Ahhhh. It’s pretty. It’s touristy. It’s small. And the food is fantastic.
Naturally I loved Hoi An. It seemed like everybody we ran into traveling from south to north Vietnam said the same wonderful things about it, and we were SO looking forward to arriving in this cute little lantern-filled town. And after spending a full eight nights there (what?! I know, things got a little silly), I was not disappointed.
Our hostel’s pool and endless pancakes didn’t hurt either.
Located on the coast. French colonial architecture. Lots of travelers to hang with…
I arrived in on a rainy morning from the rather boring Hue, and soon after checking in I worked my way into a group of guys discussing a cooking class. After deciding that 7 hours of culinary activity was a bit too much for them, we (I invited myself) decided on a day of motorbiking around the city for an impromptu food tour. Um, my favorite. We ended up trying cau lau, drinking beers in a local’s front yard by the river, joining in on some hilarious family reunion karaoke, getting excellent massages, and having a mini fashion show of the boys’ nearly-finished tailored suits.
So yeah, it was a SOLID first day in town.
The next days were spent sitting poolside, buying way too many things at the tailor shop, comparing the best bánh mì in the city, reuniting with Nat and Josie, sucking balloons full of laughing gas, and receiving my first visitor from home! In a random turn of events, my friend Chris (who I haven’t seen in forever) was able to pop over to Vietnam for a few days on his way from London to New York. That’s on the way, right?! His group of buddies combined with ours to create some absolutely hilarious conversations and good times. Could’ve just been the laughing gas though…
Seriously, it was pretty surreal to have an old friend yell my last name from a hostel balcony as I sat by a pool in the middle of Vietnam, having considered myself pretty much anonymous for the past few months in Asia. I hadn’t been called SASSER!!! in a while. Oh, the comforts of home!
More things of note in Hoi An:
There is a bar where you get a free bottle of vodka just for sitting down. As in, a fifth of vodka. And mixers – if like most people you don’t want to pound cheap vodka straight – are super cheap. It seems like a joke, but it isn’t. You can also play your own jams on a laptop at the bar, though this may or may not be a good thing based on the propensity of drunk people to change the song after only 30% of it has played; it’s like a bad house party. I have no idea what the real name of this place is. We just referred to it as “the vodka bar” and it was right beside our hostel, the Sunflower hotel.
The tailor shops are the bomb… and very dangerous. I didn’t think I wanted any clothes made. I’m not really into fashion, I’m cheap, and I had very little room left in my backpack. But these women are phenomenal at their jobs. If they don’t have what you’re looking for in their little book of tricks, you can find it on the Internet, screenshot it, show it to them, and they can do it. They can do ANYTHING! I had a maxi dress, long skirt, two crop tops, and a pair of shorts made. Accidentally. But I was super happy with all of them. And I referred all my friends. Blue Lantern Tailor, check ’em out.
Bánh mì duels. You must go to Bahn Mi Phuong and Bahn Mi Queen if you want to try the two most famous Vietnamese sandwiches in town. Both are super cheap and delicious, but I think the consensus was that Bahn Mi Queen won out (though Anthony Bourdain would beg to differ). They cost like 15,000 dong (0.67 USD) and I could probably eat 10 in one sitting. If you’re drunk and it’s late, the street carts will jack up the prices to 30,000 dong… but they’re still worth it!
You can rent bicycles for 20,000 dong/day (like $1!). No, they aren’t nice, but they’ll get you to town.
Get some cau lau. The local noodle specialty is ridiculously good. We ate cau lau way too many times, but hey, you don’t mess with a good thing. It’s a bowl of thick noodles with a soy sauce-ish base and crispy I-have-no-idea-how-they’re-so-delicious little wafer/crouton/crackers on top. It also comes with a plate of herbs and greens to mix in. We liked the ladies’s place right near Sunflower Hotel – it’s painted blue, hidden behind pink flowers, and possibly named Bon now that I’ve done some research.
Hoi An staple, cau lau. Never saw it anywhere else.
I might also add that the fried doughnuts on the street are great too
And then there’s the beach! We were able to check off the box beside “Swim in the South China Sea” on this stop in Vietnam. And it was a pretty damn nice beach too (in my opinion, nicer than those in Mui Ne).
Complete with Vietnamese fishing boats. Like real ones.
AND we stayed in a fancy hotel!
For a full 24 hours, we were able to experience some rare luxury because Josie, the kind-hearted and spontaneous soul that she is, decided that her budget thus far was in order and that we deserved a Treat Yo’Self day. So during a bike ride, she stopped and booked us a room at a swanky place on the beach, and then came back to the hostel to surprise us with the news. SO nice!
We stayed at the Boutique Hoi An Resort which was way too fancy for us. We got to take advantage of a sick pool, beautiful surroundings, a guy that hands you towels when you walk down to the beach, and an amazing breakfast buffet. So we soaked up every possible amenity (bathrobes included) for as long as we were legally allowed to be there.
Needless to say, judging by the way we acted during our stay, we did not in fact deserve it.
so begins an afternoon of silliness, followed by a nice dinner we can’t remember
After our fancy stay, we (reluctantly) ended up back at the hostel for two more nights, and I really have no idea what we did during the rest of our time in Hoi An. But I do know that it was a couple days of great people, great conversations, card playing, drinks, bathing suits, and more food. It was one of those places where I had to stay a little too long just to be sure it was time to leave.
My only regret: Considering the amount that we consumed, I don’t have nearly enough bánh mì photos.
So was Hoi An my favorite spot in Vietnam? Why the question mark in the title of this post? Well, I kinda loved Saigon too…
Where I Stayed: Sunflower Hotel. Dorms (about $8/night) and private room ($10/night) are basic but decent. The pool is a great place to hang out, the bar sells cheap drinks (and you get a free one each night), and the breakfast buffet is super convenient (you could eat 1,000 pancakes if your heart desired). It is popular and does fill up, so maybe book in advance. It’s not in the center but you can rent bikes for $1/day. Boutique Hoi An Resort is phenomenal and if you’re gonna splurge, do it here. It’s got beautiful grounds, a badass pool and breakfast, and the beach access is excellent.
Tailor Shop Recommendation: Blue Lantern Tailor (Lông Dèn Xanh) located at 331 Nguyen Duy Hieu. The lady here is hilarious, speaks great English, and can make literally ANYTHING that you want.
Ohhhhhh this made me so nostalgic! I have to agree that the banh mi queen was the best, and also about the tailors. I showed them a dress Amber Riley wore on some red carpet, and they made me an exact replica.
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Right? So good. And my backpack is still overly full from having a long dress and long skirt packed that “oh maybe I’ll be fancy one night and wear”!
Also my favourite place in Vietnam – so beautiful and wow – the food!!! I did a street food tasting and cooking class and it was my favourite Vietnam activity. I also stayed at Sunflower – the breakfast was great but I was over being woken up by drunk, loud assholes at 3am by the end of my five days there.