Using an eSIM in Hoi An

What Hoi An is like on a phone

Hoi An is far smaller than people expect, and that governs everything. You come to walk the old town, order clothes from a tailor, and then cycle out to the rice fields or the beach. Cars cannot enter the old quarter during much of the day, so getting around really does mean walking and pedalling. The buildings are low two-storey timber and stucco, so the signal reaches everywhere; the more common problem is the early evening, when the whole town converges on the riverbank at the same moment.

À l'atterrissage

Hoi An has no airport of its own; almost everyone flies into Da Nang (DAD) and takes a car for forty-five minutes to an hour depending on traffic. Switch the line on at Da Nang airport, because that is where you will start coordinating with a driver or a hotel pick-up. Drop-offs usually happen outside the pedestrian zone, since vehicles cannot reach a door inside the old town, so expect to wheel your bag the last stretch — and pin your accommodation on the map in advance, because house numbers in the lanes are hard to read after dark.

Où la couverture change

Inside the old town the buildings are low and the streets not especially wide, so the signal reaches the whole quarter without obvious dead spots. What varies is the hour rather than the place: at dusk, when everyone gathers along the Thu Bon for the lanterns and the boats, speed drops across the whole riverfront together. Cycle out to the rice fields and vegetable villages and the openness makes everything comfortable again. On the boat to the Cham Islands offshore, the line fades across open water and picks up as you near the island. In some years seasonal flooding closes certain roads, so follow local announcements rather than guessing.

What a day here costs in data

Hoi An is one of the most photographed stops on any itinerary, so the allowance goes on uploading rather than navigating. An ordinary day sits around 800MB to 1.5GB, and higher if you post a lantern clip every night. Arranging fitting times and alterations with a tailor happens almost entirely by chat, which costs little but needs checking often. The map gets less use than in a big city, because you will have learned the same few lanes by the end of the first day.

Districts travellers ask about

• The old town core — Lanes of old timber merchant houses, usable all day, though at dusk when the crowd peaks everything slows together, so finish your online errands before the lanterns come on.
• The Thu Bon riverside — Small jetties and waterside restaurants; open to the river, it takes signal well by day, but at night, when the lantern boats all push off together, it is the most congested spot in town.
• An Bang beach — A short cycle from the old town through open paddy, consistent the whole way, and the beach itself works better than people expect of somewhere with no tall buildings.
• Cam Thanh coconut village — Channels thick with nipa palm where basket boats take visitors out; the road in is fine, but once you are inside a channel roofed over with fronds, reception becomes unpredictable.

Day trips out of the city

• My Son sanctuary — An hour west into a valley; the car park and visitor centre have service, but walking in among the brick towers deep in the basin, speed falls to the point where a photo takes a while to leave.
• The Cham Islands — A fast boat from the pier near town; the line fades clearly on the open crossing and returns once you reach the island village, so settle your return ticket before you sail.
• Tra Que and the morning markets — A short ride out to the vegetable beds and the markets locals actually shop at; the route is flat and open with service throughout, so finding your own way back is not a worry.