Hoi An in November 2026: Flood Season, Lantern Night and How to Pay
November is Hoi An's wettest month and its peak flood window, and also a lantern night. How real the risk is, how to plan around it in Hoi An, Hue and Da Nang, and how to pay when you get there.
Quick answer: You can visit Hoi An in November, but plan for water. It is central Vietnam's peak flood window: in November 2025 the Old Town's riverside streets sat under 1 to 1.5 metres of water for days. Build two or three buffer days, book an upper-floor room you can change for free, and treat the 22 November 2026 lantern night as likely, not certain. Carry some cash, because card machines and ATMs can go down when the power does.
Key takeaways
- November is the wettest month. Long-term averages for Da Nang show about 390 mm of rain in the 31 days around the start of November, with a wet day more likely than not early in the month.
- Floods are a when, not an if. In 2025 the Thu Bon River flooded Hoi An's Old Town in late October and again in mid-November.
- Lantern night is Sunday 22 November 2026, the 14th day of the 10th lunar month. It is cancelled if the river rises.
- Pay with a mix. Cash for boats and market stalls, QR codes for cafes and tailors. Fizen QR Pay lets visitors pay Vietnamese QR codes with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain.
Lantern night is the reason you booked Hoi An, and now the forecast shows a red rain band over the Thu Bon and your guesthouse is two streets from the river. November in central Vietnam is beautiful, cheap and quiet, and it is also the month the old town is most likely to flood. Here is how real the risk is, how to plan Hoi An, Hue and Da Nang around it, and how to pay once you are there.
How likely is flooding in Hoi An in November?
Likely enough to plan for. Hoi An sits on the Thu Bon delta, and heavy rain upstream plus a high tide can push the river into the Old Town within hours. The riverside streets, Bach Dang and Nguyen Thai Hoc, flood first.
| November in Da Nang and Hoi An | Start of month | End of month |
|---|---|---|
| Rain over the past 31 days | about 391 mm | about 221 mm |
| Chance of a wet day | about 54% | about 41% |
| Average high / low | about 28C / 23C | about 26C / 22C |
| Sea temperature | about 27C | about 26C |
Last year shows what a bad season looks like. In late October 2025, record rain hit central Vietnam, Hoi An was partly underwater and tourists waded knee-deep through the Old Town. A second wave followed: on 18 November 2025 the water in Hoi An reached 2.2 metres, Nguyen Thai Hoc, Bach Dang and Le Loi stayed under 1 to 1.5 metres, and the town had been flooding on and off for more than 20 days. Floods usually rise and fall within a few days, so the fix is flexibility, not cancelling.
What about Hue and Da Nang in November?
Hue floods too. In the October 2025 event, 32 of Hue's 40 communes and wards went under water. The citadel itself holds up better than the low-lying neighbourhoods and the riverside tombs. The bigger disruption is transport: heavy rain can close the Hai Van Pass road and delay trains between Hue and Da Nang.
- Leave two or three spare days between Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An, and move the order around rather than cancel.
- Choose rooms you can change for free, on an upper floor if the property is near the river.
- Keep Da Nang as your dry fallback: a city hotel with a lift beats a riverside homestay on a flood night.
- Do not ride a scooter or walk through moving water, even if locals do.
Will the lantern night go ahead on 22 November 2026?
The Old Town's monthly lantern night falls on the 14th day of each lunar month, which in November 2026 is Sunday 22 November. From early evening the electric lights in the centre dim, lanterns line the streets, and rowers on the Thu Bon sell rides with a paper lantern to float. If the river rises, the authorities cancel it for safety, sometimes the same day. Ask your hotel on the morning of the 22nd.
What should you book and pack for Hoi An in November?
- Old Town ticket: 80,000 VND or 120,000 VND, depending on how many sites you want. One ticket covers up to three days; keep the stub. Buy it before you enter the walking streets.
- Walking hours: the centre is pedestrian and bicycle only from 9:00 to 21:00 in the winter season.
- Pack: a proper rain jacket, quick-dry clothes, sandals that can get wet, a dry bag for phone and passport, and a power bank for the night the power goes out.
- Tailors: order on day one. Fittings take time, and a flood day can close the shop.
How do you pay in Hoi An as a visitor?
