One of the things we loved most about our travel through Vietnam was the fact that no two places were alike. Each town we stopped in confronted us with a completely different experience that we came to appreciate as quintessentially Vietnamese. As we shared in our last post, we travelled to Hoi An via the notoriously dangerous but magnificently scenic Hai Van Pass by private car. Although we had reservations about our driver, we don't deny he was very knowledgeable and could speak English well. Along the way he made stops for photos overlooking the pearl farms, the huge stretch of Da Nang Beach and finally the Marble Mountains (15,000 VND pp). Tip: Support the locals who live on either side of the Pass by purchasing freshwater pearl jewellery. Our driver took us to one of the pearl stalls near the American bunkers and we came away with affordable souvenirs that beats any old keychain. Ah Hoi An Ancient Town...there are not enough words to describe this enchanting, albeit touristy, place. We fell in love upon seeing the lantern-lined streets coupled with the charming quaintness of this countryside village. What a contrast from the organised chaos of Hanoi and even more so, Ho Chi Minh! The town was voted "Best City on Earth" in the 2016 Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards. But we recommend saving yourself the trouble of researching too much about this place and therefore setting your expectations too high, it is after all a tourist town and with that comes the stronger than usual hustlin' on tourists. Let yourself be swept up in the magic of this town without any preconceived notions. Your experience will be all the more richer for it. Accommodation We highly recommend Blue Clouds Homestay. It's owned by a local family and run by their soon-to-be daughter-in-law. The rooms are only a year old and everything is super clean and modern. There was nothing better than coming back after a long day's worth of fittings to friendly faces and helpful recommendations on where to eat (not even clothes could shake our priorities). Bikes cost $1 usd per day and is a fun way to travel and see the countryside. Since we stayed here for 4 nights, we were invited to their family lunch on our last day and treated to mouth-watering home-cooked food. By then we had been on the road (literally sometimes) eating street food everyday so being able to experience a meal the locals eat with their families was a real treat. Also the street it is situated on, Hung Vuong Street, is a treasure trove of small food stalls selling the most delectable local Hoi An-ese food, you'll never be hungry! Food Quite honestly, you won't be disappointed wherever you go to feed yourself. But if we had to make some recommendations then: Pho 29, Hung Vuong Street - This place is situated about a 5 minute walk on the same street as our homestay. If you like your pho with a spicy kick, this is the place. Banh Mi Pho Co, corner of Le Loi and Phan Ding Phung - There are a few famed Banh Mi places in Hoi An popularised no doubt by Anthony Bourdain but we opted to try this little stall because it was right opposite the tailors at Oche. The pate is flavourful and who could resist the blast of chilli as you chow it down while limiting the fallout of crumbs. Sightseeing Unfortunately due to severe floods Cua Dai beach, northeast of Hoi An, was closed off when we visited. However nearby An Bang beach was still accessible and we took a day to cycle there and enjoy the ocean breeze. It's not the most impressive beach by any means, but it is a nice change of scenery. Tip: You may want to lie under the bamboo huts that lie along the beach but you have to pay to use them unless you buy a drink at one of the bars on the beach. Being the scrooges that we are (and not wanted to cycle back two sheets to the wind) we sunbathed on towels we had packed earlier. Visiting the Old Town requires paying 120,000 VND pp as a one-off entrance fee. Each ticket is valid for the duration of your stay and includes entrance to 5 points of interest. In all honesty we visited only 4 sites and felt that we could have skipped all of them.
We visited the Japanese Covered Bridge (too short to be considered impressive); the Fukien Assembly Hall (which to be fair, would have been right up our alley if we hadn't just visited Hue's Imperial City); the Museum of Trade Ceramics (informative but small); and lastly Old House of Tan Ky (the most tourist-centric of them all, be warned as you'll be pushed to buy horoscope medallions for $1 usd). The downside of Hoi An is the capitalisation of the tourist trade, so tourists are charged a premium for almost everything. So pay the ticket price to soak in the prettiness and charm of the old town (which is unmissable) but don't feel pressured to visit the sites.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWe're two Kiwi Malaysians navigating life in a modern global society. We love to seek adventure and are unashamedly food fanatics (without the pretentiousness). Most of all, we love connecting with others so please share with us your stories, opinions and recommendations! Archives
August 2017
Categories |