Digital Nomad Guide for Hoi An, Vietnam

Hoi An is a beautiful UNESCO city on the east coast of Vietnam, smack bang in the middle of the country.

It is a city that is chilled out, has a fascinating history and is surrounded by miles upon miles of rice fields. It is also a great place for remote workers in Vietnam.

In my opinion, Hoi An is the perfect place for digital nomads to visit. It has a little bit of everything that nomads want and always has a great community of remote workers at all times of year, perfect for networking or socialising.

After spending a month working remotely in the city, here is my digital nomad guide to Hoi An.

Where is Hoi An

Hoi An is right in the centre of Vietnam, just south of Da Nang and almost equidistance from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the two major cities in Vietnam.

Being so central and right on the coast, it has a fascinating history of Chinese, Japanese and French trying to settle and claim the city as well as using it for trade. This leads to a mix of cultures and unique foods being one of the major attractions.

How to get there

As a major tourist hub, Hoi An is well connected to most major destinations in Vietnam. Tourist shuttles can transport you from almost anywhere in the country to Hoi An.

If you’re in one of the bigger cities or abroad, your best option is to fly into Da Nang, which has a major international airport with multiple flights per day to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with plenty of budget airline options to all over south east Asia.

From Da Nang airport, it is only a 30-45 minute drive depending on traffic. A shuttle or driver can cost  ₫250,000 or a Grab slightly more (₫300-400,000)

How to get around

The best way to get around Hoi An is to cycle or use a moped. Mopeds can be rented easily at hundreds of places across the city. Many hotels and guesthouses have bikes that are often free or rented for a minimal amount.

It is easy to walk around the city centre and around the rice paddy fields but distances can be large depending on where you’re staying and where you want to work.

Alternatively, Grab is available for moto taxis and regular taxis to get all around the city for a very affordable price.

Best time to visit Hoi An

The peak season in Hoi An is From February to May when it is dry and warm without it being too hot. It is also at this time when the rice fields are at their greenest and most vibrant. This makes it a perfect destination for digital nomads that normally live in Chiang Mai to escape the burning season there.

The rainy season is at its worse in September and October continuing into the new year. In European summer, from June to August, it can get stiflingly hot.

When I was there in February and March, there was some unseasonably cold weather. A 20 degree evening in Hoi An feels a lot colder than other destinations in the cold and many people wore jumpers and jackets in the evening. Don’t expect shorts and T shirts at all times!

Where to work in Hoi An as a digital nomad

I worked at Hub Hoi An during my stay in the city. It is the largest and most popular coworking space in Hoi An and for good reason.

The views are absolutely stunning whilst working.

It has a variety of areas to work from including a quiet room, outdoor areas, a lounge area and a few other break away areas. Tea and coffee are available, they run regular events for long termers and there is a real community vibe there. I highly recommend it.

If I had one negative to say about Hub Hoi An, it would be that it is TOO SOCIAL! There are events, dinners, drinks, activities every night and plenty during the day as well. I took part in as many of these as I could and it meant that I didn’t always have the time to explore the city or do the things that I wanted to do! However, that is better than the alternative or being bored!

There are also a few digital nomad group chats that arrange activities and tours on the weekends that you can join when in the area.

What’s the wifi like in Hoi An

On the whole, I found the wifi to be extremely fast with speeds in the coworking space to exceed 200mbps and exceed 100mbps in my accommodation. Streaming and video calls were no problem at all.

However, there were times when speeds seemed to drop and sometimes even cut out. There was no reason that I could note, but it did happen a few times during my stay when working from home.

Speeds were also very good when working from coffee shops.

With my eSIM, I always had a 5G or LTE connection that always worked well when I needed to use data.

Where to stay

Digital nomads in Hoi An have two main options when it come to where to stay.

In the city, or in the villages surrounded by paddy fields.

This will purely depend on what you are more comfortable with. Would you rather be close to all the amenities and have bars and restaurants on your doorstep, or would you rather be in the peace and quite but maybe have to travel further to explore.