Hoi An runs on a mix. Boat rowers, market stalls, banh mi carts and the lantern sellers want cash. Cafes, tailors, guesthouses and many restaurants show a VietQR code at the counter, and foreign cards work in the bigger places but often not in small ones.
That QR code is where Fizen QR Pay fits. It is for visitors and foreigners, not residents of Vietnam: you scan the shop's VietQR, VNPay, MoMo or ZaloPay code and pay from a USDT balance, and the shop receives dong in its account. In Vietnam it pays only QR codes of Vietnamese account holders. It is funded only with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain; USDT on another network, or another token, cannot be deposited into QR Pay, and there is no bank or card top-up. Limits are US$800 per payment and US$1,000 per week, which matters for a tailored suit order. The Fizen wallet is self-custody; QR Pay works differently and is governed by the QR Pay Terms, so only move in what you plan to spend.
The honest caveat for November: a QR payment needs your data and the shop's bank to be working. When a flood cuts power, card machines, ATMs and sometimes the mobile signal go with it, so keep enough cash in a dry bag for two days of meals and a car to Da Nang. The same app also sells travel eSIM data that covers Vietnam, installed before you fly.
With that in place, a wet November week is still a good one: coffee paid by QR on a first-floor balcony while the street below drains, and a lantern on the river two nights later.
Frequently asked questions
Is November a good time to visit Hoi An?
It is quiet and green, but it is the wettest month and the peak flood window. Go with flexible bookings and buffer days, or choose March or April if your dates can move.
When is the Hoi An lantern festival in November 2026?
Sunday 22 November 2026, the 14th day of the 10th lunar month. It is cancelled if the Thu Bon River rises, so confirm with your hotel that morning.
Does Hoi An flood every November?
Not every year to the same depth, but November flooding is common. In 2025 the Old Town flooded in late October and again in mid-November, when riverside streets were under 1 to 1.5 metres of water.
Should I stay in Hoi An or Da Nang in November?
If you want certainty, base yourself in Da Nang and visit Hoi An on dry days. If you stay in Hoi An, pick an upper-floor room away from the riverside streets.
Can tourists pay by QR code in Hoi An?
Yes, if your app can pay Vietnamese QR codes. Fizen QR Pay lets visitors pay VietQR, VNPay, MoMo and ZaloPay codes of Vietnamese account holders with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain. It is not available to residents of Vietnam.
How much is the Hoi An Old Town ticket?
80,000 VND or 120,000 VND depending on the number of sites, valid for up to three days. Children under 16 enter free.
Pay Hoi An's QR codes as a visitor
Scan VietQR, VNPay, MoMo and ZaloPay codes and pay from USDT on Solana or BNB Chain. For travellers and foreigners in Vietnam, not residents.
Terms and conditions
- Information only. This article is information only. It is not an offer or a sale, and it is not travel, legal, tax or financial advice. Weather figures are long-term averages, not a forecast; follow official flood warnings during your trip.
- For readers in the United States. This is information only, not an offer or sale, and not advice. Fizen products and services are not offered to US Persons.
- QR Pay availability. QR Pay is for cross-border use by travellers and foreigners in Vietnam and the Philippines only, and is not available to residents of those countries. It is funded only with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain; USDT on another network, or another token, cannot be deposited into QR Pay. In Vietnam it pays only QR codes of Vietnamese account holders. Limits are US$800 per payment and US$1,000 per week. Use of QR Pay is governed by the Fizen QR Pay Terms. KYC applies.
- Facts checked. Ticket prices, the lantern night date and flood reports were checked on 25 October 2026 and can change.
Sources
- WeatherSpark, average weather in November in Da Nang
- DTiNews, Hoi An flooding and water levels, 19 November 2025
- AP via Yahoo News, floods kill nine in Vietnam as historic cities inundated, 29 October 2025
- Hoi An Heritage (Da Nang city), announcement on visiting Hoi An Ancient Town, 29 January 2026
- Vietnam Tourism guide, Hoi An lantern festival November 2026 date
- Vietnam Tourism guide, central Vietnam floods and how to travel through them
Weather averages, flood reports, ticket prices, lantern date and QR Pay facts checked on 25 October 2026.
