I have a confession to make. We are mad about Vietnamese food. I mean at least twice a week pick up kind of mad. So mad that the servers at our local Vietnamese spot know our usual order even before we say anything. Can you really blame us ? Vietnamese food is so good and there’s so much variety that even the pickiest eaters can find something they like.

Living in Thailand and being so close to Vietnam, we just had to plan a trip to eat Vietnamese food in Vietnam. So off to Hoi An we go. By the way, if you’re in Asia and are looking for cheap flights, you’ll get pretty sweet deals with Air Asia as long as you 1) book well in advance and 2) travel light. We had to fly to Bangkok for a conference so we decided to book a flight from Bangkok to Hoi An before heading back to Chiang Mai. From Bangkok’s DMK airport, its a short flight to Da Nang airport and from there it’s a 40 minute car ride to Hoi An.

So what is Hoi An all about? Here’s our guide on what to do, where to eat and where to stay in Hoi An, Vietnam.

WHAT TO DO:

      1. OLD TOWN HOI AN

Old Town Hoi of Hoi An Old Town is a UNESCO Heritage site. In the 15th to the 19th Century, Hoi An used to be a major trading post in Southeast Asia. Now, it’s a unique heritage site housing exceptionally preserved 1,107 timber frame buildings. The Old Town reflects the different cultures that once influenced the area – you can see Chinese, Japanese and European architecture all over the town.

The most obvious feature of the Old Town that you’ll notice is the golden glow of its buildings. Why yellow? Well, there are many theories that provide an answer to this popular question. Some claim that yellow was picked because it absorbs less heat. Some others claim that yellow is a highly revered colour in Vietnam because it symbolizes wealth, royalty, prosperity and happiness. Whatever the real answer is, the yellow hued buildings adds to the beauty and charm of this ancient town.

Another feature that adds to the charm and beauty of Hoi An are the beautiful jewel toned lanterns. During the day with daylight you can see the intricate patterns and designs of these lanterns but in the darkness of night is when these lanterns show their true beauty. Imagine walking down ancient streets aglow with hundreds and hundreds of lanterns or watching light from these lanterns dance and flicker as the river slowly flows. It’s all very dreamy and romantic.

TIPS:

  • The entrance fee is about $6 USD and the ticket is good for 24 hours and the entrance fee includes a free tour of temples and notable homes within the town.
  • You must visit the open air markets and enjoy watching locals carry on with their daily routines buying and selling vegetables, fruit, meat, incense, candy, flowers, etc. The market also has a lot of food options to choose from but more on that later.
  • Visit the Japanese covered bridge during the day and at night.
  • Look up not just to see the lanterns but to take the beauty of the buildings and pain staking efforts it took to preserved them.
  • Bike from your hotel to the Ancient Town and then park your bike at the entrance and walk the Town. Biking is safe enough but you do need to watch out for big trucks, potholes and motorbikes.

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2. SHOP

As with any other tourist destinations, there are plenty of shopping options in this quaint little town. In fact, most of the buildings have been transformed into make shift stores, restaurants and cafes. A lot of the shops do sell the same items like straw bags, lanterns, scarves, watermelon shirts, etc. and a lot of them sell these items for the same price. But if you love custom made anything, you’ve definitely come to the right place. This ancient town offers custom made leather bags, shoes/boots, dresses, suits, shirts, and many more. Arkadi got himself two custom made suits (a two piece and three piece suit) and a leather back pack and I got myself two wool winter coats. There are plenty of shops offering custom made goods so do your research and pick the store you’re most comfortable with.

We picked AoBaba and we are happy with the coats and suits we got. The prices off course depends on the quality of fabric and design of what you want made but the tailors are experienced and quick. We were in Hoi An for 5 days and on the first night, we took time to visit different tailor-shops to check out their work and prices. The second night, we brought photos of what we want made, picked out fabrics and got measured. On our third day, we did the first fitting and any small alterations were made and by the fourth day, we made arrangements for our garments to be delivered straight to our hotel. The whole transaction was quick, hassle free and we are happy with the quality of our items! We even got a tour of their store, we saw the production room, walked around the showroom upstairs and chatted with the sales clerks.

