Hoi An is a picturesque coastal city in central Vietnam. The city is famous for its historic Old town center with a water canal. We were especially looking forward to this visit. We planned to have a nice days here in a luxury hotel and in the evening to explore the city and the magic of all the lights and lanterns. Despite the bad weather, the plan came true and we wouldn’t mind staying here a few more days.
How to get to Hoi An by bus
We arrived in Hoi An by bus. First we went from Da Lat to Danang by Futa company bus. In Danang we then switched to local bus number 1 to Hoi An. The funny thing is that we arrived in Danang 4 hours earlier than was planned. Well, we couldn’t sleep because the driver rode like a madman and our ride looked like a suicide mission. Secondly, we arrived at the hotel too early, of course, so we could not accommodate and were forced to sweat and tired to go to town. In addition, it was raining outside, so our first day simply did not start completely idyllic.
Must do activities in Hoi An
After we walked only a few meters, we understood why Hoi An is called a fashion city. On every corner they offered us tailor-made suit or dress for really low prices. We didn’t buy anything but we both agreed that if we had a place in the backpack or if we went directly to the Czech Republic, we would consider some of the suits.
We started our route at the Japanese covered Bridge, then walk around the rived and ended at the market, where you have to buy and try coconut and traditional mango cake!
The night atmosphere of the city was absolutely amazing. All the shops and street food opened (Hoi An Night market), lanterns were lit and music played from the bars. Most of all, we liked the boat ride, which cost 150 VND for 20 minutes and the price also included the igniting and release of two floating lanterns. The river was full of ships, but in this case it didn’t matter. The more lanterns, the better the atmosphere 🙂
Amazing acommodation in Hoi An
Hoi An offers lot of beautiful and luxury places for reasonable price. We booked Anio Boutique Hotel that was more expensive but the best hotel we have stayed so far in Asia. You can check more info and its availability here
Must try food in Hoi An
You cannot leave Hoi An without tasting traditional dishes. The first is of course Bah Mi which is baguette filled with meat, vegetables, eggs and sauces. Seconf one is the Cao Lau dish, which consists of rice noodles, pork, mung sprouts, rice crackers, vegetables and fresh herbs.
We can also recommend the Banh Xeo. It is a fried pancake stuffed with vegetables, meat, shrimp and finally wrapped in rice dough. I can say that it was one of the most interesting and best things I have tasted in Vietnam (we found best one in Cafe 43):)
There is also one speciality for coffee lovers called coconut coffee. As the name suggests, it is different from traditional Vietnamese coffee by adding coconut milk inside. If you want a cold version, you will have a crushed coconut ice in it 🙂
Best dessert you can try here is mango cake. It reminded us of a dumpling filled with mango and crushed peanuts wrapped in white powder. Unfortunately we do not have a photo, but you can buy in on the market in the city center.
