Hoi An is the place where you’d like to take one thousand pictures per minute. The architecture mix (japanese, chinese and french), the traditional lanterns and no car traffic make this old town protected by UNESCO a favorite destination for tourist to make their photo shoots.
Thanks to the massive tourism in the area there are lots of foodie options to delight yourself. From grills placed directly on the sand on the beach to fancy restaurants just for travelers in the old town.
Don’t miss the chance to visit My Son Sanctuary ruins. This Indian Hinduism complex has been built by the ancient Cham Culture between the 4th and 13th centuries.
1st Day Hoi An
A village as pretty as a picture
In Hoi An the cityscape is extremely charming, everything is beautifully decorated.
There are countless handmade lamps, definitely the place signature feature. The dim lighting of these lanterns makes the entire city look like a postcard. Hoi An is simply a magnificent place.
In addition, there is a pretty river that runs through the old town. It plays a key role in the life of the people of Hoi An.
There are tourist boats that take you for a ride on the river. And, of course, they are also decorated with those same lanterns.
The area was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Therefore, the architecture of the place remains intact.
Likewise, the whole old town area, which is quite large, is closed to cars and motorbikes.
For the first time in our trip we didn’t have to stay alert for any unexpected motorbike.
A perfect destination for bikers
Our accommodation was located 3 km away from the old town, on an island that is right next to it, connected by a bridge.
Fortunately, the hotel offered bikes for guests. Although they were too small for us, they still were bikes. We looked quite funny pedaling on them, but truth is they have been the most convenient way of getting around.
Most accommodations we’ve considered also offered bikes for guests and it’s also very common to rent some bikes during your stay in Hoi An. It’s great for exploring the area, going to the beach, etc.
So, in those 3 km that separated us from the old town, there was just one street, which more or less goes along the river. The route is very easy, you just have to go straight, making sure you recognize the place where to stop.
On each side of that single street you can see houses and some shops, quite precarious. It has also been interesting to spend some time there, to see something more authentic, outside the tourist area.
This main street is also intersected by some dead end streets, where you can see some houses or tourist residences.
Our accommodation on Cam Nam Island
Our plan was to stay in Hoi An for six days. Therefore, we chose an accommodation with a pool to have a few moments of relaxation after so many days traveling around Vietnam.
We had also chosen a quiet location. We didn’t wanted to stay in the middle of the most visited area, but not too far away either.
As soon as we arrived and settled in the hotel, we went for a walk around the streets of old Hoi An.
We found it to be a very picturesque place, although maybe too crowded.
Hoi An Night Market
We wandered around the tourist area and discovered the island that is just in front of the old town. There’s a night market there, to buy souvenirs and food basically.
On our first night we had dinner at one of the restaurants in the night market.
We ate an octopus and some noodles with seafood and spinach. It was food for tourists, in a very touristy place, but actually super tasty as well, with a local cuisine touch.
Later, walking around the market, we found a very tempting dessert at a stall on the street. It looked like a coconut and peanut small cake / sandwich and we just couldn’t go without.
It was made by a girl at the moment: she made the tops, which looked like a rice flour pancake, a very thin dough, and then she filled it with coconut and peanuts. Delicious.
On our bike ride back to the accommodation, leaving the center, we saw a stand where smoothies and juices were offered.
It had some chairs and tables set up on the riverbank and there were only Vietnamese people. For us, that meant it was a good place for our last stop before going to sleep.
We just couldn’t resist and had a delicious papaya smoothie.
2nd Day in Hoi An
An authentic breakfast
We got up and went to have breakfast near the accommodation. As we were not staying in the middle of the tourist area, we prefered to stay more or less close to the hotel before starting the day.
Truth is that, although the whole area is beautiful and there are tourists beyond the historic center, there were no cafes or restaurants around our accommodation. At least they were not like those in the cities we had visited before.
But there were places to have something to eat or drink, sure. The place where we had breakfast was set up with 4 sticks, a tin roof, tables and chairs.
We didn’t hesitate to sit there because we saw children and mothers having breakfast. They seemed to be getting ready for school. And for us, that was just as authenthic as we wanted.
The “breakfast” menu had just 1 option. When we arrived, they pointed out a table so that we share it with somebody that was already there, and they soon brought breakfast for us.
It was scrambled eggs, bread and a sauce (we still don’t know what it was). In fact, the name of the dish sounded something like eggs “on the plate” in French (it was written on a blackboard). They were fine.
Afterwards we had coffee in one of the nearby cafes and went back to the hotel. We decided to stay in the pool and explore the town later.
