The Ultimate Guide to Living & Working in Hoi An, Vietnam as a Digital Nomad
8 min readHoi An isn’t the first place people think of when it comes to digital nomad hubs. In fact, when I first heard that Hoi An was potentially great for digital nomads, I was skeptical. It already seemed overrun with tourists, and I wasn’t sure it had the infrastructure to welcome remote workers. But with hindsight,...
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Hoi An isn’t the first place people think of when it comes to digital nomad hubs.
In fact, when I first heard that Hoi An was potentially great for digital nomads, I was skeptical. It already seemed overrun with tourists, and I wasn’t sure it had the infrastructure to welcome remote workers.
But with hindsight, having spent over two months in Hoi An as slomads, I get it.
Hoi An’s UNESCO-listed Ancient Town might attract daytrippers and shopping sprees, but the entire area has much more than meets the eye, which is suitable for slow travelers like us.
If Hoi An is tempting you as a digital nomad, here are my top tips on neighborhoods/where to stay, cafes with wifi for coworking, and things to do when you close your laptop for the day.
The Ultimate Guide to Hoi An for Digital Nomads
🛵 Need transport? Grab App is the go-to for bikes and cars
🛏 Find your Hoi An stay on Booking.com
📶 Get connected with a Vietnam eSIM
🇻🇳 Book local tours via GetYourGuide or Viator
✈️ Stay covered with SafetyWing Nomad Insurance
Why Hoi An Is Great for Digital Nomads
I particularly enjoyed Hoi An’s slower lifestyle, its healthy, cute fusion cafes with fast Wifi, local markets, and gorgeous, sunny weather.
Between the beaches on the coast and the lantern-lit alleys of the Old Town, there are water canals, lush green rice paddies, and quaint farmland.
And between those areas are slow cafés, tucked-away restaurants you wouldn’t expect (even retro pasta bars), fitness gyms with juice corners and yoga rooms, and more.
This is not to say that Hoi An is paradise—far from it—and that I wouldn’t want to overromanticize a place.
Hoi An is honest. It’s loud and messy in the center. Behind the market, there are questionable smells. (Some) Tailor shops force sales with faux silk.
But again, Hoi An can’t be summed up in a paragraph, nor an entire post. It’s simply an ancient place that lives in the present.
As a temporary tourist, remote worker, or digital nomad, it’s a destination where you don’t have to be anything you’re not.
It’s easy to settle in and find a rhythm.
From our experience, Hoi An felt like a place to focus on deep work and routine, with exciting culture and language always mixed in.
We’d wake up slowly with complimentary breakfast at our guesthouse (that costs less than $25/night), ride our scooter to the gym, get brunch in a breezy cafe with the best bowls and health food, do more deep work, then maybe log off and ride to the beach or head into town for more activities.
As always, connecting with the locals is a highlight. And Hoi An locals were always surprised we stayed more than a few days in the town.
“Why would you stay here?!” they’d ask, bewildered. We’d always reply: the culture, the landscapes, the food, the weather. Then they’d smile a bit, realizing.
Where to Stay in Hoi An as a Remote Worker
During our extended stay, we lived in a family-run guesthouse called Yen Villa, located on the Cam Nam island across from the Old Town.
As I discuss in my Where to Stay in Hoi An guide for travelers, the Cam Nam area is most suitable for slower stays.
It wouldn’t be reasonable price-wise to stay in the Ancient Town. Too many tourists and crowds.
If I were to return to Hoi An for another extended stay, I’d search for rentals in the Tra Que or Cam Nam area again.
As for finding rentals, search on Booking.com. If you go local and simple, you can get by on a pretty low budget in Hoi An.
Pro Tip 📝
If you book your accommodation online first, you can extend your stay in person and likely get a better discount in the local currency than if you pre-reserve your entire stay through a platform.
Searching locally once you arrive also allows you to get to know different neighborhoods!
Coworking Spaces & WiFi-Friendly Cafes in Hoi An
My favorite Hoi An cafes are ones with good food, light, and seating.
A few coffee shops in Hoi An (especially in the center) are crowded, darkly lit, or lack comfy tables or chairs.
My favorite go-to spots for a morning or afternoon of coworking were:
- Sound of Silence (An Bang Beach area)
- Café Slow (The cutest for slow work! Located in Tra Que Vegetable Village)
- Nourish (Vegan, plant-filled cafe with upstairs remote work area)
- Good Eats (Açai bowls, fusion food, comfy tables with outlets!)
Try all of these! Trust me, you’ll love the food, views, and vibes.
