Vietnamese dishes as well as some Hoi An specialties.

For me, the portion sizes were a bit too big. As the first two stops basically provided a full meal each, I was too full to really appreciate the remaining dishes. But if you have a heartier appetite than me that may be an advantage for you!

As always, taking a food tour will cost more than just ordering on your own. And as mentioned above, the tour is probably not ideal if you have strict food restrictions (e.g. Vegans wouldn’t have found a lot to eat).

On the plus side, the foods were curated to give you a good overview of popular dishes and to visit popular restaurants with delicious food. You won’t have to struggle with how or what to order and you bypass long lines and waiting for a table. The entire experience was seamless and easy.

Maybe the biggest advantage for me as a (not terribly extroverted) solo traveler was that it made it easy to connect with fellow travelers. The evening is set up as a social situation and guests are ready to meet new people and start a conversation.

Finally, it provided a good opportunity to learn more about Vietnam, its people, history, and culture. If you never met a stranger and have long conversations with every server or shop assistant you meet, this may be of limited value for you. However, for me this was a major plus of this tour.

Hoi An definitely shines at night

So would I recommend this Hoi An Food tour?

I had a great time on my Hoi An Food Tour with Lily and am glad I booked it. We tried many popular Vietnamese dishes (and some Hoi An specialties I otherwise would have missed out on) and the price was quite reasonable.

I was glad to meet fellow travellers and to learn more about Vietnam from the guide. Solo travel can get a bit lonely and this food tour made for a nice change to independent traveling. Highly recommended for solo travellers as well as couples!

I receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. I do not represent World Nomads or SafetyWing. This is not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.