Hoi An Evening Food Tour: 9 dishes, lantern boat & folk games

Discover Hoi An’s hidden flavors and stories on a peaceful riverside boat ride

An evening walking food tour through Hoi An Ancient Town covering nine Vietnamese dishes, from banh mi to cao lau, plus a four-course dinner at a local house, a bingo or pot-breaking game, and a 15-minute boat trip to release a flower lantern on the Hoai River. The tour runs four hours with an English-speaking guide and includes water and all food. You'll need to buy a separate ticket for the Old Town entrance (120,000 VND) in advance or on the day.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Hoi An Ancient Town2h
2. Japanese Covered Bridgepassing by

Evening food tour and cultural activities

• Meet tour guide at office
• Enjoy Vietnamese sandwich and dumplings
• Dine at local house with 4 courses
• Play Bingo or Dap Nieu game
• Release flower garlands
• Take photo at Japanese Covered Bridge

The experience

Start at the tour office and walk into Hoi An Ancient Town as the evening settles. Your guide leads you to street stalls where you taste banh mi, white rose dumplings, and cao lau noodles: three dishes that define the place. Coffee comes next, then a balut egg if you want it. The stops are close enough that you move through the old town without backtracking, and each one is a working food stall, not a restaurant built for tours.

The real meal happens at a local house where you sit down to four courses of home cooking. This is where the tour shifts from sampling to eating, and where you meet the family running the kitchen. After dinner, you play either bingo or dap nieu, a traditional pot-breaking game, before heading to the Hoai River. There you release a flower lantern into the water, a ritual that marks the end of the evening. The boat holds a maximum of five people, so you stay in a small group even on the shared boat.

You'll need to arrange your own transport to and from the tour office, and you must buy a ticket for Hoi An's Old Town separately (120,000 VND per person). The ticket is reusable during your stay, so if you're planning to explore the town again, buy it once and keep it. The guide speaks English and can accommodate vegetarian diets if you mention it when you book.

What’s included

• English-speaking guide.
• nine dishes across street stalls and a four-course home-cooked dinner.
• bingo or pot-breaking game.
• one flower lantern per person.
• 15-minute shared boat trip on the Hoai River (maximum five guests per boat).
• one bottle of water.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 16:30

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (10 to 80 years) · Child (4 to 9 years) · Under 4: can't be booked

GroupUp to 12

Live guideEnglish and Chinese

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleStroller-friendly

Operated by Hoi An Food Tour - Private Day Tours

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you're new to Hoi An and want to eat the signature dishes and understand the town's rhythm in a single evening: the four-hour route and fixed stops mean you cover more ground and taste more food than you would wandering on your own, and the home dinner and lantern ritual give you moments most visitors miss. Small boat groups keep the lantern release intimate even when the walking group is larger.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Chinese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 9 years). Children under 4 can't be included in the booking.

What are the nine dishes I'll eat on this tour?

The itinerary covers banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich), white rose dumplings, cao lau noodles, coffee, and balut egg as optional street food, then four courses at a local house. The exact dishes at the house depend on what the family is cooking that evening, but they are always home-cooked Vietnamese food.

Do I need to buy a ticket for Hoi An's Old Town before the tour starts?

Yes, you need a separate entrance ticket for Hoi An Ancient Town (120,000 VND per person). You can buy it in advance or bring cash to purchase it on the day of the tour. The ticket is reusable, so you can use it again if you explore the town on another day.

How many people will be on the boat when we release the lantern?

The shared boat holds a maximum of five guests, so the group stays small even though the tour itself may have more participants. You'll be split into smaller boats if needed.

What is the dap nieu game, and will I definitely play it?

Dap nieu is a traditional Vietnamese pot-breaking game. The tour includes either bingo or dap nieu depending on the evening. Your guide will run whichever activity fits the group that night.

Can I do this tour if I'm vegetarian?

Yes, a vegetarian option is available. Let the operator know when you book so they can arrange the meals and street food stops to match your diet.