A Banh Mi Phuong style mixed banh mi held up in early morning lightA vendor arranging bunches of fresh herbs at Hoi An market in the morningA Vietnamese phin filter dripping coffee into a glass on a wooden table

Private & tailor-made · 1–4 guests

Hoi An Breakfast Food Tour: Banh Mi Phuong and the Morning Market, Private

Start the day the way Hoi An does: a Banh Mi Phuong sandwich, Quang noodles at a market counter, water-fern cakes by the river and a slow drip coffee, with a local guide who orders in Vietnamese. One of four private food tours, each built around a different famous banh mi shop, with no other dish repeated. Every dish and the Old Town ticket are paid before you travel.

A sample morning at a glance

1Hotel pickupAnywhere in Hoi An2Banh Mi PhuongMixed banh mi, one each3Hoi An MarketMi Quang at a market counter4Quan Cong Temple & riverBanh beo water-fern cakes5Coffee stopDrip coffee & tofu in ginger syrup6Back at your hotelAbout 3.5 hours door to door

What changes when the morning is yours

A private car for your group alone

Private, 1-4 guests, and nobody outside your party is added to it. It brings you in from your hotel and takes you back; in between you walk, since the Old Town lanes are closed to cars.

Your own licensed local guide

A Hoi An local, fluent in English, who knows which counter is cooking well that morning and explains each dish — to your group alone, not twenty strangers

Collected at your own hotel

Anywhere in Hoi An, An Bang and Cua Dai included. No meeting point to find on your own at a quarter to seven

Every dish and ticket prepaid

The Old Town ticket and everything on the menu are covered. Nothing is collected from you at any gate or stall

No shop stops, in writing

No detour to a tailor, lantern or souvenir shop that pays to have you delivered

A menu rebuilt around you

Vegetarian, Muslim-friendly, no chili, a child who eats only bread: tell us and the guide rebuilds the menu before the day

Duration

About 3.5 hours

Departure

6:45 am pickup

Pickup

Any Hoi An hotel

from · $44 · / personCheck your price ›

Choose your group size · price is the total for the group

Solo traveller$105  BOOK →2 guests$125  BOOK →3 guests$150  BOOK →4 guests$175  BOOK →

Free cancellation up to 3 days before · every tour tailored on request

The morning, stop by stop

This is a sample morning: add, skip or linger over any stop and we will adjust it. Timings are the shape of the morning rather than a fixed clock; the market and the banh mi queue set the pace.

From your hotel · 6:45 am pickup · anywhere in Hoi An · short drive to the edge of the Old Town, then on foot

Banh Mi Phuong

About 25 minutes · on foot · 2B Phan Chu Trinh

Banh mi stop · Banh Mi PhuongWhat you’ll eat · a mixed banh mi each
A mixed banh mi cut open to show char siu pork, pate, pickles and herbs
Hands filling a banh mi at a busy counter, trays of fillings in front
A vegetarian banh mi with tofu and avocado
A guide and two travellers waiting in a short morning queue for banh mi

4 photos · tap to enlarge

The shop Anthony Bourdain called “a symphony in a sandwich”. Your guide orders the mixed loaf: char siu pork marinated for a full day, pâté, pickles, herbs and the house sauce the shop makes itself, with no chili unless you ask. Vegetarians get the tofu and avocado version (it may include peanut butter, so mention a nut allergy).

The honest part: CNN reported 3,000 to 4,000 loaves a day leave this counter, so there is usually a short queue at any hour. Your guide uses the wait to explain how the shop keeps its loaves warm in a wooden cabinet over charcoal, and what goes into the sauce it will not give away.

Short walk · a few minutes · towards the river and the market

Hoi An Market at its busiest hour

About 45 minutes · on foot · covered and open-air aisles

What you’ll eat · mi Quang (Quang noodles)
Morning stalls of vegetables, herbs and fish at Hoi An market
Bunches of Vietnamese herbs piled on a market stall
Fresh river and sea fish laid out on a morning market stall
A bowl of mi Quang with turmeric noodles, herbs, peanuts and a rice cracker

4 photos · tap to enlarge

Morning is when the town does its shopping, and the market is fullest before nine. Your guide walks you past the herb, fish and spice stalls, names the leaves you will meet again in every bowl, and asks the sellers what came in that morning.

Breakfast here is mi Quang at a counter inside the market: wide turmeric noodles with only a ladle of rich broth, pork, shrimp, peanuts and a toasted rice cracker to break over the top. Your guide shows you how much of the herb plate to tear in.

Quan Cong Temple and the morning riverfront

About 35 minutes · on foot · Old Town ticket included

What you’ll eat · banh beo (water-fern cakes)
Small saucers of banh beo topped with orange shrimp and crisp pork skin

1 photo · tap to enlarge

Across the street from the market, the temple to the general Quan Cong is one of the sites your Old Town ticket opens. Then a few minutes along the Thu Bon before the day crowds arrive, and a plate of banh beo: soft steamed rice cakes in little saucers, topped with a moist orange shrimp topping and crisp pork skin, eaten with a small bamboo spatula or spoon and a splash of fish sauce.

Drip coffee and something sweet

About 30 minutes · seated

What you’ll eat · ca phe phin & dau hu nuoc duong
Vietnamese drip coffee beside a bowl of silken tofu in ginger syrup

1 photo · tap to enlarge

The last stop is a sit-down: Vietnamese coffee dripping through a metal phin, black or over condensed milk, and a bowl of silken tofu in warm ginger syrup. Children and anyone avoiding caffeine get the tofu and a juice instead. This is usually where the questions about the rest of your trip get answered.

