As a pseudo-digital nomad, whenever I travel to a new country, I prefer staying there for at least two to three weeks, depending on how many days my third-world passport allows me to stay visa-free. I explore multiple cities and pick one where I stay the longest. It’s a hit or miss, as the city or province doesn’t always live up to my expected vibe, no matter how much research I do beforehand.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kate Alvarez (Kate Was Here) (@replikate)

For my 3-week trip to Vietnam, I chose to stay for 7 days in Hoi An. Did I like that decision in the end? Not really, as I realized on my 5th day there that I had done enough of what I wanted from Hoi An, and I should have allotted other days in other cities. That’s not to say I did not enjoy my 7 days in Hoi An. I loved it, but I should’ve made a side trip to Hue or stayed longer in Saigon instead.

If you’re thinking of spending seven days in and around Hoi An, here’s my travel diary and itinerary to give you ideas. Please note that except for the plane tickets, I did not plan everything to a T. While I did read up on Hoi An (and fell for a lot of curated TikTok videos of spots that looked completely different in person), most of my activities were last-minute or on a whim.

Day 1: Saigon to Da Nang to Hoi An

• 12:50pm: I arrived in Da Nang from Saigon via Vietjet Air. From Da Nang Airport, I took a shared shuttle van to Hoi An. If you want to book this shuttle via Klook, use my discount code REPLIKATEKLOOK for 3% off!

• 3pm: Checked into Lazy Bear Hostel in Cam Thanh.

Quickie review: As a flashpacker (someone who’s old enough to afford luxury travel but prefers the backpacking style because it’s more fun and authentic), I love quirky boutique hotels and chill hostels with private room options. This family-run hostel is a bit far from the tourist center of Hoi An, but they have free bicycles you can borrow, or just book a Grab motorbike/taxi that gets you to Old Town in 10 minutes.

I realized as a Hoi An first-timer that I should have stayed within a quick walking distance of the popular cafés and restos, but Lazy Bear’s non-party hostel vibe, pool, and private room veranda with a great view made up for it.

I took my sweet time unpacking, arranging my personal items around the room to make it more homey, and chatting with the hostel owner, Lin, for travel tips.

• 7pm: I booked a Grab bike to Hoi An Night Market, where it started raining hard and flooding. I had dinner in one of the Vietnamese restaurants and waited for the rain to subside before exploring the souvenir stalls. My shoes were uncomfortably drenched, so I booked a Grab taxi back to Lazy Bear and called it a night.

Day 2: Hoi An Old Town

• 10am: After the free hostel breakfast, I borrowed one of the free bicycles and tried to live like a local by biking around. I spotted all the popular museums and temples. But I’m not the type of traveler who wants to enter every single tourist attraction. I’m fine with observing most of them from the outside or in passing.

@replikate #traveltip #KateWasHere #hoian ♬ Only You X Playdate – ded4$$

Biking around Hoi An made me realize how out of shape I was and how much anxiety I had figuring out the road rules and body language of local motorists. I was dead tired by the end of the day, but hey, when in Rome…

• 11:30am: I parked my bike for free at Bao Diep Tailor, whose owner is a friend of Lazy Bear’s Lin. One of the top things to do in Hoi An is to get a customized dress, blazer, vest, or suit in one of the dozens of tailors in Old Town. I decided to get measured for a power suit. I’ll do a more detailed blog/vlog about Hoi An’s tailoring culture next.

• 12:30-6pm: With my bike parked in Bao Diep, I explored the Cam Chau and Cam Pho area of Old Town, starting with lunch and coffee in—don’t judge me—Starbucks! It’s like my McDonald’s thing where I like to check what it’s like on this side of the world. Armed with my Fuji XT100, I did a bit of photography around town. I explored the gift shops and boutiques.

• 6pm: I was only allowed to park in Bao Diep until 6pm, so I grabbed my bike and found myself in the thick of Hoi An’s famous pedestrian street in Minh An, the subject of many TikTok reels and Instagram photos. It’s the busy area near the Japanese Bridge, the one that’s dotted with lantern shops, cafés, and colorful restaurants leading to the Thu Bon River, where you’ll see tourists on a boat ride with their lanterns.

• 8pm: I had dinner in one of the riverside restaurants while watching tourists purchase candlelit lanterns, ride on boats, and let the lanterns float on the river while making a wish. I was still deciding if I wanted to do the lantern boat ride or skip it. I biked back to Lazy Bear Hostel, with a convenience store stop in between.

Day 3: Old Town and Beach

• 12nn: After a heavy breakfast and chatting with my new European friends from the hostel, I got a Grab bike to Old Town, where I explored the area surrounding the river sans the heavy nighttime crowd. I practiced my photography.

• 2pm: I had coconut coffee in Cong Caphe, one of the popular coffee chains in Vietnam. My new French friend Matea joined me and we made plans to go to the beach.

• 4pm: I took a Grab bike to An Bang beach to meet Matea. The coconut basket boat ride was initially on my to-do list, but after seeing what it’s like in person, I decided I did not want to do it as a solo traveler—maybe next time with my nephew who loves crazy rides! When Matea and parted ways, I got a mango shake and booked a Grab bike back to Old Town.

• 6pm: I dropped by Bao Diep to see if my suit was ready. It wasn’t, so I did a quick fitting and left.

