Hoi An Photo Spots: 7 Worth the Walk

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use.

Hoi An photographs well without much effort, which is exactly why it’s crowded with people trying to get the same shot you are. Timing matters more than location here.

7 spots worth the walk

  1. The Japanese Covered Bridge, the 18th-century icon on the 20,000-VND note, recently restored and visibly newer-looking than the rest of the old town as a result. Go early, before the queue for a photo on the bridge itself forms.
  2. The lantern-lit streets at dusk, once the sun drops and the silk lanterns take over as the light source. This is the classic Hoi An shot, and it works from almost any street in the old town, not just the postcard corners.
  3. The old town’s yellow ochre facades, the specific shade of wall paint that shows up in nearly every Hoi An photo you’ve seen. Side streets away from the bridge have the same color with a fraction of the foot traffic in frame.
  4. The Thu Bon riverfront, with wooden boats and, on lantern nights, candle-lanterns floating downstream. The Full Moon Lantern Festival, on the 14th of the lunar month, is the busiest but most rewarding version of this shot.
  5. The Phuc Kien Assembly Hall, the grandest of the Chinese congregation halls, for incense-smoke interior shots and the carved gate out front.
  6. The Central Market, for a genuinely candid look at daily life, produce stalls, and river-adjacent trade, shot respectfully rather than pushing a lens into vendors’ faces.
  7. My Son Sanctuary at sunrise, roughly an hour southwest, for the UNESCO-listed Cham ruins with soft light and none of the midday tour-bus crowd. Book a sunrise tour if you want the light without arranging your own transport.

What time of day is best for old-town photos?

Early morning and dusk, in that order. Early morning gets you the yellow facades and the bridge without crowds; dusk gets you the lanterns, but by then the streets are at their busiest, so pick whichever result you actually want more.

For the rest of what to do around these shots, see our things to do in Hoi An and our Hoi An day trips guide, which covers My Son in full.