By Evelyn Nguyen, Jun 25, 2024
Walking around the Ancient town at night, enjoying Cao Lau, relaxing at the beach, or discovering Hoi An on a full moon day... are unforgettable experiences when traveling to Hoi An. Visiting the land that used to be "the most prosperous trading port in Southeast Asia". If you have the opportunity to visit Hoi An, please refer to some suggested things to see and do in Hoi An below to get a deeper feel for the life and people here.
A very simple experience, visitors just need to step out into the street and see the old houses, the lantern streets are brilliant at night. You will feel like you are lost in a gala of lights, a picture that combines the calmness of ancient architecture with rustic images and the bustle of modern life. Perhaps the most beautiful is still the banks of the Hoai River, where bright streaks of color sparkle on the water. Hoi An is even more beautiful when there are no tourists and shops, then the old town really takes on an old, quiet shape.
Walking around the Ancient town at night
Cao Lau is a specialty dish of Hoi An that anyone coming here should try. The origin of the name of this dish is quite interesting. In the past, when traders came to Hoi An to trade, they had to enjoy this dish on the "high floor" to be able to look after the goods. Since then, this dish has been named Cao Lau.
Cao Lau (Hoi An vermicelli)
A bowl of Cao Lau Hoi An is a combination of yellow noodles with shrimp, pork, and raw vegetables. Its special feature is that yellow noodles are mixed with ashes of Melaleuca firewood from Cu Lao Cham. This typical Vietnamese dish contributes to the culinary soul of Hoi An town. Therefore, you should not miss this dish when coming to Hoi An.
Visitors can enjoy this dish at Ba Be restaurant located at the beginning of lane 69 Phan Chau Trinh, or at the Hat shop at the intersection of Tran Phu with Hoang Dieu. In addition, restaurants for foreigners along Bach Dang Street also serve Cao Lau.
Hoi An has many cafes that are very crowded in the morning, especially Ms. Thao's shop located right around the bend from the Japanese bridge to Bach Dang Street, the guests here are mainly young people. Across the bridge is a shop for middle-aged people. Sitting at both shops, tourists can enjoy the view of the Hoai riverbank, the fishing scene, and An Hoi Street. Fresh mornings before the motor vehicle ban, sitting and drinking a cup of coffee after eating Phuong bread is a gentle way to start a new day in the Ancient town.
Sip a Cup of Coffee
Also in some other cafes, they even roast Vietnamese coffee beans themselves to make its taste more special and memorable. If you're interested, the staff will explain how they source and roast their coffee and their different brewing methods. It will be your pleasant experience when enjoying a cup brewed in a traditional stainless steel filter called “phin”.
Go shopping Hoi An night market is an activity that you should not miss. Hoi An Night Market and Central Market are different in character and layout, so they will give you a different shopping experience. Central Market, the largest market in Hoi An, is always busy day and night, with busy streets surrounding the market. Hoi An Night Market is the noisiest area of Hoi An with many restaurants and bars. This place is distinguished by the colorful lights of several shops selling lanterns everywhere. In these markets, you can find the same fruits, vegetables, seafood, meat, and other essential items.
Hoi An Night Market
Cu Lao Cham Island is about 15 km from the Ancient Town and is one of the places that should not be missed when traveling to Hoi An. Tourism services on this island have not yet developed, but perhaps because of that, Cu Lao Cham still retains its wild features. Coming here, you will experience, and explore the service of scuba diving to see corals, make campfires, sleep at local people's houses, and enjoy fresh - “delicious - nutritious - cheap” seafood.
Cu Lao Cham
If you want to explore the town in a different way, instead of cycling around like most other tourists, Hoi An offers you plenty of opportunities to explore it on a boat. The boat trip usually takes an hour or two to travel along the Thu Bon River. You will sit on a boat to row with locals or tour guides on small rivers and canals. If you don't know how to paddle, don't worry, they will show you.
Boat trip on Thu Bon River
This activity helps you not only enjoy the poetic scenery of Hoi An attractions but also learn about the unique cultural features. The boat trip is more interesting than you might expect as you will participate in other activities in Hoi An such as catching fish and getting to know the normal life of the locals here.
Hoi An owns many famous beaches in the world. Among them, outstanding are Cua Dai and An Bang beaches with golden sand-covered beaches, spectacular palm trees, and turquoise blue waters, these beaches are ideal places to spend a day relaxing or sightseeing. participate in some recreational activities such as swimming, sunbathing, and other water sports.
