Well a lot of my prior opinions and feelings about Vietnam have made a 180 degree turn. We have spent the last six nights in a small, ancient town on the central coast of Vietnam called Hoi An (used to be a big shipping port). Several people had told us about this town as being one of their favorites and it’s easy to see why.
To start, we decided to spend a little more money and take a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang (40 minutes from Hoi An) instead of taking a 17 hour bus ride (and very happy with our decision). Most people traveling South to North stay in Dalat or Nha Trang before Hoi An to break up the trip but we decided to skip those places. Our experience exiting the airport was completely different then in HCMC. It was comfortable weather and not humid, it was less crowded and hectic, and we were picked up by a driver from the hostel we were staying at. Our driver drove us for 40 minutes to our hostel and it felt like we were in a completely different world than HCMC. As we drove to Hoi An, we passed by clean streets and tons of huge beach resorts (at least 10 or so) similar to what you would find in Hawaii. There were also several resorts being built as it seemed like this is an up and coming part of Vietnam. We later found out this was partially because APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) 2017 meetings were being held in Da Nang.
We arrived at our hostel “Hoa Binh Hotel” and were warmly greeted by the girls at reception. Our room was similar to our previous one - private room and bathroom, free breakfast buffet and free unlimited beer every night (although this ended up being kinda sketchy watered down beer in a gatorade cooler) for a mere $14/night.
After settling in we set out to explore the surrounding area and I quickly became obsessed with this place. It had much more of a small town feel, less craziness on the streets and part of the “ancient city” was pedestrian/cycling only. The streets were lined with tons of souvenir shops, tailors (there are over 600 tailor shops, its a thing here!), coffee shops/roasteries, bars, restaurants, and street vendors. As the sun went down, the town really came to life. There were tons of colorful lanterns that hung above the streets, in restaurants, and on boats in the river. I was in awe, and similar to how I felt in Amsterdam, I just kept wanting to walk through the streets over and over again. Al is quick to point out that even in it’s charm it is very touristy and every night the streets were flooded with tourists. The word is out that this town is a great place to visit.
We settled on a local restaurant the first night for an early dinner and shared Com Chien Trung (egg fried rice) and Bun Thit Nuong (grilled pork on cold rice noodles and veggies) which were delicious and under $2 each. This restaurant also happened to be on the street where the daily night market takes place so we sat and people watched for a while and then wandered past the stands full of souvenirs and various food specialties. We were sucked into a stand run by a little boy who made homemade ice cream rolls. We enjoyed watching him make it but soon realized it was a tourist trap as it wasn’t very good.
We continued to wander the streets and market (which became a nightly routine) admiring all the lights and liveliness and went back to the same restaurant later that night since we got hungry again (the food in Vietnam is cheap but comes in small portions). We have totally eased up on the food anxiety thing, and haven’t been as picky with where we eat. But then again it has been easier here in Hoi An because there are so many restaurants and street food stands that cater to tourists, look good and clean, and were actually appetizing. When we were in Ho Chi Minh the chaotic streets are not pleasant to walk along and it added a lot of stress to picking a place to eat (which we already have a tough time doing). We were more relaxed walking in Hoi An so it was easier to be more adventurous when eating.
I’ll sum up some of the other highlights/observations during our remaining time in Hoi An:
- The people here were generally more friendly and warm than what we experienced in HCMC. We had more conversations with locals who spoke English and were interested in talking to us and seeing where we were from. Although, most of the time this was just a sales tactic and halfway through our conversation they would slip in trying to sell us a tour or to come to their tailor shop. I enjoyed the conversations though!
- We realized that there aren’t really big supermarkets here like in the States - most people go to these outdoor farmers markets to get their fruits, veggies, and meats every day. There are many “Mini Mart” type places where you can get bottled water, snacks, candy, drinks, or toiletries if need be.
- We have been paying for everything in cash vs. credit cards since there is a 3% fee every time we use card here. Taking out millions of dong at the ATM is funny, we’re millionaires! (1 USD ~ 22,700 Vietnamese Dong).
- We haven’t needed electrical outlet adaptors. The plugs support Euro and US prongs.
- We took two “cooking” classes that were free from our hostel - one on Banh Xeo (rice pancake with turmeric) and one on Goi Cuon (fresh spring rolls) which were interesting. We didn’t really cook anything just put the cooked ingredients together but hey free food!
