We’ve been seeing amazing images in galleries around town of picturesque Vietnamese women paddling canoes and sampans through floodwaters in Hoi An‘s incredibly ancient laneways but we didn’t really expect to be here to experience the Hoi An floods for ourselves. This post is about being in Hoi An during flooding.
This morning the water is higher again. I’ve just heard from a friend who lives near the waterfront, she has 3.5m of water in her house but her power has just come back on.
The day before yesterday (3rd November) we heard that local officials announced the flood gates up-river from us would be opened at 3.30pm. It was low tide then but the water was abnormally high thanks to days of heavy rain and a typhoon (Typhoon Damrey) lurking somewhere off the coast.
None of the locals seemed too concerned and our landlady, when she popped round with the beautiful shirt she’d made for Chef, didn’t even know. She wasn’t worried, it’s almost an annual event here in Hoi An, what’s a bit of water?
That evening Chef and I took an Uber down to the Old Town to see what was going on. The rain was coming down sideways and the river was lapping at the entrances of the river-side shops and restaurants.
We stopped by Sau Mai, our usual restaurant, just to say hi and wish them well. They were stacking chairs on tables. Not that the stacking would have helped much, their entire ground floor must be completely flooded almost to the roof.
We returned the next morning around 7am and even then there was no way to get to that front road. By 5pm next day we were in thigh deep water 3 streets back from the waterfront. It’s 2 am now and I’m awake checking online with the chattering expats in Facebook groups, they say this could be the biggest flood Hoi An has ever seen, higher than the 1999 historic flood with estimates ranging between 3.5 and 5m. I think it’s time we left.
UPDATE: The flood waters are now down (8 November) but locals say they could rise again between the 11 th and 16 th of November as more heavy rain is due.
Our favourite restaurant in Hoi An, Sau Mai, is on the waterfront. We can’t get down there but I’m guessing that their downstairs is now completely filled with water. We really hope the family are safe upstairs as currents must be fairly strong down there, around town there’s no problem, the water is quite still.
Next door to Sau Mai, the Blue Mango has flood levels marked on the wall. The 2017 flood is higher.
I’m so glad we had the opportunity to live here, it’s a beautiful town and the Vietnamese people are some of the best on the planet. We WILL be back.
For now just some photos and video of the last couple of days. I’m gutted in a way that we’re due to fly tomorrow, I wish we could stay and help with the clear up, but we have a pre-arranged date with Langkawi for Ironman Malaysia.
We’ve lived in Australia, Romania, London and Wales, living in Hoi An has been different, and fantastic.
See our video of the floods and the heavy rain preceding them last October and November, below.
Ignore the “News”
I’m seeing very sensationalised, laughable “news” reports online from the British gutter press and an Australian news channel. The situation here is NOTHING like they describe.
We had notice that the flood gates would be opened and water rose slowly over 2-3 days. Never believe what you read in those publications.
Typhoon Damrey and Hoi An
Typhoon Damrey did not “slam” Hoi An, nor were tourists given 15 minutes to “flee”. Typhoon Damrey hit other parts of Vietnam hard, if the news reports are to believed, this was not what happened in Hoi An.
Winds were strong but not typhoon or cyclone strength, all we saw was a lot of rain. The floods arrived after floodgates were opened further upstream to release pressure on over-full reservoirs.
This was a man-made flood. Hoi An is not a disaster zone, the floods are receding and businesses are re-opening. The news you are seeing is over-hyped sensationalism.
At What Time of Year Does it Flood in Hoi An?
Usually November and December. It doesn’t flood every year, but it’s certainly not rare.
The wet season has been intense with days of heavy rain, be prepared for that if you’re travelling to Hoi An at this time of year. You certainly won’t be wanting to use the beach, seas are rough and most of the sand has washed away on Ang Bang and Hidden Beach.
Cau Dai beach had no sand even before the wet season but we remember it from 2001.
Our house is well outside the flood zone, our street is dry but residential areas outside the Old Town are flooding fast and power is going down. The people on the waterfront and on the islands are, I hope, still dry on upper floors, if not there are boats everywhere, people can be got out.
I hope these wonderful people stay safe.
APEC and Hoi An (2017)
APEC is causing disruption and road closures including the main coastal highway to Hoi An from Danang. When we left yesterday (10th) the coastal road was already closed and we had to take the back route to the airport.
Check road closures and dates before you plan your journey. As a side note, don’t try and bring a drone through Danang airport until after APEC is over, they haven’t been letting them in.
There have also been police coming house to house checking visas and passports, we’re hearing there have been deportations of foreigners with the wrong papers. The police who visited our homes were very nice, no problem.
Pictures From the Hoi An Flooding
7am yesterday morning, 4th November 2017. The flood waters were about to reach the third street back from the waterfront. Plenty of boats around to take locals to and from their homes.
Hoi An’s Famous Japanese Bridge taken a few weeks ago, (The coloured lanterns in the water are released every night, not just on full moon or lantern festival nights, just a FYI ) The next photo was the scene at the bridge yesterday morning.
Standing at the entrance of the Japanese bridge looking across the river to An Hoi island. The dots in the water are the tops of the wooden walking bridge there. The water must be at least a meter deeper here now, it’s inaccessible due to fast flowing water flowing between houses near here.
The scene at Hoi An market yesterday morning ( Nov 4th) at 7am. Water is advancing along the side of the market. Stall holders simply set up shop further and further into town. Business as usual.
The market around 4.30pm November 4th. We were still able to cycle along this street, the water was to my thighs.
Today, November 6th, everyone is still in good spirits but the water is getting higher still. More rain is expected today but right now it’s dry.
Are You Travelling to Hoi An Today?
I know for sure that the Almanity Hotel is high and dry, it’s very close to our house. We have a full review of the Almanity Here. Our post on where to eat and what in Hoi An won’t be much use to you, all these places are under water. I do know that now, today, Ganesh Indian Restaurant is dry. Mia coffee is under water.
UPDATE 4.30pm 6/11/17 The water has visibly started to go down near us. Not much, maybe 30cm. The White Rose restaurant on Hai Ba Trung is now open ( we just ate there) it was flooded at breakfast time. That doesn’t mean it won’t come up again! The tide is about to start coming in.
UPDATE 8.00 am 7/11/17 The flood waters are going down. A significant drop. Can’t give you exact figures yet.
UPDATE 9am 8/11/17 From my friend who lives on the waterfront in the Old Town ” Yesterday the water was down, and we cleaned the whole day but everything was still messy. From 11-16 Nov there will be heavy rains, maybe the floods will rise again.”
UPDATE 21/11/17 A second round of flooding predicted in the next few days, riverside already flooded.
Hoi An is one of the nicest places I know. It’s one of the cleanest, prettiest, most friendly places in South East Asia. It’s also incredibly cheap and the food is superb. Come if you can, these people are the best and deserve your custom. We will be back to spend more extended time in Vietnam.
When Does Hoi An Flood?
Hoi An can flood any time between late October and January.
In 2017 Hoi An flooded in November and only once, but more than one flood per year can, and does, happen. Hoi An does not flood every year, but almost every year. We are still in Hoi An in 2018 and it will be interesting to see what flood season brings this year.
We are still here in Hoi An and our house is still dry. We are due to fly to Malaysia from Danang tomorrow. They are saying that water levels will continue to rise today and tomorrow, some are even predicting 4 or 5m.
