Hoi An Night Market

The Hoi An Night Market runs along Nguyễn Hoàng Street on the An Hội peninsula, a small island in the middle of the Thu Bon River connected to the ancient town by the iconic An Hội Bridge. Every evening after dark, the street transforms into a dense corridor of stalls selling hand-painted lanterns, embroidered clothing, silk scarves, lacquerware, and all manner of Vietnamese handicrafts. It's one of the most photogenic and atmospheric night markets in Southeast Asia — not because it's polished, but because it sits inside a UNESCO World Heritage town where the surrounding shophouses are 200 years old and the river reflections of silk lanterns are genuinely stunning.

In practice, you wander. You'll pass vendors calling out from stalls piled high with fabric and trinkets, food carts grilling bánh mì and skewers of meat, and women selling handmade lanterns that glow in every colour. The market is compact enough to walk end to end in twenty minutes, but most people loop back repeatedly, stopping for a bowl of cao lầu (Hoi An's signature noodle dish, available nearby) or a fresh coconut before heading onto the footbridge to watch the river. Bargaining is expected and mostly friendly — vendors open high, so come in at around half their asking price and meet somewhere reasonable.

The market runs every night of the week, typically from around 6pm until 10pm, though vendors start packing up before the official closing time. Friday, Saturday, and the 14th of each lunar month (when the ancient town dims its electric lights for the Full Moon Lantern Festival) are the busiest and most atmospheric nights. Get there at opening if you want photos without crowds, or lean into the chaos and go at 8pm when the whole peninsula is buzzing.