What Families Can Do On Rainy Day In Hoi An (Indoors & Nearby)

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Planning a family trip to Hoi An but worried about the rain? Don’t let wet weather put your holiday on hold. Hoi An’s rainy season generally runs from September to January, but there are still plenty of ways to enjoy the city when showers arrive. From hands-on workshops and cosy cafés to local dining, wellness experiences and nearby indoor attractions, families can find plenty to do while staying comfortable and dry. Keep your itinerary flexible, and you can easily switch plans when the rain arrives.

Read on to discover family-friendly rainy-day activities in Hoi An and nearby places to make the most of your holiday, whatever the weather brings.

What To Do On Rainy Days In Hoi An 

Take a Vietnamese cooking class

Cooking classes are a practical way for families to spend a rainy day in Hoi An while still experiencing Vietnamese culture through food. For a family itinerary, look for smaller classes or experiences that offer hands-on activities and flexible menus, especially if travelling with children or guests with dietary requirements.

  • Tra que organic cooking class: If your family would like to combine cooking with a glimpse into Hoi An’s local farming traditions, consider a class in Tra Que Vegetable Village. The experience introduces guests to the village’s organic herbs and vegetables before getting hands-on with Vietnamese cooking. It is a particularly nice option for families who enjoy outdoor experiences and want to learn more about where some of the ingredients in their dishes come from.
  • Ms Hanh cooking class: For families interested in learning directly from an experienced chef, Ms Hanh Cooking Class offers a more culinary-focused experience. Ms Hanh brings more than 15 years of experience working in a five-star hotel and teaches guests how to select fresh ingredients and prepare traditional Hoi An dishes. Depending on your preference, you can join a cooking-only class or combine it with a local market visit and basket boat experience.
  • Hoi An cooking class by Ms Phu: For a more intimate experience, Ms Phu’s cooking class welcomes small groups of up to eight guests. The experience can include a local market visit, a countryside and basket boat experience, followed by a hands-on class where guests prepare several Vietnamese dishes. With recipes inspired by Hoi An families and vegetarian and vegan options available, it is a lovely choice for families looking for a personal introduction to local food and everyday life.

 

hoi an cooking class

Take a Vietnamese cooking class

 

Join a lantern-making workshop

Making a Hoi An lantern is an easy way to turn a rainy afternoon into a creative family experience. These workshops let you learn about one of the city’s best-known crafts while making a lantern to take home.

  • The Lantern Lady: The Lantern Lady is designed as a family-friendly activity, with children from around three years old able to participate. Guests can make a lantern from scratch, including assembling the bamboo frame and choosing the fabric, while learning about the history and traditional significance of Hoi An’s bamboo-and-silk lanterns. The experience also includes personalised guidance from local craftspeople, making it a good choice if you want the children to be actively involved rather than simply decorating a pre-made lantern.
  • Lantern Making Class With Lynn: Located near Hoi An’s Old Town, Lynn’s class focuses on a hands-on, traditional family craft experience. Guests can work through the process themselves, including shaping the bamboo frame and attaching their chosen fabric, with instructors available to guide them through the trickier steps. The class is suitable for different ages and skill levels, making it a comfortable option for families who want to create their own lantern without needing previous craft experience. The workshop typically takes around two hours, so it works well when you have a longer rainy-weather break in your itinerary.
  • Tieng Vong Pho Lantern workshop:  If your family would like to choose how involved you get, Tieng Vong Pho offers two levels of lantern-making experience. The full course takes you through making the bamboo-and-wire frame before adding the fabric, while the express option lets you focus on selecting and applying the fabric to a prepared frame. The workshop is family-run and also introduces guests to the history and styles of Hoi An lanterns. This makes it a flexible choice for families with different ages or attention spans, while still giving everyone the chance to create a handmade souvenir.

Visit museums and heritage houses

  • Museum of Traditional Medicine: For families curious about traditional Vietnamese medicine, this museum offers a glimpse into how healthcare and herbal remedies were practised in Hoi An in the past. Housed in a traditional Hoi An shophouse, the museum recreates an old-style herbal medicine shop, complete with medicine cabinets, a consultation area and spaces showing how herbs were prepared and stored. More than 200 objects and related materials are displayed across the building. The museum also forms part of Hoi An’s current heritage-experience route, where visitors can learn about traditional herbs and experience elements such as herbal foot baths and tea.
  • Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum: This is a particularly distinctive choice for families who enjoy photography, art and cultural stories. The museum houses French photographer Réhahn’s Precious Heritage Collection, documenting Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups through portraits, traditional costumes, artefacts and stories. Set inside a 19th-century French house, the collection occupies five rooms and brings together hundreds of portraits and more than 60 traditional costumes. Rather than focusing specifically on Hoi An, the museum gives visitors an opportunity to discover the wider cultural diversity of Vietnam while staying in the Old Town. Admission is free, making it an easy addition to a rainy-day itinerary.
  • Old House of Tan Ky: Tan Ky Old House offers something different from a conventional museum. Built around the 18th century, the house was originally a merchant’s home and reflects a blend of architectural influences associated with Hoi An’s trading history. Its appeal lies in seeing how generations of a merchant family lived and worked within the Ancient Town’s traditional shophouses. It is a good rainy-day stop for families who want to experience Hoi An’s heritage through an actual preserved home rather than a collection of objects in a gallery. Vietnam Tourism also highlights Tan Ky House as one of the city’s key examples of historic architecture.
  • Museum of Folk Culture: Located in the Ancient Town’s largest wooden two-storey house, the museum explores local folk culture through objects, images and traditional performances. Its collection covers four main themes, including folk visual arts, performing arts, traditional occupations and artefacts connected with local life. The museum has also become part of Hoi An’s newer “Touching Heritage” experience programme, where visitors can take part in activities inspired by traditional life, such as folk games, traditional clothing and calligraphy.