• 7pm: I bought food to-go from a food stall in Cam Pho, booked another Grab bike, and headed back to the hostel to eat my dinner. I booked a last-minute ticket to Ba Na Hills through the hostel.

Day 4: Ba Na Hills and Postcard Project

• 730am: After an early breakfast, the tour bus picked me up a block from Lazy Bear. I booked my Ba Na Hills tour through the locals, but if you’re going to book it through Klook, use my discount code REPLIKATEKLOOK for 3-5% off!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kate Alvarez (Kate Was Here) (@replikate)

• 8am: After picking up several other tourists (who became my instant best friends that day!) around Hoi An, we headed to Da Nang and stopped by a marble shop. This is a common tactic of tour operators. They add a quick stopover in a souvenir or jewellery shop where tourists are encouraged to purchase, while the tour operator gets a cut. I don’t mind if it’s just one shop per trip and as long as you don’t force me to buy.

Things To Do In Hoi An

• 🏫 Go on a Hoi An City and Countryside Tour
• 🏮 Do the Hoi An Lantern Release and Boat Tour
• 🛶 Go on the Coconut Basket Boat Ride
• 💳 Use my Klook discount code REPLIKATEKLOOK for 3-5% off

 

• 9:30am: We arrived in Ba Na Hills, one of the most popular (and expensive!) tourist attractions in Da Nang—the one with the Golden Hand Bridge. I’ll save the extensive review for another blog post, but I will tell you this: Nothing could prepare me for this odd, boggling, and at the same time amusing tourist spot that purports to be a theme park but is actually a massive Instagram park (a place made for posing and taking pictures) that cannot possibly be explored within the 8am-5pm operating hours. Even with a tour guide who masters the multi-world, multi-hill park by heart, we could not see everything in those few hours. They encourage you to book an overnight stay or two in Ba Na Hills’ hotel to be able to explore the entire park, which, as my European buddies and I agreed that day, isn’t worth the time and money unless “picture parks” are your passion, for which I won’t judge.

I, too, believed all the hype that influencers and bloggers posted on social media, but as a theme park lover who grew up exploring the Disneylands and Knotts Berry Farms of the world, and as a traveler who has been to the actual landmarks replicated in the park, I have mixed feelings about Ba Na Hills. But to each her own! I will not rob you of your joy if this place is for you. It just wasn’t for me.

If you’d like to add this to your itinerary, you may book it through Klook. Use my discount code REPLIKATEKLOOK for 3-5% off! Extensive review coming soon.

• 5:30pm: I was back in my hostel.

• 7:45pm: I returned Hoi An’s biking and walking street. It started to rain, so I sought refuge in a postcard shop, where I wrote myself a postcard to mail to the Philippines. When the rain stopped, I looked around for a restaurant and found Nga Com Ga.

Day 5: Remote Work and Shopping

• 10am: After breakfast in Lazy Bear, I got some work done (I’m a writer, ICYDK!) in my room.

• 4pm: After googling for the best cafés in Hoi An, I settled on Namto House Coffee and did more work while sipping on my favorite coconut coffee.

• 5pm: I did more shopping around Old Town, bought coffee beans and chocolate from the Mr. Viet Factory Outlet, and picked up my tailored suit (jacket and pants) from Bao Diep.

• 8pm: I bought dinner to-go and had it at the hostel. Matea invited me to motorbike to Marble Hills with her the next day, but I was too tired to go. Looking back, I regret not going!

Day 6: Hidden Beach and River Lantern

• 10am: At breakfast, I made friends with the new guys at my hostel. We made plans to have dinner that night. I invited them to join me for the touristy lantern boat ride.

• 12nn: I went to the Hidden Beach in Cam An on my own, where I had a burger and fries for a change from all the Asian dishes. I hung out there for a couple of hours until I took a Grab bike back to the Lazy Bear to get more work done.

• 8pm: I went with my new hostel friends—Niamh from Ireland and Harry and Ro from the UK—for Mexican food at this expat-filled restaurant in Cam Chau called Circle. One of the guys got really sick (he was under the weather for a while) and ended up in the hospital (Don’t worry, he’s okay last I checked!). Sadly, I had to do the river lantern thing on my own. I also realized I ran out of cash, so I looked for a safe-looking ATM in the middle of the night. It was a bittersweet way to end my last night in Hoi An.

Book the Hoi An Lantern Release and Boat Ride through Klook. Promo code: REPLIKATEKLOOK

 

Day 7: Hoi An to Da Nang to Hanoi

• 7am: After checking out of my hostel, I took a shared shuttle van to Da Nang Airport. On my way there, I spotted Da Nang’s other popular spots, such as the Dragon Bridge and My Khe Beach (made popular recently by Netflix’s A Tourist’s Guide to Love).

| Tip

🚌 Make traveling easy and stress-free – Book a shared shuttle van between Da Nang Airport and Hoi An. Use my discount code: REPLIKATEKLOOK.

 

Do I regret not spending a few days in Da Nang for those spots? No. For me, there are tourist spots that are good enough to be seen from afar or the outside without having to enter or stop over, like that bridge. As for beaches: I’m from the Philippines, so my standards for beaches are high. If it doesn’t compare to my country’s powder-fine white beaches with crystal-clear waters, then I don’t feel like I’m missing out.

• 10:10am: After having breakfast at Da Nang Airport, I was on my Vietnam Air flight to Hanoi for the next stop of my solo adventure.