Hoian Ancient Town

Hoian Ancient Town in the middle of Vietnam

Hoian Ancient Town is a little town in the middle of Vietnam. It located 30km south of Danang City, and 100km South  of Hue Imperial city. Hoian was once an international trade center by sea on the far east area in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was the busiest trading port in the region as merchants from Japan, China, Portugal, Spain, Holland, etc often stopped over to exchange and purchase commodities. The coming,  living of those people, especially Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese has made a great contribution in house architecture, and people life style.

The conflicts on the peninsula of Indochina has turned  a prosperous merchant port to a quiet village. The sadly great thing is that the people living in the small town are so poor so there are not much change in house building since then, no new style of house built, and the special architecture of the town remains. Together with the isolation of the town, the life style and way of thinking of people at the town also remains, making the great preservation for travelers of nostalgia.

This town now has been acknowledged as the World Heritage by UNESCO for preserving the local life style since then. Though the time passes by, the historic sites in town have still stayed in its shape and ambiance. Together with its authentic life style, Hoian Ancient Town is easy to welcome visitors from all over the world.

Then Hoian Ancient Town is hot for any who seeks for a peace moment among the busy days of trips.

In order to boost more the concept of a living museum, Hoi An Ancient Town has re-opened the activities like it had happened 300 years ago. That’s the games of folklore that you will see those at night near the covered bridge, that’s the order of no engine vehicles only at certain hours of the day, that’s the nights without electricity and these has helped tourists to fully live a life of long time ago.

Hoian weather and best time to visit Hoian

Despite of being divided into two seasons, the warmness is usually available in Hoi An with 29˚C in average. Moreover, the dramatically varying rainfall requires travelers to know exactly what the wet weather is so that they will stay dry along the trip.

• February – April: pleasant temperature without high humidity
• June – August: the hottest time of the year
• July – August: period of the full moon
• September – January: rainy period (the wet condition is at peak in October and November)
• November – January: the coldest time (19˚C – 24˚C)

The dry season

This season starts from February and ends around July. Hoian then is with more sunshine. The unavailability of rain this time has help Hoian to get less humidity. From June the hot weather is more and more and make time under sunshine from 11:00 AM to 2:30 PM not comfortable at all. It is good to have a cap on walking tour or cycling tour around. Drinking more water is also good under this tough sun. If you plan to have beach time in Cua Dai Beach, remember to put more sunscreen to your skin. The temperatures about 34°C (93°F) will be big potential to get sun burn for a very quick time. In another angle, you will get tan very fast with this Hoian weather at this time.

Recommended activities in dry season

If you choose to travel this season, there are a lot of interesting activities waiting for you. Please note that we also have a list of recommended things to do below, we also mark some here to see the right things to do in dry season.

• Diving or snorkeling in the Cham Island from May. The hot weather will support you when you are in the water. The strong sun also help to make the corals and the reefs brighter.
• Have beach time at night and enjoy great full moon here. Remember the moon is only available around 15^th of the lunar calendar month. You can check this with some local people.
• Have seafood at the stalls near the beach. It is wonderful to have lovely swim in one of the best beach of Asia and have the freshest seafood ever.
• Cycling along the trails at the villages around Hoian Town. This could be great from February to May. If you plan to do this after May you absolutely need a hat if you don’t want a sunsick in your Vietnam tour.
• The midyear refreshment festival happens in 5^th May (around June in Gregorian Calendar). The local Hoian people will eat special cake and have some special bath as a ritual to kill bad insects for people and crops. Boat racing is impressive to enjoy at this time in Hoian river.
• Around September you might face Full Moon Festivai. This festival is for children. The Old Town welcomes travelers with sparkling colored lanterns and the cheerful atmosphere of traditional music. The festival happens in 14^th August in Lunar calendar (remember festival in Vietnam is often made it into Lunar calendar only). You can check this with your travel planner whether your trip can happen then.
• Other activities you can hear about Hoian town. Please have look at the best things to do in Hoian.

The Rainfall season

At the rest of the year from October to February, Hoian weather will face more raining. It might rain half day, or the whole day. Storms and floods are also available at least one or two times each here. Unluckily this is most likely travelers from Western countries to come to visit Vietnam. Nevertheless, the beauty is still there and you will enjoy Hoian anyway. You even can see things that are special which might be only in flood season.

Most of activities at dry season can make your trip beautiful, except the snorkeling, diving and beach fun. All the beauty and charm are still there. There are days of flood in Hoian and you also feel how lucky you are to be there. Have a look at photos above and see how lovely a boat ride in town can be great.

At storm days we don’t recommend walking in the old town. The tiles at the roofs are hundreds of years old. This might be a danger under the strong wind.

The above information is for helping travelers to briefly understand Hoian weather. In case you need a more detail about Hoian and other destination of the country, please send us your message. We are glad to help.

