💰 This page covers the street-level details of spending money in Hoi An: the Old Town ticket, tailor shop deposits, lantern and basket boat prices, getting there from Da Nang, and which machines to use. For Vietnam-wide ATM tips, DCC warnings, tipping norms, and exchange rate advice:
Read the Vietnam Money Guide →🎧 Order Dong Before You Fly
Land with dong for the Old Town ticket and the market stalls. Insured delivery, 2–5 days.
Order VND → CEI Currency ExchangeDo You Need Cash in Hoi An?
Yes. Hoi An is a small, walkable town that runs more on cash than the big cities. The hotels, the tailors, the better restaurants and the spas take cards, usually with a surcharge, but the things that make a day here, a bowl of cao lầu at the market, a banh mi from a cart, a lantern boat at dusk, a bicycle for the rice fields, are paid in dong notes. Carry ₫500,000 to ₫1,000,000 a day in mixed notes. The Vietnam money guide covers the national ATM limits and tipping.
Where You Will Need Cash
The Old Town ticket at most booths. Central Market food stalls and fabric sellers. Banh mi carts and street food. Lantern boats and basket boats. Bicycle and scooter rental. Small cafes and bia hoi corners. Tips for guides and drivers.
Where Cards Work Fine
Hotels and resorts, including those on An Bang and Cua Dai beaches. Tailor shops, often with a 3 percent surcharge. Restaurants aimed at visitors. Spas. Cooking classes and tours booked online. Grab, through the app.
The Old Town Ticket: What It Costs and What It Covers
A ticket to the town itself. Hoi An's Ancient Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the town charges visitors to enter its walking streets. The ticket costs ₫120,000 for a foreign adult, about $4.60, and is sold at booths at the main entrances to the old quarter. Children under one metre are free.
Five coupons, 24 hours. The ticket comes with five tear-off coupons, each giving entry to one of around twenty heritage sites: old merchant houses such as Tan Ky, the Chinese assembly halls, small museums, and the Japanese Covered Bridge. A checker tears off a coupon at each site. The ticket is valid for 24 hours, so a second day of sightseeing means a second ticket.
The checks. Enforcement comes and goes, but checkers at the street entrances do ask to see tickets, especially in the evening. Buy one at a booth, not from someone on the street, and keep it in your pocket rather than at the hotel. Booths mostly take cash; carry a ₫200,000 note or smaller.
Tailor Shops: Deposits, Fittings and the Card Surcharge
Hoi An is famous for made-to-measure clothes. Hundreds of tailors will copy a suit, a dress or a coat from a photo in a day or two. The money side works the same way almost everywhere, and it is worth knowing before you choose fabric.
The deposit. Most shops ask for 30 to 50 percent up front when you order, and the balance after the final fitting. Get the agreed price, the fabric, the number of fittings and the collection date written on the receipt. A reputable shop will make alterations until it fits, at no extra charge.
The surcharge. Cards are widely accepted, but many shops add a card surcharge of around 3 percent. On a few hundred dollars of clothes that is worth avoiding: pay the deposit by card for the record and the balance in dong, or ask whether the price includes the surcharge.
The price is negotiable, the quality is not uniform. A simple suit can cost anything from about $100 at a market stall to several hundred at the established shops on Le Loi and Tran Hung Dao streets. Agree the total before the tape measure comes out, and allow at least two or three days for fittings.
Lantern Boats, Basket Boats and the Night Market
Lantern boats. At dusk, small wooden sampans line the Thu Bon river by the An Hoi bridge, offering a short ride to float a paper lantern. A ride usually costs around ₫150,000 to ₫200,000 for the boat, shared by up to three or four people. Agree the price and the length of the ride before stepping in, and pay the boatman in cash at the end.
Basket boats. In the Cam Thanh coconut forest, a few kilometres from town, round bamboo basket boats spin through the water palms. Prices vary widely, from around ₫100,000 to ₫200,000 a person on the spot to more as part of a tour. The boatmen's songs and fishing demonstrations are followed by a request for a tip; a little is fine, but there is no obligation.
