Hoi An is a charming ancient town located in central Vietnam, known for its well-preserved architecture, lantern-lit streets, and rich cultural heritage. While the town is known for its cultural landmarks and daytime activities, it also offers a vibrant nightlife in Hoi An scene that's worth exploring.
I - Nightlife in Hoi An Ancient Town
There are some fascinating activities that you can choose to fully enjoy the atmosphere in Hoi An ancient town at night:
1 - Nguyen Hoang Night Market
Nguyen Hoang night market is a popular attraction in Hoi An at night - Source: VnExpress
Nguyen Hoang market is 300m2 wide with 50 stalls, selling a variety of items from clothes, bags, and souvenirs to dishes with typical flavor of Hoi An. This is a good chance for you to immerse in the busy market, go shopping like locals and buy some Vietnamese souvenirs such as Thanh Ha pottery, lanterns, and silk.
There are some signature Hoi An delicacies which can be named such as lotus seed sweet soup, freshwater clam with rice cracker, Quang noodles, Vietnamese pizza (banh trang nuong), Cao Lau,… The difference between the Nguyen Hoang night market and the ones in other cities in Vietnam is colorful lanterns of all sizes hung along streets. If you are lucky, you can enjoy Vietnamese folk art which is “Hat Bai Choi” or view the Hoai river full of floating flower lights at night.
- Location: Nguyen Hoang street, Minh An ward, Hoi An
- Opening hours: 5pm – 11pm daily
2 - Lantern Festival - the best nightlife in Hoi An
The Hoi An Lantern Festival takes place from 6pm – 10pm on 14th and 15th every lunar month. This is the occasion when Hoi An puts on a new shirt with brilliant and fanciful colors. You can experience the picturesque ancient space along Hoai river’s banks from An Hoi bridge to the Japanese Covered bridge. On the occasion of the Mid-Autumn festival, the Lantern Festival becomes much more exciting with different activities such as street martial arts, Mid-Autumn tray display, lion dance, lantern arts, folk games, street performances...
When joining the Lantern Festival, you should try one of the most interesting things to do in Hoi An at night, which is floating the colorful flower lanterns on the Hoai river. The locals believe that each flower lantern grants your wishes and it makes your dream come true. People sell this lantern a lot with a price from VND 5,000 – 10,000/item ($0.21 – 0.43).
If you do not want to stand on the river’s banks to float flower lanterns, you can try another more interesting way which is hiring a boat and sailing to the middle of the river so that you can both drop the lights and watch the sparkling scenery of Hoai river’s banks.
You need to pay VND 30,000 – 50,000/a boat/2-4 people ($1.3 – 2) for a 30-minute Hoi An night boat ride. You can easily find boat service along Hoai river from Japanese Covered bridge to Hoi An bridge.
Note: you can experience boating activity at any time of the month but you only can combine boating and lantern floating on 1st, 14th and 15th of the lunar months.
3 - Bars and Clubs in Hoi An Ancient Town
If you love the vibrant, youthful life and enjoy exciting music, you can check one of the following bars and clubs in the center of Hoi An city:
Guitar Hawaii Hoi An Live Music Bar
Guitar Hawaii Hoi An Live Music Bar - Source: Lodyhelp
Music played here originates from many countries. You can join the band immediately if you know how to play a musical instrument because the atmosphere is very friendly, open and the staffs are enthusiastic and attentive. The bar serves a lot of drinks such as beer, juice, tea, coffee, wine, dairy drinks, or cocktails.
- Location: 80 Luong Nhu Bich Street, Cam Nam Ward, Hoi An
- Opening hours: 8pm – 11pm
- Price: VND 20,000 – 105,000/drink ($0.86 – 4.52)
Fender Bar Hoi An - the best nightlife in Hoi An Vietnam
At Fender, you can enjoy the pre-war music of Vietnam, gentle ballads, or exciting dances performed by local singers or by visitors. Especially Mr. Tam – the owner – has a strong passion for Rock, he is willing to do impressive performances. The bar is quite small but the drinks are perfect.
- Location: 15 Thoai Ngoc Hau Street, Minh An Ward, Hoi An
- Opening hours: 6pm – 4am
- Price: VND 30,000 – 150,000/drink ($0.12 – 6.46)
Hoang Long club
The music space here is extremely exciting with the presence of hot dancers. This club is also a familiar destination of the local young and is a nice place to enjoy the unique moment of Hoi An by night.
