Hoi An, Vietnam
Hoi An, Vietnam
Hoi An is a historic and bustling Vietnamese city famed for its culture, handmade goods and markets. Paper lanterns hang above streets between wooden and yellow painted houses. Vendors sell produce in baskets along the curbs. Locals wearing conical hats zip by on scooters. The smell of incense and street food wafts through the air. Ornate temples welcome visitors and worshippers. Makers work away at craft studios and measure customers at custom tailoring shops.
The Ancient Town
The Ancient Town is the epicenter of history, culture and activity in Hoi An. Its old houses, ornate temples and bridges are discoverable when walking down the narrow streets and alleyways. Colorful lanterns and banners of the Vietnamese and Communist flags hang overhead. Shops sell locally produced silks, leather goods, linen outfits, custom clothing and knock off name brands. Restaurants and cafes spill out onto the sidewalks serving Vietnamese dishes and coffee. The town comes to life at night for the daily lantern festival, night markets and street food.
Hoi An Ancient Town Ticket. We were required to buy a ticket to enter the Ancient Town. It allowed us access to 5 different sights over three days. Occasionally, officials will ask to see and scan the ticket when entering town. They can be purchased at most cultural sights.
Ancient Town Waterfront. A promenade lined with historic buildings, bridges, shops, restaurants and cafes with curbside patios overlooking the river. Tour guides offer sightseeing tours on colorful boats. At night, it becomes the sight of the daily lantern festival.
Ancient Town Sights
Japanese Bridge. A Japanese style wooden bridge and gate to the Ancient Town. It’s painted red with an ornate tiled roof depicting a traditional merchant boat. Inside is an arched walkway and a small temple. The bridge is featured on the 20,000 Dong banknote.
Cam Nam Bridge. A landmark bridge connecting the Ancient Town with An Hoi. It lights up at night and it a popular spot view the colorful lights, lanterns and boats during the lantern festival.
Hoi An Old Houses. Dark wooden and yellow painted houses with mossy clay tiled roofs characteristic of the Ancient Town. Many houses date back hundreds of years, some still home to the original families and others are now museums.
Quan Thang Old House. A historic merchant house from the 17th century. Its architectural style is recognized as one of the most beautiful homes in Hoi An with its single floor design, wooden facade and arched and clay tiled roof.
Phung Hung Old House. A two floor merchant house with Japanese and Chinese architectural influences, tall ironwood beams, a second floor balcony, a clay tiled roof and mother of pearl inlaid furniture.
Tran Family Chapel. A historic home belonging to the same family for over 200 years. Inside is a chapel dedicated to their ancestors. It has an alter with photos and drawings of deceased family members surrounded by paper lanterns, flowers and citrus offerings.
Temples and Pagodas. The Ancient Town has several temples and pagodas where people worship, meditate and make offerings.
Phuoc Kien Hoi Quan. A temple dedicated to a sea goddess with an ornate pagoda style entry gate, sculptures of scaled fish and a fountain with a dragon above koi pond. Inside, sculptures of Confucius sit behind gold and red altars as smoldering coils of spiraled incense hang from the ceiling.
Ong Pagoda. An ancient pagoda and temple dating back over 1,000 years with traditional designs like red painted wooden columns, paper lanterns, an altar and a sculptural koi pond. It’s a quiet and peaceful place to visit. The smell of incense, the sound water circulating and echo of the gong quickly become therapeutic.
The Ba Mu Temple Gate. A 600 year old temple gate covered in reliefs and carvings of flowers, calligraphy and geometric designs. It has a circular portal at its center and doorways leading through it. It used to connect two temples that no longer exist today.
Hoi An Traditional Art Performance House. A historic theater offering 30 minute cultural performances and shows. We listened to musicians play flutes, drums and strings, saw dancers perform graceful acts in traditional outfits and were introduced to the game of Bai Choi.
The Lantern Festival
A nightly festival held along the waterfront with thousands of glowing and candlelit lanterns illuminating the Ancient Town. Delicate flames of paper lanterns flicker as they float along the water. Small row boats are illuminated by orbs of light. The water shimmers with the reflection of colorful lights dancing on it. Vendors offer boat rides and sell paper lanterns. We were rowed along the canal and released a paper lantern into the water, each making a wish and relating positive thoughts into the world.
Bai Choi
Bai Choi is a Vietnamese folk game that combines various art forms including calligraphy, music and dance.
