Hoi An: The Asian Gem for Travelers Who Love Spain’s Walkable Old Towns

💰 Click here to see Vietnam Budget Breakdown

💰 Prices updated: June, 2026. Budget figures are estimates — always verify before travel.

Exchange Rate: $1 USD = ₫26,360.00

Daily Budget (per person)

Shoestring: ₫527,200 – ₫1,186,200 ($20.00 – $45.00)

Mid-range: ₫1,318,000 – ₫2,636,000 ($50.00 – $100.00)

Comfortable: ₫2,636,000 – ₫7,908,000 ($100.00 – $300.00)

Accommodation (per night)

Hostel/guesthouse: ₫131,800 – ₫395,400 ($5.00 – $15.00)

Mid-range hotel: ₫790,800 – ₫1,581,600 ($30.00 – $60.00)

Food (per meal)

Budget meal: ₫52,720.00 ($2.00)

Mid-range meal: ₫303,100.00 ($11.50)

Upscale meal: ₫1,713,400.00 ($65.00)

Transport

Single metro/bus trip: ₫13,180.00 ($0.50)

Monthly transport pass: ₫0.00 ($0.00)

Spain’s walkable old towns — Seville, Granada, Toledo — have a particular pull on travellers: narrow lanes, artisan workshops, the smell of something being made by hand just around the corner. Hoi An delivers exactly that, but with a different set of sensory cues: the sharp whirr of sewing machines drifting from open shop-fronts, bolts of silk stacked floor to ceiling in amber lantern light, and the faint scent of incense threading through centuries-old merchant houses. In 2026, Hoi An’s Ancient Town is still one of Southeast Asia’s most compact and rewarding shopping destinations — but navigating it well requires knowing how the place actually works.

The Ancient Town’s Layout — How the Walkable Grid Works

The UNESCO-listed Ancient Town sits on a near-perfect grid of about 30 streets, all within easy walking distance of each other. The main east-west spine is Tran Phu Street, which runs parallel to the Thu Bon River. Most of the preserved merchant houses, assembly halls, and tailoring workshops cluster here and along the streets immediately to the north and south.

Orient yourself at Hoi An Market (Cho Hoi An) on the eastern end of Tran Phu. From there, walk west along Tran Phu and you’ll pass through every distinct shopping zone in roughly 800 metres. The Japanese Bridge marks the western boundary. Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, one block south toward the river, is the second key artery — this is where you’ll find the highest concentration of clothing boutiques and art galleries.

The entire Old Town is roughly 1.5 km from east to west and less than 1 km north to south. On flat ground, in sandals. That’s the appeal.

Silk, Tailors & Lanterns — What to Buy and Where

Hoi An is not a general souvenir town. It has three things it does better than anywhere else in Vietnam: custom-tailored clothing, hand-sewn silk lanterns, and hand-embroidered linens. Everything else — lacquerware, ceramics, wooden carvings — is done equally well or better in Hanoi or Hue.

Lanterns are clustered almost entirely on Le Loi Street and the surrounding alleys near the river. The best ones are hand-sewn with a bamboo or rattan frame, not glued. Press gently on the fabric panels: if they feel stiff and crinkle, the fabric is cheap synthetic. Real silk panels are soft and drape slightly. Prices start at around 50,000 VND (~$2 USD) for a small decorative piece and rise to 400,000–800,000 VND ($16–32 USD) for large statement lanterns you can actually pack flat.

Embroidered linens — tablecloths, pillow covers, handkerchiefs — are best found at the permanent stalls inside the covered market, where local women often do the embroidery on-site. Watching someone stitch a lotus flower into cream linen is one of those small Hoi An moments that justifies the whole trip.

The Covered Japanese Bridge Quarter — Shopping the Western End

The western end of Tran Phu, from roughly Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street to the Japanese Bridge, has the highest concentration of specialist craft shops and the lowest proportion of aggressively priced tourist traps. This is partly because the walk from the main market is long enough to filter out casual browsers.

