Hoi An's Ancient Town Ticket System, Explained
Hoi An's Ancient Town charges a single 120,000 VND (~$4.50) entrance ticket that comes as five tearable stubs, each good for one of 22 historic sites — a Japanese Covered Bridge, an old merchant house, an assembly hall, and so on. Buy it at any of the yellow booths ringing the Old Town; it's valid 24 hours. The full moon lantern festival, held monthly, is worth timing a visit around.
Nobody explains Hoi An's ticket system well the first time, and it trips up a surprising number of visitors — you don't pay per building, you buy one ticket that unlocks five out of 22 possible sites. Here's exactly how it works and which five to actually spend it on.
How the ticket system actually works
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Price (foreign visitors) | 120,000 VND (~$4.50) |
| Price (Vietnamese visitors) | 80,000 VND |
| What you get | One ticket = five tearable stubs, each valid for one of 22 listed heritage sites |
| Validity | 24 hours from purchase |
| Where to buy | Small yellow ticket booths ringing the Old Town (near An Hoi Bridge, the Japanese Covered Bridge, Le Loi Street, Tran Hung Dao Street, and others) |
| Children | Free under 1m tall; half-price 1–1.4m tall |
Buy your ticket at a booth as you first enter the Old Town rather than searching for one later — an inspector will tear a stub every time you enter one of the 22 ticketed sites, so hold onto the remaining stubs until you've used all five.
Which 5 sites should you actually use your tickets on?
- The Japanese Covered Bridge — Hoi An's most iconic structure and a genuinely worthwhile stop, even though it's small.
- Tan Ky House — one of the best-preserved 18th-century merchant houses, showing Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese architectural influence in one building.
- Phung Hung House — another well-preserved trading-family home, quieter than Tan Ky and worth the contrast.
- Quan Cong Temple — a small, atmospheric Chinese temple dedicated to a revered general, a good change of pace from the merchant houses.
- One of the assembly halls (Fujian or Cantonese Assembly Hall) — ornate community halls built by Chinese trading communities, among the most photogenic ticketed stops.
Do you need a ticket just to walk around?
No — walking the Ancient Town's lantern-lit streets, browsing the night market, and eating at any restaurant is entirely free. The ticket only covers entry into the 22 specific heritage buildings and museums on the official list; everything else in the Old Town is open access.
Best time to visit: day vs. night
Daytime is better for the merchant houses and temples (many close by early evening) and for photos without the lantern glow competing with your camera's exposure. After dusk, the Ancient Town transforms — lanterns light up over the river, and the riverside night market and paper-lantern boat rides take over. Most visitors do both: sightsee by day, wander by night.
The full moon lantern festival
On the 14th day of each lunar month, Hoi An turns off electric street lighting in the Old Town for one evening — lanterns only — for the monthly Full Moon Lantern Festival. It's genuinely worth timing a visit around if your dates allow it; check the current lunar calendar, since the date shifts each Gregorian month.
The lunar 14th typically falls a day or two before the actual full moon and lands on a different Gregorian date each month — search 'Hoi An lantern festival [month] 2026' before you book to get the exact date.
What it costs beyond the ticket
| Extra activity | Approx. cost |
|---|---|
| Paper lantern boat float on the Thu Bon River | $1–3 for the lantern |
| A custom tailored suit or dress | $40–300 depending on fabric and item |
| A bicycle rental for the day | $2–5 |
| Riverside night market street food | $1–4 per dish |
Mistakes worth avoiding
- Using all five ticket stubs on similar merchant houses back to back — mix in a temple and an assembly hall for real variety.
- Buying a ticket from a street tout instead of an official yellow booth — the official booths are the only place tickets are guaranteed genuine and correctly priced.
- Visiting only at night for the lantern photos and skipping the daytime heritage sites entirely — you'll miss most of what the ticket price actually covers.