The Rules. Bai Choi is a group game, where huts of players compete against each other. Each hut is given a paddle with 3 columns of calligraphy on it. As the game begins, a “chanter” pulls a bamboo card from a basket decorated in a singular column of calligraphy. The “chanter” then weaves the calligraphy into a song and holds it up for players to match. A hut is given a yellow flag each time they match a column. Once one hut matches all 3 columns, the game ends.
Bai Choi Hoi An. A Bai Choi theater with nightly games. We arrived early and sat in a bamboo hut waiting for the game to start. We purchased two paddles from the “chanter” as more players arrived. A band began performing as the charter pulled the first card. As the game went on, we matched two of the three columns before another hut won. It was an incredibly fun and lively game!
An Hoi Island
An Hoi is an island neighborhood directly across the river from the Ancient Town. Many streets are draped with colorful lanterns and banners of the Vietnamese and Communist flags. It’s a popular place to stay due to its proximity to the Ancient Town with a large number guest houses and hotels. The waterfront becomes a hub for nightlife with animated bars, street food vendors, a night market and the lantern festival.
Markets
Nguyen Hoang Street & Night Market. A street dissecting the center of An Hoi with lantern shops, a vibrant night market and street food vendors. As the lantern festival starts, merchants set up carts stocked with clothes, jewelry, accessories and souvenirs in the center of the street. It’s the best street to place to try all manner of Vietnamese street food, especially near the waterfront. We tried several dishes two nights in a row.
Cho Tan An Market. Also called the Tiger Market, Cho Tan An is a traditional Vietnamese farmers market with tables of vendors set up under a canopy of tin roofs and tarp covered tents. Cash in hand, we visited buying groceries for the week. Baskets are filled with vegetables, fruits and herbs including dragon fruit, bok choy, lychee, rose apples, durian, napa cabbage, rambutan and basil. Living and freshly caught seafood like crabs, shrimp, fish, eel and clams are displayed on tables. Butchers slice meats, pluck ducks and shave pig skin. Elsewhere, merchants sell quail eggs, buckets of tofu, piles of rice noodles, dried mushrooms, rice paper, fish sauces, chili oils and fresh cut flowers.
Hoi An Market. A large market in the ancient city held underneath a series of sheds with vendors selling produce, meats, seafood and dry goods. It’s similar to the Tiger Market with the addition of merchants selling souvenirs and Vietnamese dishes. The market spills out into the surrounding streets and along the waterfront.
Hoi An Fabric Market. A large textile market lined with bolts of fabrics, booths with tailors and custom clothing makers. It’s popular to have formal wear like suits and dresses made here. Vendors can produce anything using inspiration photos and have look books to choose from. They can be overly pushy when walking through the market so only come here if you’re serious about having something made.
The Spice Route by Ms Vy. A market selling herbal rice wines, candied ginger, almond cookies, aromatic soaps, medicinal teas and spices. The market leads unto a small courtyard with a cafe and up to a rooftop with views of the riverfront. It’s located inside a historic home and former maternity hospital.
Coconut Basket Boats
One of the most popular activities in Hoi An is the experiencing coconut basket boats and getting spun around a rapid speeds. The round boats are traditionally woven baskets used by locals for stability while fishing the coastal waters. Paired with an energetic guide, he paddled us through the palm covered channels of the coconut island. We saw locals harvesting palm leaves for thatched roofs, watched a net fishing demonstration, paddled the boat ourselves and of course got spot around! We booked ahead of time, including roundtrip transportation from our homestay with Green Coconut Village Cooking Tour.
My Son Sanctuary
My Son Sanctuary is a mountainous temple complex dedicated to the Hindu god, Shiva. It dates back to the 4th century and underwent continual expansion for 1,000 years afterwards. The sanctuary is the largest complex of its kind in South East Asia. It’s comprised of multiple groupings built from stacked ochre colored bricks and carved sandstone blocks used to create temples, gates, columns, altars and shrines. The complex was heavily destroyed during the US bombing of Vietnam. Fortunately, many of the temples have been restored, others remain crumbling and some are still buried and overgrown. Pathways lead between multiple temple groupings, many of which can we walked through and entered.
Group M. A platform and temple with the crumbling brick tower gate dating back to the 13th century.
Groups B and C. The main temple complex dating back over 1,000 years with a temple dedicated to Shiva and multiple halls for mediation and prayer. We walked around the ruins, viewing carvings of Shiva, past fallen columns, and inside the still standing dark meditation halls.
