Hoi An

Introduction

Beautiful Hoi An Beach

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Hoi An is a beautiful city located near Da Nang in the central coast area of Vietnam and a great place to spend a few days. The beautiful historical sites in Old Town can attract tourists for hours. Then for the shopper or fashion expert the city is also famous for its many tailors. Remember to haggle, and shop around because the best tailors tend not to advertise.

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

My Son

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• Old Town - Hoi An's Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to many of its historically important sites.
• The Japanese Covered Bridge dates back to 1600 and is one of the most prominent landmarks in the city.
• Quan Cong Temple, 24 Tran Phu Street.
• The beach is a pleasant 15-minute bike ride from the city. If you are caucasian you likely be harassed by local merchants trying to sell you nuts and pineapples. The produce is tasty and cheap and it is thoroughly recommend you at least once try having a pineapple. They hold it upside down and hack away at it with a machete until only the stalk remains on the outside, which you use as a handle and continue to eat the ripe soft fruit!
• The markets are well worth a visit. Down various alleys, pool halls can be spotted where the locals spend their spare time.
• Tailors are something that Hoi An has grown renowned for. Have yourself measured and pick patterns from catalogues or hand over some existing item of clothing to have it replicated with your chosen materials. Having a silk tie chosen and made takes an hour and will cost US$2. 2 Custom made shirts will be about US$13. The more you buy, the better the deal will be.
• Harbour
• My Son is an impressive ancient ruin Cham city that can be seen on day tours from Hoi An. Although not as impressive as Angkor it is still an amazing ruin. It was heavily damaged during the war and the scars can still be seen. Tours can be arranged at any tourist office in town and most hotels.
• Kim Bong Village is just 10 minutes' boat ride from Hoi An. Kim Bong is famous for its carpenters and woodcarving artisans, because they've got lots of practice. Most of Hoi An's architecture was crafted by a resident of Kim Bong - while demand has subsided since those heady days, the craftsmen have never really left. You can take a free bike tour to Kim Bong Village with Hoi An volunteer students to explore this village. You will only pay for local ferry fee (US$1) and bike rental (US$2). More information can be found at http://www.hoianfreetour.com.
• Cam Thanh Village. You will be excited by the beauty of many green rice fields, buffaloes, temples, hospitable inhabitants, activities catching fishes and more.

Events and Festivals

Hoi An Full Moon Festival: is held on every 14th day of the lunar month (Chinese Calendar). The festival starts around 6.00pm when the whole of HoiAn town is lighted with only dainty lanterns and everyone takes a stroll on the old narrow streets absolutely free from the sound of vehicles engine. Visitors can walkabout to wherever they feel like. Check the update full moon date 2012 at www.hoian-tourism.com

Weather

Warm, humid and sunny, approximately 30 °C in September to December. Occasional brief showers occur during the early evening, which are welcome.

Getting There

By Plane

Hoi An does not have a domestic terminal, the nearest airport is in Da Nang (30 kilometres away from Hoi An), which has frequent connections to Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and some international flights. There are two that service Vietnam's domestic routes: Vietnam Airlines and Jestar Airline.
From Da Nang you can travel by public bus, private car or taxi to Hoi an. You want to take local bus to Hoi An (US$2 per person). The bus stop is near from the airport and every 30 minutes, there's a bus from Da Nang to Hoi An during the day. It takes you about 1 hour to arrive in Hoi An by bus. Please be sure that you arrive to Da Nang airport in the day time, because after 7:00pm, there's no bus from Da Nang to Hoi An.
A taxi from the airport to Hoi An costs about US$15 thanks to the cartel. Be sure to have a fix price.
If you arrive late, you should arrange an airport transfer in advance if you don't want the taxi haggling hassles. You can book online at http://www.yourlocalbooking.com (US$16) or contact your hotel.

By Train

There is no railway station in Hoi An. Most guests going to Hoi by train must stop at Da Nang or Tam Ky Railway Station. Everyday there are many domestic trains from Ha noi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Nha Trang etc. From Da Nang you can travel by bus, private car or can take a taxi to Hoi an. Da Nang Railway Station is located at 202 Hai Phong, Tan Chinh Ward, Thanh Khe District, Da Nang City.
The Ha Noi - Hue – Da Nang schedule is as followed:

• SE1 19: 00 07:57 10:31
• SE3 23:00 10:45 13:12
• SE5 15:45 06:07 08:56
• SE7 06:15 19:07 21:41

The Ho Chi Minh- Da Nang- Hue schedule is:

• SE2 19:00 11:55 14:43
• SE4 23:00 14:30 17:06
• SE6 15:45 10:10 13:21
• SE8 06:30 23:12 02:00

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

Journeys around the city centre are best made on foot.

By Bike

Bikes are readily available for hire at a very cheap price for a day or half day (typically 4 or 8 hours).

You can ride down to the beach in about 15 minutes. There is a bike park there, where you can pay someone less than a dollar to have your bike guarded whilst you enjoy the beach.

Eat

Drink

Sleep

The government backpacker bus comes from either the north or the south typically daily and stops at one hotel normally, where most backpackers choose to stay. You can often venture out to find alternative accommodation which is US$3 for a room instead of US$4 but the hotel owner who welcomes guests departing the bus is not impressed.

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Vietnam's international dialing code is +84. To call to other countries from Vietnam, start with 00, followed by the international number, usually without the first 0. International and domestic phone calls are available in almost every hotel or internet café. International phone charges are high in Vietnam and hotels often add a mark up fee so it is smart to always check the rates before dialling. Public phones require phone cards, which are available at post offices.

Some common and useful phone codes are:

• 00 - International call prefix
• 110 - Operator
• 113 - Police
• 114 - Fire Department
• 115 - Medical Aid/Ambulance
• 116 - Directory Assistance
• 1080 - Information

Post

Vietnam Post is the government owned national postal service of Vietnam. Services are generally fairly reliable, cheap but not overly fast, except express services. Express Mail Service (EMS) ensures that letters and small parcels are delivered within 24-48 hours domestically. International EMS is associated with over 50 countries worldwide, with a delivery time ranging from 2 to 10 days. Regular services are cheaper but much slower. Most post offices keep much longer hours than most other official businesses, usually starting from 6:30am until 9:30pm and also open on Saturday and even Sunday. You can buy stamps here and they also offer other services like money transfers. You can also try other companies to send parcels, for example with DHL, TNT and UPS. There is a post office near the library in the centre of the town.