Ultimate Family Travel Guide to Hoi An, Vietnam
Discover one week of kid-friendly activities in our ultimate family travel guide to Hoi An, Vietnam, an ancient town on the central coast filled with rich history that is more than just a hot spot for tourists looking to have custom-tailored clothing made in just a few days.
You’ll find a pedestrian-friendly downtown area filled with colorful fruit markets sitting on the canal, excellent food, and striking waterfront with traditional boats decorated with lanterns in every color.
Our family of five spent 7 nights exploring Hoi An in October 2022 and we want to share everything we did so you can enjoy your trip there as much as we did.
Vietnamese Spelling: Hội An
Is Hoi An, Vietnam good for families?
Yes! Hoi An, Vietnam is good for families! The locals of Hoi An are so kind and friendly towards families, especially children. One example occurred daily at our hotel. The hotel staff knew that we had 3 young children and went out of their way to bring them their favorite foods during breakfast (donuts!), just so they would be happy. Honestly, it was a blessing because we always had breakfast in a restaurant setting, and that can be treacherous with kids!
Another example is when I (mom) went to get fitted for custom clothing at Bao Diep Tailor, the staff let my daughter borrow the iPad and play so we could finish my fitting. They always offered water too.
How many days do you need in Hoi An?
You should spend a minimum of 5 days in Hoi An, especially if you are having clothes made. Hoi An is an ancient city and active tailor city on a river. Despite its activities, it still felt relaxed and the locals are so friendly.
We chose a hotel with complimentary bicycle rentals, so our family was able to bike the short distance in to downtown to explore that area daily or walk around the waterfront close to our hotel.
There are some lovely day excursions close that our friends chose to do, but we kept this trip simple.
Our family spent 7 days in Hoi An, and some days we did nothing except sit by the pool or in the hotel restaurant!
How to travel to Hoi An, Vietnam with a family
You can travel into Hoi An city by plane, car or bike, and then you can travel by car, bike or scooter within Hoi An.
If you’re traveling as a big group or family, then I would opt for the car since it offers seat belts. Also, since you pay a flat fee usually, you can have your private car pull over to a 7-11 or a street stall so you can pick up food if you’re hungry from your travels.
Plane
We flew into Da Nang Airport in the north, and took a private car down to Hoi An. The ride took about an hour and a half.
Car Service
Hiring a private driver from most places within the country is relatively easy to do online or using Grab.
Train and Bus
These methods are also available forms of transport, but our family didn’t look into them for our journey.
Book private transport from Da Nang regional airport to Hoi An
If you want peace of mind so that you have private, socially-distanced transport to your hotel in Hoi An when traveling from the Da Nang airport, then book private transportation. The trip will cost you about $6-7 per person. Booking an entire vehicle cost a little more.
You can rather easily find transport upon landing by many of the taxi drivers waiting. A word of caution is to make sure that they have a taxi sign posted and you negotiate your rates up front and/or that they use the meter if it isn’t a flat fee transport fee to your hotel.
How to travel within Hoi An, Vietnam with a family
Scooter
Traveling by scooter or motorbike is the number one choice when you are in this town. If you don’t have your own rented bike, you can download the Grab app (like Uber), and hire someone to drive you around on their motorbike quickly and affordably.
During normal hours, expect to wait no more than 5 minutes for a bike to arrive. These drivers usually carry a spare helmet for guest riders.
Bicycle
Fortunately, our hotel offered complimentary bicycles for hotel guests. Several of the bicycles had child seats on the rear grate, which was perfect for our family. We took them out whenever we wanted and found that the local traffic wasn’t all that scary while riding.
Unfortunately, there are no helmets available, nor did we find any place to rent them. In any case, it was hugely convenient to have access to free bicycles whenever we needed to get around the town.
It does seem like several hotels in this area offered some sort of bicycle rental or availability, because it was common to see bicycles and bicyclists on the street. Also, no bike locks are needed since bike theft seems to be non-existent here.
Private Car or Van
You can also hire a private car and driver for transport between cities like we did when we traveled from the airport to Hoi An.
Family-friendly things to do in Hoi An, Vietnam
Check out our favorite activities to do in Hoi An, Vietnam with a family. If you’re looking for a more extensive list of activities or want to schedule a tour ahead of your arrival, then check out these affordable family tours hosted by Viator.
Visit Ba Na Hill
Ba Na Hill was founded in the early 19th century by the French, and has since evolved to become a French-inspired chateau theme park. It’s tucked on the top of a mountain and you’ll get the feeling of being somewhere in the French Alps rather than in Vietnam.