Back at your hotel · around 10:15 · About 3.5 hours after pickup

That is the whole morning

No stops we did not tell you about, nothing to pay at any gate, and any part of it can be changed.

Price is the total for the group · free cancellation up to 3 days before

WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081Want a different route, pace or group size? We will plan your day and send you an all-inclusive quote. ›

What one price covers

Included

  • Private car with driver for hotel pickup and drop-off in Hoi An
  • Private local food guide (licensed), fluent in English
  • One banh mi per guest at Banh Mi Phuong, plus every dish and drink on the menu
  • Bottled water throughout
  • Hoi An Old Town ticket

Not included

− Extra food or drinks beyond the menu, paid at the stall if you want them

− Shopping at the market or anywhere else

− A tip for your guide and driver — never expected, always welcome

Is this the right tour for you?

A good fit if

You like to eat early and want to see a market while it is still working.

You want the famous banh mi without having to work out what to order.

You are travelling with children or older parents: the morning is cooler and every food stop is seated.

You are vegetarian: this is the one tour of the four that can be done entirely meat-free.

Look elsewhere if

You are one person on a tight budget.

Mornings are not your thing. Pickup is at a quarter to seven, and the later tours start at half past ten, half past two and five.

You would rather ride than walk. After pickup the tour continues on foot through lanes closed to cars.

You want to see the countryside. The midday tour leaves town for the herb village and the island.

Prefer to start later? The countryside lunch tour keeps the car all day and heads into the fields, and the evening tour ends on the river with a lantern boat. Or tell us what you want to eat, and we will plan a morning around it.

Questions before you book

About the morning

How long is the tour and when does it start?

It runs About 3.5 hours door to door, with a 6:45 am pickup from your hotel and drop-off at the same hotel. You are back by mid-morning, with the rest of the day free.

Where do you pick us up?

At your own hotel anywhere in Hoi An, An Bang and Cua Dai beaches included, at no extra cost and with no meeting point to reach on your own. We also collect from Da Nang, with a transfer surcharge shown at checkout; the drive takes 40 to 60 minutes, so pickup is earlier, about 50 minutes before the Hoi An time. Your guide waits in the lobby for 20 minutes.

What if Banh Mi Phuong is closed or the queue is long?

Family-run shops close now and then, and some sell out on busy days. If Banh Mi Phuong is closed or has run out that day, your guide switches to another famous shop on our list, such as La Banh Mi Sai Gon or Banh Mi Lanh, and tells you before the stop. Queues are usually 5 to 15 minutes, longer at peak times; your guide waits in line with you and orders in Vietnamese, but we do not jump queues or promise to skip them.

Can we taste the other famous shops?

Not on the same tour: one banh mi each is plenty alongside everything else on the menu. Each of our four tours stops at a different famous shop with its own taste: Phi Banh Mi on the countryside lunch tour (roast pork belly from a former resort chef), Madam Khanh – The Banh Mi Queen on the afternoon heritage tour (rich pâté and egg, a little spicier) and All Day Banh Mi on the river evening tour (two fried eggs, pâté and cheese by the river). The four menus share no other dish, so you can join one a day and never eat the same thing twice.

Can we change the route or the pace?

Yes. This is a sample menu and every part of it can be adjusted: add a dish, skip one, or spend longer at the market. Tell us before you book and we confirm the plan and an all-inclusive price in writing.

Does the guide speak good English?

Yes. Your guide is a licensed Hoi An local who speaks fluent English, orders every dish in Vietnamese and explains how each dish is eaten and why the town eats it for breakfast as you go.

Booking and practicalities

Is the price per person or for the whole group?

For the whole group, from one to four guests: the figure shown for two people is the total for both, so the cost per head falls as the group grows. Each guest gets one banh mi for the tour, and a group can share if appetites are small. Children under 5 travel free and do not count towards the group size; from 5 a child counts as one guest. For five or more, message us for a quote.

How do I pay, and when?

Two ways: pay the full price online by card, or pay a 30% deposit online and the rest in cash on the day of the tour, in US dollars or Vietnamese dong. We can also send a secure payment link on WhatsApp. The booking is confirmed once the online payment goes through, and your pickup time and guide’s name arrive in writing.

Can I cancel or reschedule?

Yes — free cancellation up to 3 days before departure for a full refund, and free rescheduling subject to availability. Within 3 days of departure, 30% of the tour price is charged because the car and guide are already committed.

Can this morning be vegetarian, halal or allergy-safe?

Vegetarian: yes, the whole morning — Banh Mi Phuong makes a tofu and avocado loaf, and the guide orders meat-free versions at the other stops. Muslim-friendly: the guide orders chicken, egg or vegetarian versions and asks each kitchen about lard and pork stock; we cannot promise a certified halal kitchen. Allergies: mi Quang is usually topped with peanuts and banh beo with shrimp, so tell us and the guide rebuilds the menu. Street kitchens share surfaces, so we cannot guarantee a dish free of every trace.

What should I bring, and do I need cash?

Comfortable shoes for a walking morning, a hat, and something covering shoulders and knees for the temple. You need no cash at any gate or stall on the menu, since every dish and ticket is already paid; anything you order beyond the menu is paid at the stall, and if you chose to pay the balance in cash, bring it for your guide.

What happens if it rains?

Rain alone does not stop the tour: every food stop has covered seating. If the Old Town floods, a storm is forecast or there is an official warning, you move the date free of charge; we only switch you to another of our tours if the guide confirms that route is dry, and if no date works we refund 100%.

Book the breakfast tour

Private car and licensed local guide, hotel pickup, every dish and ticket already settled.

Price is the total for the group · free cancellation up to 3 days before

WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081Want a different route, pace or group size? We will plan your day and send you an all-inclusive quote. ›