There is a chance we may leave Hoi An later today and stay overnight in Danang, but for now, everything is fine. We’ll continue to monitor the situation in Hoi An and add photos to this post.
I wanted to get this post at least semi-published in case we lose power, some areas of Hoi An have had no power since yesterday. Thanks for being here and thanks for caring about the flooding in Hoi An. Some tourists are stressing about being stranded in hotels, they will be fine, our thoughts are with the local people on the waterfront and on the islands. As always, the Vietnamese people just keep laughing and smiling. Want more information on travel in Vietnam? Visit our Vietnam travel page.
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About the author
Alyson Long
Alyson Long is a British medical scientist who jumped ship to chase dreams. A former Chief Biomedical Scientist at London's West Middlesex Hospital she started in website creation and travel writing in 2011.
Alyson is a full-time blogger and travel writer, a published author, and owns several websites. World Travel Family is the biggest.
A lifetime of wanderlust and over 6 years of full-time travel, plus a separate 12 month gap year, has given Alyson and the family some travel expert smarts to share with you on this world travel site.
Today Alyson still travels extensively to update this site and continue her mission to visit every country, but she's often at home on her farm in Australia.
You’ve taken some amazing photos and documented the impact of this on people and businesses really well and peoples positive attitude! Consider entering the pictures next year in: weather-photographer-of-the-year
Thanks, but they’re only snaps on my phone, not competion worthy photography. We were just lucky to be there at the right time to see this and to know enough people locally to get a good perspective on how they cope with it, and bounce back.
Hi, I will start a new job in Hoi An. I’m still wondering to stay in Hoi An or Danang as i will bring my spouse and 2 years old daughter. I’m worry that Hoi An might be to boring for my family and also the yearly flood worry me. But to travel daily between danang and hoi an for work will be a food idea?
i don’t think travelling between Hoi An and Danang every day would be very nice. I think I’d prefer to live in Danang if I worked there. But out of the two I like Hoi An best.
Hello, I’m planning for family trip in Da Nang, Hoi An & Hue this year. I’m still not sure if I should travel in Aug or Nov or Dec as I’m a bit worry on the weather during these periods. Based on my research, I like the cooling weather in Nov/Dec but afraid if there will be bad weather during these period as I will be traveling with my 2 children. If I plan in Aug, I worry it will be too hot to walk around.
So, need advice on which period I should travel. I only can travel during the school holidays (Mar, May/Jun, Aug or Nov/Dec).
November / December is when flooding is likely to occur. If you find our post on the Hoi An Floods last year, you’ll see what can happen. At that time last year we had some good days but a lot of heavy rain too and then the town flooded for several days – weeks. But it’s not a disaster zone, life goes on.
Hi Alyson, Thanks for your reply. I think it’s better to avoid year end. How about August? Will it be very very hot during this period? If this period is not suitable, I have no choice to postpone my travel plan to next year in March.
Just Google for temperatures in August. My hot and your hot may be 2 different things. We enjoyed the wet season and being there for the floods was incredible, it depends what your needs are.
Can anyone help me with a hotel recommendation OR neighborhood to stay in, based on my likes below? I’ve spent so much time looking only to find every place was much too far away from central activities.
This past February, I stayed at the Golden Bell Boutique Villa, 33A Lý Thái Tổ, Cẩm Châu. It was very nice with a great buffet plus freshly cooked breakfasts on order. It is 15-20 minutes walking to Old Town.
As it was my first time in Hoi An, I enjoyed the walk, but I think this time I would like to stay in a different section of town to walk and see/enjoy different scenery.
Can anyone recommend a good section of town for that? I enjoy culture, meeting people, food, and architecture (pretty, old buildings). A little nature, but not too much, so I don’t want to stay by the beach. And not too far so I can walk places.
Do you know any other similarly priced nice places that might be more convenient to wandering through the streets to see interesting things? I already spent 3 days in Old Town, so don’t necessarily want to be close to there.
Some beautiful hotels that are much further out provide free bikes. I love to ride, but I have an injury that my doctor advised could get inflamed from bike riding. So I could test riding the bike, but if it causes a problem, I don’t want to be so far that I keep having to take Uber taxis all the time as waiting for them also wastes time.
Any good suggestions on neighborhoods or hotels that could meet the above would be really appreciated. The nice hotels I have been looking at range from US$11 to $16 per night including breakfast plus taxes.
Only the Old Town has the old buildings Bob. Also are you missing a zero off your hotel prices? The two hotels we stayed at in Hoi An ( Sunrise and Almanity) were roughly $250 per night. Hostels, homestays and guest houses will come in at under $20 / night, hostels as low as $6 for a dorm bed. There is very little accommodation actually in the Old Town, it’s mostly outside.
When I walked from Golden Bell Villa to the Old Town, I passed older buildings, but I guess they weren’t very old in the true sense of the word. But to me they had the flavor of Vietnam and Hoi An, so I enjoyed the scenery.
I am not missing any zeros. Have you used booking.com? I think they have the best search, as they offer lots of search selections. I don’t know if this same search will come up for you, because I am logged in, but check here: (I would only consider those 1.2 miles or less from downtown).
I paid 16.00 per night (all taxes included) for Suburban Hotel near Hoi An. Includes breakfast. Brand new looking hotel, nice owners. Highly recommended! Beautiful shower/bathrooms! – U.S. Citizen Dec 10, 2017
Nice, we pay about $20 / night for a home stay or guest house for a family of 4 and our 3 bedroom house rental was $18 / night in Hoi An. One of the cheapest places I know, anywhere in the world. But that’s not why we stay there, it’s the place not the prices.
Hi Alyson – how did you find your house rental? We have taken an AirBnB for 6 weeks this summer, but may well want to return for 3 – 6 months if we like it (and i’m getting the feeling that we will) and will be looking for places that are more reasonable and available for a longer period. Thanks Danielle
If you go to our living in Hoi An post there is a contact there for our landlady. Her family owns 2 houses here which they rent out, talk to Dao! She speaks perfect English and is an absolute diamond. Tell her you found her through us.
Floods long gone Tim. No new flooding. Hoi An is absolutely fine according to all my friends who are still there. I also just came through Penang, which flooded at the ame time, also fine, and it’s sunny today in Bangkok 🙂
Just spent the day walking round old town Hoi An. Although raining all day, everyone still going about business and cheerful. Not to be missed, even in rain.
Dear Alyson,
my wife an I have plans to come to Hoi An on Nov 25th. Reading your post, it seems not to be a problem any more. Hoi An is the place we are looking for most on our travel through Vietnam. It would have been a great loss not to see this region. Thank you for sharing your eye witness information :). Please leave a note, if conditions become worse again.
Best regards
I would also really really appreciate more feedback on the floods and state of Hoi An too, so thank you to everyone for the updates so far, please do keep them coming though as we cannot seem to find any other on the ground, reputable info online 🙂
We are planning to be there around 20-30 Dec so just wanted to keep up to date in case there are more floods or if it’s not safe to travel to?
I joined a Hoi An expats Facebook group. There are so many nice people there. One of the ladies there offered to show me how to cook my favorite dish, Cao Lau. She said I could come to her house. She mentioned something about her husband, so I know she is married. Is it normal for Vietnamese to make such kind offers to strangers or should I be concerned for my safety or that there is an ulterior motive?
Another young lady offered to take me on an “unprofessional” street food of Hoi An. Also OK? We’re friends now on Facebook.