Cua Dai Beach
Visitors can drop their souls at a beach without umbrellas, tables, and chairs, only waves, and clear water, bask in the bright sunshine, read a book, enjoy a glass of light wine, or drink a few bottles of cold beer,... Especially on summer days, this is a must-see in any Hoi An tour so that visitors can enjoy the beautiful East Sea view and cool off.
Click on the links to see our best tour to Hoi An:
After enjoying 15 Banh Mi at various shops across Vietnam, David Farley - a reporter for the BBC specializing in travel and food, commented that "Vietnamese Banh Mi is the most magical in the world" in the article "Is Vietnamese bread the best sandwich in the world?". Among them is Hoi An bread.
Hoi An Bread
Hoi An has many famous bread shops for foreign tourists such as Madam Khanh bread (Tran Cao Van), Phuong bread (Phan Chau Trinh) and Ba Lanh bread (Cua Dai). Hoi An bread with slices of pork, pate, cucumber, herbs, and signature meat sauce is extremely delicious and attractive. Hoi An bread is crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. you cannot find this flavor anywhere other than Hoi An.
Located at 101 Nguyen Thai Hoc, built nearly 200 years ago, Tan Ky Old House can be considered the oldest old house in Hoi An. It is considered a fine example of an 18th-century merchant's residence in this large trading port town. It can be seen that the ingenious combination of 3 architectural styles in this house is Vietnamese, Japanese, and Chinese styles. The house is built from traditional materials such as wood, brick, and stone purchased from different provinces in Vietnam. Tan Ky Communal House is a special communal house that has welcomed the leaders of Vietnam and international countries to visit.
Tan Ky Old House
The next Hoi An to do list is the Hoi An’s Japanese Covered Bridge, built in the 18th century, one of the most iconic sights in Hoi An. This is a beautiful historical work of Japanese architecture featuring sculptures of two dogs and two monkeys (the Chinese years in which many Japanese Emperors were born). It is about 60 feet long, painted a colorful red with a wooden pagoda roof. You can find the bridge at the west end of Tran Phu Street, easily accessible from the town center.
Japanese Covered Bridge
The temple is named after a loyal general of ancient China - Quan Cong. The temple is a striking sight with its red, yellow and blue colors, attracting a lot of domestic and foreign tourists. It is surrounded by brick walls and wooden pillars. The roof is composed of horizontal and vertical bars arranged in a complex manner. Visiting this place, you have the opportunity to admire the sophisticated and beautiful decoration and feel the solemnity inherent in Asian worship spaces.
Quan Cong Temple
For food lovers, taking a cooking class where you can learn to cook and taste traditional Vietnamese dishes is a great idea. Currently, in Hoi An there are many cooking classes that teach Vietnamese and Hoi An dishes, from simple to complex, to suit your preferences. Classes usually begin with a morning walk to the market to purchase the necessary ingredients. You will then enter a small and intimate kitchen to learn how to cook traditional dishes. After class, you can enjoy your own creations.
Take a cooking class
As a symbol of Hoi An architecture, the Fujian Assembly Hall is famous as a masterpiece of great historical importance. It was created as a place where people from Fujian in China could meet and socialize while living or visiting Hoi An. To see the hall at its fullest, you should visit it during a Chinese festival. It's well worth your time to admire the artwork, pictures, and animal statues, as well as Thien Hau Temple dedicated to Thien Hau, the goddess of the sea and also the caretaker of sailors.
Fujian Assembly Hall
If you come to Hoi An on the right day of the Full Moon Festival (lunar day 14), you are really a lucky person. On this day, the ancient town of Hoi An turns off all the electric lights and instead hangs up brilliant lanterns, releasing bright lanterns on the riverbanks. It is a great space for those who love the quiet and peaceful beauty of Hoi An ancient town.
Full Moon Festival
In addition to the full moon day, visitors can come to Hoi An on other special days such as the Vu Lan Festival, Thien Hau Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Tet Nguyen Tieu... to immerse in the unique cultural beauty of the land. This. Hoi An ancient town is small, but to understand it, you will need a lot of time.
If you have the opportunity to visit Hoi An, try to explore the experiences above. It will be a memorable journey for everyone. Hopefully the above will help you feel all the beauty of a place you must not miss when traveling to Da Nang - Hoi An with Incredible Asia Journeys. Don't hesitate to contact us to book Vietnam trips smoothly!
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