Hoi An is a small town on the central coast of Vietnam, situated roughly halfway between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. This little city was once considered the best port city for trade by Chinese and Japanese merchants. The influence of the Chinese and the Japanese can be seen throughout the ancient city, from architecture to food. The city lights up at night with lanterns, while people from everywhere gather and mingle along the river. It is one of the most photogenic and laid-back places I have been to in Vietnam, and for good reasons.
Exploring Hoi An's Market in the Evening
From my homestay, it took me 10 minutes to walk to the ancient city. The benefit of walking was that it allowed me to observe how people actually live around the area.
As the sun goes down, the city lights up with several colorful lanterns illuminating the road.
Hoi An has to be one of the most laid-back places I have been. The ancient city is right by the river, the road is closed in the evening for people to walk, and there are countless restaurants selling the most delicious Vietnamese food in all of Vietnam.
- Tribee Bana Hostel (Budget)
- PaPa Villa Homestay (Mid-Range) 👍 Top Pick
- Little Riverside Hoi An . A Luxury Hotel & Spa (High-End)
- Hoi An/ Da Nang - Ba Na Hills - Golden Bridge Deluxe Small group (9 hours) 🏅 Top Pick
- Hoi An Eco Cooking Class(Local market, Basket boat, crab fishing& cooking class) (4 hours)
- Cooking Class Hoi An:Local Market, Basket Boat, Fishing & Cooking (4 hours)
You can rent a bike from most hostels or homestays in the area. It serves as great transportation because on one side, there is this Ancient City, and on the other side, a beautiful beach, a 15-minute ride away.
You can also hire a paddler to paddle a boat along the river and enjoy the view of the ancient city from a different perspective.
Even though it gets pretty touristy at night, you can always find a quiet street where you can relax and enjoy the atmosphere.
Houses in the area are all painted in a bright yellow color with wooden decorations from windows to furniture.
This is why Hoi An is the most photogenic place in Vietnam. It is the combination of the architecture, the color palette, and all the lighted-up lanterns that make this place pop!
Both sides of the river were surrounded by cafes and restaurants.
I was making a mental note of cafes in the area so that I could come back the next day for a nice cup of coffee.
It only took me one evening to fall in love with Hoi An. This place was magical!
The sight of people sitting on the street, trying all kinds of Vietnamese cuisine, was quite common in Hoi An.
Hoi An is big on cheap, high-quality tailoring and, of course, lanterns.
This guy looked troubled...
As I was walking around, I stumbled upon this guy playing some sort of Chinese string instrument. What captured my attention was not the instrument, but the sound that came out of it. To my surprise, the sound was digital, and the song he played resembled modern chill-out electronica, which I like.
There were a lot of upscale restaurants in the area, but you can always find street food stalls as delicious as the food in the restaurants, but at half the price.
I ended my first evening with a visit to the famous Japanese bridge, built by the Japanese community in the 1590s to connect the Japanese community to the Chinese quarter.
Bike Around Hoi An's Old Town
For my second day in Hoi An, I decided to rent a bike and go for a spin, but first things first, I needed a coffee!
I found this cozy cafe in the Ancient City called Reaching Out. What made this cafe special was that they only employed deaf and mute individuals, providing them with jobs while creating one of the most peaceful experiences a cafe could offer.
No one was talking out loud in the café; they only whispered in low voices among themselves. It was the perfect place to enjoy a nice coffee while reading your favorite books.
In order to communicate with the waitresses, you either have to know sign language or use one of these blocks of words provided by the cafe. It was pretty damn cool!
The Japanese Bridge without all the light work. I much preferred it in this form than when I saw it at night with all the crazy lights they put up.
A blind man is selling tiger balms in front of a restaurant.
This is what the ancient city looked like during the day, not as crowded, which made it a perfect place for a laid-back day.
After a coffee, I took my bike and went up towards the beach. I did not expect much since Vietnam is not exactly a country you go to for beaches, but I was surprised to see how well maintained the beach was. It was also less touristy than most beaches in Southeast Asia.
As the sun was about to set, I entered one of the numerous rice fields in the area and observed the sunset.
I just couldn't get enough of the green rice fields in Vietnam. They were ridiculously green!
I wasn't sure if I was trespassing, but here I was in a rice field, waiting for the sun to set.
Good morning, Vietnaaaam.. or in this case, Good evening, Vietnaaaam!
This is definitely my favorite photo. It captured an ordinary life of people in Hoi An very well.
Visit MySon Ruins
In the early morning, I decided to go on a tour to MySon temple, an ancient remnant of the once revered Champa kingdom. It was a long ride from Hoi An to where the temple is, and to tell you the truth, I was not impressed by it.
In comparison to Angkor Wat, this was nothing.
The temples spread out into several zones, none of which is big and well maintained.
I read somewhere that the company that was supposed to take care of the temple didn't do a very good job at it, and apparently they are cashing in quite a lot from tourism.
That said, it was still interesting to see how the temple of the Champa Kingdom resembled Angkor Wat of the Khmer Empire.
It took me only an hour to walk through the entire complex, but since I had to wait for my group to finish, I did not leave MySon until almost 2 PM. It was a gentle reminder of the reason why I would rather go alone than in tour groups.
The tour cost me only 5 USD, so I couldn't complain much. They dropped me off at the Ancient City as per my request.
Try the best Bahn Mi in the World (IMHO)!
As I walked around trying to find a nice place to eat, I stumbled upon a long line in front of this small Bahn Mi restaurant called Banh Mi Phuong.
I was curious, so I decided to sit down and order myself a Grilled Sausage Bahn Mi, a Vietnamese-style sandwich. The price was 30,000 dong per sandwich.
It was the most delicious sandwich I ever had. It was so rich in flavors; every bite was a delight. The price was so cheap that I decided to buy 2 more for my ride to Phong Nha the next day. If you are ever in Hoi An, be sure to check Banh Mi Phuong out.
I walked back to the homestay, got my transportation sorted out for the next day, and went straight to bed.
Initially, I planned to go straight to Hanoi from Hoi An, but as I learned more about the country, about the Hang Son Doong cave, the biggest cave in the world that was recently discovered in Phong Nha, a small town just north of Hoi An, I decided to stop in Phong Nha for 2 nights before I continued on. After all, it would be a shame if I did not at least check the place out.
In the next entry, we will be exploring the wonderful cave system of central Vietnam in Phong Nha National Park. This part of Vietnam is the most interesting part of all. The caves here are what make Vietnam unique for me. In Thailand, we have scenery similar to Vietnam, but nothing could compare to the caves in Phong Nha. Stay tuned as I explore the ancient caverns of central Vietnam.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
7 Comments
your photos is really great. I love the color and the style of each photo. Hoi An was lighted up brightly through your canmera. I think you have such a great time in there. Thank you so much for your amazing post.
For every one who need to know more about Travelling Hoi An, feel free to contact at:http://itsvietnam.com/ for more travel packagé and reviews.
Thank you for the comment! I'm glad you like the photos! :)
Really awesome photos! Brings back great memories :)
Thank you! Love the place :)
My friend and I are planning to go to Danang and Hoi An this weekend, and your post is full of information we need. Thank you! Hoi An really looks like it is worth the visit. We're more excited now!
Hoi An is definitely one of the best place to be in Vietnam. Beautiful scenery and great food. I wish I went to Danang because everyone I know who went there love it!
I have spent a couple of days in Hoi An and it was amazing. I and my friends stayed in a homestay and the host treated us very very nice. We had enjoyed the food especially "ban mi Phuong" so much. The trip was unbelievable and we definitely come back soon!!!