Hoi An lovely beaches
We wanted to relax and wait for the temperature to drop a bit. During the day it’s around 40°C!!
Around five in the afternoon, we grabbed our bikes and headed towards Hoi An beach, which was about 7km from our accommodation.
We were not expecting such a beautiful beach, it was amazing. There were many people, but both the beach and the water were perfectly clean. Moreover, there was a good ambiance.
On the beach there are many bars that offer lounge chairs with tables on the sand so you can relax there while having a drink or something to eat.
At the same time, there were also many people who had set up a food stand with a mat and a small grill.
Right there, on the sand, they cooked fish, seafood and some soups. Of course, they also sold drinks. I think we mentioned it before, Vietnamese people drink a lot of beer.
Anyway, it never ceased to amaze us with how many clothes they get into the sea. They must have been astonished too, by how little dressed we bathed (with a regular swimsuit), because at Hoi An beach they took quite a few photos of Gilda.
For our peace of mind, at least on this beach we saw that most people would put on a kind of pajamas to get in the water. We found it more comfortable than doing so wearing a jean and a shirt.
Well into the night, we started our way back home. It was around 9 pm and we had already eaten something, so we only went to the old town to have a snack. Then, we rode our bikes back to our accommodation. Needless to say, we didn’t miss the chance to have a smoothie as a dessert. They are delicious anywhere in Vietnam!
3rd Day in Hoi An
A perfect destination for a day trip
On our third day in Hoi An, we got up very early, at 6 am, to be able to enjoy the old town without its visitor crowds. And truth is we enjoyed it immensely.
Indeed, when we arrived, the town was totally empty. Something unbelievable for us, considering how many people we had seen on the previous days.
Most tourists show up on the streets after nine in the morning. Quite early, anyway.
The old market food court in Hoi An
While exploring, we discovered in the old town market a kind of food court with stalls that were like islands.
Each island stall had a counter so you could sit down and eat. And from there you’d see how the food is prepared right in front of you.
There were a lot of meal options and the menu was written in English. We were happy as we’d make sure we’d eat exactly what we wanted to order.
Furthermore, having the prices printed on the menu was also a relief, because since we had arrived in Hoi An, we had to bargain over the price of everything we wanted to buy.
Bargaining all day long
It was exhausting having to do so all the time. You want to buy a fruit, you have to haggle; you want to buy peanuts, you have to haggle; you want a pancake, you have to haggle again.
At some point, if you are not used to it, it inevitably becomes tedious.
For example, you want to buy a sugarcane juice and they tell you “15” (actually fifteen thousand VND but everyone is used to abbreviating), but we already knew that 15 was not the price… We had been paying 5000 VND and at most, 10000 VND. Well, it can get frustrating.
So, when they tell you “15”, you already know that you have to change the quick purchase strategy (you were dreaming of) and start bargaining. Then, you’ll look at them expressing disagreement and they’ll say “okay, 10, okay.” It’s very annoying having to do that all the time.
The magnificent deserted town
After breakfast, we continued walking around the desolate town. With not so many people around, you can observe the buildings much better and, as we said before, everything is beautiful in Hoi An.
There is a mix in the old buildings. Some have a French style, and then there are others with Chinese and Japanese style.
Although we couldn’t always appreciate the difference between Japanese and Chinese constructions, it was easy to see they were both very different from French style constructions.
Being around 10:30 am, we noticed the tourist buses were already arriving and the temperature rose to 40 ° C. So it seemed like a good time to go for a coffee and ride back to the hotel pool.
Rice fields and coconut palm trees
After a nap, at five in the afternoon, we grabbed our bikes and went on a self guided tour around rice fields, following a recommendation from the girl at the reception.
We did not run into anyone else, we enjoyed the landscapes just by ourselves, a lot of nature and peace. But it would get better, we returned by a route that goes through a coconut palm forest.
It blew our mind to realize that all roads were paved, even though we seemed to be in the middle of nowhere and there was almost no traffic.
In the evening we went back to the center of Hoi An for dinner. We could then appreciate how much we had enjoyed our walk in the morning and the freedom to walk wherever we wanted.
As we said, Hoi An is 100% touristy. Evidently, it’s full of vendors (they offer souvenirs, boat trips, a table in a restaurant, etc). Thus, there’s always someone who stands in front of you, touches you, insists you do something … It gets overwhelming.
4th Day in Hoi An
Visiting the old town very early in the morning
Since we enjoyed it so much, we repeated our strategy from the day before. We got up very early and went to the old town to our tour around it and appreciate all details.