- Location: 328 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Minh An Ward, Hoi An
- Opening hours: 8pm – 2am
- Price: VND 50,000 – 500,000/drink or a combo ($2.15 – 21.55)
- Phone number: +84 510 395 09 50
4 - Enjoying show “Hoi An Memories”
This is a significant Vietnamese culture artwork, recreating “Hoi An Impression” right in the campus of the theme park. In the park, there are architectural subdivisions which are researched and recreated the look of Hoi An in old time such as the city gate, the commercial area, Vietnamese village, countryside cuisine, Thien Duc spiritual area, central square, Japanese village, and Chinese village so that you can go through the old time of the ancient town. This is considered as one of the best nightlife in Hoi An.
In addition, you can also enjoy other unique art performances such as: Ba Chua Tam Tang (Tam Tang Queen), Princess Ngoc Hoa’s Wedding, Hoi An World and Ruoc Nuoc Mini show. “Hoi An Memories” show has become one of the city's top cultural activities to attract many tourists visiting this ancient town.
- Schedule: from Friday to Sunday weekly (detail performing schedules are posted on the website: hoianimpression.vn)
- Ticket: VND 400,000 – 1,000,000/person ($17.24 – 43.1)
- Location: Hoi An Impression theme park – Con Hen; Pick-up at boat station number 59, Tran Quang Khai Street, Cam Chau Ward, Hoi An.
5 - Hoi An Old Town food tour by night
When the sun comes down, it is time to explore the distinctive culinary culture of Hoi An. Quang noodles, hot coffee, or chilly cups of lotus tea are the most ideal options. Some recommended restaurants specializing in local dishes that you should try:
Bep Nhan
Bep Nhan's food - Source: Dragne Marius
Bep Nhan is a modest restaurant designed in Hoi An style with typical yellow old walls which is decorated with a lot of lanterns and a straight view of the Hoai river. In addition to local dishes such as spring roll, salad, grilled fish, corn sticky rice, you can also enjoy European dishes such as pizza, pasta, hamburger, french fries,...
- Location: 167 Tran Nhan Tong Street, Cam Chau Ward, Hoi An.
- Opening hours: 00pm – 9:30pm
Banh Mi Phuong
Enjoying a crunchy “Banh Mi” is one of the best things to do in Hoi An at night. This restaurant is quite simple and narrow, but it’s always crowded with guests coming in and out. The menu is very diverse with different options of Vietnamese sandwiches such as pork, chicken, Vietnamese sausage, ham or mung bean sandwiches; and you can choose different kinds of tea for drinks such as lime tea, kumquat tea, and pandan tea.
- Location: 2B, Phan Chau Trinh Street, Cam Chau Ward, Hoi An
- Opening hours: 6:30am – 9:30pm
- Price: VND 20,000 – 30,000/1 loaf ($0.86 – 1.29)
Note: there is no parking area here
Street food vendors along Hoai river’s banks - must-visit spots in a Hoi An nightlife tour
Along Hoai river’s banks are modest vendors with plastic chairs and tables serving plenty of tasty street food such as Vietnamese pizza (banh trang nuong), Cao Lau, fruits, ice cream, and Quang noodles,...
- Location: along Hoai river’s banks
- Opening hours: 6pm – 11pm
- Price: VND 10,000 – 50,000/dish ($0.43 – 2.15)
Tam Tam Café
The café strongly impresses guests with its antiquity. The cafe’s walls are painted with yellow color and decorated with lanterns; furniture is made from wood together with yellow lights, all of which make the café cozier and more ancient. Here, you can find popular drinks and dishes such as Vietnamese coffee, bread, Cao lau, Quang noodles,... Tam Tam Café is really one of the best nightlife in Hoi An Vietnam.
- Location: 110 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street or 121 Tran Phu Street, Hoi An
- Opening hours: 8am – 10pm
- Price: VND 40,000 – 330,000 ($1.72 – 14.22)
Q Bar
The bar is a harmonious combination of the Hoi An ancient space with lovely little lanterns, wooden window frames, significant yellow walls, a modern colorful lighting system, luxurious leather furniture, and a lively sound system. It can bring you a youthful and vibrant space. Q Bar serves many types of drinks: wine, liquor, cocktail, Vietnamese beer,...; some snacks like yakitori, gyoza, tempuras,...
