Your Hoi An Summer Bucket List

10 of the Best Family-Friendly Things to Do in Hoi An and Surrounds.

From surfing and Island-hopping, biking, foodie experiences and many local workshops to choose from – this Ultimate Summer Bucket List has got all our HAIS families covered.

1. HAIS Summer Camp

For working families, our HAIS Summer School is the perfect chance to keep the kids busy during the day. The Summer School caters for children from the ages of 3 – 5 and 6 – 10 years old.

The camp runs from July 3^rd – July 28^th but you can select a two-week block that fits with your schedule.

We have many “classrooms” for our students, from our nature garden to the lantern-filled courtyard with a treehouse and playground, and we even take kids all the way to the beach.

Summer School provides the chance for children to cultivate new and long-term friendships and make memories.

For information on enrolment check out this link.

2. An Bang Beach & Surrounds

Head to the small seaside community of An Bang for a day by the water. There are plenty of beachside restaurants to choose from where you can order food and drinks from your day bed under an umbrella and let the kids play on the sand. The water is calm, protected, and excellent for swimming, paddle-boarding, or even surfing small waves.

There are also lesser-known beaches like Ha My and Tan Thanh Beach. Near Tan Thanh be sure to visit Barefoot Beach Club. They have a menu to satisfy the whole family and a lush lawn with regular music and entertainment. The beaches here are beautiful, uncrowded, and the restaurant smashes out a mean coffee complemented by the ocean views.

3. Cham Islands

While you are beachside, continue the nautical theme with a speedboat tour to the Cham Islands. The day trip will take you out to the pristine waters around the islands where you can snorkel hidden bays and discover the local aquatic wildlife. Diving courses are also fun with teenagers who’ll feel invigorated after learning a new set of skills.

4. Foodie Experiences

Hoi An has a vibrant street-food and restaurant scene with very kid-friendly local dishes. Old Town and the Ba Le market is also a bucket list experience to explore delicious and affordable markets and street food.

Finish with a Red Bridge Restaurant & Cooking Class. The experience includes a market visit, boat ride, and cooking lesson and they can cater their content to children from the ages of 7 and above.

5. Bana Hills

Every family needs to set aside a day trip to Bana Hills in the summer holidays. On a hot day, the temperature is often cooler due to the elevation and can be a pleasant relief.

The Ba Na Cable Car holds the world record for the longest non-stop single track cable car at 5,801 metres in length, and leads you up to a wondrous world of temples, French colonial style buildings, the famous ‘hand-bridge,’ and for the kids – a great theme park with rides and games.

6. Explore Monkey Mountain

Strap on your hiking books and explore the wild landscape of Monkey Mountain. Located in Son Tra, the Peninsula is framed on three sides by ocean and you can spend a day exploring the remote beaches, rich forests, and intricate caves.

It’s about a 40-minute car ride from Hoi An and around 15 minutes from Da Nang, but is a priceless gem worth visiting in all weather.

The breathtaking coastal roads will reveal Da Nang city from a stunning perspective, and take you past the glorious Lady Buddha monument, and plenty of monkeys which the kids will love.

If you want to treat yourself and the family, book in for lunch at the Intercontinental Resort at the top of the hill. It’s a luxury 5-Star Hotel so pack the camera as you might feel the need for a few family selfies.

7. Vincom Plaza & Lotte Cinema

 If you need a break from the outdoors, head to the Vincom Plaza in Da Nang. They have a range of quality boutique stores, kids’ shoe shops and bookshops, as well as the world-famous H&M and other global brand-names where you can find quality children’s clothing.

Aside from the shopping, there is a games lounge and Lotte Cinema. If you want to escape the heat and catch a movie, look out for our own HAIS film, Be Part of Our Story, which is screening as a trailer over the holidays at Lotte Cinemas in Hoi An and Da Nang.

8. VinWonders

The kids will truly love you for treating them to a day out at VinWonders. The theme park combines ultimate fun in an incredible setting with a replication of an African safari where you can cruise down the river in a boat and feed elephants and giraffes.

The water park area is guaranteed fun for the young and young at heart, with a huge range of slides to slip down and structures to climb and dive from.

9. Biking through the Paddy Fields

Fun doesn’t have to cost the earth in any sense of the phrase, and exploring Hoi An by bicycle is one of the best ways to take in the surrounds. Hoi An’s rich biodiversity, rice paddy fields and abundance of bike paths has garnered worldwide attention as a mecca for bicycle enthusiasts.

Take the family and cycle through the rice fields from Hai Ba Trung Street, and the ramp from the old town, which extends to An Bang Beach. While cycling, you’ll see herding buffalo and may want to stop for a photo.

On the cycling route, you can also fly a kite on windier days. The bike path goes through Cam Kim village, across the iron bridge – built 7 years ago, and travels through rural farmlands and through local vegetable villages.

10. A Day Trip to Da Nang

Da Nang is a thriving city built for families, with major theme park attractions and sporting and cultural events. Spend the day at the beach, walk dragon bridge, or ride the giant Ferris wheel at Sun World, which is a celebration of food and architecture from a variety of Asian cultures.