The historic center is not too big, just a couple of blocks from end to end, so two days are more than enough to see it all.
We have already told you, in addition, that some people choose to visit Hoi An on a day trip while staying in another city.
Something interesting about Hoi An is that the buildings and decorations are so beautiful, with this Chinese-French-Japanese style mix, that many people come here to make their photo shoots. We’ve seen many couples posing for their wedding photo book, but also fashion shoots, etc.
We saw quite a few music video shootings. We couldn’t positively tell they were famous artists, as we don’t know anything about asian artists. But there are definitely a lot of productions in Hoi An.
Furthermore, Hoi An is a favorite destination for travelers looking for tailor made clothes. It’s a tradition in the city, and there are many options according to needs and budgets. Actually, the girl working at the reception of our accommodation offered us this service as her whole family had been in the business for many years.
At 11 o’clock we were already in the pool at our accommodation, exhausted because of the heat and getting ready to take a nap.
Too late for getting fresh food at the market
Later, at around three or four in the afternoon, we headed for the market in order to get lunch and continue our way to the beach.
In the market, the food was already in quite bad condition as a result of the heat, which remained above 40 C°. In fact, each market stall has a small counter with a little glass display where food is exhibited, without any refrigeration.
As food didn’t look good at all, we continued our way to the beach. It seemed better to stop at one of the restaurants on the road to get something to eat.
In markets and food stalls on the street it’s very common to have the food without refrigeration, of course. We saw this in other places like Ho Chi Minh too. In the morning, the food looks very good, and as time goes by, it’s easy to see how quicly it goes off. Specially the green leaves that looked so fresh in the morning and so old in the afternoon.
The good thing is that you can choose where to eat, observing the food on display, at least. You’re not getting any surprises.
Parking the bikes near the beach
When we got to the beach, the sun was already setting and the temperature was much more pleasant.
The food we had seen on our previous visit to the beach seemed very tempting, so we couldn’t resist and had a grilled squid at the beach.
An interesting tidbit: when we arrived at Hoi An beach for the first time, a guy told us that we could not get on the beach with the bikes. He showed us we should park our bikes there for a small fee (or maybe at a more expensive parking nearby).
Later we discovered that there is free parking for bicycles at the beach restaurants, even if you don’t buy anything there. They just don’t care.
Apart from this guy, we don’t think Vietnamese people are opportunists. In general, you don’t have to stay alert all the time.
A very kind and peaceful society
Truth is they have always treated us very kindly. Despite the language barriers, they’ve always proved to be willing to help us, give us directions, etc.
If they notice that food is brought to you and you don’t even know how to eat it, they will try to explain how to do so. For example, this should be eaten with this sauce, this must be removed and thrown away, etc.
If they realize that you are lost looking at a map, they’ll approach and help you. Indeed, they are very very thoughtful.
It is a very peaceful society. We didn’t witness any violent situation, not even drunk people fighting or bothering someone else.
We have already mentioned the topic of security, but in Hoi An we reconfirmed Vietnam is a safe place. Not even bikes get stolen!
This is our experience, we locked our bikes with a very thin cable. Besides, we didn’t secure the bikes to a sturdy immovable object, but just one to the other one. They could have easily been stolen, like all the bikes we’ve seen around.
5th Day in Hoi An
Once more, we had some eggs and bread for breakfast at the place that was just around the corner of our accommodation.
Visiting My Son World Heritage Site
We got up very early again because we were going on a trip to My Son site, and the driver would pick us up at 7.30 am.
These ruins, located about 30 km from Hoi An, were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.
These archeological remains were interesting, indeed, but perhaps our expectations were too great and they just didn’t captivate us.
Perhaps it was because we had had the opportunity to visit much more impressive ruins in Indonesia some years ago.
Yet, the road was very scenic, with rice fields on each side. Anyway, when we came back after noon, tired and overheated, we felt ready for a nap.
Off the tourist road for a few hours
Later that day, we just walked a little around the island where our house was located. We were already overwhelmed by the old town and its crowd.
In fact, we always like to explore and see a little more beyond the landmarks of each place. Fortunately, we also found very good coffee again!
It was our last night in Hoi An. The day after, at 9 am, a driver was going to pick us up to start an all-day tour that would also take us to a new destination.
Ready for new adventures
Our first stop would be at “The Marble Mountains” of Da Nang area.
From there, we would head to Ba Na Hills to visit the Golden Bridge at Sunworld amusement park.
In addition, the trip would take us all along Da Nang coast, and we would also ride along Hai Van Pass mountain pass. Finally, we would be dropped off at our new accommodation in Hue.
