Ancient Town Walking Guide

Distance: 800 meters

Tran Phu is the main artery of the Ancient Town and the street where the highest concentration of heritage sites lives. Starting from the Japanese Covered Bridge at the western end, the street runs east through the core of the old trading quarter. Along this single street you will pass the Fujian Assembly Hall (the most ornate of Hoi An's Chinese congregation halls, dedicated to Thien Hau, the goddess of the sea), the Cantonese Assembly Hall, the Museum of Trade Ceramics housed in a beautifully restored traditional house, and numerous preserved merchant homes. The architecture shifts between Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, and French colonial influences — sometimes within a single building. The best time to walk Tran Phu is early morning (7-8 AM) when the street is quiet, the light is soft, and shopkeepers are just opening their wooden shutters. By mid-morning the tour groups arrive, and by afternoon the street can feel crowded.

Distance: 600 meters

Running parallel to Tran Phu one block south, Nguyen Thai Hoc is the Ancient Town's quieter, more artisan-focused street. This is where you will find Hoi An's best tailor shops, art galleries, silk stores, and craft workshops. The street has several important heritage sites including the Tan Ky Old House — a perfectly preserved 200-year-old merchant home that shows how Hoi An's trading families lived, with Japanese-style roof beams, Chinese poetry inlaid into the wooden columns, and a courtyard design that floods with light. The Hoi An Handicraft Workshop at 9 Nguyen Thai Hoc demonstrates traditional lantern-making, silk weaving, and pottery. Walk slowly here — the narrow alley connections between Nguyen Thai Hoc and Tran Phu are some of the most photogenic passages in Hoi An, with hanging lanterns creating tunnels of color overhead.

Distance: 500 meters

Bach Dang Street runs along the northern bank of the Thu Bon River, and the riverside promenade here is Hoi An's most atmospheric walk — especially at sunset and after dark. During the day, the wide walkway offers views across the river to the An Hoi peninsula with its colorful boats and the green backdrop of Cam Nam Island. As evening falls, the entire riverside transforms: lantern sellers appear with their baskets of silk lanterns, boat operators offer lantern-lit river cruises, and the reflections of thousands of colored lights shimmer on the water. The small boats carrying candle-lit paper lanterns create a scene that looks like a painting. At the eastern end of Bach Dang, the market area comes alive with food stalls and vendors. This is the walk you will remember long after you leave Hoi An.

Distance: 1 km (loop)

For the most authentic Hoi An experience, start your day with a loop through the Central Market and surrounding streets before 8 AM. Begin at the Central Market on the riverfront where local vendors sell fresh vegetables, seafood, meats, flowers, and spices in a buzzing, colorful atmosphere that has barely changed in decades. The market's food stalls serve the best breakfast in Hoi An — steaming bowls of cao lau, mi quang, and banh mi from vendors who have been perfecting their recipes for generations. From the market, walk west along the river past the fishing boats and flower sellers, then loop back through the quiet residential lanes where you will see daily life unfold — incense burning at family altars, elderly residents practicing tai chi, and children heading to school.

Distance: 1.5 km (meandering)

Hoi An at night is a different world, and this evening walk captures the magic. Start around 5:30 PM on Nguyen Thai Hoc as the silk lanterns begin to glow and the shopfronts turn golden. Walk through the connecting alleys — these narrow passages become tunnels of colored light as hundreds of silk lanterns illuminate overhead. Emerge onto Tran Phu and walk to the Japanese Covered Bridge, which is dramatically lit at night. Continue to Bach Dang riverside where the full spectacle unfolds — floating lanterns on the river, boat rides, and the reflection of the entire illuminated Ancient Town on the water. Cross the An Hoi Bridge to the night market on Nguyen Hoang Street for street food, lantern shopping, and views back across to the old town. The Full Moon Lantern Festival (14th of each lunar month) amplifies everything — electricity is turned off in parts of the Ancient Town, and the streets are lit entirely by lanterns and candles.