Top Things to do in Hoi An
TOP THINGS TO DO IN HOI AN, VIETNAM
Hoi An recently got voted best city in the world by Travel & Leisure magazine readers. With that type of hype and amazing reviews from other travelers we’d met along the way, we were a bit skeptical to say the least. That being said, Hoi An, eneded up being one of the most relaxing cities we visited throughout our travels in Europe and Asia. I’m not quite sure if it’s the best city in the world, but it’s a wonderful place to escape the real world for a few days...or weeks...or months…
We stayed in Hoi An a total of 11 days over the course of two different visits. First, we visited along our trek from south to north, then again at the tail end of our trip after we tacked on a few more days to take a break from planning and celebrate our anniversary. We spent days trying to figure out where to go in Asia that had a mix of beaches, local feel, higher end restaurants, good hotels, and great weather. We got close to picking one of the Gili Islands or Koh Phangan. However, flight prices were high, weather in July was dicey (monsoons everywhere), and travelers reviews were mixed (especially, for Gili). So we fell back to one of our favorite place in Vietnam: Hoi An. We were rewarded with a relaxing, fun, and romantic getaway.
When it comes to Hoi An, there’s a relatively short list of things to do...which caters to do why it’s such a relaxing place to be. There are few historical landmarks, but beyond that the thing to do is walk around, enjoy the shops, sit at the beach, and let the days slip by.
As for getting around, the easiest thing to do is rent a bike from your hotel or homestay and bike through the streets of Old Town, stopping to shop, eat, and drink. We visited in the summer and it was ridiculously hot. You’ll find that the city is pretty empty of local during the day, with the mornings and evenings being the most crowded times of day. Also, things tend to close relatively early - ~9-10PM. And, when we say crowded, we mean it. Hoi An isn’t a place to escape tourists, it’ll be jam packed full of them. Yet, even through the crowds, it still retains some of its old world charm.
Here are some of our highlights and the top things to do in Hoi An:
> GET CLOTHES TAILORED - By far, one of the most talked about and written about things to do in Hoi An is to get custom clothing made. As for as custom clothing goes, it’s pretty cheap. However, prices will vary pretty dramatically depending on which tailor you choose. We’ve written up a whole guide on the process. That being said, to make things easy, here’s the tailor we used: Faifoo (Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/eVPcZssP98TgzbHg7). We got a few shirts, tops, shorts, and pants made - all at reasonable prices (between $18USD to $30USD). It takes anywhere between 2-4 days to get things made. Try it out! It’s a fun experience.
> PASTEUR STREET BREWING - We like a good craft beer and a great view. This place has both. Situated right along the river close by the Japanese Covered Bridge, you’ll get great beer with a great evening show. Although this brewery isn’t based in Hoi An, the beers and brewery are Vietnam-based. We also had some great vegetarian sliders here. Really fun place to spend the evening, sipping beer, people watching, and talking with fellow patrons or just enjoying some live music. Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/JxtH82KyDXZtX11i6
> REACHING OUT TEA HOUSE - We were recommended this tea house by a couple of British backpackers in Saigon. The place employs mute and deaf people, so you’ll need to use hand signals and little wooden blocks to communicate. The thing we liked about this place was the fact that they ask patrons to stay relatively quiet (whisper-level voices) during their stay. It means the place is a quiet oasis in an otherwise loud and tourist filled town. Their tea and cookies are also amazing. If you want somewhere to hunker down, do some writing, or read a book, then this is your spot. Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/2uXLchUPGppwWAT97
> TAM QUAN CHUA BA MU - This is a beautiful gate with a reflection pond in front of it. You don’t need to pay anyone to enjoy its beauty. Just walk up to the pond, admire it, take a picture or two, and take a seat. There a few lotus flowers in the pond to enjoy as well. If you head here early in the day, you’ll get the chance to have it to yourself. Any later in the day, and you’ll see locals and foreigners alike taking all sorts of selfies and pictures. You can’t blame them, it is beautiful. Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/QPZSAT1Bu4ebeQYz9
> BA DAM VEGETARIAN - This was a local vegetarian joint right in the middle of Old Town that we ate at probably five or six times in our two trips to Hoi An. It’s cheap, the food is great, and the people are nice. You can either have them fill a plate for you with items from their mix plate buffet (after which they’ll hand you a price ticket ranging from 15k to 40k Dong depending on how much you’ve asked for) or you can order from a simple English menu with about 10 items on it. We had the pho a few times. Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/VVab3trestuzZbBs7
There are a number of other things to see in Hoi An. There’s a big night market that’s full of all sorts of touristy souvenirs and gets super crowded. Also, the Japanese Bridge (https://goo.gl/maps/bekHbhYahrfWbsFw7) is a pretty sight at night. If you’re looking some beautiful beaches, head to the other side of the peninsula to Cua Dai Beach (https://goo.gl/maps/B2AwPNTefg5u7jut9). Another vegetarian restaurant we enjoyed between the beach and old town is R.O.M. Bistro (https://goo.gl/maps/oXV5G6EGp9P2qCXP8). It’s pretty new with an inventive (but pricey) menu.
Our first time, we stayed at the River Silk Villa (https://goo.gl/maps/pZgb6B4x9UqiS6i8A) right outside of Old Town that made for a 7-minute walk or 3-minute bike ride into Old Town. It appears as a 2-star hotel, but it felt much nicer. Everything was new, the breakfast was nice, service was good, and location was great. Our second time, we stayed between Old Town and the beach, at the Golden Holiday Hotel & Spa. The location was a little far for old town, but the amenities were great - with a small but relaxing pool and an awesome breakfast buffet spread.
Overall, we really enjoyed Hoi An. If you’re heading to Vietnam, you should definitely make sure it’s on your list. After all, it’s supposedly the best city in the world. And, with a large number of huge hotel chains opening up in the next 2-3 years, your chance to truly enjoy this place may be gone soon.
