No surprise: Why foreign tourists fall in love with Hoi An

When Sam Staton from New Zealand googled for "Best places to travel in Vietnam," Hoi An was the first suggestion.

He immediately booked a flight to the city and spent a whole week walking around the old town because he was fascinated by its old architecture with rows of centuries-old houses with yellow walls and titled roofs.

"I have traveled all over Vietnam and Hoi An gives me a true sense of Vietnamese culture.

"Ba Na and Phu Quoc Island are both very interesting but they do not give me a feeling like the atmosphere in Hoi An."

Inspired by a TV game show filmed in Hoi An, South Korean man Yim Sang Bin put his work aside and decided to visit the city.

He said the special attraction for Korean tourists in Hoi An is the wonderful architecture but also its tranquility, which is in stark contrast to bustling South Korea.

"People I know in Korea wish to visit Hoi An at least once in their lifetime."

Bin said he has traveled to Vietnam six times in the past five years. When he visited Da Nang for four days, he spent half the time in Hoi An, he said.

"I love Hoi An because there are no high-rise buildings there, only rows of ancient houses and picturesque scenery."

He added that the local people are friendly.

He recalled a local tour guide inviting him to her house to have dinner with her family during the Lunar New Year, which was a memorable experience.

Hoi An received nearly two million foreign tourists in the first half of 2024, up 32% year-on-year.

South Korea and China were among its biggest sources of visitors.

According to the annual World's Best Awards announced in July by American travel magazine Travel & Leisure, Hoi An surpassed Chiang Mai and Bangkok to rank fourth in the category of the 25 most beautiful cities in the world for 2024.

Its low cost of living is one of the main reasons why foreigners have been flocking to Hoi An recently.

Sujay Das, 30, an Indian tourist, is one of them.

"Prices are cheap, perfect for a solo traveler like me. I found a bar while walking up to the top floor of an old building. The facilities were modern, but the prices for food and drink were reasonable."

He spent around VND100,000 for a soft drink to sip on all night while taxi fares cost only about VND300,000 for a tour around the city that he thought was "very reasonable."

"The first thing I did when I arrived in Hoi An was to start a food tour right away. I love Vietnamese food.

"I had an experience not every tourist gets. I went with a local tour guide to the home of a cao lau (roasted pork with thick Vietnamese noodles) vendor who has been making it for many years in Hoi An."

He arrived at there at 6:30 a.m., and watched the vendor make the noodles.

"It was really fascinating. In India, I rarely get to see how people make dishes first hand."

Das and Salton expressed regret for not spending more time to explore the city and hoped to return soon.

But locals pointed to problems such as sidewalk encroachment, hygiene issues and street vendors that Hoi An should fix to deserve its reputation as one of the world's best cities.