A little flu bug did not stop me and my mom from enjoying the charm of Hoi An, a little city in the middle part of Vietnam close to Danang. We really enjoyed the old part of town which is now declared a UNESCO world heritage site. Just take a morning stroll in this town and you'll get what I mean. The smell of burning incense coupled with the sight of old wooden buildings gave me the feeling that I have been transported back to the 19th century.
Hoi An is a significant part of Vietnamese history since it's relatively untouched by the American war. It's essentially an outdoor museum here since you will find many French and Chinese style buildings, wells, family chapels for ancestor worship, pagodas, Chinese and Vietnamese temples, assembly halls for Chinese congregations and Chinese style tombs. You will also find many shops in Hoi An offering inexpensive and quick tailoring service. Suits, cheongsams, overcoats, dresses.. just pick the fabric and haggle the price and you will get the garment of your choice in less than 24 hours. You can also order custom made shoes here. The only thing you won't find here is a grocery store. They do have little bodegas on every street corner however.
Recommended tailors and shoes makers:
1. Ken (tailor)
11 Nguyen Thai Hoc St
Tel: 0510 3910854
2. Trang Tri (shoe maker)
18/34/57/77 Tran Hung Dao St (multiple locations)
Tel: 0510 3911179
There are plenty of activities one can do in Hoi An like bicycling or motor-cycling (only if you dare to ride on streets with no traffic lights!) or even cruising along the Thu Bon river. Not daring to bike in this crazy traffic, I did a walking tour which was fun and educational. I learned about the history and origin of some buildings in this quaint little town.
Food wise, Hoi An has some specialty dishes that I tried and liked. The Cao Lau noodles and White Rose are food unique to Hoi An. Cao Lau noodles is a regional dish made with noodles, pork, and greens and is only found in Hội An. Its unique taste is rumored to be contributed by the water from an undisclosed ancient Cham well just outside of the town. While I liked the dish, I didn't find it particularly unique. It's just a noodle dish. White Rose, on the other hand, is more unique. It is a shrimp dumpling with an undisclosed recipe. I was told that all the White Rose dumplings sold in Hoi An are supplied by one family there.
We stayed at the Ha An hotel (http://www.haanhotel.com/tariff.php), which is an affordable hotel providing great value. Breakfast buffet is included in the room rate and the food choices are plenty, including the famous Pho. The service provided here is also top notch.
Hoi An was such a refreshing destination for us after staying in Ho Chi Minh City for a couple of days. I find this to be a great vacation spot for families, foodies, shopperholics and even history buffs.
