City in Vietnam
Hoi An
Hoi An is a historic coastal town in central Vietnam, about 30 km south of Da Nang, with 98,599 residents at the 2019 census. It has an international school, a 2026 guide describes a community of digital nomads there, and since July 2025 it has been part of Da Nang city. [N3] [Hoi An S1] [E1] [A1] [D1]
- Country
- Vietnam
- Region
- Da Nang
- Population
- 98,599 in 2019. Hoi An city (Quang Nam province), 1 April 2019 census, National Statistics Office. The city was dissolved on 1 July 2025 and is now part of Da Nang city; no newer figure for the former city's area was found.. [N3] [D1]
- Settings
- By the sea, In a small town [Hoi An S1] [N3]
- Weather
- Warm all year [W1]
Why it is here
Why Hoi An is on the list.
A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.
- Hoi An International School teaches the Cambridge curriculum from Early Years to A Level, and says it has more than 40 nationalities. [Hoi An S1]
- A 2026 expat guide describes an international community of nomads, artists and slow-living seekers, and says Hoi An attracts digital nomads; it gives no headcount. [E1]
The Fernshore Index
How it grades, factor by factor.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Cost of living
97 of 100StrongCountry figure
Price level 0.280 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Vietnam. Checked 15 October 2026.
Climate
16 of 100WeakOwn figure
Normals from the Da Nang station, about 30 km away on the same coast: 3 comfortable months a year (January to March); April to September have an average daily high above 30 °C and October to December have over 150 mm of rain a month.
Source: Climate normals 1991–2020, Da Nang (nearest station). Checked 15 October 2026.
Safety
60 of 100MixedCountry figure
Global Peace Index 2026: 41st of 163.
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 15 October 2026.
Healthcare
39 of 100MixedCountry figure
WHO UHC service coverage index 71 (2023).
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026.
Schools
UnknownCountry figure
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Community
UnknownCountry figure
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Lifestyle
UnknownCountry figure
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Work and career
15 of 100WeakCountry figure
Weak: we found no residence route for remote workers, and fixed broadband is 23.7 per 100 people (2024), under the 30 line. A reported 'Golden Visa' for remote workers is a proposal, not law.
Source: Global immigration and mobility: Vietnam, business travel; Da Nang expat guide; Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Vietnam. Checked 15 October 2026.
Retirement
15 of 100WeakCountry figure
Weak: we found no residence route for people living on a pension or passive income; reports say Vietnam has no dedicated retirement visa.
Source: Vietnam's retiree visa should attract financially stable individuals (opinion); Da Nang expat guide. Checked 15 October 2026.
Internet
53 of 100MixedCountry figure
23.71 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024).
Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Vietnam. Checked 15 October 2026.
English
34 of 100MixedCountry figure
EF EPI 2025 score 500, one point above the 499 weak line, so the score is 34 (the bottom of the mixed band).
Source: EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Vietnam. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for United States passports is being checked
Visa, Canada passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for Canada passports is being checked
Visa, Australia passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for Australia passports is being checked
Visa, New Zealand passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for New Zealand passports is being checked
The country
More on Vietnam.
Cities
Other cities in Vietnam.
Questions about Hoi An.
How much does it cost to rent in Hoi An?
A private guide (verified 13 August 2026) gives monthly rents of VND 5 million to 10 million in the Old Town, 4 million to 8 million at An Bang Beach, 3 million to 6 million in Cam An and 4.5 million to 9 million by the river. Some of its own figures differ between sections.
Does Hoi An flood?
A private guide says flood season is October and November and that streets can be waist-deep in water. Canada says flooding is common in those months in central Vietnam. Hoi An has no weather page of its own; nearby Da Nang gets 272 to 658 mm of rain a month from October to December.
How big is Hoi An, and is it still a city?
Hoi An city had 98,599 people at the 2019 census. It was dissolved on 1 July 2025 and is now part of Da Nang city; no newer figure for the former city was found. A guide puts Da Nang International Airport 30 km north of Hoi An.
Is there an international school in Hoi An?
