Picture-Perfect Hoi An

It was hard not to fall in love with Hoi An. With its picturesque old town, river side location and surrounding countryside, it was easily our favourite spot in Vietnam to date. 

After an early morning flight from Da Lat, we arrived in Da Nang to sunshine and blue skies on the eve of Tet (the Lunar New Year). [Note: Da Nang is about a 45 minute drive from Hoi An and has the closest airport and train station]. In Hoi An, we checked-in into the Maison Vy – a chic 25 room boutique hotel with friendly staff and some nice touches including complimentery afternoon tea each day, evening foot baths and free laundry (which we eagerly took advantage of!). 

The early morning flight meant that we had the whole day to explore but first we needed coffee! Hoi An has many beautiful cafes and some great coffee. Our favourites during our stay were Mia Coffee and Espresso Station – both located away from the hustle and bustle of the old town and serving ‘coffee snob worthy’ western and Vietnamese coffee. 

Once we had our caffeine fix we set off to explore. It was difficult, at least for me, to walk two steps without taking a photo…and that was even before we reached the Old Town! Hoi An is without a doubt a photographer and instagrammer’s dream. 

Being Tet eve the footpaths were lined with flowers (for sale) and the roads were heaving with motorbikes with the locals doing their last minute shopping. 

The local market was bustling with activity and we had to squeeze (sometimes a little forcefully) our way between stalls, pedestrians, push bikes and motorbikes. Finally, making our way into the beautiful Old Town (which is closed to traffic, apart from certain hours of the day).

The travel guides warn you that it is difficult to travel in Vietnam around Tet (which it can be as everyone heads home to their families and transport becomes busier and more expensive) and that restaurants and shops tend to be closed (and yes things were closed…including a couple of famous Banh Mi places which we were dying to try). However, we loved being in Vietnam in the lead up to Tet and in Hoi An for Tet itself…the colours, flowers and the smell of incense will stay with us for a long time to come.

On our first evening in Hoi An, the Old Town and river sides were abuzz with tourists and locals alike – eating streetfood, taking photos, and playing games in one of the many arcades which had been set up. A great street party! And we were very excited to be a part of it, whilst eagerly awaiting the arrival of Jen and Luke (aka Juke, who were flying in from Singapore). Reunited with Juke, we had a few beers on one of the river boats and some catch up time (with Daz and I doing most of the talking – after being just the two of us practically 24/7 we were super excited to have some great company!). As time ticked on and the town started to quieten down, we were invited (or more likely invited ourselves) to join a couple of local guys for drinks and found ourselves celebrating with the owners of the restaurant and their family and friends. A couple of drinks turned into a few and soon they were pouring us shots of local rice wine and rubbing Daz’s beard (maybe for luck?!). A very fun night to bring in the year of the rooster but a pretty slow start the next day, very much reminiscent of January first.

Post the Tet celebrations we spent a relaxing couple of days enjoying the town and some pool time. Not surprisingly Hoi An is a very popular tourist destination and it is difficult to escape the crowds. However, early risers get rewarded! Waking up early one morning, we hopped on some bikes from the hotel and set off along the quiet roads. A few tourists had the same idea but overall it was much more peaceful and the gentle morning sunlight was great for pics. Early morning explores is definitely something that we want and need to do more of on our travels. 

Another perk of our hotel was a free breakfast at Vy’s Market restaurant – owned by Ms Vy, a famous local cook, who also owns Maison Vy and a number of other restaurants around Hoi An. Vy’s Market also serves as a cooking school and with its open kitchen was a great place to see the preparation of some of the local dishes, such as the Hoi An famous Cao Lau noodles (a dish with special rice noodles, pork and greens). We tried this dish at one of Ms Vy’s other restaurants, Morning Glory, which serves traditional Vietnamese food and Hoi An specialities. Other local specialities include the White Rose Dumpling (in Vietnamese banh bao banh vac, a very delicate dumpling filled with pork and shrimp) and Mi Quang (another noodle dish usually served at Tet and can be with pork, beef or chicken.  The dish is topped with broken toasted sesame crackers). The White Rose Dumplings (from Morning Glory) were my favourite. Both the Mi Quang (which we tried at a village on a tour) and Cao Lau were interesting and great to try but I still prefer the classic Pho Bo and Bun Thit Nuong. 

As the weather was warmer than expected we also decided to check out the nearby beach, An Bang (an easy 4 km bike ride from town). Unfortunately, the bike ride to the beach proved to be much better than the beach itself. We expected that the beach may be a little bit dirty after our Phu Quoc experience but it was a lot worse and we opted to return to the pool. 

With the Australian Open Men’s final being on we found an Aussie pub, the Three Dragons, which was screening the match. A great match made even more entertaining by the very passionate aussies. Apart from the Three Dragons, there were a few great places for a cheeky beer or two and we liked Cyclo on the river front and Dive Bar in town. 

When we first started planning our trip back in London, we pictured ourselves riding through lush rice fileds, passing workers in conical hats, and breathing in the fresh country air. So we were pretty excited to finally get to do it – Jen had booked us a countryside bike tour to My Son temple (with Phat Tire Ventures). The 42 km bike trip was a little bit sweaty and hard work (towards the end) but a highlight of our time in Hoi An and overall in Vietnam. 

I don’t think you can come to Vietnam and not do a cooking class. We chose to do it in Hoi An where there are a multitude of classes on offer. A picture of a smiley grandma (as well as the good reviews) caught our eye and we decided to go with My Grandma’s Home Cooking. The half day started with a tour of the vibrant local market which luckily was back in full swing after being closed for Tet (we even saw an argument and some Cau Lao noodles being thrown – maybe the customer tried to barter too hard on this occasion!).

We then got into a small boat and were taken to a small peaceful island where Grandma’s house was located. The Grandma who is now 92 years old made a quick appearance and showed us how to separate rice grains from husks. The house was in a beautiful and serene setting and there was only six of us (we have read that they keep the groups quite small). The food was delicious (compliments to the chefs!) and there was plenty of it. It was also interesting to hear about life on the islands and the lovely sense of community, with the young helping the elderly. 

Craving a bit of western food, we spent our final evening in Hoi An at the Hill Station, a deli and wine bar. Away from the crowds of old town, we had a relaxing evening of wine, craft beer, cheese and cold meats. A lovely ending to a wonderful few days. 

Hoi An is definitely somewhere that we would like to return one day…and we still need to try that Banh Mi! 

Next: the imperial city, Hue.