3. COOKING CLASS AND A ROUND BOAT TOUR

We don’t usually sign up for tours on our travels because we prefer to do our own thing, but our cooking class and round boat tour was nice addition to our trip. Signing up for the tour was quick and easy. We found the company online and contacted them when we arrived in Hoi An and they set us up quickly with pick up/drop off time and itinerary. We got picked up and dropped off right at our hotel and the cooking class included 5-6 dishes and a short round boat tour. There are plenty of tour companies to choose from so do your research and pick the one you feel most comfortable with.

4. BEACH DAY

As if this place needs to get even better, there are 2 beaches within a short distance from the Ancient Town. You can visit the two beaches – Cua Dai Beach and An Bang Beach. At the time we visited, An Bang Beach had more vendors and beach loungers available whereas the public part of Cua Dai Beach was pretty much deserted. We visited Hoi An during “winter” and so it was too cold for us to swim but it was nice to sink your toes in sand and eat, drink and relax on the beach for the day! You can choose whatever free lounger you want but you do have to purchase food and/or beverage to actually use the loungers. It’s easy to find the beaches as there are plenty of signs telling you which way to go.

5. WHERE TO STAY AND EAT

We stayed in a newly opened hotel we booked through agoda.com and the hotel grounds were well kept, the rooms clean and very comfortable and the owners were very accommodating. We were also provided free use of their bikes/helmets and when we opted to rent a motorbike, we were provided with a motorbike through the hotel.

As for food, well, well, well, there are plenty of options. So many options that it can get a bit overwhelming to be honest. The night markets offer good options like banh mi, spring rolls, pho, etc. and along side the river you will find plenty of restaurants and make shift restaurants offering grilled meats with herbs and noodles. The open air market also offers a variety of good food. You can buy all sorts of tropical fruit, grilled meats, grilled corn, snacks like spring rolls, noodle dishes, etc.

There are a couple of stand out dishes we really loved in Hoi An. First is the local famous noodle dish called cau lau noodles. Cau lau is made of special rice noodles that’s thick and chewy, barbecued pork slice, greens and croutons. The noodles are unique and are a specialty of the area. Second is the banh mi from Banh Mi Phuong. Seriously their banh mi are amazing. We got so hooked on their banh mi that we were eating 2 sandwiches per person per day! YIKES (there goes our custom made outfits). Because Anthony Bourdain recommended this spot as a must visit when you’re in Vietnam, the line up gets really long at this place. But don’t fret because the banh mi ladies are quick and accurate and all that is required of you is to know which sandwich you want to order. There are also other dishes that are good like mi quang, banh xeo, bun thit nuong, com ga and banh bao vac. Safe to say we spent most of our travel money on food.

Don’t forget to try egg latte. Egg latte sounds dubious but trust us. You will forever be changed after just one cup. Egg latte or caphe trung is made of Vietnamese coffee, condensed milk and egg. The result? The creamiest, most luscious cup of coffee you’ve ever had. Although this drink is from Hanoi, you can try Hoi An’s version at any of the conveniently located Hoi An Roastery shop in the Old Town. It’s easy to spot this coffee shop because it’s literally in every block and the servers wear straw fedora hats. When you’re feet are tired of walking, go into one of these cafes, rest your poor feet and order a cup of this egg latte and just enjoy your latte while people watching.

6. EXPLORE THE SURROUNDING FARMS, VILLAGES, TEMPLES, MARKETS, etc.

There is only so much energy you can spend browsing through shops and people watching at the beach and cafes and so we decided to take our rented motorbike out and explore the surrounding countryside. We visited ancient temples, weaved through small residential streets, saw plenty of herb farms, rice paddies, cemeteries, canals and watched many local residents going about their day like the creeps that we are. We think that these side trips to get a glimpse of the local everyday life is what makes our trips memorable for us. We get a bit of the essence of the place, people and life even just for a moment when we go out and explore with no real destination.

If we have not convinced you yet to visit, Hoi An below are more pictures that hopefully will give your the travel bug ! We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Hoi An and it made us want to explore more of Vietnam in the future.

Have you been to Vietnam? What’s your favourite spot? Any travel stories, good or bad, you want to share? Visit our Instagram page @sprinklesandsauce and share your thoughts with us !

As always, thanks for reading guys and happy and safe travels!