Group A. A temple complex with brick structures and sandstone altars completely destroyed by bombing.
Group G. A temple with ornate reliefs of the faces of Hindi deities carved into the sandstone and brick at its base.
Group E. A grouping of temples including a well preserved prayer hall and stelae covered in ancient Sanskrit. Some ruins are under restoration and some still buried beneath grassy hill. The site is scared with bomb craters.
Group K. A linear platform with an ornate and leaning brick temple at its end.
Getting Here. We booked a roundup shuttle from Hoi A departing at 8am and retuning at 1pm. The ruins are about 1 hour from the city. We had nearly 3 hours to explore them on our own time. We booked with Hoi An Food Tour - Private Day Tours.
Vietnamese Street Food
Vietnamese street food is a part of daily life across the country and ubiquitous with its cuisine. We ate street food daily as a quick snack and food crawled through the night markets.
Banh Trang Nuon (Vietnamese Pizza). A sheet of rice paper covered in toppings like fried onion, spring onion, tofu, mayo and spicy sauce, placed over a coal grill, folded in half and crisped.
Bánh Xoái (Mango Cake). A gelatinous rice cake covered in cornstarch and filled with roasted peanuts and sugar.
Banh Gio (Rice Dumpling). A triangular shaped dumpling made from gelatinous rice wrapped and served in a banana leaf. It’s often stuffed with savory ingredients.
Chuoi Nep Nuong (Grilled Rice Banana). A fist sized nugget of sticky rice wrapped around a banana filling and grilled over a coal fire. It’s sliced up and covered in a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk.
Bao (Steamed Buns). Steams rolls of bread often shaped like lotus leaves. They’re often deep fried and drizzled with sweetened condensed milk.
Bánh Rán (Sesame Balls). Deep fried gelatinous rice balls filled with sweetened bean paste and coated in toasted sesame seeds.
Khoai Tay Loc Xoay (Tornado Potatoes). Hand-cut slices of skewered and twice fried potatoes resembling a vortex. They’re often covered in mayo and sweet chili sauce.
Bach Tuoc Nuong (Grilled Octopus). Skewered and barbecued octopus legs cooked over a coal grill.
Dau Bap (Okra). Skewers of grilled and charred okra.
Mực Khô Nướng (Grilled Dried Squid). A whole dried squid cooked over a charcoal grill. It has a jerky-like texture and is served with sweet chili sauce.
Tôm Hùm Nướng (Grilled Lobster). A freshly caught whole lobster, sliced in half, barbecued over a charcoal grill and covered in pan fried garlic and shallots.
Bánh Trung Thu Tím (Sweet Potato Mooncakes). Pucks made from a mixture of purple sweet potato, coconut and mung bean purée.
Banana Pancakes. Envelope shaped crepes filled with sliced bananas and covered in a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk.
Thai Ice Cream. Also known as rolled ice cream, it’s a popular dessert mixed with coconut, banana, pineapple or mango.
Street Cocktails. A street style bar cart with local beers and a menu of classic cocktails. We ordered late night drinks and watched the lantern festival along the river.
Vietnamese Cuisine
Rice Noodles. Thin and sticky white noodles made from rice flour. They’re served in many dishes or on the side.
Pho. A Vietnamese soup made with a base or rice noodles, vegetables, meat or tofu and a savory broth boiled with warm spices like star anise, cinnamon and ginger.
Banh Mi. A beloved Vietnamese sandwich famed for its baguette style bread baked with a crunchy exterior and pillowy interior. It’s traditionally stuffed with cilantro, cucumber, carrots and meat or tofu.
Cao Lâu. A noodle dish hyperlocal to Hoi An made from rice noodles soaked in lye water and served with meat, greens, herbs, bean sprouts and broth. It can be made vegetarian with tempe or tofu.
Bún Hué. A traditional rice noodle dish made with beef, vegetables and greens in a savory and spicy broth. It can be made vegetarian with tempe or tofu.
Spring Rolls. A deep fried roll of crispy dough often stuffed with cooked vegetables, herbs and meats or tofu.
Summer Rolls. A roll of gelatinous rice paper wrapped around a salad of raw cucumber, carrot, cilantro, cabbage and occasionally cooked shrimp. It’s served cold.
Rose Dumpling. A rice dumpling filled with onions, mushrooms and meat bathed in a savory sauce and garnished with fried onions. We tried a plate of them at the Hoi An Market.