- We got tailor made clothes! Al got a nice suit and I got two dresses made. We went back for 3 fittings and our tailors Bi and Moon were very kind and sweet in helping us get them to fit right. Hoi An is known for their tailors. With hundreds to choose from, I think we picked a good one as we were satisfied with the finished products. My tailor - Moon - went to school to become a tailor when she was 16 and she has been working as one for the last 10 years.
- We got massages again but this time for an hour and full body. They were much better then the first time around (but we also paid a little more for a better place).
- We rented bicycles one day ($1 for the day, what!?) and rode to the nearby beach, An Bang, and through the neighboring towns a bit. It was a cloudy day so the beach wasn’t that nice but the sand reminded us of CA. It was pretty deserted and there were times we were the only ones on the streets. It was enjoyable getting a “countryside” feel to the area and passing by roaming cows and water buffalo.
- We went on a day tour of the My Son (MAY-SUNG) ruins which is a cluster of ancient Hindu Temples which are over 1300 years old. They were partially destroyed by US bombs during the Vietnam War and you could still see craters in the ground from where the bombs dropped (pretty sad). It was interesting learning a bit about Hinduism.
- We did quite a bit of souvenir shopping while here. Once we decided to get tailor made clothes and ship them back, my inner shopper was released. I may have gone a bit overboard but it was the first time I saw stuff that I actually thought was cool and wanted to buy.
- Due to all the souvenir shopping, we learned some bargaining tactics. Two basic rules: always have a set price in mind before browsing and don’t be afraid to walk away. The vendors just want business so they usually come after you when you walk away. Al was much more successful at this than I was since I gave in pretty quickly. We think we got some good deals on things though. At times I felt bad going too low because a couple dollars really doesn’t matter as much to us.
- We ate some good food, nothing too crazy yet though. Our normals include: Fresh Spring Rolls, Fried Rice, Pho, Cao Lau (a traditional dish in Hoi An that uses water from a local well to make the noodles), Banana Pancakes (not gluten free), Mangos, Pork Skewers, Indian Food (found a really good Indian restaurant and went there twice - oops).
- We enjoyed sipping Vietnamese coffees at local coffee shops. Although Al found hot Vietnamese coffee too bittersweet. The iced coffees are delicious though and are made with a sweet condensed milk.
- We spent a lot of time planning out and researching the next couple weeks of our trip. It took several hours figuring out the rest of our route and tours to go on since it is harder to explore certain things on our own here. But it is a relief now that we have things booked for the next couple of weeks.
- Al got asked many times if he was Vietnamese - the people would say “you look like us” or “you look Asian” which was funny. Although he doesn’t like to admit it, all the girls were checking him out and kept saying to me “so handsome” and “you lucky girl”. I sure am lucky I got to him first! (This is Alex here, the little shop vendors just say that so I’ll buy something. I mean for over five million dong the tailor better tell me I look good!)
- I have continued to manage my crazy frizzy curly hair. The cool and less humid weather definitely helped! It was also nice not having to take two showers every day (like in Ho Chi Minh) and constantly drink water.
- We got our laundry done. For only a few dollars, you leave your laundry at the front desk and then it is washed, dried and folded for you to pick up the next day. Wasn’t expecting to have this luxury here but it is nice to get some clean clothes!
- I’ve gotten better at using chop sticks
- We finally learned some Vietnamese phrases:
- cảm ơn (COM-ON, high -> low inflection) = thank you
- xin chào (SIN-CHOW) = hello
- giảm giá (YAM-YA, high inflection) = discount
Our time in Hoi An overall was very relaxed and enjoyable. We didn’t do a whole lot of sightseeing like in other cities we had been to but really got a little feel for what local life here is like. My favorite part was just taking in the beauty of the town, walking the streets, people watching, and talking to the locals. Out of everywhere we’ve been so far, I can definitely say this was one of my favorites (even though it was a bit touristy and we constantly had people trying to sell us things). Coffee, massages, shopping, relaxing - I sure can’t complain! Hoping it only gets better as we continue to work our way North!
We will be heading to the city of Hue (pronounced ‘whey’) next on the back of motorbikes (with guides of course). Wish us luck!