On this stretch you’ll find small workshops selling handmade wooden shoes and sandals, block-printed fabric by the metre, and a handful of genuine antique dealers mixed in among the fakes. The antique dealers are identifiable by their lack of urgency — they don’t call out to you as you pass. One reliable way to tell a real antique from a reproduction: look at the back of any wooden or ceramic piece. Reproductions are sanded smooth on every surface; genuine old pieces have rough, unfinished backs.

The Japanese Bridge itself is the most photographed spot in Hoi An. In 2026, a 120,000 VND (~$4.80 USD) entry ticket is required to cross it as part of the Old Town ticket system. If you’ve already purchased a general Ancient Town ticket (currently 150,000 VND / ~$6 USD for five attraction entries), the bridge is included.

The Central Market & River-Front Stalls — Local Buying vs Tourist Buying

Cho Hoi An, the covered central market at the eastern end of the Old Town, is where local life and tourist commerce overlap in the most interesting way. The ground floor is food — fresh produce, dried goods, pork cuts hanging from hooks, buckets of live shellfish. The upper floor and surrounding stalls are fabric, clothing, and tailoring materials.

The fabric stalls on the upper floor sell to both local tailors and individual tourists. Buying raw fabric here is genuinely cheaper than buying from boutiques on the main streets — you can get good-quality cotton or linen for 80,000–150,000 VND ($3.20–$6) per metre. If you’re planning to have something made, buy your own fabric here first and bring it to a tailor, rather than letting the tailor source fabric from their own supplier at marked-up prices.

The river-front stalls along Bach Dang Street sell paintings, postcards, and decorative items at prices roughly 30–40% higher than the market stalls one block north. You’re paying for the view and the breeze off the Thu Bon. That’s fair — but know what you’re doing.

Custom Tailoring in 2026 — What Has Changed and How to Avoid Getting Burned

Custom tailoring is Hoi An’s most famous offering and also its most complained-about experience for first-time visitors. The industry has changed in 2026 in some important ways.

First, digital fitting has become standard at the better shops. Around a dozen mid-to-high-end tailors now use 3D body scanning — you stand in a booth for 90 seconds and the system generates precise measurements. This has dramatically reduced the rate of poor-fitting first attempts. Shops offering this include several along Tran Hung Dao Street, which has become the de facto strip for serious tailoring in 2026 after a cluster of high-rated operations moved there from the more tourist-heavy Tran Phu.

Second, the 24-hour turnaround that used to be aggressively marketed has mostly disappeared from reputable shops. Good tailors now typically quote 3–5 days for a suit or ao dai, with one fitting session. Be suspicious of any shop promising overnight delivery — the quality almost always suffers.

Third, payment structure matters. Reputable tailors take 50% deposit upfront and 50% on collection after final fitting. If a shop asks for full payment upfront, walk away.

For a custom suit (men’s two-piece), budget 2,500,000–6,000,000 VND ($100–$240 USD) depending on fabric choice and level of detail. Women’s ao dai start at around 800,000 VND (~$32 USD) for synthetic fabrics and go to 3,500,000 VND ($140 USD) for pure silk with embroidery.

2026 Budget Reality — Price Ranges for Shopping in Hoi An

Hoi An has experienced steady price inflation since 2023, driven partly by the rebound in international tourism and partly by a weaker VND against major currencies. Here’s where things stand in 2026:

• Budget tier: Street market souvenirs, small lanterns, printed postcards, single-item embroidery — 30,000–200,000 VND ($1.20–$8 USD). Haggling is expected but don’t go below 70% of the opening price on handmade items — the margins are already thin.
• Mid-range tier: Quality silk lanterns, block-printed tote bags, simple linen blouses made to measure, lacquerware bowls — 200,000–1,200,000 VND ($8–$48 USD).



• Comfortable tier: Custom suits, tailored silk dresses, large embroidered wall pieces, genuine antiques — 1,500,000–8,000,000 VND ($60–$320 USD).

ATMs are available throughout the Old Town, but the best exchange rates in 2026 remain at licenced exchange counters on Le Loi Street rather than at hotel desks. The difference can be 2–3% on a large purchase — meaningful if you’re spending on tailoring.

Getting Around the Old Town on Foot — Entry Zones and 2026 Access Rules

Hoi An’s Ancient Town has been a pedestrian-priority zone since 2019, but the rules were tightened again in 2025. As of 2026, motorbikes and cars are banned from the core Old Town streets between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM daily, with the restricted zone expanded to include parts of Phan Chu Trinh and Bach Dang that were previously accessible by vehicle.

