Hoi An Travel Tips: 10 That Matter
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Hoi An is easy enough that most generic Vietnam etiquette advice, dress modestly at temples, use your right hand, learn a few phrases, still applies here. What’s missing from most of that advice is the town-specific stuff: which visa site is real, what that “Old Town ticket” actually buys you, and why September through November needs a different kind of planning. These 10 cover both.
1. Use evisa.gov.vn and nowhere else
Most nationalities need a Vietnam e-visa, and the only official site is evisa.gov.vn. It costs roughly $25-50 and takes about 3 working days for a 90-day visa. Copycat sites charge two or three times the fee for identical paperwork, so check the URL before you pay anything.
2. Check the 45-day visa-free list first
Travellers from the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, South Korea, and the Nordic countries may qualify for 45 days visa-free (verify current list; UK BN(O) passport holders are not covered). If you qualify, skip the e-visa entirely.
3. The Old Town “ticket” is 5 coupons, not an entry fee
Walking Hoi An’s streets is free. The roughly 120,000 VND booklet everyone mentions is 5 coupons for entry to about 20 heritage sites, checked at each door rather than a gate (verify current price).
4. Don’t trust the “24-hour bespoke suit” pitch
With around 400 tailor shops competing for your business, the fast same-day option is a template rush job, not true bespoke. Get 2-3 quotes, order one test item first, and pay only a modest deposit, around 20 percent, before committing to a full order.
5. Skip the airport taxi touts
Da Nang International Airport is the only gateway, about 30-45 minutes from Hoi An by Grab (roughly 250,000-400,000 VND) or the official taxi rank. Ignore anyone quoting 500,000-700,000 VND at arrivals.
6. Don’t drink the tap water
Standard advice, but worth repeating specifically for Hoi An: tap water isn’t potable, so stick to bottled or filtered water throughout the trip.
What should you actually plan for during Sep-Nov?
Genuine flooding, not just rain. In October 2025 the Thu Bon hit 5.62 metres, breaking the 1964 record, and around 40,000 tourists were relocated between hotels; a second flood that November put roughly 1.5 metres of water over Bach Dang Street. If you’re travelling Hoi An between September and November, compare refundable places to stay and check river levels before you commit to anything non-cancellable.
8. Bargain at markets, not in shops or restaurants
Haggling is expected at the Central Market, the Morning Market, and with street vendors, but not in fixed-price shops or sit-down restaurants, where quoted prices are the real prices.
9. Tip more here than elsewhere in Vietnam
Hoi An is Vietnam’s most tipping-forward town: spa staff typically expect 50,000-100,000 VND, restaurants 5-10 percent, and rounding up a taxi fare is normal.
Do you need a motorbike to get around Hoi An?
Not for the town itself. The Old Town core is pedestrianised for parts of the day, so walking, cycling, or an electric cart covers it. A motorbike (around 125,000 VND a day) is worth renting only if you’re headed to the beaches or outlying villages, and you’ll want an International Driving Permit plus proper insurance if you do.
For how these tips connect to a full trip, see the main Hoi An guide and things to do in Hoi An . If you’re deciding when to go given the flood risk above, see festivals and events in Hoi An for the lantern calendar that runs alongside it, or check a full plan in the 6-day itinerary .
For the visa portal and the two UNESCO sites mentioned above, the official sources are evisa.gov.vn , UNESCO’s listing for Hoi An Ancient Town , and UNESCO’s listing for My Son Sanctuary . Book a Da Nang airport transfer ahead of arrival to skip the tout-quote problem in tip 5 entirely.
Tips 1 and 7 are the two that actually cost people money or a ruined trip if ignored. The rest are just good sense.