Hoi An’s nightlife is always bustling and colourful with floating lanterns, dreamy lights from vintage bars and restaurants and its friendly people. It is an experience that you don’t want to miss.
1. Set lanterns to float in Hoai River.
On the 14th day of every lunar month, during the night, all the street lights are turned off and the whole town sparkles with colourful lanterns in all kinds of shapes. This is also the time for a monthly festive event, joined by many locals from surrounding areas. For only 10.000 VND, you can buy 4 candle lanterns which bring along your wishes and dreams to set adrift on a rented boat (with a local fisherman) for only 20.000 VND per person, he will take you to your desired spot on Thu Bon river. Come and enjoy such a solemn and romantic night at Hoi An town.
2, Bars and Restaurants
Tam Tam Café
The thing people like most about Tam Tam is the friendly and cosy feel to the style which is very Hoian-ish with a lot of red and yellow lantern and mandarin characters here and there. This is a good place to get a view on the river banks and the old streets. Tam Tam is for people who like to have a quiet and lovely time in the town.
Address: 2nd Floor, 110 Nguyen Thai Hoc
Opening Hours: 20:00-02:00
Tel: +84 510 862 2212
Before and Now Bar
Situated in the heart of Hoi An, Before and Now is one of the rare crowded places of the town, a boozy hangout with a wide western menu and drinks. The music and decoration are pretty on point.
Address: 51 Le Loi Street, Hoi An, Vietnam
Price range: $2 – $12
Dining options: Breakfast/Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
Mango Mango Restaurant & Café
Located right next to the Bridge Pagoda, Mango Mango is not only famous for the best view of the pagoda at night but also for the food it offers. Claimed to have best Vietnamese-fusion cuisine, Chef Duc Tran puts some nice and amazing combinations and experimentation with a friendly and funky feel. The restaurant’s decoration is bright, noble yet simple and airy.
Address: 49 Nguyen Phuc Chu
Opening Hours: 08:00-24:00
Tel: +84 510 391 1863
Restaurant Café 96
The quaint small place is where you can find true Vietnamese home-made dishes owned by a local family. One of those fascinating charms of café 96 is that the place looks…real. There are even marks of flood peaks on the eroding concrete wall, some shipwrecked decors and other impressive stuff. About the food, it’s not only amazingly delicious but also very cheap.
Address: 96 Bach Dang Town Centre
Phone: 0510 910 441
Dining options: Breakfast/Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
Treats Same Same Café
A modest cafe with a nice, simple style and a decent list of drinks. Like many other cafe in Hoi An, Treats emphasizes on the rustic, ancient building style. The atmosphere is romantic with lights dim and river views.
Address: 158 Tran Phu St., Minh An Ward, Hoi An, Quang Nam
Phone: +84-510-3861125
White Marble Wine Bar
Considered the first of its kind, White Marble (Da Trang) is the place you can enjoy your night in Hoi An. With its impressive collection of exquisite wines, spirits, and cocktails, White Marble won’t disappoint. Especially this bar can offer you a view to the bustling streets and Thu Bon river
Address: 98 Le Loi Street, Hoi An
Tel: +84 510 391 1862
Opening hours: 7:00 – 23:00
3, Night Market
Located next to Hoai river, on the Nguyen Hoang street, the night market of Hoi An town opens from 17:00 to 23:00 every day. With 50 stalls of all kinds of products, the market is a perfect place to spend your night time in Hoi An. Here you can find handicraft souvenirs made by the craftsmen of the villages around the town such as Thanh Ha pottery village, Kim Bong carpentry village…. The most outstanding has to be silk lanterns which are traditional handicraft products of Hoi An people. In general, the prices are cheap and you probably can find one or two cute little things to give your loved ones as gifts. These are not the only things you can get, a night market is not a true night market without food. You will find the best food of Hoi An here: fresh beer, Cao Lau, MiQuang, HoanhThanh and all kinds of desserts. Choose any spot along the riverside or near the Bridge Pagoda to enjoy the taste and the view.
4. Night Boat tours and dining.
Hoi An’s Hoai River shines best at night when it is illuminated with hundreds of street lights and beautiful lanterns. As a service for roughly 20.000 VND per person, a local will take you on his boat on a route around Hoai River so you can enjoy Hoi An’s night glamorous by yourself. Even more, you and your family can rent a big boat to feast on freshly-made seafood dishes while cruising on Hoai River. The dreamy scenery of Hoai River’s light reflections accompanied by a generous host and surrounded by your love ones can truly make up for a dinner. Boat night and dinner tours for customers are rather exclusive for foreign tourists, you can find a variety of tour company information and book on your homestay, hotels (make sure to book before 4 PM). The standard activities which these tours offered are a 5-food-course with live background music, some have light meals/cocktail as a pre-dessert and all of them always have a candle lantern for each customer so they can set it onto the river.
5. Hoi An Impression Theme Park.
Located in a small island down the Thu Bon River, the park itself should take you 20 minutes walking from the Old Quarter. The theme park is dedicated to historic/poetic music concerts held on stages and on water, with the combination of beautiful props and over 100 performers in Vietnam traditional Ao Dai uniform. Even though it is rather a more expensive experience than most of the activities on our list (approximately 600.000 VND for a ticket), the weekly shows are one of Hoi An new tourism features that you should at least give a try once since the shows convey a lot of Hoi An and Vietnam’s cultural perspectives e.g. music, river-lifestyle.
Fiona