Banana Blossom Salad. A salad combined with sliced banana blossoms, carrots, green papaya, onions and cilantro tossed in a citric fish sauce.
Black Sesame Soup. A creamy and rich soup made from black sesame seeds and sweetened with purple potatoes. For decades, a couple would prepare and serve it on the streets to locals. It’s now served in their family home by the son. We sat down with him and enjoyed a cup of the soup while chatting about Vietnamese culture and sipping on tea.
Chao (Rice Porridge). A thick porridge made from overcooked rice with a jammy egg, cilantro leaves, chopped spring onion, fish sauce, chili oil and sesame oil. It’s popular for breakfast.
Mango Sticky Rice. Sticky rice served with sliced mango and often eaten at breakfast. It originates in Thailand but is popular across Vietnam.
Tropical Fruits. Some to try are dragon fruit, pomelo, rose apple, mango, rambutan, papaya and lychee.
Tiger Beer. One of the national beers sold across Vietnam. It’s a lager with a light and slightly citric flavor. The bottle or can is recognizable by its logo of a tiger.
Vietnamese Coffee
The coffee culture in Vietnam is a popular part of daily life. Countless street cafes spill out onto the sidewalks with locals sipping on their preferred style.
Vietnamese Coffee. The most popular preparation style, mixed with sweetened condensed milk and served hot or iced.
Egg Coffee. A creamy coffee mixed with whipped egg yolk and sweetened condensed milk.
Salt Coffee. A sweet and savory coffee mixed with salted cream and often dusted in cocoa powder.
Coconut Coffee. A thick and sweet coffee mixed with coconut cream.
Places to Eat & Drink
Pháp Hoà Vegan. A vegan restaurant with a rotating daily menu of traditional Vietnamese noodle dishes and soups. The owner and cook prepared us bowls of Cao Lâu Chay and Bún Hué Chay.
Bahn Mi Phuong. A very popular restaurant to taste the beloved Vietnamese sandwich, Bahn Mi. The restaurant is set up similar to a NYC deli with a list of options and a fast paced ordering counter. We both ordered the vegetarian option with tofu.
Tropical Home Craft Beer & Cocktail Bar. A hidden bar down a narrow alleyway with local beers and strong tiki drinks served in tiki mugs with a miniature Vietnamese hats on top. We ordered the Zombie and Tropical Love You.
Reaching Out Teahouse. A traditional Vietnamese tea house operated by deaf and mute individuals. Silence is observed and orders are placed by using hand gestures and blocks with written phrases. We ordered a Vietnamese tea tasting with herbal, green and oolong teas paired with cookies and snacks.
Market Bar Hoi An. A second floor bar with an outdoor patio above the Hoi An Fabric Market. They concoct house infused gins with local flavors like pho, mangosteen, rose, nectarine and plum. We sipped on gin and tonics while watching scooters weave through the chaotic intersection below.
Little Faifo Restaurant and Bar. An old wooden house converted into a restaurant with Vietnamese dishes. We dined on their romantic balcony under the glow of the red lanterns looking over the street below. Order the banana blossom salad topped with grilled shrimp and calamari.
Hoi An Ancient Remedy. A dim sum restaurant with herbal cocktails and rice wines located inside of a historic house. We tried the Ginseng Herbal Wine and The King Herbal Wine. The first had a bitter herbal flavor and the second tasted of warm spices and herbs. Each 100ml bottle was poured over ice with a slice of lime.
Hai San Hoi An. A waterfront cafe in the ancient town serving Vietnamese coffees like egg and salt coffee.
Vietnamese Crafts
Hoi An is regionally known for its artwork and crafts including ink wash painting, lantern making, silk weaving, wood carvings and pottery.
Silk Making. We visited Daisu Silk, a boutique and a processing studio where silk is milled. We watched as women hand spun silk fibers into string and weaved bolts of pure silk fabric on antique wooden looms. They sell one of a kind hand painted silk squares available in 3 sizes. Prices are significantly higher than anywhere else in the ancient city, starting at about $100 USD. Visiting the shop and studio is free.
Ink Wash Painting. A painting technique used by artists to brush ink and water onto paper or silk to create art. We watched street artists paint scenes from around Hoi An including cityscapes, landscapes and the Japanese Bridge.
Lantern Making. Lanterns are a huge part of Vietnamese culture and many are made in Hoi An. We visited the Hang Dung Lantern Making Class, where tourists can paint their own lanterns. With little space to bring one home, we watched as others painted their own.
