Thing to do
Tra Que Vegetable Village
A centuries-old vegetable and herb growing village about 2.5 km north of the old town, where visitors can try traditional farming and cook with the harvest.
Hoi An Memories Show
A large outdoor show with more than 500 performers that tells 400 years of Hoi An's history without dialogue, staged most evenings at Hoi An Impression Theme Park.
At a glance
- Type
- Outdoor theatre show
- Area
- Hoi An Impression Theme Park, Hoi An, Vietnam
Good to know
- Outdoor stage
- No dialogue (suits all languages)
- Evening performance
Why we recommend it
Hoi An Memories Show is the town's big evening production, staged at Hoi An Impression Theme Park. According to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, it involves more than 500 actors and dancers performing on an outdoor stage of 25,000 square metres, which gives a sense of the scale compared with the small traditional performances in the old town.
The show traces around 400 years of local history. It opens in the 16th century with a farming family in a rural village and follows the growth of Hoi An into a major trading port, with scenes of royal coronations and weddings, the arrival of foreign merchants and the lantern-lit streets for which the town is known today. There are no dialogues or scripts, so the story is told through movement, music, costume and staging, which makes it accessible to visitors whatever language they speak.
The performance runs from 19:30 to 20:45, about 75 minutes, every evening except Tuesdays. The theme park itself opens at 17:00, so you can arrive early to walk around the grounds before taking your seat, and the show finishes early enough to return to the old town for a late dinner or a stroll through the lantern-lit streets.
The show is a good choice for families with older children, groups and first-time visitors who want an overview of the town's story before or after exploring the heritage sites. It complements the museums and assembly halls in the Ancient Town, which explain the same history through buildings and objects, and the traditional art performances held daily at Hoai River Square, 01 Cao Hong Lanh Street, which are smaller and more intimate.
When you book, check that the date you choose is not a Tuesday, the one evening without a performance. Because the stage is outdoors and covers 25,000 square metres, the show is designed to be watched from a distance as a large-scale spectacle performed by hundreds of actors and dancers rather than as close-up theatre, and the absence of dialogue means nothing is lost if you do not follow every scene. Seeing it early in a stay can give useful context for the heritage sites.
Hoi An Memories Show FAQs
When is the Hoi An Memories Show performed?
Every evening except Tuesdays, from 19:30 to 20:45.
Where is it staged?
At Hoi An Impression Theme Park.
How many performers are there?
More than 500 actors and dancers.
How big is the stage?
It is an outdoor stage of 25,000 square metres.
Is there dialogue?
No, the show has no dialogue or script, so it suits visitors who do not speak Vietnamese.
What is the show about?
It tells about 400 years of Hoi An's history, from a 16th-century farming village to a trading port.
When does the theme park open?
The theme park opens at 17:00, before the show starts at 19:30.