The night market. On An Hoi island across the river, stalls sell lanterns, souvenirs and grilled snacks. Everything is cash and priced for bargaining: offer around half of the first price and settle somewhere above it.
Paying by Card in Hoi An
Card acceptance in Hoi An is about the kind of business, not the street. The bigger and more tourist-facing, the more likely a card works, usually with a fee.
Ancient Town
Tailors, restaurants and boutique shops take cards with a surcharge; heritage-site booths, cafes and street vendors want cash.
Central Market and the riverfront
Food stalls, fabric sellers and the fish market are cash only. Bring small notes.
An Hoi island and the night market
Lantern stalls, snacks and the boats are cash. Bargaining is expected.
An Bang and Cua Dai beaches
Resorts and beach restaurants take cards; sunbeds may be free with a drink or a small cash fee.
Tran Hung Dao and Le Loi streets
Tailors, travel agents and banks. Card-friendly, and where the bank machines are.
Tra Que and Cam Thanh villages
Herb gardens, cooking-class farms and basket boats. Cash, unless booked online.
ATMs in Hoi An
Look for these logos. Vietcombank usually has the lowest machine fee in Vietnam.
Vietcombank
BIDV
Techcombank
SacombankATM Locations
Bank machines cluster outside the Ancient Town on Tran Hung Dao, Hai Ba Trung and Le Loi streets. Vietcombank charges the lowest fees for foreign cards, as the Vietcombank guide explains, and BIDV, VietinBank and Sacombank machines are close by. Each withdrawal is capped, often at ₫2 to ₫5 million, so a large amount takes several transactions and several fees. Vietnam has no Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner.
⚠ Skip the Lobby Machines and the Dollar Screen
Standalone machines in hotel lobbies and souvenir shops charge the highest fees in town. At any machine, the screen that offers to convert your withdrawal into dollars at a "guaranteed rate" costs several percent; choose to continue without conversion. Our DCC explainer shows the arithmetic.
Getting to Hoi An, and Getting Around
From Da Nang. Hoi An has no airport or railway station. From Da Nang airport, about 30 kilometres north, a Grab car or taxi takes around 45 minutes and costs roughly ₫300,000 to ₫400,000, paid in the app or in cash. Hotels arrange fixed-price transfers, and shuttle buses run several times a day for much less. Our Da Nang money guide covers the city at the other end.
Bicycles. The Ancient Town is closed to cars, and much of it to motorbikes in the evening. Many hotels lend bicycles free; rental shops charge a small daily fee in cash. The ride to An Bang beach through rice fields takes about 20 minutes.
Grab and taxis. Grab cars and motorbikes work in Hoi An and are paid by card in the app. Metered taxis wait near the Ancient Town; insist on the meter.
My Son. The ruins of the Cham temples, an hour inland, charge a separate entry fee, collected at the gate. Tours from Hoi An often include it; check before you book.
Tipping in Hoi An
Vietnamese norms apply, as the Vietnam guide explains: tipping is not expected but is appreciated. Round up at restaurants, give ₫20,000 to ₫50,000 to a boatman or a spa therapist, and ₫100,000 to ₫200,000 a day to a private guide. Check whether a service charge is already on the bill at the larger restaurants.
Prices in Hoi An
Hoi An is cheap by Western standards and a little dearer than the rest of central Vietnam.
| Item | Price (VND) | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Ca phe sua da (iced milk coffee) | ₫20,000–45,000 | $0.80–1.70 |
| Banh mi from a cart | ₫25,000–40,000 | $1–1.50 |
| Bowl of cao lau | ₫35,000–60,000 | $1.35–2.30 |
| Old Town ticket (5 sites, 24 hours) | ₫120,000 | $4.60 |
| Lantern boat, per boat | ₫150,000–200,000 | $5.75–7.70 |
| Basket boat, per person | ₫100,000–200,000 | $3.85–7.70 |
| Bicycle rental, per day | ₫30,000–50,000 | $1.15–1.90 |
| Tailored suit | ₫2,600,000–10,000,000+ | $100–385+ |
| Grab car from Da Nang airport | ₫300,000–400,000 | $11.50–15.40 |
| Dinner for two at a riverside restaurant | ₫400,000–800,000 | $15–31 |
| Mid-range hotel night | ₫800,000–1,800,000 | $31–69 |
USD estimates use approximately ₫26,000 = $1. Rates fluctuate.
