Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are persistent organic pollutants that are ubiquitous in the soil and groundwater. Having the simplest structure, naphthalene is one of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, which is characterized by strong mobility and can accumulate in soil and groundwater through a variety of pathways. It has become the most important contaminant of concern in historically abandoned coking and chemical contaminated sites. As advanced oxidation technologies (AOTs) are efficient, safe and economical, their utilization for the treatment of naphthalene-contaminated soil and groundwater has attracted significant attention. This article reviews the reaction mechanism of AOTs such as Fenton and Fenton-like, ozone and persulfate oxidation, focusing on the progresses obtained on the application of activation technologies by homogeneous and heterogeneous activators such as divalent iron, zero-valent iron, micro- and nano-scale zero-valent iron, iron minerals, iron chelates etc., in the remediation of naphthalene-contaminated soil and groundwater, introduces the research statuses on combined remediation using multiple AOTs and synergistic remediation between AOTs and biodegradation technologies, and the existing problems and future prospects on AOTs are also highlighted.