The full-day tour lasts 9 hours and includes:
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off
- Ba Na Hill Station and Sesort
- Linh Ung Pagoda
- 30-meter tall Buddha statue
- French chateau and village
- Tinh Tam Garden
- Nghinh Phong Peak
- Vong Nguyet Hill
- Golden Bridge (suspended bridge supported by two stone hands)
Tour cost: 120 USD per person
Buy Custom Tailored Clothing
Bao Diep Tailor
At the recommendation of our hotel, I visited Bao Diep Tailor to have about 10 custom pieces of clothing made in Hoi An. My husband had a winter jacket made too. This family-owned business is managed by the eldest daughter and her brother and sister-in-law manage a custom leather goods (bags and belts) and leather shoes store two doors down.
As a tired mom of three, I was looking for functional “nice mom outfits” to help me look good but also be easy to grab-and-go on busy mornings. Bao Diep took my measurements and helped me pick out a range of fabrics that would help me meet my goals. The store is equipped with AC and a small bathroom, and water for guests.
After measurements, fabric selection, and payment are complete, they will schedule an appointment with you to return for the first of 2-3 fittings. Each fitting lasts about 15-30 minutes, depending on the number of pieces you have.
Price: $$
Address: Bao Diep Tailor, 28 Tran Hung Dao, Phuong, Phường Minh An, Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam
Buy Custom Leather Goods (Shoes, Belts, and Bags)
New Stars Shoe Shop
We shopped at New Stars Shoe Shop, also owned by the same family as Bao Diep Tailors. We went there to purchase a luxurious dark green suede bag, 4 pairs of shoes or boots, and two belts. The owners are really kind, and actually took my daughter and me by scooter to find a children’s clothing store nearby.
The shoes make the man, as the saying goes. It felt like a luxury to have shoes made to fit our feet in a friendly environment, and close to where our clothes were being measured. The store owner even delivered everything to our hotel for us.
Price: $$
Address: 34 Trần Hưng Đạo, Phường Minh An, Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam
Make a Foldable Lantern
This is a really cute option for bringing a small (foldable!) memory back from Hoi An to your home. It’s relatively affordable to at $11-12 USD per person.
You’ll be provided with everything you need to complete this project: a 30 cm lantern with three shapes to choose from. You’ll also get to drink Vietnamese tea while you work.
Try Egg Coffee
If you get the opportunity to try egg coffee, we recommend it. Basically, it’s a soft, sweet egg meringue poured over coffee or even hot chocolate. Both parents and kids really enjoyed this treat, so it’s something we approve as a family activity. Check out this video where we try it out!
We tried egg coffee at Bun Cha Ta, and I give their details in the Restaurant section.
Try Animal Poop Coffee
Vietnam grows a lot of coffee, and animals are out there eating those coffee cherries and then pooping them out! Conveniently, someone is paid to gather those “used” fruit and process them further into edible, roasted coffee beans that you can then buy along the “normal” beans. We visited one coffee and tea store that sold this poop coffee from weasels, macaque monkies, ferrets, birds, and probably more.
Take a Boat Tour
Hoi An sits on the waterfront, and there are a number of old and new tour boats available. One of the most charming things about the town is the number of many-color lanterns adorning buildings and boats. At night, when the lights are lit, it is such a beautiful place to experience both from water and walking along the streets.
Book a Massage
There are a number of massage parlors and spas in Hoi An that can be found. In Hoi An, the starting one-hour Vietnamese massage price is going to be $30 USD, though nicer establishments or add-on services will make that price go up. Though this activity is not necessarily kid-friendly, it is parent-friendly, and that is really important too!
I booked a massage at my hotel, The Odyssey, and you can get the details of that location below.
Visit the Hoi An Night Market
This night market runs every day of the week, except Sunday, so you don’t have a reason to miss it! You’ll find loads of street vendors selling many types of foods like authentic Vietnamese food and ice cold drinks. We love this option with kids because even the pickiest of eaters can find something to eat.
Hours: Monday-Saturday from 4pm to 10pm
Play Golf
If you love to golf, then take a day trip to Montgomerie Links Hotels and Villas to experience the greens and driving range here. Located between Hoi An and Da Nang, it’s a short drive to relax and enjoy the sunny weather. They also offer accommodations and dining options.
Good Vietnamese restaurants in Hoi An, Vietnam
There are a number of good authentic Vietnamese restaurants in Hoi An, Vietnam. I don’t think it’s possible to find “bad Vietnamese food” in Hoi An, because every place we’ve eaten at has been delicious. We just stumbled upon them through exploration. The restaurants we list here are a sampling of what the town has to offer, and this is our personal experience with them.