Day Trips from Hoi An
My Son Sanctuary (about 1 hour)
Cham temple ruins in a jungle valley, with an entry fee paid at the gate. Go early to beat the heat and the tour buses.
Da Nang and the Marble Mountains (about 45 minutes)
Caves and pagodas inside limestone hills, with a small entry fee and a lift for a few thousand dong more. See our Da Nang guide.
Cu Lao Cham islands (about 30 minutes by speedboat)
Snorkelling trips from Cua Dai pier, usually booked as a package by card. A small island entry fee is often included.
Tra Que vegetable village (15 minutes by bicycle)
Herb gardens and cooking classes. Classes booked online take cards; walk-ins pay cash.
Hoi An Quick Reference
| Destination | Cards? | Cash Needed? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Town ticket | ❌ Mostly cash | ₫120,000 | Five sites, 24 hours |
| Tailor shops | ✅ Yes, ~3% fee | Deposit 30–50% | Get it in writing |
| Lantern and basket boats | ❌ Cash | Agree price first | Per boat, not per person |
| Markets and street food | ❌ Cash | Small notes | Central Market, An Hoi |
| Hotels and restaurants | ✅ Yes | Check service charge | Surcharges common |
| Grab | ✅ In the app | No cash needed | Airport run ~45 min |
| ATMs | Vietcombank, BIDV, Sacombank | Withdrawal caps | Decline conversion |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Hoi An Old Town ticket?
120,000 dong for a foreign adult, about $4.60. The ticket has five tear-off coupons, each giving entry to one of the heritage houses, assembly halls or museums, and is valid for 24 hours. Ticket checkers at the entrances to the walking streets may ask to see it, so buy one at a booth and keep it with you.
Do I need cash in Hoi An?
Yes, more than in Da Nang. Market stalls, banh mi carts, the lantern boats, bike rental and small cafes are cash. Hotels, tailors, most restaurants and spas take cards, often with a surcharge of 2 to 3 percent. Carry 500,000 to 1,000,000 dong a day.
How much does a lantern boat cost in Hoi An?
A short sampan ride on the Thu Bon river at dusk usually costs around 150,000 to 200,000 dong for the boat, shared by up to three or four people. Agree the price and the length of the ride before you step in, and pay the boatman in cash at the end. A paper lantern to float is usually included or sold for a few thousand dong.
How do tailor shops in Hoi An take payment?
Most ask for a deposit of 30 to 50 percent when you order, and the balance after the final fitting. Cards are widely accepted, but many shops add a 3 percent card surcharge, so paying the balance in dong can be cheaper. Get the price, fabric and number of fittings written on the receipt.
How do I get from Da Nang airport to Hoi An?
By Grab or taxi, about 45 minutes and roughly 300,000 to 400,000 dong by car, paid in the app or in cash. Many hotels arrange transfers at a fixed price. Shuttle buses run several times a day for less. There is no airport in Hoi An itself.
Which ATMs should I use in Hoi An?
Vietcombank, BIDV and VietinBank machines near the Old Town and on Tran Hung Dao street. Each withdrawal is capped, often at 2 to 5 million dong, and charges a fee shown on screen. Avoid the standalone machines in hotel lobbies and tourist shops, and always decline the offer to convert into dollars.
Pay Smart in Hoi An
The Wise card converts at the real mid-market rate, pays tailors and hotels by card without a markup, and withdraws dong at Vietcombank machines for the cash-only stalls.
Get the Wise Card →Hero photo: lanterns in the Ancient Town, Hoi An, by Steffen Schmitz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.