I was told I could buy dried Cao Lau noodles in Hoi An, so I can take it home and be able to cook it. How much difference is the taste compared to the street food places that use the fresh noodles?
Don’t know, but Cau Lao is the noodle, not the dish. The dish is very simple, but cau lau noodles come served a few different ways, either fried, the classic with pork, or with chicken, veg, seafood etc. If it was Dao that asked you to her home to cook she’s a good friend. The Vietnamese are wonderful people, extremely kind, but don’t be a fool with your money. There may be a tailor’s shop linked to the kitchen, if you know what I mean. There’s also a bunch of miserable, grumpy old expats in that group, ignore them!
Hi Alyson! I’m retiring and getting rid of clothes so no interest in having clothes made.
Would you say it’s very likely no harm would come to me? It wasn’t Dao.
I didn’t know Cao Lao wasn’t the name of the dish. But each time I have read about it or seen pics or went to places that served it in Hoi An, it was always the same dish.
Thanks for your help.
Bob
So take it you think there would be a negative ulterior motive more likely than not? I only want to learn to cook Cao Lau, and the cooking classes teach 4-5 dishes and are expensive to only learn one dish that I may not even feel I’m able to make at home. I am not a very experienced cook, and never have cooked Vietnamese food.
Bob
Hi Alyson! We are supposed to arrive to Hoi An tomorrow, is the flood gone by now?
Our flight is to Danang but we are concerced about the condition of the road to Hoi An. We also don’t know if the Hai Au Boutique Hotel is flooded…
It will be great if you could give us some information about the current situation.
Thank you 🙂
Sorry Lorena, I’ve been in Penang and Bangkok, according to all my friends still there Hoi An is absolutely fine, road was fine when we left, but the coastal road was shut because of APEC, the back road was fine but may take a little longer. Sorry, don’t know that hotel, which district? If it was flooded it should be OK now anyway, they clean up fast.
I just wanted to let you know that my friend and I arrived in Hoi An and it’s wonderful!
Our hotel is in the lowest part of the city and experienced horrendous flooding but reopened today and is in great shape. There’s a few restaurants/shops still cleaning up but most are open or letting us know they’ll be open by the evening. Walking/motorbike tours appear to be running, bicycle tours to some areas are not due to flooding. There’s lots of cooking schools and lantern making classes running too.
I’ve heard there will be more rain at the weekend but at the moment the sun is shining.
Hi
Are you still in Hoi An? I am due to stay on the 12th-16th and am still unsure to come. Would be great from anyone there how things are at the moment.
Thanks!
Due to be visiting and staying in Hoi An Friday – Monday 13th November,
Really excited about this part of the trip but wanted to check if the area I’m staying has been affected by the recent flooding.
Staying In Cam Pho area, has this been affected by the recent sad flooding?
The top end of Cam Pho was totally dry ( Almanity Hotel, Jim’s snack Bar) Most of the rest was under water. Should be OK now but don’t rule out more floods.
Hi! We are planning to be in Hoi An around the 23rd. Can you recommend an honest site to find out what the conditions are really like as we get closer to the date if you are not going to be there?
Just wanted to report that I’ve been in Hoi An since last night and although it’s been pretty rainy, the flood waters have receded entirely from the old part of town. Shops, restaurants, etc are open and with power–some that were more flooded may still be being cleaned but should be good to go shortly. Also saw a couple questions about mosquitoes, and I have yet to be bitten by one. Hoi An is definitely open for business. The rain has a couple country roads closed today (couldn’t make it to My Son) but honestly it seems like the APEC summit is causing more issues with road closures & detouring than any weather.
Hi Sarah, I would really appreciate any update on current situation in regards to flood in Hoi An as I can get hold of my hotel. Maybe someone is aware about Homeland River Homestay which is wright by the river 🙁 I will be arriving in Hoin An this Saturday the 11th of November and if the town is still underwater I will reconsider coming in to this area and stay in Hanoi.
Thank you in advance for any updates.
I believe the floodwaters are down now, let me just check for you. But yes, that hotel would have been flooded I presume, a guess only, obviously I couldn’t get over there.
Just confirmed by my friend on the waterfront, all good now and her shop is open, but heavy rains forecast 11th to 16th of November and it’s possible Hoi An will flood again.
Thank you very much for your update. Could you please recommend any hotel where I can rebook my room ? I dont want to get there to find out that my hotel which I booked is under water 🙁 in which are I shoukd look for hotels or shall I avoid Hoi An? I will be exactly in Hoi An as of from 11th to 15th Nov during period with heavy rain 🙁 Shall I stay in Hanoi maybe this will be safer option? Tgank you in advance fir any feedback
Depends what you want to pay really. The Almanity is lovely ( walking distance to the Old Town) and was totally dry, but it’s a 5 star resort and spa. We have a full review on this site. Anything on Ang Bang beach should be fine, but we don’t like that area much. Anywhere in Than An area ( which is where we lived) there are lots of homestays and small hotels around, it’s a residential area. (walking distance to paddy fields or Old Town) Come if you can, Hoi An is awesome!
Thank you so much for all the information. I will look for alternative hotel tomorrow. I was so exciated to come and visit Hoi An, i booked tours for each day of my visit, now I am worrying that if they go ahead due to heavy rain forcast :/ Once again Thank you so much 🙂
We hugely recommend the Eco Cooking Tour by the way, it was awesome, I haven’t posted about it yet, but they most certainly would have been under several m of water, likewise the pottery village. Mi Son is fantastic too but somebody said the road to get there was impassible. Hope it goes well for you Aga. If you want a shirt making, see our friend Dao at Khan Tran Tailor Shop.
We did the Goian cooking school yesterday, which was fantastic. You get to pick four dishes to make from a list of a few dozen, which we liked because we’re a bit more advanced in the kitchen. Going to Mi Son today, so the roads should be good to go!
Hi ALl!
Planning to visit Hoi An on 17-18Nov 2017. Any updates from there?
thank you so much! much appreciated.
Great to know. Until a few weeks ago there were hardly any mosquitoes in Hoi an, we didn’t even bother with repellent. As the wet season kicked in there were a few more, but still not many compared to most of SE Asia or Australia. But then fast flowing flood waters and torrential rain would have washed away larvae, I’m guessing that in a day or two you’ll see more as they start to breed in any standing water left around town, if there is any. I haven’t heard of any Dengue around.
To follow up on my comment from last night–the street closest to the river in the old town is still a bit flooded in spots, and without power. But the 2nd street in from the river was flooded on Tuesday and as of Wednesday the water had receded and some shops & restaurants were open. If it follows that pattern I’d think it’ll be in even better shape by today or Friday.
Tlhank yu so much for al the information Sarah and I really hope weather will get better soon and wont be any more floods.
Are you aware about situation in central Vietnam? Maybe I should stay in Hanoi if the weatherforcast is bad?
nice to see some pictures from the town. i was sitting on cam kim the last days. yesterday water went down by a lot and today in the morning i can even see the street in front of our house. electricity came back as well. all good. was a lot of water though. my room is built quite high and I got around 80 cm of water. Had some really interesting days.
Hi we are meant to stay at Hoi an Ancient city resort this in Saturday 11 th any idea if it was flooded ? Do you think it is worthwhile to come ? Ar there things open to see ?
