Hoi An Attractions

Central Market

By the river on the southeast side of the city, Hoi Ann's Central Market is one of the most fascinating in the country. While prices here can be bettered elsewhere, the scene can't, with endless stalls of exotic foodstuffs and services, and a special big shed for silk tailoring at the east end. This market is best early in the morning when the activity is quite startling.

A tip: do not buy until you have checked out all the prices as they tend to drop the further into the market you wander.

Cham Museum

The Cham Museum is 15 minutes from the Marble Mountains. After the My Son ancient tower complex was discovered, many of its artefacts, especially statues of female dancers and genies worshipped by the Cham people were collected and displayed at the Cham Architecture Museum in Danang city.

Although there are not many remnants left, those that remain display the typical sculptural works of cultural value of the Cham nationality.

China Beach and Cua Dai Beach

If you find China Beach looks somewhat familiar, you'd be forgiven – it was the beach featured in Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 'Apocalypse Now'.

These beaches are between Hoi An and Da Nang and according to some China Beach has 'the best backpacking hostel in Central Vietnam' – Hoa's place. The party scene here is vibrant, yet tranquil enough not to ruin the place and the surfing good.

Japanese Covered Bridge

The name of this bridge in Vietnamese, Lai Vien Kieu, means 'Pagoda in Japan'.

No one is exactly sure who first built it in the early 1600s (it has since been renovated several times), but it is usually attributed to Hoi An's Japanese community.

The dog flanking one end and the monkey at the other are considered to be sacred animals to the ancient Japanese. West end of Tran Phu Street

Marble Mountains

25km north of Hoi An, the Marble Mountains comprise five majestic granite peaks. At the beginning of the 19th century, King Gia Long while passing through this region named the mountains after metal, wood, water, fire and earth.

There are many beautiful caves in the 'Water' mountain and if you climb the 157 stone steps to get to the pagoda you will be rewarded by an impressive panorama.

Museum of Trade Ceramics

Located in a traditional house, this museum describes the origins of Hoi An and displays its most prominent trade item in a much clearer format that other historical sites in the town.

Even the architectural renovations are clearly explained (in English) and exhibits are not just limited to Vietnamese objects – Chinese and Thai artefacts are also on display.

Riverside Museum of History and Culture

This building looks its age but on reflection is not doing too badly when one considers it was built in 1653! It houses ancient ceramics, photos of local architecture and artefacts that span 2,000 years of history.

If you look hard enough you will find a few English-language explanations of exhibits.

The House of Hoi Traditional Handicrafts

The House of Hoi is a silk shop with a first-floor 17th-century silk loom and a working, machine-powered cotton one. Upstairs, there are trays of silkworms feeding, then a rack of worms incubating, and then a tub of hot water where the pupae's downy covering is rinsed off and then pulled, strand by strand, onto a large skein.

They have a great selection of silks, both fine and raw, in many colours and quantities good for clothing and for home interiors.