Hoi An travel blog · Issue 01 · September 2026
The Journal.
30 stories in two parts: practical Hoi An recommendations for your trip, and long reads on the culture and people of the town.
Arrivals at Da Nang international airport, gate 3.
Cover story · Getting around
Da Nang airport to Hoi An: every option, and what it should cost
Grab, metered taxi, shuttle bus or a driver holding your name. We tried all four in one week.
By the Hoi An Fairy Tour team · 20 September 2026 · 7 min read
Hoi An has no airport of its own. Almost everyone flies into Da Nang, 30 km north, and the first decision of the trip is how to cover those 45 minutes. It is also the moment you are most likely to overpay, tired, with a bag, and no local SIM yet.
Grab: cheap, if your app works
A Grab car costs 300.000–400.000₫ and is picked up from the lane outside arrivals. You need a working data connection and a card or cash. At night and in rain, the price can double.
Metered taxi: fine, with one rule
Use the official rank and pick Mai Linh (green) or Vinasun (white). The meter should land around 380.000₫. Decline anyone who offers a “fixed price” inside the terminal.
Shuttle bus: the budget choice
Shared shuttles cost about 150.000₫ per person but run to a timetable and stop at several hotels. Good for solo travellers with time to spare.
Booked driver: the one we recommend
A driver waits at gate 3 with your name, helps with bags and drives straight to your hotel door, even inside the walking zone. The price is agreed before you fly: $16 for a 4-seat car, $22 for 7 seats.
Part I
Travel guide · 17 stories
Plan your trip.
Practical guides for your visit: getting around, eating, things to do and shopping. Each one ends with the booking it talks about.
Getting around
4 stories
01
Grab, taxi or cyclo: which to use in Hoi An, and when
The four ways to get around town, with the fares we paid last week.
- 5 min read
02
The best bicycle loop from the old town to the sea
Twelve kilometres through rice fields and Tra Que village, with two coffee stops.
- 4 min read
03
Hoi An to Hue by Easy Rider over the Hai Van Pass
A full day on the back of a motorbike: the stops worth making and what to pack.
- 7 min read
04
Getting to Cham Island, and when the boats don’t run
Departures from Cua Dai, the sea season and what the island permit costs.
- 5 min read
Eat & drink
4 stories
05
Cao lau, white rose, banh mi: where locals actually eat them
Seven dishes that only taste right in Hoi An, and the stalls we queue at.
- 6 min read
06
Egg coffee, salt coffee, coconut coffee: a Hoi An coffee crawl
Five cafes in one afternoon, all within 600 metres of each other.
- 4 min read
07
The Hoi An night market: what to eat and what to skip
Twenty stalls on Nguyen Hoang street, ranked after four nights of research.
- 5 min read
08
Vegetarian and vegan in Hoi An: an easy week
Buddhist kitchens, tofu cao lau and how to ask for no fish sauce.
- 4 min read
Things to do
5 stories
09
Is the Hoi An Memories show worth the ticket?
We sat in every seat category over three nights. Here is where to sit, and which night to go.
- 5 min read
10
My Son at sunrise: why the 05:00 start is worth it
You’ll have the Cham towers almost to yourself, and be back before the heat.
- 6 min read
11
Making a silk lantern: a two-hour class, step by step
What the class involves, and how to pack a lantern so it survives the flight home.
- 4 min read
12
Full moon lantern nights: dates for 2026 and 2027
On the 14th day of every lunar month the old town turns off its lights. Here is when.
- 3 min read
13
Cam Thanh basket boats: tour or do it yourself?
Prices, the best time of day and how to avoid the loudspeaker boats.
- 4 min read
Shopping & tailors
4 stories
14
How to order a suit from a Hoi An tailor in 48 hours
Fabric, fittings, fair prices and five questions to ask before you pay a deposit.
- 8 min read
15
What to buy in Hoi An, and what to skip
Lanterns, leather, silk and coffee: how to spot the real thing.
- 6 min read
16
How to ship souvenirs home from Hoi An
Weights, customs, and why a lantern costs more to ship than to buy.
- 4 min read
17
Hoi An in the rainy season: what closes and what doesn’t
Flood months, open restaurants and the indoor plans that still work.
- 4 min read
Part II
Culture & people · 12 stories
Hoi An, deeper.
Long reads on the traditions, the daily life and the people who keep Hoi An running after the visitors have gone to bed.
Culture & traditions
4 stories
18
The Japanese Bridge and the monster beneath it
The legend behind Hoi An’s most photographed landmark, and who really built it.
- 6 min read
19
Assembly halls: the traders who built Hoi An
Fujian, Cantonese, Hainan: how Chinese merchant communities shaped the old town.
- 8 min read
20
Tet in Hoi An: a week of Lunar New Year
What closes, what opens, and the customs you’ll see in every house.
- 7 min read
21
Why every house has an altar
Incense, fruit and paper offerings: a short guide to ancestor worship.
- 5 min read
Local life
4 stories
22
A morning with the fishermen of An Bang
Out at 03:00, back by 06:30: the basket boats and the beach market that follows.
- 6 min read
23
Living with the floods
Most autumns the river rises into the old town. How families here prepare, and recover.
- 7 min read
24
How Tra Que farmers grow herbs with seaweed
Centuries of farming on a sandy strip between a river and a lagoon.
- 5 min read
25
The Ba Le well and the secret of cao lau
Why real cao lau noodles are only made in Hoi An.
- 4 min read
Humans of Hoi An
4 portraits
Lantern maker, Tran Phu street
Mr. Hung
“A lantern takes me one hour. Learning to make one took me ten years.”
- 5 min read
Boat builder, Cam Kim island
Mr. Thanh
“My father built boats on this bank. So did his father. The wood hasn’t changed.”
- 6 min read
Noodle seller, central market
Ms. Lan
“Forty years at the same table. The customers changed. The recipe didn’t.”
- 5 min read
Potter, Thanh Ha village
Ms. Hoa
“My grandmother’s wheel still turns. I only added a motor.”
- 4 min read
Letters
Reader questions
You asked. We answered.
Real questions from readers, answered by the team. Send yours and it may appear in the next issue.
Asked by Laura, 24, Madrid
Yes. Use Grab, a metered Mai Linh or Vinasun taxi, or a driver you booked in advance. Avoid unmarked cars offering rides at the river, and have your hotel address written in Vietnamese.
Book a night taxiAsked by Tom, 31, Melbourne
Yes, for street food, boats and the market. Cafes, hotels and tailors increasingly take cards. ATMs are on Tran Hung Dao street; choose the dong amount, not the conversion.
Asked by Min-ji, 27, Seoul
On the 14th day of every lunar month. The old town switches off electric lights and floats candles on the river from 18:00. It is the busiest night of the month, so book boats and dinners early.
Book a guide for the nightAsked by Jonas, 45, Hamburg
You can, but stay for the evening. Hire a driver for the return at 21:00 so you see the lanterns, which is the part most day-trippers miss.
Book a return driverSee you under the lanterns.
Hoi An Fairy Tour
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