Hi sorry I got only part of name Hoi An Ancient House Village Resort and spa
Thanh Dong Hamlet Cam Thanh. Just eindrttng if it hit flooded in that’s area or how it is. Really appreciate your comments and info . Thanks Cathryn
That looks to be pretty far from the flooding–the only parts that are really flooded from what I could see last night are the 2 streets in the hustoric part of town closest to the river
So glad to read the updates from your blog! I will check in a villa near An Bang beach for a few nights and booked some hotels in Hue, is An Bang can stay dry during the flooding? Look forward to your insightful advice!!
Hello Allison, thanks a lot for your update. I am heading to HoI An on Friday, any possible prediction? how about the mosquitos, I heard there are many this year in Vietnam and some areas of Vietnam are considered even as dengue epidemic areas? thanks a lot, wish you safe travels,Lucie
Hi we are due in tomorrow afternoon the 8th unti the 13th November .We are staying in the Hoi An Silk Boutique Hotel Villa & Spa 14 Hùng Vương, Cẩm Phô, Tp. Hội An, Quảng Nam…Do you have any information on if this is still underwater or if it has been affected.
We have a dear friend, Lihn, who owns Lihn Lavender Spa opposite The Sunrise Resort Hotel at Cau Dai. We have been trying to contact her but I guess the phones are down. Does anyone have any knowledge if Lihn’s Spa is still intact.? I would think being so close to the front it would have taken the brunt of the initial storm.
Thank you,
Tam & Des, Brisbane.
We didn’t have any storm damage here that I know of Des. I THINK that side is still dry, but I’ll try to find out for you. The flooding is not really due to the storm it’s man made.
Chef just got back, he’s been running along the beach a bit further south, Ang Bang way, no floods, no storm damage, just a bit or tarmac washed out where it’s been built on sand. He didn’t go as far as the Sunrise, but everything seems fine. Some parts of Hoi An lost power, maybe they have, but this flooding is really nothing unusual here.
I believe the beach side is fine Mark. Old Town still under water but it looks like it’s going down this morning. The road from our side to Ang Bang was nowhere near flooded yesterday.
I got here today (as per Alyson’s sugggestion). There are 3 main streets in the old part of town that run parallel to the river, two of which are flooded and without power, but the third is more of less fine as of today. We had no problem walking around, going into shops, grabbing some really great dinner & drinks, and seeing some beautiful sights. The rest of town outside the historic district looked ok so far as we saw. There are lots of tourists here and the roads are mostly passable, and the weather was clear.
If anyone is hesitant about coming, I’d say you should go for it, and I suspect it’ll be in even better shape in a few days.
Oh good, that means it’s gone down loads. We were cycling along street 3 in water to our thighs day before yesterday 🙂 See how quickly the Vietnamese bounce back.
We’re due to fly down to Hoi An tomorrow morning. It sounds like you’ve been having a lovely time despite the flooding. Is it possible to visit the old town at the moment? Do you know if the roads are clear to hue? We have a flight from there a few days after being in hai no. Any advice would be great.
My boyfriend and I are about to head into the old town for dinner, so I’ll post if there appears to be any issues, but so far the word from everyone here today–including our home stay host, an Uber driver, and a teacher at a cooking class we took today–all reported the flooding had entirely receded in the old part of town and power is restored where it had been out. Things are still wet and it was raining on and off all day, but at the moment the weather is clear. I can’t speak for Hue but my impression thus far has been that things are here are built for flooding, and even what appears to be extreme flooding one day can be clear the next. It’s pretty amazing how quickly things bounce back around here actually.
If I hear anything about Hue I’ll let you know.
Hi! My husband and I are meant to fly tomorrow night to visit Hoi An – with accommodation booked until our flight on Friday evening. It’s our first time to Vietnam, so not sure if we should just stick to Hoi An and see how it goes or what another alternative might be. Any suggestions?
Thanks for these updates! Please post another before you leave if you can!
Chef has just gone out for a run, he’ll be back with a full report in an hour or two, meanwhile I’m checking the expat groups, it looks like it’s going down, people washing out their downstairs rooms, back to normal soon!
I thought I should ask a Hoi An expert like you 🙂 .
I was so saddened to hear about the typhoon damage. Hoi An is such a beautiful town and the people are very nice. I was there for the first time this Jan, loved the feel and the food, especially Cau Lao which became my favorite. So I was excited to plan a return to Vietnam this Jan, and a great motivation was being able to return to Hoi An and enjoy Cao Lau again and again, because I was unable to find this dish in HCMC or in the US.
I booked my outbound flight from the US to HCMC for Jan 11 just yesterday, and would be in Hoi An sometime around mid-Jan. It’s on hold for 4 more days when I have to pay or let it expire. I know no one can predict the outcome, but I read Hoi An experienced this type of flooding 16 yrs back. Is it very likely most hotels and places will be back to normal within two months? Or should I consider delaying my entire trip? I can’t take very hot and humid weather, so I can’t delay more than a few weeks, as HCMC will be too hot as well as India where I am traveling after. I could reverse and do India first though and return to VN in Feb.
I would think most places will be back to normal within days Bob! The Vietnamese are very good at just getting on with life. Once the water goes down they’ll clean up and re-open. Our friend who’s down on the front still has power even though her downstairs is flooded, everything is built to cope and these floods happen almost every year.
We skipped our flight yesterday to Danang but today we have to make a decision on weather we go to Hoi An or skip it entirely and head to Hanoi instead. Like I said yesterday, our homestay is dry, but still concerned about flooding & weather in other parts of town.
Do you have any advice? I’m so bummed we might miss Hoi An, but trying to make a good desicion based on what little info we have.
I’d come. But your only option to see the old town is still by boat. Dry and sunny-ish right now. There was never any storm problem here, just a lot of rain.
Just walked down to where the flood waters began yesterday ( near White Rose restaurant, just down from Jim’s Snack Bar) and couldn’t see any water at all, so must have receded a fair bit. By the way on your right as you walk down that road past Jim’s is a lady selling superb Mi Quang….give her a try! We have breakfast there most mornings. She also does Cau Lau. The white rose at the White Rose restaurant are overpriced though 😉
Thank you for the detailed information! You are helping a lot of fellow travellers decide what to do with this post. I am also arriving on the 10th so will be keeping an eye on your blog. 🙂
Hi, we had booking at HoiAn Silk Village but choose to stay back in Danang today. Our booking is for 2 Nights in Silk Village. Should we consider to visit HoiAn tomorrow or totally skip for safer side.
What do u suggest?
We are visiting Ban Ha Hills so may be we can do day trip and evening back to Danang.
I’m pretty sure the Silk Village will be under water. Have you checked their Facebook page? At the moment you won’t be able to get into the old town other than by boat but I think it is going down now.
I checked with Hotel and they told me, there is no flood in their area. So double mind. Idea is to enjoy HoiAn and if shops restaurants are not open then it’s better we enjoy Danang.
For me we don’t mind taking boat but is it easily available to roam around HoiAn Flood area
Well yesterday there were signs up saying it wasn’t allowed but everyone is offering boat rides down there now, for crazy prices. One lady offered us $20 each just now. There were a lot of police around this morning, not sure if they’re stopping it or not. I just checked the map, I was thinking of the Silk House, The silk village is the next street to our house and yes, high and dry. Restaurants that aren’t flooded are open and there are plenty of street stalls in the mornings and evenings.