11 awesome things in Hoian you must not miss

Wandering in the small alleys of Old Town

For centuries, a lot of ancient houses in Hoi An have been in their status quo. The reason is that the local is too poor to renovate their houses. Such preservation from old yellow walls, small alleys to the riverside, bring visitors the feeling as if they were in many years ago.  At night, the Old Town looks like a banquet of lights with dozens of lanterns. It is a picture which combines the tranquility of the ancient architecture with the lively of the modern life. This is the prime activity for your customized tours in Hoian.

Tailoring your most fashionable clothes

Many visitors come to Hoi An and have opportunities to get clothes which are designed and made from their own ideas only after several days at a reasonable price. In Hoi An, there are nearly 400 tailors. They create any orders on suits, bags and others from customers.

Yaly is ranked as one of the most prestigious shops for such demand in Hoi An. Professional workmanship, abundance of fabric as well as high quality has built up this brand. On explanation for the fame is that there is always a large number of customers awaiting to enjoy its services regardless of the high price. But believe us that most of the shop in town can make you happy with beautiful clothes and nice interaction.

Riding bicycle at village trails around the Old Town

Cycling in the town will bring visitors the wonderful time of discovering every alleys. The bike takes them through the tree-lined street corners along with porch roofs full of confetti. At the end of the road, they can slowly pedal through a large bridge connecting two sides of the Old Town and enjoy the cool atmosphere from the Hoai River.

The ideal time to ride is from 15:00. If you are lucky enough, you can admire the poetic scene of the sunshine at the end of the day and the magical sunset on the river.

Swimming at the wild beach of Hoian

You can have some swim at the beach of Hoian which is wild and beautiful. There are some sections with little impact of wave, but most of the place can be considered one of the best beach in Asia. The sand is so white, the beach is not steep, the wave is small and the beach is not crowded at all.

Tasting seafood at fishing village.

After swimming at the beautiful beach, you might be hungry. And it’s great to enjoy the fresh seafood at the stalls along the fishing village just near the beach. The freshness makes the squid, fish and shrimp so good taste. The local might not process in a complicated way. However, wild BBQ or steaming with ginger will be great ways to make your best seafood dish so far. Come and try, and feel the good taste of life at your customized tours in Hoian.

Cruising in the river for sunset and local life

One day of sailing on the Thu Bon River promises to offer visitors a great sense of such river with the beautiful color of sunshine. Boat along the river branch is the time for all of them to enjoy the romantic scenery on both sides as well as the life of people here. Tourists will be surprised by the idyllic beauty and rural folk of the Vietnamese Central area. No noise, bustling as the city but quiet to settle the emotions in the hearts of the visitors.

If you don’t have much time, a short cruise in the afternoon before sunset is also great

Admiring the art of lanterns

Lanterns are daily used, especially most of the festivals in the Old Town. But, it seems to be the most sparkling on the full moon night. It is highly recommended for tourists to visit the town on the Mid – Autumn Festival and have the soul in peace. Moreover, lanterns may be the first choice for any visitors to buy as souvenirs for family and friends.

Eating Hoian famous food.

It will be a mistake if we don’t mention the food in Hoian. We also separate it from seafood we ave mentioned above. It’s because food in Hoian is specially tasty with authentic ways of Vietnamese. You must try “my Quang” which is rice noodle with vegetables, pork, shrimps and many other great herbs. You can order a “com ga” which is a kind of chicken rice. The special way of cooking make the rice so tasty. You even can queue in a like a buy a “banh my” which is a so nice baguette with Vietnamese additives insides. Come and taste more in your customized tours in Hoian.

Attend a cooking class

There are many restaurants in Hoian service this service. We recommend it here because it’s fun, good food with cuisine atmosphere. What is more, this is also a dinner afterward. In stead of doing a normal dinner that you can make it at another night, why not make it fun too.

Visit morning fishing market

There is a place right in town where you can make it. That is the small harbor at the back of the wet market of Hoian. You need to be there around 5:00 AM in the morning or earlier. The fishermen are back from the overnight fishing at the sea. There are many ladies at the harbor waiting for buying those fish baskets. You will witness the stunning view and sound of authentic Vietnam culture. That means you will see they bargain, weight the fishes, transporting by local special vehicles. Therefore, this will give a lot of opportunities for Vietnam photo shots.

There are more places of fish harbors like this. There is one close to the fishing village of Hoian. It is around 6km from Hoian Ancient Town. However, there are more boats and fish dealers and you will feel happy that you have been there.

Doing nothing

Exactly you sit down at some bistros or small cafe along the river, calling a beer, seeing people passing by among the background of the beautiful ancient town and great water front landscape. Think of nothing and do no plan. Just sip the beers and enjoy every second in the ambiance of the Ancient town of Hoian.

Some other experiences we also recommend you

• HOIAN FARMING DAY
• Hoian Pottery day

This town is always charming and we strongly recommend you to add Hoian Ancient Town into your Vietnam itinerary. More importantly, don’t miss the activities above in your customized tours in Hoian to fully enjoy this elegant destination.

We wish you a great stay at Hoian. If you have any question about Hoian Ancient Town please ask us.