Alternatively, you could find a monthly coworking space membership, but honestly, I avoid those. If I’m going to pay $10 per day, I might as well spend it on good coffee and food rather than on desk space.
Internet, SIM Cards & Staying Connected in Hoi An
Hoi An’s WiFi is generally reliable and fast—maybe a bit surprising for a small coastal town in central Vietnam, but hey, I’ll take it!
If you’re staying a couple of weeks, I highly recommend downloading a Vietnam eSIM to get data on your phone without changing your phone number.
Otherwise, in town, there are local hole-in-the-wall shops and Viettel stores where you can purchase local SIMs.
You won’t need a hotspot or backup plan most days. Your guesthouse’s Wi-Fi should be good enough for video calls, but if not, the cafes I mentioned above all have fast Wi-Fi. Sound of Silence might be the only one with a few sluggish moments.
Cost of Living in Hoi An for Nomads
Hoi An is affordable compared to other cities, even nearby Da Nang.
However, your costs will go up sharply if you stay in Old Town or in a fancier guesthouse.
Here’s a quick look at our costs:
- Accommodation (with pool): $400–$500/mo (that’s around $20 per night)
- Scooter rental: $5 per day
- Food: $3-7 per person for local dishes, $5-10 for international grub
- Cafes: $10+ per day on coffee and food
- Gym: $5 per day
- Activities / other: $50 (?) per month?
As a digital nomad couple, we were able to base ourselves in Hoi An for less than $50 per day.
Our gym membership, for example, at HealthFit (one of the best gyms in Hoi An for digital nomads!) was insanely cheap—so different than being a nomad in Tokyo where you pay $15-25 per day. 😂
A day pass is 50,000 VDN ($2), and for four sessions, it only costs me $7.
Things to Do in Hoi An on Your Days Off
What’s amazing about working remotely in Hoi An is the number of fun cultural activities you can experience.
Even just walking around Hoi An’s Ancient Town at night is an experience!
What my partner and I loved most while in Hoi An was taking our family around to visit and enjoy:
Read more about my experiences here:
-> Hoi An Memories Show Review (Is It Worth It?)
-> Tailoring in Hoi An: My Experience & Tips
Finding a Nomadic Community in Hoi An
Hoi An is definitely a bit more of a town where you’ll find fellow slow travelers.
Many remote workers come here for the laid-back vibes and the opportunity to get into that rhythm I mentioned earlier.
Compared to the Da Nang digital nomad scene, Hoi An definitely exudes a smaller, more seasonal type of nomad—one who craves deep focus or creative work (like me!).
However, we found that, despite its smaller community, it was still pretty active.
My partner went to several meet-ups at An Bang Beach and was able to join a local WhatsApp group.
If you’re traveling solo or as a couple, joining Facebook groups like Hoi An Expats or Vietnam Digital Nomads can help you quickly connect with the nomadic network.
Additionally—perhaps especially—make the most of your time in Hoi An by signing up for cooking classes, yoga studios, and wellness events.
We struck up even a special connection with the women from our tailor shop, so you just have to stay curious and continue to meet people organically.
Best Time to Live in Hoi An
Vietnam doesn’t have a “smoke season” like Thailand is infamous for, but still, it’s good to know when to plan your remote work stay so you’re not stranded during torrential downpours.
That said, avoid the rainy season, which in Hoi An falls around October to December. With frequent rain comes more inconsistent internet and even power outages, so be warned.
We stayed in Hoi An from February to March and then again at the tail end of May. May was getting a bit too hot and humid, and the downside of coming after spring is that the rice fields will be all plucked, brown, and muddy.
For those lush green views of rice fields, come February–April. Da Nang makes for a good connecting base for before/after Hoi An, thanks to the airport.
My Final Reflections: Is Hoi An Right for You?
As a writer and creative who craves a slower-moving rhythm and routine, Hoi An is wonderful. It’s not a big city that pressures you to go out and “do” things beyond your needs.
Integrating into daily life here is smooth; eating out is easy, so you’re always out and about.
Hoi An also makes it convenient to be outdoors and enjoy the weather, from riverside walks to scooter rides along the coast.
With its cafes to rotate through that offer good healthy options, great coffee, and easy access to nature, Hoi An is a no-brainer choice for slower-paced digital nomads.
However, if you want a big social scene or more excitement, you might look to Da Nang or perhaps Vietnam’s chaotic but culturally rich capital of Hanoi in the north.
-> Read next: Hanoi for Digital Nomads