- Location: 94 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hoi An
- Opening hours: 8am – 10pm
- Price: VND 70,000 – 235,000/dish ($3.01 – 10.12)
Mot Hoi An
So what to do in Hoi An at night? You can also come to Mot Hoi An for a unique drink. Despite not being a luxury café, Mot Hoi An still attracts a lot of tourists by serving a unique drink. This café is famous for being environmentally friendly when using paper cups and bamboo straws. Mot Hoi An is decorated with lanterns, double beams, and small bonsai. Herb drinks are typical dishes that make up the café’s brand. You can also order other dishes like Cao lau, Pho, Banh mi, grilled pork rice noodles, Hoi An chicken rice,...
- Location: 150 Tran Phu Street, Hoi An
- Opening hours: 9am – 10pm
- Price: VND 12,000 – 30,000/dish ($0.51 – 1.29)
II - Nightlife in Hoi An on the beaches
Tourists visiting Hoi An can not only enjoy activities inside the city but also experience Hoi An marine life at night with attractive activities such as coastal bar, night squid fishing, camping, and a campfire.
1 - Night activities on An Bang beach
An Bang is one of the wildest and most beautiful beaches in Hoi An, it still remains the original peaceful beauty. When the sun comes down, having a coastal dinner should be the most suitable choice. There are some restaurants recommended:
Soul Beach Restaurant and Bar Live Music
The restaurant is located right on the beach with a native style design with bamboo furniture and a characteristic leaf roof. You can enjoy dinner while listening to music performed by international and local artists. The restaurant serves a variety of Western dishes, Asian, Vietnamese and seafood dishes.
Experience Hoi An nightlife in An Bang beach - Source: Andreas Brücker
- Location: An Bang beach, Cam An Ward, Hoi An.
- Opening hours: 7:30am – 11pm
- Price: VND 120,000 – 1,650,000 ($5.17 – 71.12)
Dinner at The Deck House
This restaurant has a romantic outside area and is decorated with blue and white colors that can make your dinner more peaceful and romantic than ever. You should come early to enjoy both a delicious dinner and a picturesque sunset. The food is very great and suitable for most of the guests. Vietnamese dishes, seafood, Western dishes, and tasty drinks are served here.
- Location: An Bang beach, Hoi An
- Opening hours: 6:30am – 10:30pm
- Price: VND 50,000 – 150,000/dish ($2.15 – 6.46)
Shore Club An Bang
Shore Club An Bang is an ideal restaurant in Hoi An at night. This is a romantic coastal restaurant with distinctive dark blue tones. From the restaurant view, you can both admire sea sight and enjoy the dinner. The restaurant’s design is characterized by wooden furniture and palm roofs. There are many beautiful corners for taking photos and a small pool for relaxation. The menu is very attractive and the highlights are seafood and Vietnamese dishes.
- Location: An Bang beach, Cam An Ward, Hoi An
- Opening hours: 7am – 11pm
- Price: VND 350,000 – 1,150,000/dish ($15.08 – 49.56)
2 - Nightlife in Hoi An on Cua Dai Beach
If you love the vibrant, youthful, and crowded activities, you can choose to experience the nightlife on Cua Dai Beach
Cay Gio Restaurant
Cay Gio restaurant - Source: Milosz_M
This is a modest restaurant on Cua Dai beach, where you can enjoy both fresh seafood and romantic scenery. Many guests who used to have meals here commented: beautiful sight, tasty food, and reasonable price,... on Tripadvisor.
- Location: Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An
- Opening hours: 8am – 10pm
- Price: VND 70,000 – 200,000/dish ($3.01 – 8.62)
Hai Long Seafood Restaurant and Bar
The restaurant is located right on Cua Dai Beach with many huts, which offers a sense of privacy. You can enjoy the sea at night and enjoy fresh seafood as well as unique drinks at an affordable price.
- Location: 8 Lac Long Quan Street, Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An
- Price: VND 50,000 – 250,000 ($2.15 – 10.77)
Night fishing
Night fishing is one of the best things to do in Hoi An at night. You need to move to the suitable waters for squid fishing by boat. Then, you can enjoy the result with grilled seafood and porridge. With ages of seafaring experience, boat owners who are locals can accurately identify the areas which are rich in squid and fish.
- Price: VND 500,000/person ($21.55)
- Departure time: 5pm and ends at 11:30pm
- Booking contact: +84 988 171 303
- Responsible company: Cua Dai Cu Lao Cham Marine Fishing Service Company
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Trung0988171303/
In addition to its quiet, ancient, and mossy appearance, Hoi An still surprises tourists with a youthful and exciting impression with attractive nightlife activities. Hopefully, with the information that we have just pointed out, you can have a better understanding of the nightlife in Hoi An Vietnam.
— Quan Nguyen
