Hoi An is one of the cheaper stops on the Vietnamese coast and one of the easiest to overspend in, because the old town is built around tailoring, lanterns and restaurants with English menus. The budget version is straightforward once you know which side of the river to sleep on. Travellers who find Hoi An flight deals on Traveloka from Singapore will find the flight is most of the cost.
Stay out of the old town
Accommodation inside the heritage zone carries a premium for the address. The guesthouses and hostels in An Hoi, Cam Chau and out towards An Bang beach cost a fraction of it and are ten to fifteen minutes away by bicycle, which most places lend free. Family-run homestays in the lanes are the best value in town.
The ticket system, used sparingly
A single old-town ticket admits you to five heritage sites from a list of about twenty. You do not need a ticket to walk the streets, cross the Japanese bridge on foot at some hours, or eat anywhere. Buy one ticket, choose carefully, and spend the rest of the time walking, which is free and the better experience.
Eating for very little
Cao lau, the thick noodle dish made only here with water from a specific well, mi quang and banh mi are all street food costing a dollar or two. The central market’s food court is cheaper than any restaurant and better than most. Avoid the riverside places with laminated menus and touts outside.
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Bicycles beat everything
The town is flat, the beach is four kilometres away, and the rice paddies in between are the nicest part. Most accommodation includes a bicycle; where it does not, hire costs almost nothing per day. Motorbike rental is more than you need unless you are heading to My Son or over the pass to Da Nang.
An Bang and Cua Dai beaches
Both are free to access, with loungers available if you buy a drink from a shack. An Bang is the better of the two and has a genuine budget-traveller scene along the access lane. Cua Dai has suffered serious erosion and is partly sandbagged, which is worth knowing before cycling out to it.
Tailoring, if you must
Hoi An’s tailors are the main way a budget disappears here. Prices are negotiable, quality varies enormously, and a rushed overnight job is usually a bad one. If you want something made, allow two fittings, agree the fabric and the price in writing, and expect to pay more than the first quote suggests for anything decent.
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Da Nang airport is forty-five minutes north with direct regional flights, and a shared shuttle costs far less than a private car. February to May is the dry window; October and November bring flooding that reaches the old town streets. Traveloka offers the lowest flight prices in the region for the Da Nang connections.
Sleep in An Hoi or near An Bang, buy one heritage ticket, eat in the market, and borrow a bicycle. Hoi An on a budget is one of the better weeks in Vietnam.
