Our wonderful friends treated the four of us to a hotel for one night with a pool and a central location to explore Hoi An. We had taken our Ba Na Hills day trip, but still had a few days to kill in Da Nang and there wasn’t much to do during the day when the heat was at its worst.

This town was just voted the best city in the world by Travel & Leisure. It is well known for its lanterns, night market and the fact that it is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a beautiful place to explore, but I don’t think I would call it the world’s best.

How We Spent One Night in Hoi An

We spent our afternoon in the pool and it was glorious. It was located in the hotel’s basement so we weren’t in the sunlight at all and we were able to enjoy a few hours of swimming and lounging.

Once we were all showered and ready, we went out to brave the crowds. Crowds barely describes the scene in Hoi An in the late afternoon. We could barely walk near the famous bridge or along the river. It was overwhelming. We enjoyed some street vendors while getting our first glimpse of the town.

Thanks to Happy Cow, we were able to find a good spot for early dinner called What Else. Great vegetarian options and a beautiful patio with so many fans. It’s no longer open, but we recommend using that app while traveling in SE Asia to help find a spot.

After dinner, we ventured out to find a quiet place to have some cold drinks and people watch. Our only company was a giant rat, but in his defense, he might have been the reason we had the balcony to ourselves.

Once the tour buses pulled out of the city, we got to experience the Hoi An that people love – the lanterns and the night market. We helped ourselves to some food from the market and enjoyed the beautiful lanterns. Even the riverside was quiet for a stroll. Make sure you stay at least one night so you can experience the quieter side of the city.

The next morning, we woke up early to take in the sunrise and walk the streets before the day heated up and the buses returned filled with people. We had time for some browsing in the art stalls and walking along the river without being surrounded by people.

Thoughts on Hoi An

The city is beautiful and it has a ton of history. I would just make sure to spend at least one night there to get to enjoy it. If you do it in a day trip, it will feel suffocating. Once the crowds left, we had the best time.

Also, on our drive down there, we saw construction happening on over 20 resorts on the beach – all Western brands like Hiltons. I can’t say what it’s going to look like in 5 years, but I’m glad we saw it once when we did. Plus, it’s very photogenic.