Good Morning Vietnam
This is not actual Vietnamese food, but it is really good Italian food that the Vietnamese do incredibly well!
In 1987, an American film came out with the same name. I’m not sure if it’s inspired by that movie, but the name was immediately recognizable to Americans (in a certain age bracket).
We dined in once and had the gnocchi, pizza, butternut squash ravioli, chocolate cake, tiramisu, and gelato. My husband picked up the tiramisu and simple spaghetti for the kids a few times too! Try the limoncello martini when you’re here!
Budget: $$
Address: 11 Lê Lợi, Phường Minh An, Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam
Delivery: Get their food delivered to your hotel using the Grab app.
Bun Cha Ta
We find this restaurant because we wanted to try egg coffee (read about that above). We were pleasantly surprised with the other food on the menu (house noodle special) and the kids loved the chocolate egg cream dessert. The staff were so sweet and gave us a tour. They let mom and dad sample the home-made banana alcohol they were infusing. They called it “happy wine” and it’s served at weddings. The tradition is to drink a lot of it so you get really happy!
Budget: $
Address: 197 Nguyen Duy Hieu Street – Hoi An Ancient Town
Hours: 8am to 10pm, every day
Hoa Champa Cafe
This cafe has an extensive selection of coffee and tea. We stopped in and tried the iced teas and cool mango smoothies. It is best known for its large selection of animal poop coffee beans!
They had a lovely selection of teas, including my personal favorite: butterfly pea tea. This tea turns a lovely purple color from blue when lemonade is added.
They must have had at least 5 varieties of this animal poop coffee bean:
- Luwak
- Ferret
- Weasel
- Squirrel
- Bird
- Macaque (monkey)
Price: $
Address: 43 Phan Chu Trinh, Phường Minh An, Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam
Quán Bánh Đập Số 9
This restaurant is just down the street from The Odyssey Hotel that we stayed out. Their noodle dish is fantastic! It’s made with these thick noodles and creamy brown sauce, grilled meat, and some sort of magical crispy thing on top.
Address: Cẩm Nam, Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam
Family accommodation in Hoi An, Vietnam
Hoi An Odyssey Hotel
The Hoi An Odyssey is a family-owned new construction hotel on a small island just outside the heart of historic Hoi An. We found the hotel staff to be very friendly and helpful, the amenities like the pool, bar, and breakfast to be better than described online, the spa services to be fantastic, and the access to downtown easy.
Amenities include bicycles for guests, pool, bar, restaurant, and spa (indoor and outdoor options available). A full list of amenities can be found here. The rooms and resort were very clean and well-appointed.
My husband picked this hotel for us in the Chase Sapphire Rewards portal. We enjoy staying at hotels that offer family accommodations with a minimum amenities such as wifi (internet), air conditioning, and a pool since it makes our travel happier with kids. For days that we don’t leave the resort, the pool is a wonderful amenity to have on hand in sunny and warm Vietnam.
Our first night we stayed in a double room with private balcony and water views. This cost us about $55/night* in this new construction hotel. The price included breakfast. We also stayed one nice in a family room with loft. This room was very nice too, and cost about $70/night. Both rooms overlooked the hotel pool and toward the river.
Book a stay here
Address: 40 Luong Nhu Bich, Xuyen Trung , Cam Nam ward, Hoi An city, Quang Nam province, Vietnam
Tel: +84 235 3 911 818
Mobile: +84 (0)93 531 6168
Email: sales@hoianodysseyhotel.com
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the weather like in Hoi An, Vietnam in October?
We traveled to Hoi An in October. The weather was warm (average of 24 degrees celsius) with moderate humidity, and no to limited rain showers. No thunderstorms.
Which month is best to visit Hoi An?
In post-pandemic Hoi An, we found there were not many tourists in the low to mid-season. Therefore, we were not fighting big crowds or feeling pressure from shopkeepers to buy. We felt very relaxed during our family trip.
The weather was warm (22-25 celsius) and no rain. We spent 7 nights exploring Hoi An with our family of five in October 2022.
Conclusion
Our large family spent a lovely week in Hoi An. We experienced having custom-tailored clothing made, fantastic Chinese, Vietnamese, and French cuisine, pedestrian-friendly streets, and friendly locals.
Have you been to Hoi An with your family? Tell us what your favorite things to do were in the comments.
If you liked this trip, then you’ll love to read our other trips in Southeast Asia here:
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