Hoi An Nightlife

The dive bar is owned by a bunch of expats who also run a diving company.
I have met several expats in Hoi An and you have both some very good ones and some really dodgy characters.
This bar is owned by some of the very good ones and i really liked the atmosphere there.
I popped by there a few evenings for drinks and spend most of the time there chatting to people as it´s a very social venue.

Dress Code: Very casual and i can´t imagine any dresscode here.

Tam Tam Bar is a very good place to spend your nights in Hoi An. Start there with a wonderful dinner - the food is delicious, probably the best Western food available in Central Vietnam.
Try to get a table on the balcony or in front of the building and you can watch the passers-by from up there. After that have a refreshing cocktail, a tasty fruit shake or a cool beer and move to the bar area. You'll easily get into contact with the people there - mainly Australians, as it seems. As far as I know, the owner is from down under, too. Tam Tam offers a wide selection of drinks and food and, although the prices are above average, should not be missed.

Dress Code: no dress code

There is not much nightlife in HoiAn, so unless you have a really good plan for the night, it's worthy to wake up early the next day and wander around the narrow streets in the early morning, when there's nobody around, no tourists, no shops open.
At that time you can visit the market, where the fishing boats will be arriving and local activity is at its best!!

Pay no attention if you are informed that Hoi An has no nightlife to speak of. Sure, the locals might go to sleep early, but that doesn't mean a few enterprising Vietnamese don't realize that the throngs of young adult tourists are still looking for action.
When the bars in Hoi An's Heritage Town close at midnight or 1 AM, flag down a motorbike (or, more accurately, let a motorbike flag you down) and head across the Thu Bon River to the An Hoi Peninsula for after-hours bucket-swilling revelry at the open-air bar there. I don't recall the bar's name, but it's the only one there. The crowd is mostly backpackers, with a few crazy Vietnamese kids running around and the place stays open til sunrise.

"Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart; you just gotta poke around."

Dress Code: Come as you are, filthy backpacker!

Treat's Cafe is open all day, but attracts its biggest crowd in the evening. There's a billiards table inside and comfortable seating on the patio out in front. Service isn't always very timely, but it is friendly. Even though it's one of Hoi An's more popular night spots, it never got crowded when I was there. There were always enough people to make it feel lively, but not stuffy.
Treat's closes at midnight, but the party continues at the late night spots on the An Hoi Peninsula. Don't be afraid of the motorbike touts who gather outside Treat's at closing time. They're aggressive, but safe and will take you where you want to go.

Dress Code: Casual dress. Feel free to wear tourist dork t-shirts.

The best thing to do in Hoi An, at night, is to talk about the tiny streets and lanes and admire it... it's one of the few well-lit cities in Vietnam, and - in the darkness - you don't sense so much the fact that the town has become a bit of a tourist trap.

Walking about you'll feel taken back in time... the longer you'll wait, the better the feel will be - as people tend to return to their homes or hotel bedrooms really early... At 10 PM you will have Hoi An almost to yourself... and it will be a very enjoyable feeling

Dress Code: Casual is fine.

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Ok. This event was one reason I was happy to be in Hoi An, and was one of the highlights of a monthlong trip. Of course, you don't NEED to be in Hoi An to participate in karaoke, but this is where I happened to experiece the full Vietnamese karaoke works.

Long story short:

Took a cooking class. Ended up talking to the chef, who offered to take me around the outskirst of Hoi An on his motorbike. I graciously accepted. While I was drinking a cup of Vietnamese coffee with him, in a place with no tourists, I happened to catch a glimpse of a karaoke sign. Quite innocently I asked, so, do you do karaoke? Yes, came the reply. And it just so happens, that today is payday, and the staff from the cooking school is meeting for karaoke. And, guess what, it's about 50 meters from your hotel. (I'm an American, don't know from meters, but take it that it's pretty close.)

So, he says he'll pick me up at my hotel at 8. Ok. He doesn't arrive until 8.30, by which time I had scheduled a pedicure. Some slight confusion ensues.

We drive the 50 meters to this place. Now, when I've done karaoke, it's in a bar. But, this, this was a room. A small room on the second floor or some building, with a tv, a sofa, a coffee table, and a colored disco ball. A few of the women from the cooking school are sitting around, a bit confused as to why I was there. Then the music started. (continued below...if you care to read on....)

Dress Code: continued...

I'm confused. I'm hot. This is a bit odd, but I'm loving it. More people arrived, and again, they are shocked, shocked that there is a paying customer from the school.

People look through the karaoke book, play a bit with the remote control, and start singing these songs. Now, I don't know Vietnamese, but I can just tell that they are the cheesiest of love songs. I mean, beyond cheesy. And, for the most part, they are being sung earnestly.

They tell me to sing. The selection of songs in English is maybe two pages long. I pick Carole King's "It's Too Late Baby," but the music is off, and the video is weird, and I can't finish. But, even more important than that, I sense that I am losing my audience.

I stay quiet for a while.

They ask me to sing again. This time I pick, "We Are Family." It's a hit. The group sings along to the "We are family, I've got all my sisters with me," bit. I'm delightfully happy.

I sing again. My last song. This time I pick, "We Will Rock You." (No one can say that I've not learned my song picking lesson.) Again, I hit. I feel redeemed!

Set over the other side of the river to the old town, Salsa club doesn't really get going until after 12. They have a full moon party every Thursday, free drinks on arrival. The moto drivers will tell you that Salsa isn't very good (it's within walking distance, so you don't need moto). The interior is funky with comfy seats. The music, I think depends it on what the owner puts on. Can be interesting. Drinks are reasonably priced.

If it looks empty from the outside, that's because everyone is inside.

Dress Code: No dress code