Being a tourist heavy city, there are an abundant of options available from budget hostel rooms, remote guesthouses and quality hotels. There will be something for every budget. As with all digital nomad accommodation options, there are some great AirBnB’s but there will be bargains to be had if you want to find something when you’re “on the ground”.

Expect to pay anything from $300 for a super basic room in a guesthouse to $1000+ for luxury villas overlooking the rice fields for one month. If you’re staying for a shorter period of time, getting a simple hotel room may work out cheaper as you will be eating out for a majority of your meals.

What to do in Hoi An

There is plenty to keep you occupied in your free time when working in Hoi An. There are countless options of things to do in the Old Town, you could spend a few days just walking around.

Close by is An Bang beach for those looking to catch some rays or relax on the sand with ample beach bars and restaurants near by.

Taking a cooking class is almost a rite of passage in Hoi An, as is taking a tour on the coconut boats that can spin around whilst you’re sitting in them.

With the city designed for tourists there are cycle tours through the rice fields, tours to My Son and day trips to Da Nang available. Hue and the Hai Van pass, of Top Gear fame, are a short distance away. As mentioned previously, the digital nomad community always makes sure that there is something to do in and around Hoi An.

Costs of living in Hoi An for digital nomads

Hoi An is one of the cheapest destinations I have travelled to.

Current exchange rates have the Vietnamese Dong at ₫32,000 to £1, ₫25,000 to USD$1, and ₫27,500 to €1.

It is easy to find local places to get a Pho or Cau Lao, noodle dishes Hoi An is famous for, for ₫30,000. I regularly had a Banh Mi for lunch which costs ₫20,000 (less than £/$/€1). Many coffee shops had coffee starting at ₫20,000 for a simple Vietnamese coffee, going up to Dong as well.

I had a massage for ₫200,000 (£7.00) and a haircut for ₫300,000. Getting a Grab around the city can start at ₫10,000 for a moto taxi or ₫30,000 for a car journey of 5-10 minutes.

Even the alcohol is cheap with Havana bar having beers costing just ₫10,000 (£0.30, €/$0.45).

The only things that may be expensive are imported goods in supermarkets. I once paid ₫280,000 (Over £8) for a large tub of Greek yogurt from a western brand!

In my one month in Hoi An, I spent under USD$1000 but this could be done a lot cheaper if I ate out less, went to less expensive restaurants, didn’t drink as much alcohol and booked my accommodation direct instead of through AirBnB.

My experience

I really enjoyed my time as a digital nomad in Hoi An. The city is beautiful, there is plenty to do around the town, beaches close by and the coworking was a pleasure to work from if that’s your thing.

I would happily go back to Hoi An as it’s a hub for digital nomads and there it’s a great opportunity to meet other like minded souls that you can network and socialise with.

However, there are some downsides that although didn’t impact me directly, I think are worth sharing. The town is very busy with tourists and you may be getting asked to go on tours and to buy suits multiple times per day. I also heard from many digital nomads that their accommodation was poor with issues ranging from mold, to no hot water and smoky rooms from burning rubbish outside. Where I stayed was fine, but I’ve never heard so much negativity around one topic when being in one place.

Although I loved walking from where I was staying to the coworking space, walking around the old town and getting Grab’s into town, I think I would definitely rent a scooter next time to make my life easier and to explore some more.

Pros and Cons of being a digital nomad in Hoi An

Pros of Hoi An

Cons of Hoi An

Summing Up being a digital nomad in Hoi An

Hoi An is a great place to be a digital nomad with a large, sociable community that makes it easy to meet people and network. There’s ample to do outside of work time and with Da Nang close by, there is always the option of visiting another city as part of your stay.

Despite not falling in love with Hoi An, I would still happily return and use it as a base to explore central Vietnam for a few months in future.

Dan

Dan is an avid traveller from London. His first big adventure was in 2010 living in Malaysia for 3 months. He has been on the road almost constantly since 2015 travelling to destinations that aren’t on the mainstream tourist trail and working full time and travelling since 2021.