Hoi An International School teaches the Cambridge curriculum from Early Years to A Level and says it has more than 40 nationalities. It adds that many families live in Da Nang or Hoi An and that a school bus runs. Fees and places are unknown here.
Is Hoi An a base for digital nomads?
A 2026 guide describes an international community of nomads, artists and slow-living seekers and says Hoi An attracts digital nomads, without a headcount. It lists coworking at US$4 to US$6 a day or US$60 to US$90 a month and says internet is still inconsistent, so test it before you sign.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [N3] Completed results of the 2019 Viet Nam population and housing census (Table 1: population by sex and residence, by district), National Statistics Office of Vietnam. Checked 15 October 2026. Census of 1 April 2019. Hoi An city (Quang Nam) 98,599 people; Nha Trang city (Khanh Hoa) 422,601; Da Nang 1,134,310; Ho Chi Minh City 8,993,082. District-level units were counted as they were in 2019.
- [Hoi An S1] Hoi An International School (HAIS), Hoi An International School. Checked 15 October 2026. The school's own site: Cambridge education from Early Years to A Level, 'more than 40 nationalities', 'located in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Hoi An'; describes Hoi An as 'a charming historical town with a close-knit community and pristine beaches'. Many families live in Da Nang or Hoi An, with a school bus.
- [E1] Living in Hội An, Vietnam 2026: cost of living, neighborhoods and expat tips, expatlife.ai (private expat guide, not official). Checked 15 October 2026. Marked 'Verified August 13, 2026'. Describes a 'welcoming international community of nomads, artists, and slow-living seekers' and says Hoi An attracts digital nomads; no headcount.
- [A1] Hoi An, Vietnam: the complete guide, Asia Lifestyle Magazine (private travel and expat guide, not official). Checked 15 October 2026. Guide titled 2025; undated page. Gives Da Nang International Airport as 30 km north of Hoi An.
- [D1] Hội An (disambiguation), Wikipedia (secondary). Checked 15 October 2026. Lists 'Hội An, Da Nang' as a ward established from the Old Town quarter of the former Hội An city, and 'Hội An (city)' as a former provincial municipality of Quang Nam province, dissolved in 2025. Coordinates 15.88 N, 108.33 E are from the 'Hội An (city)' article.
- [W1] Climate normals 1991–2020, Da Nang (nearest station), World Meteorological Organization (World Weather Information Service). Checked 15 October 2026. Hoi An has no page of its own; Da Nang is about 30 km north on the same coast, so its normals are used: mean daily highs 25.2 to 34.9 °C; 3 comfortable months (January to March). Climate period 1991–2020.
- [C1] Price level index (GDP), Vietnam, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 28.01 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [Vietnam S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. Vietnam ranks 41st of 163 countries.
- [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Vietnam: 71 out of 100 (2023).
- [K1] Global immigration and mobility: Vietnam, business travel, Baker McKenzie (law firm, private; undated page). Checked 15 October 2026. Lists visa types by purpose: investor visas (DT1 to DT4), employee visas (DN1, LD1, LD2), service-provider visas (DN2) and the new UD1 and UD2 visas (up to five years). 'The majority of visas are valid for no more than 12 months'; electronic visas allow a maximum stay of 90 days and are open to citizens of all countries and territories. No visa type for remote workers or for people living on a pension is listed.
- [K3] Da Nang expat guide, Bamboo Routes (private relocation guide, not official). Checked 15 October 2026. Last updated 21 September 2026. Says 'Vietnam currently has no dedicated digital-nomad visa and no simple retirement visa'. Written about Da Nang; the visa statement is national.
- [K2] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Vietnam, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 23.71 per 100 people, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [R1] Vietnam's retiree visa should attract financially stable individuals (opinion), Tuoi Tre News. Checked 15 October 2026. Published 20 June 2025. Says Vietnam has no dedicated retirement visa, and that a proposed five- and ten-year 'Golden Visa' had not been enacted and was still under discussion. An opinion piece from 2025; no 2026 official text was found.
- [F1] EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Vietnam, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 15 October 2026. Score 500, rank 64 of 123 countries and regions, 'moderate' proficiency band (read on the page on 15 October 2026); the 2026 edition was not yet published on 15 October 2026.