Thank you so much for the update. We are in Da Nang since Friday and were planning to go to Hoi An next. So much for that right now !
Here, no flodings but constant rain and heavy winds. Some restaurants have closed, mostly on the seaside of the city. No problem with electricity or internet so far.
Hi we have a 4 night trip booked to Hoi An on the 10th of November, we can postpone , basically coming for tailoring and food !!! We are staying in the old town Any advice ????
I think by the 10th it will all be over, but keep monitoring. I’m leaving tomorrow but I’ll be in touch with friends here, our landlady, Dao, is a tailor, she’s on the waterfront stuck upstairs in her house, she’ll let me know what’s happening and I’ll keep posting.
What a sendoff that Vietnam is giving you. Glad that your family is safe, and I hope that Old Town rebounds quickly. Penang flooded a lot, too, because of the same storm. My husband flew out Friday, and I think the Penang Airport had to cancel flights later that day due to winds.
Nov 6 – 11:00am. I am in Hoi An, near the Almanity hotel and it is dry here. There are many hotels in the area and they should be safe. It is not raining right now but the forecast calls for more rain. It is impossible to go to the old city. I am taking a boat to visit the flood areas.
Police were banning tourists doing that yesterday. Lots of military about too. Raining now. Just been to check on the buffalo and ducks round the back at the paddy fields. They’re all good 🙂
Hi! We’re scheduled to fly up to Hoi An today (Nov 6th), from Ho Chi Minh, but obviously concerned! Our home stay lady is assuring us it’s fine and we should come (her house is not by the river) but pictures and tweets from Hoi An would suggest that it may be a very bad idea as the area appears to be in a state of emergency. We may postpone til tomorrow or skip altogether, but wanted to see if you might have any further insight before we make a decision? Appreciate any feedback!
It is fine if she says it’s fine! She must be outside the flood zone. Nothing is an emergency here they just smile, laugh and carry on, everyone is still in good spirits. Not much to see or do here right now though, you can’t get into the old town at all.
Thanks for the prompt response Alyson! Glad to know it’s not as dire as we thought, although if the old city is closed and there’s not much to see or do, it may still be not the best idea to go. We’ll wait it out and probably make a decision tonight or tomorrow.
Hello, thank you for your very informative blog. We are trying to leave Hué, where we also had flooding yesterday, for Hoi An today Nov 6. Our hotel there is still flooded, looking to book something on the beach where I understand there is no flooding. Do you know if that is accurate? In which area was your accommodation?
Thank you for your help. Hope Vietnamese people pull out of this without harm, they are such lovely people….
I know the Almanity Hotel is dry, it’s near our house. I haven’t been over to Ang Bang beach but I hear it’s OK. All of the Old Town is under water and surrounding areas including Cam Thanh and Cua Dai Rd. That’s all I know. I might go out on my bike now and see if the paddy fields are flooded. It’s higher this morning, we just got back. A lot of areas losing power too.
Thank you Alyson. Tours we had booked in Hoi An say it is too difficult to get there and water is too high. We will change our plans and fly from Hue to HCM. We will have to come back to Vietnam to visit Hoi An. Stay safe
You can get in OK but there’s very little point in being here. Enjoy HCM, we leave tomorrow, these 3 months in Vietnam have been fantastic and we will be back. 🙂
You’ve taken some amazing photos and documented the impact of this on people and businesses really well and peoples positive attitude! Consider entering the pictures next year in: weather-photographer-of-the-year
And telling the story of the flooding season.
Thanks, but they’re only snaps on my phone, not competion worthy photography. We were just lucky to be there at the right time to see this and to know enough people locally to get a good perspective on how they cope with it, and bounce back.
Hi, I will start a new job in Hoi An. I’m still wondering to stay in Hoi An or Danang as i will bring my spouse and 2 years old daughter. I’m worry that Hoi An might be to boring for my family and also the yearly flood worry me. But to travel daily between danang and hoi an for work will be a food idea?
i don’t think travelling between Hoi An and Danang every day would be very nice. I think I’d prefer to live in Danang if I worked there. But out of the two I like Hoi An best.
Hello, I’m planning for family trip in Da Nang, Hoi An & Hue this year. I’m still not sure if I should travel in Aug or Nov or Dec as I’m a bit worry on the weather during these periods. Based on my research, I like the cooling weather in Nov/Dec but afraid if there will be bad weather during these period as I will be traveling with my 2 children. If I plan in Aug, I worry it will be too hot to walk around.
So, need advice on which period I should travel. I only can travel during the school holidays (Mar, May/Jun, Aug or Nov/Dec).
Thanks in advance.
November / December is when flooding is likely to occur. If you find our post on the Hoi An Floods last year, you’ll see what can happen. At that time last year we had some good days but a lot of heavy rain too and then the town flooded for several days – weeks. But it’s not a disaster zone, life goes on.
Hi Alyson, Thanks for your reply. I think it’s better to avoid year end. How about August? Will it be very very hot during this period? If this period is not suitable, I have no choice to postpone my travel plan to next year in March.
Thanks in advance.
Just Google for temperatures in August. My hot and your hot may be 2 different things. We enjoyed the wet season and being there for the floods was incredible, it depends what your needs are.
Can anyone help me with a hotel recommendation OR neighborhood to stay in, based on my likes below? I’ve spent so much time looking only to find every place was much too far away from central activities.
This past February, I stayed at the Golden Bell Boutique Villa, 33A Lý Thái Tổ, Cẩm Châu. It was very nice with a great buffet plus freshly cooked breakfasts on order. It is 15-20 minutes walking to Old Town.
As it was my first time in Hoi An, I enjoyed the walk, but I think this time I would like to stay in a different section of town to walk and see/enjoy different scenery.
Can anyone recommend a good section of town for that? I enjoy culture, meeting people, food, and architecture (pretty, old buildings). A little nature, but not too much, so I don’t want to stay by the beach. And not too far so I can walk places.
Do you know any other similarly priced nice places that might be more convenient to wandering through the streets to see interesting things? I already spent 3 days in Old Town, so don’t necessarily want to be close to there.
Some beautiful hotels that are much further out provide free bikes. I love to ride, but I have an injury that my doctor advised could get inflamed from bike riding. So I could test riding the bike, but if it causes a problem, I don’t want to be so far that I keep having to take Uber taxis all the time as waiting for them also wastes time.
Any good suggestions on neighborhoods or hotels that could meet the above would be really appreciated. The nice hotels I have been looking at range from US$11 to $16 per night including breakfast plus taxes.
Only the Old Town has the old buildings Bob. Also are you missing a zero off your hotel prices? The two hotels we stayed at in Hoi An ( Sunrise and Almanity) were roughly $250 per night. Hostels, homestays and guest houses will come in at under $20 / night, hostels as low as $6 for a dorm bed. There is very little accommodation actually in the Old Town, it’s mostly outside.
Hi Alyson and good morning!
When I walked from Golden Bell Villa to the Old Town, I passed older buildings, but I guess they weren’t very old in the true sense of the word. But to me they had the flavor of Vietnam and Hoi An, so I enjoyed the scenery.
I am not missing any zeros. Have you used booking.com? I think they have the best search, as they offer lots of search selections. I don’t know if this same search will come up for you, because I am logged in, but check here: (I would only consider those 1.2 miles or less from downtown).
Has the weather stabilized there now?
