Hoi An Walking Tour, Sampan Boat Trip & Food Tasting by Night

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Free cancellation

1/9

Duration5h 30m

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Lanterns, Local Food, and a River at Night

This 5.5-hour evening tour of Hoi An combines walking through the old town's heritage sites, eating at night market stalls, and floating the Thu Bon River by sampan to release lanterns. You visit the Japanese Covered Bridge, Chinese Communal House and Hoi An market, taste bánh mì, cau lau, white roses and other local dishes, watch a traditional music performance, and end the evening drifting downriver with a lantern to make a wish. An English-speaking guide leads the group, pickup from Da Nang or Hoi An is included, and all food and drinks are part of the price.

5h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Walking, food, and boat trip in Hoi An

Visit Chinese Communal House
Explore Tan Ky Merchants’ Houses
See Japanese Covered Bridge
Visit cultural and historical museum
Walk through Hoi An market
Enjoy traditional music performance
Taste local foods like bánh mì and cau lau
Take sampan boat trip on Thu Bon River
Release lanterns and make a wish
Shop at night market

The Experience

The tour starts in the old town and moves through the landmarks that frame Hoi An's character—the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Chinese Communal House, the cultural and historical museum, and the market where locals shop. Your guide is a local who knows the daily rhythms of the place and can explain what you are standing in front of. Along the way, you stop to watch a traditional music performance by local artists, which gives you a sense of how people here mark an evening.

The food part of the tour happens at night market stalls, where you taste the dishes Hoi An is known for: bánh mì, cau lau noodles, white roses, wonton, chicken rice, and rice pancakes. The guide takes you to the stalls instead of a restaurant, so you are eating where locals eat and the portions come as they come—not plated for tourists. Drinks are included throughout.

The sampan boat trip on the Thu Bon River is the closing act. You board a small wooden boat and drift downriver at dusk or after dark, depending on when the tour runs. Each traveler gets a lantern to release into the water and make a wish—this is the moment most people remember. The guide also takes the group to the night market afterward if there is time, so you can browse and shop on your own.

What’s included

Professional English-speaking guide.
pickup and drop-off by air-conditioned vehicle from Da Nang or Hoi An.
entry to the heritage sites (Japanese Covered Bridge, Chinese Communal House, cultural and historical museum).
local food and drinks at night market stalls.
traditional music performance.
sampan boat trip on the Thu Bon River.
lanterns to release.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availableNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Tommy Dao Local Private Tours and Transfers

Is this one for you?The guide speaks English throughout, so you follow the commentary and the stories about each stop without translation delays. This works well if you want the history and context woven into the evening rather than just the food and the boat ride on their own.