Hoi An is a place if you have been once, you will unconditionally hope to travel again and again without being bored. Hoi An, so boring! Hoi An, so quiet! Hoi An, so tedious! That is what people often talk about Hoi An when they just spend 2 hours wandering around the town. It seems that, they are trying to fulfill their Hoi An tours in the shortest time. Two hours is just enough to eat a bowl of Cao Lau, pass a street, and visit an ancient house with a brief introduction of tour guide. However, Hoi An is more than that. What making Hoi An be loved is hiding in every corner of the town that 2 hours is not enough to discover. So, if you are planning to travel Hoi An for the first time or second time, take time and experience all of the following things, you will see that it is a true paradise for those who are not fans of bustling urban places.
Delicious Hoi An cuisine
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| Hoi An |
Seemingly, anyone can spend time eating in Hoi An all day without feeling bored. Even, you can make a long list of Hoi An things to eat. Or, do not hesitate to declare that "eat" is the main reason for you to travel Hoi An. It is estimated that 90% of tourists in Vietnam tour packages to Hoi An has a love for Hoi An cuisine, and 30% of those like spicy food. In this ancient town, you do not need to feel shy when getting up, enjoying a big Phuong's Banh My (Vietnamese sandwich), then walking around streets, and tasting a bowl of Cao Lau in Hoi An market (You can have two breakfasts, if you want!). Resting for a while, it is time to pop in famous chicken rice restaurants, Banh My store of Madame Khanh, and many kinds of sweet soup, which will bring different experiences in Hoi An cuisine. Do not forget to set aside an afternoon to enjoy beautiful sunlight at Cua Dai Beach with fresh seafood. In short, cuisine in Hoi An will be a dazzling part in your Vietnam tours to Hoi An. And you should seriously take time to find out which restaurant is the best and wholeheartedly enjoy food unlike things to do in 2-hour tours in this town.
An Bang Beach
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| Beach in Hoi An |
Normally, tourists visit Cua Dai Beach in almost tours in Hoi An. They rush to Cua Dai Beach as if this was the sole beach in Hoi An. However, recently, An Bang Beach emerges as a serene heaven near the town. The beach is about 15 minute driving from Hoi An Ancient Town. It is a pristine and charming beach. An Bang Beach is portrayed by turquoise waters, big waves, and white smooth sand. But, what makes An Bang attractive not just its quiet beauty, but also lovely cafés and bars along the beach. These bars are recognized by colorful bean bags placed on sandy beach, or lovely huts with bright colorful pillows, nestled on the sand. All are imbued with easygoing and casual style in accordance with styles often seen in international newspapers. But, the most interesting thing does not come from the appearance. It comes from experiences you have here. Lying freely on the beach, sunbathing, hearing waves whispering, and turning on some favorite music, you will feel as if you were floating in the happiest place in the world.
Enjoying tea
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| view of Hoi An |
Another reason why people love and choose Hoi An to travel in Vietnam holidays is enjoying tea culture. There are lovely tea shops possessing Western style but still exuding warm Vietnamese décor. Among those tea shops, the most famous one is Reaching Out, ranking first at TripAdvisor. There must have an explanation for the leading position of Reaching Out. Here, you will have a chance to enjoy tea and delicious cakes. Tea at Reaching Out is all Vietnamese tea. The way of enjoying is characterized by Vietnamese style combined with nibbling traditional Vietnamese jam. Reaching Out also owns a style of ancient Vietnamese layout features with ancient amenities. Amid the peaceful atmosphere of Hoi An, the soul of this décor has been shining, which makes you find tranquility in your soul, relaxation to let your soul at ease with fragrance of tea and cool breeze from lush green garden. More interesting, staffs at Reaching Out are deaf people. You will communicate with them by texting on lovely small paper sheets, which creates a very subtle and artistic Reaching Out style.
Hoi An Ancient Town
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| Hoi An Fairy Tale |
Of course, Hoi An Ancient Town is the most loved thing here. The town seems to be different from business and oldness of Hanoi Old Quarter. Hoi An Ancient Town always looks like a nap that is quiet and peaceful. Every corner of the town is so amazing. Sidewalks are lovely with green trees, brilliant colorful balcony of flowers, grids of bougainvillea along streets, and colorful lanterns of all kinds. All create a fantastic landscape painting which has a clever combinations of colors and warm sunlight.
Serenity
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| Hoi An Bridge |
In other cities such as Nha Trang or Saigon, you will easily feel joyous and exciting. That is the feeling of desiring to travel. It means that you want to travel, to explore and to immerse into the attractions without exhaustion. But, in Hoi An, the most loved thing is the quietness and serenity, which makes you think it is boring at first. The "sleepy" atmosphere of Hoi An will lull you into a tedious feeling, if you look at it through the eyes of a giddy man. But, let's slow down, immerse in the melody of this ancient town, like one who are learning steps to come into his distant realms and then find peace in mind. You will find Hoi An gently absorbed into yourself, into the peaceful surrounding, and gradually stripped of your tiredness, preoccupations, and anxiety. The peace and tranquility of Hoi An seem to be boring, but it turns out to be the most precious thing which makes Hoi An become a lovely oasis to anyone who has been here.