Watch a cultural performance

Rainy evenings can be a good opportunity to experience Hoi An through music, movement and storytelling rather than sightseeing outdoors.

  • Bamboo circus at Teh Dar:  Teh Dar combines Vietnamese bamboo circus with acrobatics, live music and stories inspired by the tribal cultures of Vietnam’s Central Highlands. The performance brings elements of highland life to the stage through bamboo props, daring movement and traditional instruments, including buffalo horns and large percussion instruments. It is performed at Hoi An Lune Centre, an intimate bamboo-domed theatre in the heart of the Ancient Town, which is itself part of the experience.
  • Hoi An Memories Land: Hoi An Memories presents a large-scale outdoor performance telling the story of the city’s 400-year journey, from its early beginnings to its time as the prosperous trading port of Faifo. Traditional áo dài, music, lighting and large-scale staging come together on a 25,000-square-metre stage, with hundreds of performers bringing different chapters of Hoi An’s history to life. The wider Hoi An Memories Land also features smaller cultural performances and themed areas, so families can make an evening of the visit rather than attending only the main show.

Relax On Rainy Days In Hoi An 

Recover with WELLNESS by Wafaifo

Wellness by Wafaifo located at Wafaifo Resort Hoi An, offers a different way to spend a rainy day in Hoi An: slowing down, recharging and making time for your wellbeing without leaving the resort. Guided by its “Future Wellness for Everybody” philosophy, the wellness centre combines holistic treatments with personalised experiences and advanced recovery technologies. Its recently expanded Longevity & Recovery Area brings together Float Tank Therapy, HBOT, Red Light Therapy, Infrared Sauna and Ice Bath Therapy, while the wider wellness offering also caters to travellers recovering from long flights, active days of sightseeing or simply looking for deeper relaxation. For guests who would rather turn a change in weather into a chance to reset, it is an easy addition to a Hoi An itinerary.

 

Wellness escape at wafaifo resort Hoi An - Wafaifo Resort

Recover with WELLNESS by Wafaifo

 

Unwind with a spa treatment 

Hoi An has plenty of independent spas, with experiences ranging from traditional Vietnamese massage and hot stone treatments to longer packages combining body care and facial treatments.

  • Green Grass Spa Hoi an: Green Grass is particularly known for its hot stone massage and body treatments. Located close to Hoi An’s Ancient Town, the spa offers a selection of massage and facial services, with hot stone massage highlighted as one of its best-known treatments.
  • Blue Gift Spa: Blue Gift stands out for its broad choice of massage styles and longer spa packages, making it a useful option if you want more than a single treatment. The spa also describes its approach as an experience rather than simply a therapy, with professional therapists and a relaxing atmosphere.
  • The Castle Spa: For guests who want to combine a massage with other beauty and relaxation treatments, Its signature Castle Spa Massage combines Thai massage, oil and hot stones, while dedicated treatments such as the Natural Skin Dream facial use natural and organic products. This makes it a good choice if you would like to turn a rainy afternoon into a longer pampering session rather than booking a massage alone.

Tips For Rainy Days In Hoi An

  • Check the weather forecast: Look at the forecast before setting out, particularly if you are planning outdoor activities or travelling with children. If heavier rain is expected, consider moving indoor experiences earlier in the day.
  • Keep your itinerary flexible: Avoid filling every hour with fixed plans. Leave some room to swap a walk around the Ancient Town or a nearby excursion for a cooking class, museum visit, café or wellness experience when showers arrive.
  • Carry rain protection: A compact umbrella or lightweight rain jacket can make sudden showers much easier to manage, especially when moving between restaurants, attractions and other short stops around town.
  • Choose practical footwear: Comfortable shoes with good grip and materials that dry quickly are useful during the rainy season. Avoid footwear that can easily become slippery on wet pavements or uncomfortable after getting soaked.
  • Allow extra travel time: Heavy rain can slow traffic and, at times, cause water to collect on roads and streets. Give yourself additional time when travelling between Hoi An, the beach and nearby attractions, particularly around busy periods.
  • Protect your valuables: Keep your phone, camera, passport and other important items in a waterproof pouch or sealed bag. This is especially useful if you are walking between attractions and cannot immediately find shelter when a shower starts.
  • Plan around the rain: Rather than trying to avoid every shower, use rainy periods as an opportunity to slow down. A café break, local meal, cooking or craft workshop, museum visit or wellness treatment can become part of the experience, while outdoor activities can be saved for the next dry spell.

Make the most of rainy days in Hoi An with Wafaifo Resort Hoi An

Rainy days can be a chance to slow down and discover a more relaxed side of Hoi An. At Wafaifo Resort Hoi An, you can stay just 1.2 km from the Ancient Town while having plenty of ways to enjoy your time indoors or around the resort when the weather changes.

What we offer:

  • Stay close to Hoi An Ancient Town: Wafaifo is just 1.2 km away, around a 10-minute walk, making it easy to explore the Old Town when the weather clears.
  • Swim in comfort: The 25 x 6 m temperature-controlled saltwater pool stays comfortable year-round for both adults and children.
  • Recover with Wellness by Wafaifo: Try high-tech recovery experiences including Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, infrared sauna, red light therapy and other personalised recovery programmes.
  • Keep the family entertained: The private cinema for up to 8 guests and kids’ club offer easy indoor entertainment when outdoor plans are put on hold.
  • Enjoy cosy meals: Choose from XUA & NAY Restaurant, COI NGUON Restaurant and Vuong Gia Private Dining Room for relaxed dining without needing to head back out into the rain.

Book your room at Wafaifo Resort Hoi An and provide your team with a balanced mix of productive work, wellness, and memorable team-building experiences.