Hoi An Tour Guide: How to Hire a Licensed Local Guide

A private tour guide in Hoi An costs between $26 and $65 per person for a half-day walk through the Ancient Town, depending on how many of you there are, and between $45 and $160 per person for a full day out of town. The price covers the guide and hotel pickup, and on day trips a private car or boat. This page explains what a local guide actually does for you, what each of our tours costs and includes, and how to check any guide before you book.

Hoi An Vibes Tours is run by Toàn, whom most guests call Tom: a licensed guide who was born in Hoi An and has guided here since 2019. Every tour is private. It is just your group, at your pace, on a route agreed before the day.

What a local guide in Hoi An actually does

The Ancient Town is small enough to walk in an afternoon, so a guide is not there to stop you getting lost. What a good local guide adds is the part you cannot see from the street.

• The stories behind the doors. Why a Chinese assembly hall stands a few steps from a Japanese bridge, which families still live above their shops, and what the altars in the old houses are for.
• Timing. The Old Town changes by the hour. A local knows when the tour groups arrive, when the lanes go quiet, and when the light is best on the river.
• Food without the guesswork. Where people who live here eat cao lau and white rose dumplings, what to order, and what it should cost.
• Logistics. Hotel pickup, a private car for anything outside town, tickets where the tour includes them, and a plan B when the rain comes in.
• Honest advice. Tailors, cafés, which markets are worth your time. There are no commission stops, so you are never taken to a shop because it pays the guide.

Outside the Old Town a guide matters more. The countryside villages, the Cham temples at My Son and the road to Hue are hard to read on your own, and the day depends on a driver and a route that someone has done many times.

Meet Tom, your guide in Hoi An

Tom grew up in Hoi An Ancient Town and still lives its daily life: the market where he buys breakfast, the family that has made his favourite cao lau for years, the back roads that flood every October and dry out by December. He started guiding properly in 2019 and has worked every season since, with families with tired children, honeymooners, and photographers who want to be out before sunrise.

He is a licensed guide, runs private tours only, and gives you a fixed price for your group before you book. You can read what past guests wrote on Tripadvisor, or more about him on the about page.

How much does a private tour guide cost in Hoi An?

Our prices are per person and fall as your group grows, because the guide and the car cost the same whether one person comes or six. The four figures after each tour are the price per person for 1, 2–3, 4–5 and 6–7 travellers. If there are eight or more of you, ask Tom for a group rate.

• Ancient Town private walking tour, half day: $65 / $40 / $30 / $26
• Street food evening tour, half day with six tastings: $75 / $52 / $42 / $38
• Countryside bike and basket boat tour, with a cooking class and the lunch you cook: $75 / $48 / $36 / $30
• My Son Sanctuary private tour, half day: $85 / $55 / $40 / $34
• Da Nang highlights, full day: $110 / $70 / $52 / $45
• Da Nang by night, with dinner, the river boat and the Sun Wheel: $105 for one person, $58 each from two people up
• Marble Mountains and Ba Na Hills, full day with both entrance tickets and the cable car: $85 for one person; ask Tom for the price for two or more
• Hue Imperial City and Hai Van Pass, full day: $150 / $95 / $70 / $60
• Cham Island sightseeing and snorkelling, full day with the speedboat and a seafood lunch: $160 / $105 / $85 / $75

What the price includes

Every tour includes hotel pickup and drop-off and a private guide. Day trips out of Hoi An travel by private air-conditioned car, or by private speedboat for Cham Island. Entrance tickets, meals and boat rides depend on the tour. Each tour page lists exactly what is covered, so check it before you compare our price with another operator's.

Children

Children under 5 share a seat with a parent at no charge. Children aged 5 to 12 pay 75% of the adult price, and from 13 they count as adults. Children do count towards your group size, so bringing them can move the whole group into a cheaper price band.

Should you tip your guide?

Tipping is optional in Vietnam. If you want to thank a guide, visitors commonly give around 100,000–200,000 VND (roughly $4–8) for a full day, in Vietnamese dong rather than foreign currency.

Do you need a guide in Hoi An?

Not always, and it is better to know that before you pay for one. The Ancient Town is flat, compact and easy to explore alone with a map and an Old Town ticket. If you mostly want to wander, take photos and eat, you can do that on your own.

A guide is worth it when:

• you have one or two days and want to understand what you are looking at, not only see it;
• you are going beyond the town, to My Son, the countryside villages, Hue or Cham Island, where transport, timing and context make the day;
• you are travelling with children or older relatives and want someone else to handle the logistics;
• you want to eat where locals eat without trial and error.

Which tour to book with a local guide

Pick by what you want from the day.

• History and architecture. The Ancient Town walking tour takes in the Japanese Covered Bridge, the assembly halls and the old merchant houses. For background before you go, read our guide to Phuc Kien Assembly Hall.
• Food. The street food evening tour is six tastings, enough for a full dinner, with a drink at a riverside stop.
• Village life. The countryside bike and basket boat tour cycles out to the rice fields and craft villages. Our Hoi An countryside guide explains the villages before you go.
• Temples. My Son Sanctuary, the valley of Cham brick towers inland from Hoi An, with hands-on noodle making at a local family's kitchen.
• The sea. Cham Island by private speedboat, with snorkelling and a seafood lunch.
• Further afield. A full day over the Hai Van Pass to Hue's Imperial City, Ba Na Hills and the Marble Mountains, or Da Nang's highlights by day and by night.

If none of these fits, Tom can build a custom private tour around your dates and interests.

When to book

The weather shapes a day in Hoi An more than most visitors expect. The dry months are the easiest for cycling and island trips, while rough seas in the rainy season can cancel boats to Cham Island. Our guide to the best time to visit Hoi An goes month by month. Message Tom as soon as you know your dates.

How to check a tour guide before you book

Whoever you book with, a few questions separate a good guide from the rest.

• Are they licensed? Vietnam issues guide cards under its Law on Tourism, and guides must wear the card while working. Asking to see it is normal.
• Is the tour private? Many cheap listings are shared groups. Ask how many other people will be there.
• What exactly is included? Tickets, meals, boats, water. A low price with every extra charged on the day is not a low price.
• Is the price fixed? You should know the total for your group before the day, in writing.
• Are there shopping stops? Commission stops at tailors and souvenir workshops are common. Ask directly.
• What do recent reviews say? Read the latest reviews, not only the star rating.

How to book a private guide with Tom

• Message Tom on WhatsApp (+84 795 852 510) with your dates, hotel, group size and what you would like to see.
• Get a plan and a price. Tom suggests a route with clear timing and a fixed quote for your group.
• Enjoy the day. Hotel pickup, a licensed guide, a private car where needed, and time to enjoy each stop.