With ancient houses, immense Cua Dai Beach with turquoise water and interesting experiences, Hoi An has been always one of the most fascinating destinations in Vietnam. Owning information and having good preparation for Hoi An travel will will be useful for your trips to the World Heritage's city.
How to get there
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| Hoi An |
Hoi An is an ancient and small town of Quang Nam Province, but the ancient town is quite near Da Nang City. Therefore, it is definitely convenient to travel Hoi An after enjoying wonderful time in Da Nang - the worthiest city to live in Vietnam. Traveling by bus, train, or by air to Da Nang and then take a taxi or get on Bus No.01 from Da Nang bus station, or hire a motorbike to approach Hoi An are the best options. Otherwise, from Hue City, there is a tourist bus departing from Hue to Hoi An. By the way of transportation, Vietnam tour packages of Da Nang to Hoi An will be much easier and more convenient.
Where to stay
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| Thanh Binh Riverside |
Hotels in Hoi An are abundant. Howerver, Hoi An homestay is more favored by tourists. These homestay service is available near Hoi An Ancient Town. Just from about 300.000 VND (equivalent to about US $14), lovely, large enough and clean houses always welcome tourists from everywhere, along with hospitable local people. Accommodation near Cua Dai Beach is dominated by luxury resorts with fantastic view and atmosphere. Here is suitable for tourists who enjoy traveling for pleasure.
What to see
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| Cham Island |
Hoi An Ancient Town is portrayed by unique traditional architectural works with many second-to-none stopovers which are looking forward to tourists' exploration. Japanese Covered Bridge, Quang Dong Assembly Hall (Guangdong Assembly Hall), Phuc Kien Assembly Hall (Fujain Assembly Hall), ancient houses, Hoi An Museum of Trading Ceramics, and Hoi An Museum of Folklore... After a long time of getting around the ancient town, coming over a cafe to allure into the slow pace of life in Hoi An, or exploring small alleys to reach Hoai River are among should-not-miss things to do in Hoi An. In the evening, walking along Hoai River to contemplate ancient houses with shimmering and vivid lanterns, or getting on boat and dropping candle flower on Hoai River, or visiting Nguyen Hoang Night Market must be noted in list of where to go in Hoi An. That will be unforgettable memory of any Vietnam holidays to the ancient town in the Central part of Vietnam. Hiring a bike and experiencing community travel in Tra Que Vegetables Village, Kim Bong Carpentry Village, Thanh Ha Pottery Village... to immerse in local life and explore interesting cultural and traditional customs. Do not miss Cua Dai Beach in the list. Cua Dai Beach - the convergence of three rivers (Thu Bon River, Truong Giang River, and De Vong River) is a fantastic place with turquoise water, white sand and azure sky. Another famous beach in Hoi An is An Bang Beach. An Bang Beach used to be voted as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. It is a pristine beach with primitive charm and serenity. The beach is often favored by most tourists who love serenity of the sea and fishing life. Meanwhile, Cu Lao Cham Island is an ideal stopover for tourists who adore exploring. The island is about 15km from Cua Dai Beach. It takes about 20 minutes to travel by high-speed boat (about 120,000 VND or nearly US $6) to the island, or about 1 hour to reach the island by boat (about 30,000 VND/pax) departing at 8:00 am from Cua Dai Beach. In the island, there is service of homestay and guest house with convenient facilities. Scenery on the island is beautiful, pristine and charming as Bai Bac, Bai Ong and Bai Xep with white sand strand-shaped rocks. In addition, there are some famous stopovers such as Hai Tang Pagoda and Cham ancient well...
What to eat
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| Cao Lau |
Hoi An cuisine is depicted clearly on almost streets in Hoi An Ancient Town. Let's come to Thai Phien Street and Hoi An Market to enjoy delicious and cheap dishes of Cao Lau and Quan Noodle. Ms. Buoi's and Ms. Nga's chicken rice restaurants on Phan Chau Trinh are best places to taste the dish. Coming over street vendor's stalls in the ancient town or near Cam Hoi Bridge to eat a wide range of cake such as dumplings, Vac cake and Dap cake... Ba Le Alley on Tran Hung Dao Street is another must-visit place to explore Hoi An cuisine. In the evening, if tourist walking along Hoai River's bank, do not forget to taste some kinds of sweet soup here. Cua Dai Beach will be an ideal place to enjoy delicacies of seafood. There are many reasonable-price store with fresh and delicious seafood.
What to buy
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| Hoi An Ancient Town |
In Hoi An shopping tips, lantern ranks first. It is seen as a typical souvenir in Hoi An. Some big lantern shops are preferred by tourists who come here to order handmade lanterns with colorful and lovely beauty. Having a pair of sandals or dresses made in the fastest time will bring interesting gift for friends and relatives. Green pea cake and chili sauce are good options for gifting. At the end of the tour, do not for get to take the last photo of Hoi An that you are impressed most.