Kind regards,
Bob
I paid 16.00 per night (all taxes included) for Suburban Hotel near Hoi An. Includes breakfast. Brand new looking hotel, nice owners. Highly recommended! Beautiful shower/bathrooms! – U.S. Citizen Dec 10, 2017
Nice, we pay about $20 / night for a home stay or guest house for a family of 4 and our 3 bedroom house rental was $18 / night in Hoi An. One of the cheapest places I know, anywhere in the world. But that’s not why we stay there, it’s the place not the prices.
Hi Alyson – how did you find your house rental? We have taken an AirBnB for 6 weeks this summer, but may well want to return for 3 – 6 months if we like it (and i’m getting the feeling that we will) and will be looking for places that are more reasonable and available for a longer period. Thanks Danielle
If you go to our living in Hoi An post there is a contact there for our landlady. Her family owns 2 houses here which they rent out, talk to Dao! She speaks perfect English and is an absolute diamond. Tell her you found her through us.
Hi there.
Any further updates available please. We fly in on Saturday 18th. Most reports now are over a week old.
Thanks
Tim
Floods long gone Tim. No new flooding. Hoi An is absolutely fine according to all my friends who are still there. I also just came through Penang, which flooded at the ame time, also fine, and it’s sunny today in Bangkok 🙂
Just spent the day walking round old town Hoi An. Although raining all day, everyone still going about business and cheerful. Not to be missed, even in rain.
Dear Alyson,
my wife an I have plans to come to Hoi An on Nov 25th. Reading your post, it seems not to be a problem any more. Hoi An is the place we are looking for most on our travel through Vietnam. It would have been a great loss not to see this region. Thank you for sharing your eye witness information :). Please leave a note, if conditions become worse again.
Best regards
Chris
I would also really really appreciate more feedback on the floods and state of Hoi An too, so thank you to everyone for the updates so far, please do keep them coming though as we cannot seem to find any other on the ground, reputable info online 🙂
We are planning to be there around 20-30 Dec so just wanted to keep up to date in case there are more floods or if it’s not safe to travel to?
Thanks again 🙂
Even if it is flooded , it’s safe, I wouldn’t worry too much. But nobody can predict the weather into December, it tends to be just a few days notice.
I joined a Hoi An expats Facebook group. There are so many nice people there. One of the ladies there offered to show me how to cook my favorite dish, Cao Lau. She said I could come to her house. She mentioned something about her husband, so I know she is married. Is it normal for Vietnamese to make such kind offers to strangers or should I be concerned for my safety or that there is an ulterior motive?
Another young lady offered to take me on an “unprofessional” street food of Hoi An. Also OK? We’re friends now on Facebook.
I was told I could buy dried Cao Lau noodles in Hoi An, so I can take it home and be able to cook it. How much difference is the taste compared to the street food places that use the fresh noodles?
Thanks guys, for any insight you can offer.
Don’t know, but Cau Lao is the noodle, not the dish. The dish is very simple, but cau lau noodles come served a few different ways, either fried, the classic with pork, or with chicken, veg, seafood etc. If it was Dao that asked you to her home to cook she’s a good friend. The Vietnamese are wonderful people, extremely kind, but don’t be a fool with your money. There may be a tailor’s shop linked to the kitchen, if you know what I mean. There’s also a bunch of miserable, grumpy old expats in that group, ignore them!
Hi Alyson! I’m retiring and getting rid of clothes so no interest in having clothes made.
Would you say it’s very likely no harm would come to me? It wasn’t Dao.
I didn’t know Cao Lao wasn’t the name of the dish. But each time I have read about it or seen pics or went to places that served it in Hoi An, it was always the same dish.
Thanks for your help.
Bob
I don’t know Bob, I personally wouldn’t do it, outside my comfort zone. But the Vietnamese are very lovely people. I’d pay for a cooking class.
So take it you think there would be a negative ulterior motive more likely than not? I only want to learn to cook Cao Lau, and the cooking classes teach 4-5 dishes and are expensive to only learn one dish that I may not even feel I’m able to make at home. I am not a very experienced cook, and never have cooked Vietnamese food.
Bob
Hi Alyson! We are supposed to arrive to Hoi An tomorrow, is the flood gone by now?
Our flight is to Danang but we are concerced about the condition of the road to Hoi An. We also don’t know if the Hai Au Boutique Hotel is flooded…
It will be great if you could give us some information about the current situation.
Thank you 🙂
Sorry Lorena, I’ve been in Penang and Bangkok, according to all my friends still there Hoi An is absolutely fine, road was fine when we left, but the coastal road was shut because of APEC, the back road was fine but may take a little longer. Sorry, don’t know that hotel, which district? If it was flooded it should be OK now anyway, they clean up fast.
Hi all,
I just wanted to let you know that my friend and I arrived in Hoi An and it’s wonderful!
Our hotel is in the lowest part of the city and experienced horrendous flooding but reopened today and is in great shape. There’s a few restaurants/shops still cleaning up but most are open or letting us know they’ll be open by the evening. Walking/motorbike tours appear to be running, bicycle tours to some areas are not due to flooding. There’s lots of cooking schools and lantern making classes running too.
I’ve heard there will be more rain at the weekend but at the moment the sun is shining.
Ruth
Hi
Are you still in Hoi An? I am due to stay on the 12th-16th and am still unsure to come. Would be great from anyone there how things are at the moment.
Thanks!
Hi,
Due to be visiting and staying in Hoi An Friday – Monday 13th November,
Really excited about this part of the trip but wanted to check if the area I’m staying has been affected by the recent flooding.
Staying In Cam Pho area, has this been affected by the recent sad flooding?
Many thanks
Paul
The top end of Cam Pho was totally dry ( Almanity Hotel, Jim’s snack Bar) Most of the rest was under water. Should be OK now but don’t rule out more floods.
The top part of Cam Pho was dry, bottom part flooded. All dry now, but see update about next few days.
Hi! We are planning to be in Hoi An around the 23rd. Can you recommend an honest site to find out what the conditions are really like as we get closer to the date if you are not going to be there?
Thank you!
Hi all,
Just wanted to report that I’ve been in Hoi An since last night and although it’s been pretty rainy, the flood waters have receded entirely from the old part of town. Shops, restaurants, etc are open and with power–some that were more flooded may still be being cleaned but should be good to go shortly. Also saw a couple questions about mosquitoes, and I have yet to be bitten by one. Hoi An is definitely open for business. The rain has a couple country roads closed today (couldn’t make it to My Son) but honestly it seems like the APEC summit is causing more issues with road closures & detouring than any weather.
Hi Sarah, I would really appreciate any update on current situation in regards to flood in Hoi An as I can get hold of my hotel. Maybe someone is aware about Homeland River Homestay which is wright by the river 🙁 I will be arriving in Hoin An this Saturday the 11th of November and if the town is still underwater I will reconsider coming in to this area and stay in Hanoi.
Thank you in advance for any updates.
Aga
I believe the floodwaters are down now, let me just check for you. But yes, that hotel would have been flooded I presume, a guess only, obviously I couldn’t get over there.
Just confirmed by my friend on the waterfront, all good now and her shop is open, but heavy rains forecast 11th to 16th of November and it’s possible Hoi An will flood again.
