Hoi An Central Market

Hoi An Central Market hours and best time to visit

There's no official timetable. Da Nang's tourism portal suggests roughly 5:00 to 18:00 every day, and guides range from 5:00–16:00 to 6:00–19:00 for the food hall. The market doesn't close on any day of the week. That's why the hours here are marked checking.

Early morning (5:00–9:00) is the real market: fish and shrimp are sold right by the riverside and trading is at its busiest. From 9:00 to 15:00 the food hall and shops are in full swing — good for lunch. After 16:00 the produce rows pack up, though some food stalls carry on, and in the evening a small night market sets up on Bach Dang and Tran Quy Cap streets next door.

In the rainy season — in central Vietnam roughly September to December — the riverside by the market sometimes floods, and the waterside stalls may not trade. Ask at your hotel on wet days.

Where is the Central Market?

It fills a whole block on the eastern edge of the Old Town: Tran Phu Street to the north, Bach Dang riverside to the south, Tran Quy Cap Street to the west and Tieu La to the east. The main entrance is at 19 Tran Phu, at the corner of Nguyen Hue Street, facing Quan Cong Temple.

You can't miss it: the Tran Phu side is a long yellow building with a tiled roof and "Chợ Hội An" across the front. The food hall fills this first building; behind it are rows of spices, coffee and kitchenware, and on the river side, open-air fish, herb and fruit sellers.

It marks the edge of the heritage zone. Walk west along Tran Phu and you pass the assembly halls and old merchant houses, with the Japanese Covered Bridge at the far end — which makes the market a natural starting point for the Old Town.

The food hall: what to eat

The food hall is a long room in the first building off Tran Phu: dozens of stalls, each with its own speciality, plastic stools, and menus with photos and prices in dong. The dish to order is cao lau — chewy noodles with pork, herbs and crunchy croutons, a speciality you only really find in Hoi An.

Also look for mi Quang, broad yellow noodles from Quang Nam province served with just a little broth; banh xeo, crisp pancakes you wrap in rice paper with herbs; white rose dumplings (banh bong hong trang), steamed rice-flour parcels; com ga chicken rice; banh mi; and sweet che.

Most dishes run 25,000–50,000 VND going by local guides (unofficial). Prices are fixed, so there's no haggling over food. Order where the price is printed on the menu, and pick stalls full of Vietnamese diners — usually in the side aisles rather than the main walkway. Vegetarian choices are limited.

What to buy

• Coffee — ground, whole-bean and instant, plus the small metal phin filters and cups for Vietnamese drip coffee.
• Spices and sauces — Hoi An chilli sauce, pepper, star anise, fish sauce, and dried cao lau and mi Quang noodles to cook at home.
• Sweets — mung bean cakes, sesame candy, coconut biscuits. Check the packaging and dates if you're flying home with them.
• Tea, nuts and jams — easy, light gifts.
• Souvenirs — silk lanterns, fabric bags, woven baskets, and wood, rattan, bamboo and ceramic crafts.
• Leather goods, conical hats and scarves — in the rows around the main hall.
• Fabric and tailoring — cloth stalls and small tailors inside the market and at the cloth market next door.

Tailors and the cloth market

Hoi An is famous for made-to-measure clothes, and the market is an easy place to start. There are small tailoring counters inside the market itself, and a block east, by Hoang Dieu Street, the cloth market (Chợ vải) puts fabric sellers and tailors under one roof — dresses, ao dai, shirts, trousers and suits.

Timing: the Vietnamese newspaper Nhân Dân puts rush tailoring for visitors at 4–6 hours depending on the piece, while Da Nang's tourism portal says some items take 24–48 hours and recommends one or two fittings. Order on your first day, not your last.

Agree the price before you're measured, and write it down. Market tailors are cheaper than the shops on Tran Phu and Nguyen Thai Hoc, but quality varies — look at finished pieces on the rail and feel the fabric before committing.

Bargaining and paying

Haggling is expected for souvenirs, fabric, bags and clothes: open at about half the first price and meet in the middle. If it doesn't work, walk on — the next stall usually has the same thing. Food and labelled groceries aren't haggled.

Pay in cash. Carry small notes of 10,000–50,000 VND, since change for big notes is scarce at the stalls. Foreign Visa and Mastercard work in hotels and larger restaurants, not here, and Grab can be paid in cash or with a card linked in the app.

Ask for fragile buys like ceramics and lanterns to be wrapped well. In the morning crush around the fish rows, keep your phone and wallet zipped away.

Do you need a ticket, and is it worth it?

No ticket is needed for the market — there's no booth. The Old Town ticket (80,000 or 120,000 VND, valid up to three days) is for the zone's monuments: assembly halls, old houses and museums. If you're exploring the Old Town anyway, buy it at the nearest booth; it doesn't change anything at the market.

Is it worth it? Yes, if you're into food and everyday local life: this isn't a showpiece, it's where Hoi An does its shopping. But be ready for a real Asian wet market — cramped, a wet floor by the fish, strong smells, and meat on open counters without refrigeration. If you're after pretty photos and souvenirs, the evening night market on An Hoi islet suits you better.

Kids usually enjoy it, but the fish rows are slippery and crowded early on, so keep small ones close. Allow 45 minutes, or about an hour with breakfast.

Central Market vs Night Market

They're 10–15 minutes' walk apart: the Central Market in the morning, the night market after dark.

Nearby and on your route

39

Quan Cong Temple

Hoi An, Vietnam

20 min · Old Town ticket, 80,000–120,000 VND · 3 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Quan Cong Temple

39

Fujian Assembly Hall

Hoi An, Vietnam

30 min · Old Town ticket, 80,000–120,000 VND · 3 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Fujian Assembly Hall

34

Hoi An Ancient Town

Hoi An, Vietnam

3 h · 80,000–120,000 VND; streets free · 5 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Hoi An Ancient Town

39

Tan Ky Old House

Hoi An, Vietnam

20 min · One Old Town ticket coupon · 7 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Tan Ky Old House

How to do it right

• Arrive at 6:00–8:00: the fish is out and the tour groups aren't.
• Cao lau at the food hall makes the best breakfast in Hoi An — order where prices are on the menu.
• Sit in the side aisles of the food hall, where Vietnamese diners eat.
• Bargain from half price on souvenirs; never on food.
• Getting clothes made? Order on day one to leave room for one or two fittings.
• Ground coffee and a metal phin filter make a light, useful gift.
• It's hot under the roof at midday: eat before 12:00 or after 15:00.

Questions