How to spend one day in Hoi An Ancient Town?

Hoi An Ancient Town is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site.

I will not type so much about Hoi An, because you could search for it on any travel website. Today, I would like to introduce you to more places and things you should do on your trip.

How to spend one day in Da Nang city?

Thanh Ha Pottery Handcraft Village ( 1hour)

Ticket price: 35.000 VND (~1.5 USD)

Let’s keep your ticket and you will change it to a gift at a changing gift point inside the village. 

The village opens every day at 8. a.m. and takes its last visitors around 5:30.p.m., though they don’t officially close until 6. p.m. Weekdays are better, and to avoid the heat, mornings are best. The tour groups showed up later in the afternoon—around 3 pm—but even at its busiest, the village did not feel crowded. It’s easy to disappear into the homes of the artisans or to duck into another section of the museum’s two floors

You could experience how to make pottery with artisans. The lesson is free, instead, you should buy something from their shop like the thanks. Pieces start at 20,000 VND (0.86 USD). Most shops offer similar items—incense burners, ashtrays, tea sets, and more. 

The Thanh Ha Terracotta Park 

Terracotta Park and Museum, which is an additional 40,000 VND (1.70 USD)

From the outside, the Thanh Ha Terracotta Park looks like just another sculpture park, but it’s not. It’s a lilliputian display of the architectural wonders of the world. Take a spin among the terracotta sculptures and you’re bound to recognize a few. There’s the Taj Mahal, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Sydney Opera House. Even Lady Liberty makes an appearance. There are also those less familiar, like St Peter’s Square, Notre Dame de Paris, China’s Temple of Heaven, and more. See who can name the most without reading the plaques!

Part of this village’s charm is exploring a craft that is ancient and yet, interminable. These villagers tell their family histories through the art they create and the stories echo in the crumbling walls and rustic landscape. 

Boat

A private boat from the Old Town takes about half an hour, and it’s likely a lot cooler than some of the other modes of transport to the village. The boats leave at all times of the day from along the river in the Old Town then head downstream, giving visitors a unique view of Hoi An. Prices are negotiable, but we were quoted 500,000 VND (21.70 USD) for three people or 150,000 VND (6.50 USD) for one.

2. Kim Bong Carpentry Handcraft Village

If you have a sense of curiosity about making a handmade craft, becoming an “apprentice carpenter” would be the best remedy.

The locals and the experienced artisans are willing to teach and introduce to the tourists the rudimentary knowledge of carving. Dropping on the workshop, tourists not only observe the full steps to create a fully work-out product but also create their favorite ones by themselves

Tip:

+ Check the weather forecast to avoid traveling in the stormy and rainy season, which deter you from joining in outdoor activities

+ Dressing casually, because the village is considered the countryside with traditional habits and costumes. The village entrance is free of charge

+ The tour is suitable for a family trip, especially for children. They could widen their horizon about history as well as the valuable culture of Vietnam.

+ There are numerous means of transportation at a very reasonable price you could to travel there

3. Seven Mau Water Palm Forest

The ticket price to visit Hoi An coconut forest is 30,000 VND/person. From now to the end of 2022, you only pay for half. You can choose to rent a boat or a basket boat to go depending on your preferences or the number of people accordingly.

Since you come here, you will participate in sightseeing activities and outdoor experiences, so choosing a time with the fantastic weather of the year will help you have a more comfortable and perfect trip. The time from February to September every year is a reasonable time to go to the coconut forest in Hoi An because Hoi An has dry and cool weather. Notably, in June and July, the sun is quite hot, but the river water is clear, ideal for sightseeing, so the number of tourists coming here is quite crowded at this time!

4. Tra Que Vegetable Village

The scenic Tra Que village is ideal for photography enthusiasts, especially at sunrise and sunset. However, depending on the time of day, solo visitors may be limited to little interaction with small numbers of working farmers. Most tours start early in the morning because the village is busiest then. There’s not a lot of activity around midday due to the heat. In addition, the fact that most Vietnamese sleep for a couple of hours during this time. The best time to visit is at sunset. This way you can avoid the heat and the tour groups but still see some farming activity.

Consequently, the Tra Que vegetable village is home to around ten restaurants. Nearly all of them offer cooking classes. The experience of learning how to cook Vietnamese dishes is enhanced by the scenic environment.  Coupled with the use of the freshest ingredients from the organic garden. 

5. An Bang Beach

I think the best time to visit the beach is early in the morning when the sun is not too high or late afternoon/evening when the sun is setting. Depending of course on what you want to go to the beach for. In the morning it is much quieter, there are fewer tourists and it’s a place to unwind. Visit the beach in the morning and join a yoga class, watch the sunrise, go for a run or just start your day right.

Around 4 pm everyone flocks to An Bang after school and work. Visiting the beach during this time for people watching. Lay in a hammock, swim with the Vietnamese, and eat delicious food.

Continue into the night listening to live music, play foosball, drink cocktails, and (if you’re lucky) watch the locals sing karaoke on the sand.

6. Hoi An Ancient Town

there are a lot of places to visit in Old town. Really hard to tell all detail places in this post because long post. I could introduce it in the next post.

Ticket price: VND80,000/person (Vietnamese visitors); VND120,000/person (foreign visitors)

From now to the end of 2022, you only pay half of the ticket price.

1. All streets in the Ancient Town, artistic activities, folk games, night market.

2. 5 of the 21 sightseeing places:

Japanese Covered Bridge, Cam Pho Communal House, Minh Huong Communal House, House of Tuy Tien Duong, Quan Cong Temple.

Museums: History and Culture, Trade Ceramics, Sa Huynh Culture, Folk Culture.

Old houses: Quan Thang, Duc An, Phung Hung, Tran Family’s Chapel, Tan Ky.

Assembly Halls: Trieu Chau, Quang Dong, Phuc Kien.

Handicraft workshop and traditional art performance, XQ Hoi An.

Ancient tombs of Japanese traders: Mr. Gu Sokukun, Mr. Tani Yajirobei

7. My Son Ruins

Apart from religious features, the most captivating aspect of My Son Sanctuary is its unique Cham style of architecture, which was heavily influenced by the Indian style. The Cham towers were all built on quadrilateral foundations and each comprises three parts: 

A sturdy tower foundation: represents the mortal world;

The enigmatic and sacred tower body: represents the spirit world;

The tower top (shaped like a man offering flowers and fruits, or trees, birds, animals, and so on): represents things that are close to spirits and human beings.

Although there are not many relics left, those that still stand are the typical sculptural works of the Cham people’s cultural values. They are clear proof that confirms the history of an ethnic group that lives within the Vietnamese community and has a rich cultural tradition.

8. Hoi An memories show

Hoi An Memories is divided into five big stages, with the narrator being a female weaver transporting the audience back to Hoi An’s significant historical moments. 

The show itself is on a purpose-built island on the Thu Bon River. Carved from a massive triangle at the tip of the island and assembled to look like two opposing river banks in Hoi An. It is literally full of actors. “Extras” far off in the distance chat, perform chores or otherwise go about daily life in a way that makes it seem as if you were gazing into a window to Hoi An in the 17th century. 

The set also has merchant ships, huge moveable structures, and even a giant rolling elephant. Every scene makes use of different props, effects, and choreography to provide a feast for the eyes—appealing to all ages. The entire stage area has strips of light under the set that stretch in eight different directions. Throughout the performance, these lights illuminate to show the passage of time and the changing of the seasons. At the front of the set are two screens with subtitles in Vietnamese and English. Used only a dozen times during the performance, mostly to introduce a new scene. Above all, as the show transcends language barriers, they are non-essential as it is the imagery that does the talking.