Hi Alyson,
Thank you very much for your update. Could you please recommend any hotel where I can rebook my room ? I dont want to get there to find out that my hotel which I booked is under water 🙁 in which are I shoukd look for hotels or shall I avoid Hoi An? I will be exactly in Hoi An as of from 11th to 15th Nov during period with heavy rain 🙁 Shall I stay in Hanoi maybe this will be safer option? Tgank you in advance fir any feedback
Depends what you want to pay really. The Almanity is lovely ( walking distance to the Old Town) and was totally dry, but it’s a 5 star resort and spa. We have a full review on this site. Anything on Ang Bang beach should be fine, but we don’t like that area much. Anywhere in Than An area ( which is where we lived) there are lots of homestays and small hotels around, it’s a residential area. (walking distance to paddy fields or Old Town) Come if you can, Hoi An is awesome!
Thank you so much for all the information. I will look for alternative hotel tomorrow. I was so exciated to come and visit Hoi An, i booked tours for each day of my visit, now I am worrying that if they go ahead due to heavy rain forcast :/ Once again Thank you so much 🙂
We hugely recommend the Eco Cooking Tour by the way, it was awesome, I haven’t posted about it yet, but they most certainly would have been under several m of water, likewise the pottery village. Mi Son is fantastic too but somebody said the road to get there was impassible. Hope it goes well for you Aga. If you want a shirt making, see our friend Dao at Khan Tran Tailor Shop.
We did the Goian cooking school yesterday, which was fantastic. You get to pick four dishes to make from a list of a few dozen, which we liked because we’re a bit more advanced in the kitchen. Going to Mi Son today, so the roads should be good to go!
Hi ALl!
Planning to visit Hoi An on 17-18Nov 2017. Any updates from there?
thank you so much! much appreciated.
Great to know. Until a few weeks ago there were hardly any mosquitoes in Hoi an, we didn’t even bother with repellent. As the wet season kicked in there were a few more, but still not many compared to most of SE Asia or Australia. But then fast flowing flood waters and torrential rain would have washed away larvae, I’m guessing that in a day or two you’ll see more as they start to breed in any standing water left around town, if there is any. I haven’t heard of any Dengue around.
To follow up on my comment from last night–the street closest to the river in the old town is still a bit flooded in spots, and without power. But the 2nd street in from the river was flooded on Tuesday and as of Wednesday the water had receded and some shops & restaurants were open. If it follows that pattern I’d think it’ll be in even better shape by today or Friday.
Tlhank yu so much for al the information Sarah and I really hope weather will get better soon and wont be any more floods.
Are you aware about situation in central Vietnam? Maybe I should stay in Hanoi if the weatherforcast is bad?
We are due to fly out of Danang today do you know how the roads are from Hoi an to Danang? Hoping we make it out ????
Fine we did it yesteday, but the front road is closed because of APEC, you need to go around the back.
nice to see some pictures from the town. i was sitting on cam kim the last days. yesterday water went down by a lot and today in the morning i can even see the street in front of our house. electricity came back as well. all good. was a lot of water though. my room is built quite high and I got around 80 cm of water. Had some really interesting days.
Hi we are meant to stay at Hoi an Ancient city resort this in Saturday 11 th any idea if it was flooded ? Do you think it is worthwhile to come ? Ar there things open to see ?
Hi sorry I got only part of name Hoi An Ancient House Village Resort and spa
Thanh Dong Hamlet Cam Thanh. Just eindrttng if it hit flooded in that’s area or how it is. Really appreciate your comments and info . Thanks Cathryn
That looks to be pretty far from the flooding–the only parts that are really flooded from what I could see last night are the 2 streets in the hustoric part of town closest to the river
Hi there!
So glad to read the updates from your blog! I will check in a villa near An Bang beach for a few nights and booked some hotels in Hue, is An Bang can stay dry during the flooding? Look forward to your insightful advice!!
Cheers
Grace
Any news on what level the floods reached?
Going down, I’m not there now but sounds like they’ve gone down a lot.
Hello Allison, thanks a lot for your update. I am heading to HoI An on Friday, any possible prediction? how about the mosquitos, I heard there are many this year in Vietnam and some areas of Vietnam are considered even as dengue epidemic areas? thanks a lot, wish you safe travels,Lucie
Hi we are due in tomorrow afternoon the 8th unti the 13th November .We are staying in the Hoi An Silk Boutique Hotel Villa & Spa 14 Hùng Vương, Cẩm Phô, Tp. Hội An, Quảng Nam…Do you have any information on if this is still underwater or if it has been affected.
Seems by accident I unsubscribed so this is just a placeholder to reactivate notifications.
We have a dear friend, Lihn, who owns Lihn Lavender Spa opposite The Sunrise Resort Hotel at Cau Dai. We have been trying to contact her but I guess the phones are down. Does anyone have any knowledge if Lihn’s Spa is still intact.? I would think being so close to the front it would have taken the brunt of the initial storm.
Thank you,
Tam & Des, Brisbane.
We didn’t have any storm damage here that I know of Des. I THINK that side is still dry, but I’ll try to find out for you. The flooding is not really due to the storm it’s man made.
Thank you Alyson. That has put our minds at rest. I will just have to carry on trying to make contact.
Chef just got back, he’s been running along the beach a bit further south, Ang Bang way, no floods, no storm damage, just a bit or tarmac washed out where it’s been built on sand. He didn’t go as far as the Sunrise, but everything seems fine. Some parts of Hoi An lost power, maybe they have, but this flooding is really nothing unusual here.
Hi. Any update we are due to arrive, staying at a resort on the beach
I believe the beach side is fine Mark. Old Town still under water but it looks like it’s going down this morning. The road from our side to Ang Bang was nowhere near flooded yesterday.
Fantastic photos, Alyson! I had no idea it flooded every year. I’d love to see it! I’ve been to Hoi An a few times but this is quite exciting!
I plan to be in hoi an on 8th. Do you think it will be ok? Or should I skip?
I got here today (as per Alyson’s sugggestion). There are 3 main streets in the old part of town that run parallel to the river, two of which are flooded and without power, but the third is more of less fine as of today. We had no problem walking around, going into shops, grabbing some really great dinner & drinks, and seeing some beautiful sights. The rest of town outside the historic district looked ok so far as we saw. There are lots of tourists here and the roads are mostly passable, and the weather was clear.
If anyone is hesitant about coming, I’d say you should go for it, and I suspect it’ll be in even better shape in a few days.
Oh good, that means it’s gone down loads. We were cycling along street 3 in water to our thighs day before yesterday 🙂 See how quickly the Vietnamese bounce back.
Hi Sarah,
We’re due to fly down to Hoi An tomorrow morning. It sounds like you’ve been having a lovely time despite the flooding. Is it possible to visit the old town at the moment? Do you know if the roads are clear to hue? We have a flight from there a few days after being in hai no. Any advice would be great.
Thanks,
Ruth
Hi Ruth,
My boyfriend and I are about to head into the old town for dinner, so I’ll post if there appears to be any issues, but so far the word from everyone here today–including our home stay host, an Uber driver, and a teacher at a cooking class we took today–all reported the flooding had entirely receded in the old part of town and power is restored where it had been out. Things are still wet and it was raining on and off all day, but at the moment the weather is clear. I can’t speak for Hue but my impression thus far has been that things are here are built for flooding, and even what appears to be extreme flooding one day can be clear the next. It’s pretty amazing how quickly things bounce back around here actually.
If I hear anything about Hue I’ll let you know.
