Hoi An
From MaxTravelz
Hoi An (Hội An) is a beautiful city in Vietnam, just south of Da Nang. It's an ancient trading port, and its old town is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Understand
Hoi An, once known as Faifo, was a major international port in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the foreign influences are discernible to this day. While the serious shipping business has long since moved to Danang, the heart of the city is still the Old Town, full of winding lanes and Chinese-styled shophouses, which is particularly atmospheric in the evening as the sun goes down. While most all shops now cater to the tourist trade, unusually in Vietnam the area has been largely preserved as is and renovation has proceeded slowly and carefully, mercifully absent of towering concrete blocks and karaoke parlors.
The main thoroughfare in the Old Town is Tran Phu. Just south of the Old Town, across the Thu Bon River, are the islands of An Hoi and Cam Nam.
Get in
By plane
The nearest airport is in Danang, which has frequent connections to Hanoi, Saigon and some flights to Bangkok, Singapore and Siem Reap, Cambodia (for Angkor Wat). A taxi from the airport to Hoi An costs about US$15 thanks to the cartel, but only about half that in the other direction.
By train
There is no railway station in Hoi An. The nearest is in Danang (see below), from where there are several trains a day from Hanoi, Saigon, Hue, Nha Trang etc. Most travel agents and hotels can book a train ticket for you.
By bus
Traveller buses run daily up and down the coast from Da Nang, Hue and Nha Trang. Note the road to Nha Trang is awful and the trip takes all day - it is much better to take a train. Sinh Cafe's office is at 2 Phan Dinh Phung St., just off Hai Ba Trung, and they charge US$2 for the trip to Hue (4 hours, twice daily).
By motorbike or taxi
It's easy to take a motorbike or taxi to and from Da Nang via the Marble Mountains (see below), from where you can catch a train onwards.
Get around
The centre of Hoi An is very small and pedestrianised, so you will be walking around most of the time. Unfortunately bikes have not been banned from the center yet, so particularly at night keep an eye out for motorized kamikazes.
To go to the beach, or reach some of the more remote hotels, it is easy and cheap to hire a bicycle. Taxis are few and far between, but can be called by phone. You can also charter boats for about US$1/hour.
See
Old Town
Entry to all historical sights in Hoi An is via a coupon system, where US$5 gets you a ticket that can be used to enter five attractions: one museum, one family house, one Chinese meeting hall, the art performance theater and either the Japanese Covered Bridge or the Quan Kong Temple. Tickets are sold at various entry points into the Old Town, including Hai Ba Trung St.
- Japanese Covered Bridge (Cau Nhat Ban or Lai Vien Kieu), on the west end of Tran Phu Street. Hoi An's best-known landmark, although it's not all that exciting. The history of the bridge is unclear, as while it's believed to first constructed in 1593 by the Japanese community, the bridge shows no Japanese influence whatsoever. Last renovated in 1986. Entry one coupon.
- Museum of Trade Ceramics, 80 Tran Phu St. The dusty displays of broken pottery in this house are eminently forgettable, but the house itself is nice enough. Entry one coupon.
- Phung Hung House, 4 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St (just west of the Japanese Bridge). Traditional two-story wooden house, inhabited over 100 years by eight generations — and the current one attempts to guide you around in hope of a tip. Entry one coupon.
Chinese meeting halls. Numerous congregation halls, where Chinese expatriate residents met and socialized, are dotted about the town. They are typically named after their home region, such as Fujian and Canton. Entry into any hall one coupon.
- Cantonese Meeting Hall, 176 Tran Phu St. Calm courtyard with ornate statuery. Take a peek at the half-hidden back yard and its kitchy pastel dragon statues.
- Hokien (Fujian) Meeting Hall, straddling Tran Phu and Phan Chu Trinh Streets.
- Chinese All-Community Meeting Hall, next to the Fujian hall, also spanning the block.
Other
- The colourful waterfront Market
- The paper lanterns and candles floating down the river in the evening.
- The Hoi An Orphanage located right next to the Hoi An Cathedral. You can play with the children there.
Do
- The Cua Dai Beach A place to unwind a few kilometres away from the town centre. Taxi from town centre to Cua Dai Beach costs around USD 3. Along the beach lines a number of mini restaurants selling seafood and drinks. They also provide deck chairs and tables right on the beach. There are also a number of upmarket resort hotels in that area.
Buy
Made-to measure shirts, blouses, dresses, suits etc. from the renowned tailors. When last counted in 2002, there were 140 shops in the city and the number has undoubtedly grown since then.
Hoi An also has a good selection of Vietnamese art, both modern and traditional, serious and kitschy. Galleries can be found all over town but Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St, just across the Japanese Bridge, has the heaviest concentration.
- The Cloth Market Located next to the Central Market and looks like a cloth warehouse. Inside are many small tailor stalls that are in general cheaper than the shops else where. They are able to complete your orders within a day or two.
