Hoi An

Hoi An's Ancient Town is at its most magical after dark, when thousands of colourful silk lanterns illuminate the riverside streets — particularly striking during the monthly Lantern Festival, held on the full moon, when the town switches off electric lighting entirely.

A striking cluster of Hindu temple ruins built by the Cham people between the 7th and 13th centuries, set within a lush jungle valley outside town. A sunset visit is often recommended for fewer crowds and better light.

A half-day cooking class, typically starting with a local market visit to source ingredients, is one of the most rewarding ways to properly engage with central Vietnamese cuisine — genuinely different from the food further north or south.

A playful, slightly surreal experience — being spun and paddled through a coconut palm forest in a traditional round basket boat, often with a fisherman demonstrating traditional net-casting along the way.

A short boat trip from Hoi An, the Cham Islands offer genuinely good snorkelling and a quieter, less-developed alternative to a full beach day in town.

Widely considered Hoi An's — and one of Vietnam's — very best resorts, an entirely villa-based property set along a stretch of pristine beach, each villa with its own pool. Home to genuinely excellent dining and a real sense of scale and privacy.

A newer, large-scale beachfront resort just outside Hoi An proper, Hoiana pairs spacious rooms with an extensive range of on-site dining and entertainment, a strong choice for anyone wanting more resort infrastructure alongside beach time.

Set on the banks of the Thu Bon River within walking distance of the Ancient Town, Anantara offers a genuinely central, riverside alternative to the beachfront resorts further out — colonial-style architecture and easy access to Hoi An's lantern-lit streets on foot.