The streets that used to feel stressful at peak afternoon hours — Tran Phu between the market and the Bridge — now have the kind of calm walkability that makes you understand why comparisons to Toledo or the Albayzín neighbourhood of Granada keep coming up. The scale is similar. The stone and plaster facades catch the light in the same golden-hour way. The difference is motorbikes parked six-deep outside the restricted zone rather than cars.

Bicycles are still permitted throughout the day and are the fastest way to move between the Old Town and areas outside the pedestrian zone. Rentals are available from most guesthouses for 50,000–80,000 VND ($2–$3.20 USD) per day. In 2026, several rental operations also offer electric bikes for 120,000–180,000 VND ($4.80–$7.20 USD) per day — useful for the heat of a shopping afternoon.

Beyond the Old Town: An Hoi Peninsula & Cam Nam Island

Most first-time visitors never cross the footbridge to An Hoi Peninsula, the spit of land directly across the Thu Bon River from the Old Town. This is a mistake, particularly for shopping. An Hoi has a growing cluster of workshops and boutiques that cater more to residents and repeat visitors than to day-trippers — prices are typically 20–30% lower than equivalent shops on Tran Phu, and the atmosphere is less pressured.

The peninsula is connected to the Old Town by the An Hoi footbridge, a five-minute walk from the river front. On the An Hoi side, look for the street running parallel to the river for the highest concentration of lantern workshops where you can watch production, not just browse finished products. Several woodblock printing workshops are also based here, offering short hands-on sessions for 150,000–250,000 VND ($6–$10 USD).

Cam Nam Island, a further 10-minute bicycle ride across the second bridge, is where Hoi An’s basket-boat weavers and some of the town’s older silk-weaving families still operate. It’s quieter, less visited, and the workshops genuinely appreciate browsers who show up without a tour group. There’s no hard sell here — just the rhythmic sound of a hand loom doing what it has done in this spot for generations, and the faint river smell of low tide coming through the open workshop doors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Hoi An Ancient Town entry ticket required just to walk around?

The entry ticket (150,000 VND / ~$6 USD in 2026) is required to enter specific attractions — assembly halls, old houses, the Japanese Bridge, and the Museum of History. You can walk the streets of the Old Town freely without a ticket, but you’ll need one to enter any of the listed sites. Most shopping does not require a ticket.

How many days do you need in Hoi An if shopping is your main goal?

Three days is the practical minimum for anyone ordering custom clothing. Day one for browsing and placing orders, day two for a fitting session, day three for collection and any last-minute purchases. If tailoring isn’t your priority, two full days covers the main shopping areas comfortably, including An Hoi Peninsula.

What’s the best time of day to shop in Hoi An?

Early morning — before 9:00 AM — is best for the central market, when produce is freshest and crowds are thin. For boutiques and tailoring shops, late afternoon (4:00–6:00 PM) tends to be less crowded than midday. Avoid the 10:00 AM–2:00 PM window in June through August — the heat is intense and the streets are at their busiest.

Can you bargain at shops in Hoi An’s Old Town?

At market stalls and street vendors, bargaining is standard and expected. At established boutiques and tailoring shops with fixed price tags, negotiation is less common but a polite ask for a small discount on larger orders (especially tailoring) is generally accepted. Aggressive bargaining in boutiques is considered rude and usually counterproductive.

Has Hoi An become too touristy for genuine shopping in 2026?

The central streets on peak days feel busy, but Hoi An still has genuine craft production happening within the town itself — something very few tourist destinations can claim. An Hoi Peninsula and Cam Nam Island remain authentically local. The tailoring industry continues to produce real, high-quality garments. The tourist veneer is real, but so is the substance underneath it.

Explore more
Where to Eat in Hoi An: A Foodie’s Guide to the Best Dishes, Street Food & Cafes
If You Loved Spain’s Historic Cities, You’ll Adore Hoi An, Vietnam
Best Neighborhoods in Hoi An, Vietnam

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📷 Featured image by Daniel Stiel on Unsplash.