Eat
Food in Hoi An is, even by high Vietnamese standards, cheap and tasty. In addition to the usual suspects, there are three dishes that Hoi An is particularly famous for:
- Cao lầu, a dish of rice noodles which are not quite as slippery as pho and a bit closer in texture to pasta. The secret is the water used to make it, and authentic cao lau uses only water from a special well in the city. The noodles are topped with slices of roast pork, dough fritters, and this being Vietnam, lots of fresh herbs and veggies.
- White rose (banh bao vac), a type of shrimp dumpling made from translucent white dough bunched up to look like a rose
- Wantan dumplings, essentially the same as the Chinese kind, served up in soup or deep-fried
Budget
Prices in the very center of Hoi An are generally a little inflated by the tourist trade, so cross the bridge over to An Hoi island for a selection of basic but cheap eateries.
- Hoia River, 44 Nguyen Thai Hoc. Terrifc food, but long waits.
- Thanh Phuong, 56 Cong Dong (An Hoi island, just across bridge). Cheap and cheerful local eats. A steaming seafood hotpot for two and a large beer will set you back US$3.
- Trung Bac, 87 Tran Phu. 100 years of cao lau and still going strong. A bowl of chewy noodles and lots of veggies will set you back all of 8000 dong.
- White Rose, 51 Hai Ba Trung. The shop that actually makes most of the "white rose" dumplings served all around town. 15,000 dong per serve, and if you ask nicely they'll let you try to make them yourself. Open from 7 AM until they run out, usually in the afternoon.
Splurge
- Brother's Cafe, 27 Phan Boi Chau, . Probably Hoi An's nicest restaurant, with a lush landscaped garden in a wonderful riverside French colonial house. The fresh spring rolls (chả giò) are excellent — and priced to match at US$4.50 a plate. The 6-course $16 set meal for two is good value though. Open daily for lunch and dinner.
Drink
- Before & Now, 51 Le Loi St, tel. +84-510-910599. Very popular two-level bar and restaurant.
- Tam Tam Cafe, 110 Nguyen Thai Hoc. Cafe, bakery, restaurant and bar all rolled into one. Stylish, popular and not too badly priced.
Sleep
Hotels in Hoi An are fiercely competitive, which means plenty of choice, low prices and generally high standards. Many are clustered around Hai Ba Trung St (formerly Nhi Trung St), just north of the Old Town and within easy walking distance, and also along Cua Dai St, off to the east and a bit of a hike away.
Budget
- An Phu, 30 Nguyen Duy Hieu St., tel. +84-510-914345, . One of the biggest budget hotel operations in Hoi An. South of the center, about a 5-10 minute walk away. Nice rooms between $10 and $15 and a relaxing pool in the middle.
- Thanh Binh 3, Ba Trieu St (off Hai Ba Trung St), tel. +84-510-916777. Popular budget hotel done up like a Chinese temple, with a pool and pleasant rooms, all air-con equipped. The mattresses are on the hard side though and the breakfast isn't much to write about. Rooms $15-30.
- Nhi Nhi Hotel, 60 Hung Vuong St., tel. +84-510-916718, . Nhi Nhi Hotel is located in the old street area of HoiAn Ancient town. The Nhi Nhi Hotel located near to all major tourist attractions in the area. Situated in the Old Quarter, Nhi Nhi Hotel offers affordable, Best accommodation in an authentic Vietnamese neighborhood. You can shop in the nearby Hoi An market. All restaurants and coffee bars are nearby. Nice rooms between $15 and $20 including breakfast.
- Grassland Hotel (Thao Nguyen Hotel), 22 Hai Ba Trung St, tel. +84-510-921921, . Provides free bicycles and free 1 hour internet service per day. Room start at US$15(including breakfast) for a single room, US$ 18 for a Superior Twin & Double room.
Mid-range
Splurge
Many of Hoi An's higher-end hotels are located not in town itself, but by the beach some 5 km away from town.
- Life Resort Hoi An. The classiest hotel near the town center, located by the river a short stroll from the market.
- Victoria Hoi An. Inconvenient location on the beach, some 5 km away from town.
- Dong An Beach Resort. Overlooking the Thu Bon River, and < 5min walk to the Cua Dai beach. Some 5 km away from town.
- Hoi An Pacific Hotel, Cua Dai Rd (halfway between beach and town). Opened in spring 2004. 3 restaurants and bars, including the "Sky Bar", the tallest in town at seven stories.
Get out
- My Son - Cham ruins in the jungle a few hours away (lots of agents offer day trips).
- The Marble Mountains halfway to Da Nang are well worth a stop. The hills loom out of the surrounding coastal plain and feature a group of Buddhist temples built into caves - a popular pilgrimage site for locals.
- Hue - Ancient imperial capital a few hours away by car or train
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