Nguyen Hoang Night Market Hoi An: Opening Hours, What to Buy and How to Stroll the Hoai Riverfront

Where Nguyen Hoang Night Market Is

The market runs along Nguyen Hoang Street in the An Hoi area, right on the Hoai River and at the foot of An Hoi Bridge. From Tran Phu or Nguyen Thai Hoc streets in the old town, you simply walk across the bridge. Travel sites describe a strip of about 300 m with more than 50 stalls selling silk lanterns, handicrafts, clothing, jewellery and street snacks.

What makes it such a regular stop is how close it is to the old town. You can see the old streets in the late afternoon, cross to the An Hoi bank to watch the rows of lanterns light up, then come back for dinner. Think of it as the shopping and snacking part of a Hoi An evening rather than a heritage sight. If you want to go inside the Japanese Covered Bridge (Chua Cau), the old merchant houses or the assembly halls, you need a separate Ancient Town ticket.

Opening Hours and the Best Time to Visit

Travel sources agree that the market runs from about 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM every day. Stalls tend to set up gradually from the afternoon and are fully stocked once it is properly dark. The lanterns are glowing evenly and the crowd is at its thickest between roughly 6:30 and 9:30 PM. For photos with fewer people in the frame, arrive around 5:30 to 6:00 PM to catch the sunset over the Hoai River and stay until the lanterns are glowing.

During the central Vietnam rainy season (roughly September to December), stalls may pack up early, and when the Hoai River rises, some activities along the bank can pause. If your trip falls in these months, ask your hotel what the evening is really like instead of relying only on the opening hours posted online.

What to Buy and How to Choose

Handicraft prices are not posted consistently here, so rather than list figures that are hard to verify, the table below sets out the common product groups and what to check before you buy.

On bargaining, handicrafts and souvenirs can usually be negotiated gently, while food and drinks with posted prices cannot. A sensible approach is to ask the price at one stall, walk past a few others and come back if it still looks fair, rather than haggling hard at the first stall. If you are buying gifts for several people, packaged specialities such as cakes, tea and spices are easier to carry than pottery or bulky lanterns. For ideas, see our guide to Hoi An specialities to take home as gifts.

Street Snacks and Floating Lanterns on the Hoai River

Around the market and along the riverbank you will find Hoi An’s familiar snacks: grilled rice paper (banh trang nuong), banh mi, sweet dessert soups (che), sweet tofu pudding (tau pho) and grilled skewers, with bowls of Cao Lau (Hoi An’s signature pork noodle bowl) and Mi Quang (turmeric noodle soup) served in the alleys nearby. Snacks are ideal for walking because you can buy them one portion at a time. If you want a proper sit-down meal, pick a place with a price list, and do not order before you have asked the price.

Boat landings on the Hoai River sit right beside the market. Travel sites list paper floating lanterns (hoa dang) at about 5,000 to 20,000 VND ($0.2 to $0.8 USD) each, and small boats for a river ride with lantern release at roughly 100,000 to 250,000 VND ($4 to $10 USD) per trip for 2 to 5 guests, depending on the time, with boats running until about 9:30 to 10:00 PM. Passengers must wear a life jacket. Prices can be higher on full-moon nights and weekends, so confirm the price, the length of the ride and the number of lanterns included before you board. To learn more, read our tips on releasing lanterns and photographing the Hoai River boats.

How to Get to Nguyen Hoang Night Market

From central Da Nang to Hoi An is about 30 km, usually 40 to 60 minutes depending on the hour and route. If you are staying in the old town or around An Hoi, walking or cycling is the easiest option. For visitors based in Da Nang who go to the market and return the same night, plan the trip back in advance: after 10:00 PM ride-hailing cars still exist but can be hard to get, or you may wait when many people leave at once.

Cars are often not allowed close to the old town at certain hours, so drivers usually pick up and drop off on the outer ring or in the An Hoi area. The time slots and drop-off points can be adjusted, so check with your driver. If you are travelling as a group or a family, you can pre-book a private car from Da Nang to Hoi An and be dropped near the market with a return pick-up time agreed. For the other direction there is the Hoi An to Da Nang private car. Tell the driver roughly how long you plan to stay so the waiting time can be scheduled.

Tips for Walking the Night Market

• Watch your belongings: the busiest hours are also when things go missing, so wear your backpack on your front and keep your phone in a zipped pocket.
• Small children: hold their hands near the grill carts and the water’s edge, especially when the steps are wet.
• Photos: taking pictures at lantern stalls is usually fine. If you shoot a lot or use the stall’s props, it is polite to buy something small.
• Cash: many stalls accept bank transfer, but some small ones take cash only, so bring small notes.
• Rain: bring a thin rain jacket rather than an umbrella, because the walkways are narrow and crowded.