Pottery Making. Behind the Reaching Out Teahouse is a shop with handmade tea sets and a studio where ceramics are decorated with gold rims, copper handles and silver designs. We watched as artisans hand sawed, hammered and filed metal to complete the ceramics.
Wood Carving. Wood carving is an ancient tradition used to decorate the wooden elements of homes and temples in Hoi An. Today, artists use hammers and chisels to sculpt faces out of bamboo roots as souvenirs.
Linen & Leather Goods
Throughout Hoi An, many shops sell high quality handmade linen and leather goods including bags, shoes and accessories, offering one of a kind customizations.
Helen Leather. The place to buy boots in Hoi An! I customized every element of each pair, selecting the design, shape, stitching, sole, color and softness. After negotiating on price, they measured my feet and began working on my order, completing them in 24 hours.
Leather Shop New Fashion. A leather goods shop with shoes, boots, bags, wallets and other accessories. I bought an off the shelf laptop bag and had a custom cord organizer made to pair with it.
Leather & Suede Shop. A shop specializing in leather backpacks, duffels, purses, messenger bags and wallets. I bought a minimally designed flip top backpack.
Instyle Boutique Clothing. A linen wear shop with modern handmade pieces of clothing including button down shirts, vests, dresses, one piece jumpsuits, pants and shorts. I bought a hand painted linen shirt.
Where to Stay
Arabica Coffee & Homestay. A cafe with Vietnamese coffees and rental units above its storefront. We stayed here for the week, enjoying coffees by morning and relaxing in our room and the communal kitchen during the evening. It’s located just outside of the ancient town in a very walkable area. Reserve on Booking.
Getting Around
Grab Taxis. Widely available on the Grab App and cheap to get around town as well as between Hoi An and the Da Nang Airport.
On Foot. The ancient town and surrounding neighborhoods are easily walkable. Be cautious when crossing roads, double checking for scooters.
By Scooter. Though we didn’t rent them, scooters are the most popular and local way to get around the city. We saw some rentals for $5 USD per day.
Sightseeing Rickshaw. A three wheeled bicycle with a seat for one or two people in front of the driver. Many tourists hire one to tour them around the ancient town.
Good to Know
Cash vs Card. Most businesses and vendors are cash only. Clothing shops often accept card with a 1-3% fee.
Vegetarian Food. Vegetarian dishes are popular and easy to spot on menus. The word “Chay” after any dish means it’s vegetarian.
Safety. Vietnam is generally a safe country to visit. The ancient town of Hoi An is no exception.
LGBTQ+ Safety. Vietnamese are openly welcoming of LGBTQ+ travelers. When noticing our wedding rings, local women would ask how long we’ve been married and call us a happy couple.
Language. Vietnamese and English are widely spoken, seen on street signs and restaurant menus across the country. That said, it’s still good to know a few Vietnamese phrases.
Hello = Xin chào (Sing-Chow)
Thank you = Cảm ơn (Com-Un)
Good bye = Tạm biệt (Tam-Be-Et)
See you later = Hẹn gặp lại (Hen-Gap-Lie)
Local Customs
Take shoes off when visiting homes and temples.
Dress modestly when visiting temples. No hats, shorts or sleeveless shirts.
Hand things to people with two hands.
Avoid pointing at anything or anyone using an index finger. Use your full hand instead.
Crossing arms or pointing the soles of feet at anyone is considered rude.
Elsewhere in Vietnam
We spent nearly a month traveling across Vietnam, exploring its lively cities and beautiful landscapes. Along the way, we immersed ourselves in the country’s rich culture, history and craftsmanship while savoring Vietnamese cuisine, coffee and street food. Explore the bustling capital city and chaotic of Hanoi or venture out of the city to the islands of Ha Long Bay. Row through the karst mountains and caves of Ninh Binh past lush rice paddies and historic temples. Get lost in the vibrant city and nightlife of Saigon.
For Next Time…
Cham Islands. A coastal bio reserve and marine sactuary made up of several islands, coral reefs and local fishing villages. We had booked a tour but it was canceled due to bad weather.
Ba Na Hills. An amusement park in Da Nang famed for its bridge being held up by a pair of hands. We had planned to visited but were delayed by a day flying into Vietnam and missed our date.
Da Nang. The main city to fly into and reach Hoi An from. Next time, we’ll spend time here exploring its urban culture, beaches and nearby mountains like Marble Mountain and Monkey Mountain.
