8 of the best places to stay in Hoi An, Vietnam

In lush gardens planted with frangipani and coconut palms, the Anantara hugs the slow-flow Thu Bon River on the fringes of Hoi An’s historic quarter. After exploring the old port town with a hotel guide, take an immersive class in local craft traditions: lantern making, painting and conical hat decoration. Anantara is gold-certified by The Green Growth 2050 Global Standard for excellence in eco and cultural sustainability; it’s free from plastic bottles, drinks come with bamboo straws, and water is supplied by an eco hi-tech system. It also raises money for local children with disabilities through the Kianh Foundation, and matches guest donations to the non-profit dollar for dollar. Journeying further? Take the new Anantara Vietage, a train carriage that’s luxurious in Indochine style, up the coast to emerging beach escape Quy Nhon.

More information: Rooms from US$199 [£144] including breakfast, plus 15% taxes; anantara.com

This tropical garden enclave next to the Coco River is infused with local style, courtesy of Vietnamese-French architect Helena Tran Quang Man. The design celebrates pared-back living cocooned in gardens of palm, banana and coconut trees; think secret terraces in each of the six bungalows and studios, vintage chairs and handmade lanterns. After a garden-sourced vegetable lunch at onsite Mum’s Kitchen, take a cooking class, paddle the river in a fishing basket or learn palm leaf crafts. An Villa also embraces treading lightly: it’s plastic-free and co-founded Dana Connect, a charity that encourages donation of skills and time.

More information: Rooms from US$55 [£40] including breakfast; an-villa.com

One of Hoi An’s original beach-front hotels, the elegant, low-key Victoria Hoi An is designed like a fishing village with lanes, ponds and houses with clay-tiled roofs; it faces Cua Dai beach, just 15 minutes from Hoi An old town. The Victoria’s signature experience – sidecar adventures – uses ’70s Ural sidecars to roam through rice fields, vegetable farms and artisan villages. The Victoria is a green pioneer: no plastic is allowed at the resort, from packaging to presentation. Paper straws are provided for drinks, and complimentary water stations and glass bottles are dotted around for guests to use.

More information: Rooms from US$160 [£116] including breakfast; victoriahotels.asia/en

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The villas at the Nam Hai are rooted in feng shui, their design a nod to the splendour of the temples and mausoleum gardens of Emperor Tu Duc who ascended to the dragon throne of Vietnam’s 19th-century imperial dynasty. Facing the East Sea from the shimmering sands north of Hoi An, the stand-alone villas – tiled, pitched-roofed pavilions – echo traditional Vietnamese homes with a central sleeping platform, swapping the straw mat for soft linens and drapes, while the sunken bath tubs are fit for a king. At the heart of the resort is the restored Ha My Temple, where fishermen once prayed for safe passage; local monks now come to pay respect. The Nam Hai supports children who live at nearby Quang Chau pagoda orphanage with donations and regular visits, and supports families in the community, especially those impacted by Covid-19.

More information: Villas from US725 [£524] per night including breakfast; fourseasons.com

Food is at the heart of Maison Vy’s Hoi An experience. Trailblazing owner Trinh Diem Vy is a leading chef, author of the Taste Vietnam cookbook and proprietor of restaurant stalwarts Morning Glory Original and Cargo. You’ll want one of the Superior rooms – all monochrome chic with pops of colour. After breakfast at in-house Le Picnic Café, sign up to Ms Vy’s Street Food Tour to make Hoi An crispy pancakes and local speciality noodle dish Cao Lau. Time for tea? It’s complimentary at Maison Vy. The hotel keeps an eye on its green impact too, discouraging single-use plastic and training locals with new skills.

More information: Rooms from US$52 [£38] including breakfast; tastevietnam.asia

Tucked into the edge of a paddy field with wraparound tropical gardens, the Hoi An Chic is built from sustainable bamboo, marble and rattan. In the 17 rooms, all with balconies and pretty wooden fretwork, guests are provided with eco-friendly drinking straws and refillables, while food waste is composted. The hotel is found between the beaches and the old town, so pick up a free bike to get around, or hitch a lift in repurposed US Army Jeep shuttles. The team take part in initiatives to clean up the beach and river, and support students in the mountains with books and uniforms. To see the mountains yourself, ask about the Chic’s sister homestay with the Co Tu minority in the Truong Son mountains, 90km away.

More information: Rooms from US$85 [£61] including breakfast; hoianchic.com

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A true urban jungle, Silk Eco boasts green credentials galore. Designed by Vietnam’s rising eco-architecture star Vo Trong Nghia, it’s clothed in a curtain of plants falling over perforated sandstone (think squared honeycomb), encouraging natural ventilation over air-con usage. Solar panels and low-energy lighting now fuel the hotel that was shoehorned into a wonky plot on the edge of the old town. The light, bright rooms and pool, dotted with parasols and lanterns in the trees, make this a perfect bolthole in busy Hoi An. All Silk Eco’s hotel staff are locals, food is sourced from local farmers and fishermen, and local drink makers are celebrated.

More information: Rooms from US$30 [£22] excluding breakfast; mulberrycollectionvn.com

The ponds and small brick-laid lanes that weave around this small resort of clay-tile roofed houses cascade down towards a small tributary of the Thu Bon River. The doors of these light, balconied rooms with open onto gardens of frangipani, palm and bamboo. At the foot of the resort is a protected 200-year-old house, made of ebony and ironwood, that’s been home to five generations of the same family. Each morning they make fresh rice noodles that are sold to local restaurants; guests can visit them at work and see rice sheets drying in the sun. Sourcing its organic veg from two local farms, Ancient House is also reducing plastic usage, and donating furniture and amenities to charity.

More information: Rooms from US$50 [£36] including breakfast; ancienthouseresort.com

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