Hoi An

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It's been a bit since I've been able to do one of these but here it is! Also lots of photos this time so check em out!

Throughout Vietnam people have been talking highly of Hoi An and I now see why. Designated as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1999, Hoi An shines as a must-visit historic little town with a lot of charm. The old town especially is appealing due to the large number of ancient pagodas, temples, entertainment halls and tea shops in the styles of Chinese, Japanese and French architecture. Once a shipping port and major administrative center, the river Thu Bon and many little canals run through the old town, but the river mouth to the ocean silted up in the 19th century, therefore preventing ships from being able to dock in Hoi An. This contributes to Hoi An being able to remain small, despite its prior importance as a regional centre . The old town should be seen not only in the day but at night, where traditional Vietnamese lanterns line the streets and light up the town. There is very little traffic in Hoi An (in fact the old town is a pedestrian and bicycle only area) and the food is out of this world. A few specialities include Cao Lau, thick noodles with barbecued pork, local greens, and peanuts and white rose dumplings, a tasty shrimp dumpling that I ate a ton of. Hoi An is also very famous for tailors, and if I was in the market for a suit I would definitely get one here. The quality is excellent at almost any tailor you go to and it's very cheap. (Something like $150-$200 for a three-piece. As well as the old town, there are miles and miles of beach to the east only 10 minutes from downtown Hoi An by motorbike. Hoi An and the beaches are separated by rice paddies, buffaloes grazing and local villages. It was very quick and easy to get out of town by motorbike and bicycle and that was where I found the more authentic Vietnam I had seen to date. All told it had a small-town feel, but big enough to be able to do almost anything still.

I ended up staying in Hoi An for 5 days but time seemed to fly as I kept myself pretty busy. For the first two days I rented a motorbike to explore some of the outer regions including the city of Danang and the marble mountains (which were neat), but a bicycle served me just as well for the day to day stuff and seeing things in around Hoi An. It rained every day I was there except the first and while it was a bit annoying, i didn't feel like it held me back from accomplishing anything.

Some of the things I was able to do/see in no particular order were:

Old town in the day and night

Went to Danang (30-40 minutes each way by motorbike) and surfed on the first day

Went to the marble mountains near Danang

Explored the neighbouring town of Cui Dai and other villages skirting Hoi An

Tried most, if not all the local dishes including Cao Lau, White Rose, Bun Bo, seafood hot pot, and tofu wrapped in banana leaf.

Went to a silk and embroidery factory

Went to a traditional water puppet show

Listened to Vietnamese music in old town and at the homestay as well

Went to the Hoi An museum of history and culture which had some Cham artifacts dating back roughly 2200 years

Found a sports bar that played hockey so I watched a nucks game with some people 😉

Went to yoga with some friends

Enjoyed a couple dinners with my homestay host Phuong at Tan Phuong homestay

Met this awesome dog Titi at the homestay who I want to steal and I showed to Molly (who also wants to steal him). The owner said I would have to pay him 1 billion dong for him.

Had the best bicycle rides on my last two days exploring for hours rural areas

Got my teeth cleaned at the dentist for about $7

Went to a cooking class for Hoi An cuisine and we got to make 6 dishes

Found a place with 3000VND beers (about 18 cents) but if you ask me where it is, I won't tell you

Got a Vietnamese massage that included a free coconut at the end

Did a ton of haggling in the market

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Comments

[Deborah]

Wow!
Great pics, and wow! you are having lots of interesting experiences...