Hi! My husband and I are meant to fly tomorrow night to visit Hoi An – with accommodation booked until our flight on Friday evening. It’s our first time to Vietnam, so not sure if we should just stick to Hoi An and see how it goes or what another alternative might be. Any suggestions?
Thanks for these updates! Please post another before you leave if you can!
Chef has just gone out for a run, he’ll be back with a full report in an hour or two, meanwhile I’m checking the expat groups, it looks like it’s going down, people washing out their downstairs rooms, back to normal soon!
Hi Alyson,
I thought I should ask a Hoi An expert like you 🙂 .
I was so saddened to hear about the typhoon damage. Hoi An is such a beautiful town and the people are very nice. I was there for the first time this Jan, loved the feel and the food, especially Cau Lao which became my favorite. So I was excited to plan a return to Vietnam this Jan, and a great motivation was being able to return to Hoi An and enjoy Cao Lau again and again, because I was unable to find this dish in HCMC or in the US.
I booked my outbound flight from the US to HCMC for Jan 11 just yesterday, and would be in Hoi An sometime around mid-Jan. It’s on hold for 4 more days when I have to pay or let it expire. I know no one can predict the outcome, but I read Hoi An experienced this type of flooding 16 yrs back. Is it very likely most hotels and places will be back to normal within two months? Or should I consider delaying my entire trip? I can’t take very hot and humid weather, so I can’t delay more than a few weeks, as HCMC will be too hot as well as India where I am traveling after. I could reverse and do India first though and return to VN in Feb.
Thanks for any insight.
Bob
I would think most places will be back to normal within days Bob! The Vietnamese are very good at just getting on with life. Once the water goes down they’ll clean up and re-open. Our friend who’s down on the front still has power even though her downstairs is flooded, everything is built to cope and these floods happen almost every year.
We skipped our flight yesterday to Danang but today we have to make a decision on weather we go to Hoi An or skip it entirely and head to Hanoi instead. Like I said yesterday, our homestay is dry, but still concerned about flooding & weather in other parts of town.
Do you have any advice? I’m so bummed we might miss Hoi An, but trying to make a good desicion based on what little info we have.
I’d come. But your only option to see the old town is still by boat. Dry and sunny-ish right now. There was never any storm problem here, just a lot of rain.
Thank you. Booking our flight now!
And thanks so much for the updates, been super helpful : )
Just walked down to where the flood waters began yesterday ( near White Rose restaurant, just down from Jim’s Snack Bar) and couldn’t see any water at all, so must have receded a fair bit. By the way on your right as you walk down that road past Jim’s is a lady selling superb Mi Quang….give her a try! We have breakfast there most mornings. She also does Cau Lau. The white rose at the White Rose restaurant are overpriced though 😉
Thank you for the detailed information! You are helping a lot of fellow travellers decide what to do with this post. I am also arriving on the 10th so will be keeping an eye on your blog. 🙂
Hi, we had booking at HoiAn Silk Village but choose to stay back in Danang today. Our booking is for 2 Nights in Silk Village. Should we consider to visit HoiAn tomorrow or totally skip for safer side.
What do u suggest?
We are visiting Ban Ha Hills so may be we can do day trip and evening back to Danang.
I’m pretty sure the Silk Village will be under water. Have you checked their Facebook page? At the moment you won’t be able to get into the old town other than by boat but I think it is going down now.
I checked with Hotel and they told me, there is no flood in their area. So double mind. Idea is to enjoy HoiAn and if shops restaurants are not open then it’s better we enjoy Danang.
For me we don’t mind taking boat but is it easily available to roam around HoiAn Flood area
Well yesterday there were signs up saying it wasn’t allowed but everyone is offering boat rides down there now, for crazy prices. One lady offered us $20 each just now. There were a lot of police around this morning, not sure if they’re stopping it or not. I just checked the map, I was thinking of the Silk House, The silk village is the next street to our house and yes, high and dry. Restaurants that aren’t flooded are open and there are plenty of street stalls in the mornings and evenings.
Hi Alyson,
Thank you so much for the update. We are in Da Nang since Friday and were planning to go to Hoi An next. So much for that right now !
Here, no flodings but constant rain and heavy winds. Some restaurants have closed, mostly on the seaside of the city. No problem with electricity or internet so far.
We will monitor your posts with attention
Thanks again
Flying Sardines
Hi we have a 4 night trip booked to Hoi An on the 10th of November, we can postpone , basically coming for tailoring and food !!! We are staying in the old town Any advice ????
I think by the 10th it will all be over, but keep monitoring. I’m leaving tomorrow but I’ll be in touch with friends here, our landlady, Dao, is a tailor, she’s on the waterfront stuck upstairs in her house, she’ll let me know what’s happening and I’ll keep posting.
What a sendoff that Vietnam is giving you. Glad that your family is safe, and I hope that Old Town rebounds quickly. Penang flooded a lot, too, because of the same storm. My husband flew out Friday, and I think the Penang Airport had to cancel flights later that day due to winds.
Nov 6 – 11:00am. I am in Hoi An, near the Almanity hotel and it is dry here. There are many hotels in the area and they should be safe. It is not raining right now but the forecast calls for more rain. It is impossible to go to the old city. I am taking a boat to visit the flood areas.
Police were banning tourists doing that yesterday. Lots of military about too. Raining now. Just been to check on the buffalo and ducks round the back at the paddy fields. They’re all good 🙂
Hi! We’re scheduled to fly up to Hoi An today (Nov 6th), from Ho Chi Minh, but obviously concerned! Our home stay lady is assuring us it’s fine and we should come (her house is not by the river) but pictures and tweets from Hoi An would suggest that it may be a very bad idea as the area appears to be in a state of emergency. We may postpone til tomorrow or skip altogether, but wanted to see if you might have any further insight before we make a decision? Appreciate any feedback!
It is fine if she says it’s fine! She must be outside the flood zone. Nothing is an emergency here they just smile, laugh and carry on, everyone is still in good spirits. Not much to see or do here right now though, you can’t get into the old town at all.
Thanks for the prompt response Alyson! Glad to know it’s not as dire as we thought, although if the old city is closed and there’s not much to see or do, it may still be not the best idea to go. We’ll wait it out and probably make a decision tonight or tomorrow.
Hello, thank you for your very informative blog. We are trying to leave Hué, where we also had flooding yesterday, for Hoi An today Nov 6. Our hotel there is still flooded, looking to book something on the beach where I understand there is no flooding. Do you know if that is accurate? In which area was your accommodation?
Thank you for your help. Hope Vietnamese people pull out of this without harm, they are such lovely people….
I know the Almanity Hotel is dry, it’s near our house. I haven’t been over to Ang Bang beach but I hear it’s OK. All of the Old Town is under water and surrounding areas including Cam Thanh and Cua Dai Rd. That’s all I know. I might go out on my bike now and see if the paddy fields are flooded. It’s higher this morning, we just got back. A lot of areas losing power too.
Thank you Alyson. Tours we had booked in Hoi An say it is too difficult to get there and water is too high. We will change our plans and fly from Hue to HCM. We will have to come back to Vietnam to visit Hoi An. Stay safe
You can get in OK but there’s very little point in being here. Enjoy HCM, we leave tomorrow, these 3 months in Vietnam have been fantastic and we will be back. 🙂
We are at little Hoi An beach hotel it’s good hear with free shuttles into town
Hi Sandra
We are due there today too. What is there to do there with the current floods? Are you just stuck in your hotel?
Thanks
Lou