Hoi An

A UNESCO-listed grid of 15th-century merchant houses, Japanese covered bridges, and Assembly Halls where Chinese clan families still hold ceremonies.

A 400-year-old lacquered wooden bridge built by Japanese traders, adorned with monkey and dog statues marking the years of its construction.

A remarkably intact 200-year-old merchant townhouse that layers Japanese roof joinery, Chinese carved balustrades, and Vietnamese tile work in a single narrow corridor.

A cluster of 4th–14th century Cham Hindu temple towers set in a jungle valley, some still bearing intricate sandstone carvings of Shiva despite wartime bomb damage.

A bare-bones local canteen tucked into the Ancient Town that serves the definitive bowl of cao lau — thick rice noodles with char-grilled pork and crispy wonton skins made from water drawn from the Cham Ba Le well.

A narrow shophouse coffee spot that roasts its own single-origin Central Highland beans on-site, filling the alley with the smell of dark caramel and smoke.

A quiet residential island a short walk over the river from the Ancient Town where fishing boats are repaired on muddy banks and local women sell fresh rice paper rolls from roadside carts.

A two-storey wooden house holding an overlooked collection of fishing nets, ceremonial costumes, and farming tools that map the daily rhythms of Hoi An life before tourism.

A social-enterprise dining room staffed by local youth in hospitality training, plating refined Central Vietnamese dishes such as white rose dumplings and turmeric fish in banana leaf.

A candle-lit courtyard restaurant from chef Duc Tran that reimagines Quang Nam provincial ingredients — river clams, morning glory, jackfruit — through a contemporary tasting-menu format.

A river-facing multi-storey restaurant renowned for its French-Vietnamese fusion menu and a patisserie counter stacked with crème brûlée tarts and baguette bánh mì.

An elegantly lit garden restaurant on the waterfront serving modern Vietnamese dishes like grilled prawn with lemongrass foam and slow-cooked duck in tamarind glaze.

A laid-back, low-lit hole-in-the-wall on Nguyen Thai Hoc Street that pours cheap Huda beer and hosts impromptu jam sessions most nights.

A slick riverfront bar mixing strong classic cocktails with views of lantern-lit boats drifting past on the Thu Bon.

A wood-panelled bar with a broad selection of Vietnamese craft beers and a back terrace shaded by bougainvillea, drawing a loyal mix of expats and long-stay travellers.

Housed inside a restored French colonial building, this two-floor bar serves well-made gin and tonics beneath slow ceiling fans and exposed timber rafters.

A beach-shack-style venue at An Bang Beach with live acoustic sets at dusk that shift into louder dance music as bonfires are lit along the sand.

A late-opening cocktail bar on Nguyen Phuc Chu Street with a resident DJ, neon-lit interior, and a menu of lychee and Vietnamese herb-infused long drinks.

Perched atop a boutique hotel near the Ancient Town, this open-air terrace draws a sunset crowd that stays for the DJ-spun downtempo sets and river-breeze cocktail hours.

A rooftop bar and open-air club above the Victoria Hoi An resort that plays DJ sets against a panorama of rice paddies and the Thu Bon estuary.