Hoi An … The Ancient Town That Has It All!

Our stay in Hoi An couldn’t have been better. It has a little bit of everything, making it an ideal place to visit. The weather, although hot, was perfect each day and the activities gave us the opportunity to experience the old and the new gems of this city just outside of Danang. 

Nightlife at Mr. Bean’s Bar

The Vinh Hung Emerald Resort is a 52 room romantic Riverfront place, which is only 10 minutes walking distance from the ancient town of Hoi An and made me feel like I was in a White Lotus paradise. 

Morning Views from the Resort

Our first day included 24km of bike riding and over 10km of walking. Just another day for me but I fear my poor cousin Carlos thinks I want to kill him!

Time to Ride

The day began with some lessons on farming with a local 73 year old female farmer who was a firecracker and entertained us in the heat while instructing us through hand gestures, what to do. 

Tua Que Village - Learning to Farm

Ancient watering techniques 

With the farming done, we cycled along side Water Buffalos to the Coconut Water Forest where we were welcomed by Mr. Han and his family. They took us fishing in basket boats, helped us to learn how to make BanhXeo pancakes along with other dishes. Our experience also included a foot massage given to us by the family using herbal medicine. Absolutely pho-tastic!

Just another Water Buffalo 

Making Vietnamese Pancakes 

Going Fishing on Basket Boats

Time for a Foot Massage

You would think it was evening but nope we were back by 2pm which meant I was still pumped to explore the local beach area. We hoped back on the bikes and made our way to An Bang Beach only 5km 😉 away and spent the afternoon watching locals and tourists basking in the sun. We’ve learned that protecting your skin is super important to Vietnamese people… the locals are usually covered from head to toe as the are very serious about being as white as possible. They even go into the water fully clothed 🤭!

Another Day at Sea

Beach Time

After biking back, which was quite the experience as the town got significantly busier and we were competing with cars, scouters and people for road space. Luckily we made it back safely and I felt the boys were done with all the exercise, and deserved a good meal. We hit a local place I saw on  TikTok that literally had a tiny portable kitchen with a few tables but over 75 items to chose from as our fine dining for the night. The place was called “Hi!” and we ate like champs for $30 US. We ordered 7 dishes and had 6 giant beers. 

Hot Pot Vietnamese Style

Just a little spot in front of a makeshift kitchen!

So much to choose from…

Our second day in Hoi An took us to Ba Na Hills, where a cable car took us amid the foggy hills of the mountains to visit the old French settlement. After the French were pushed out of Vietnam in 1954, the Vietnamese destroyed the French settlement. A Vietnamese company rebuilt an amusement park there, with all the French style buildings, that look more like Disney World. 

Cable Ride 

Entrance to the cable cars

More stairs???

We witnessed amazing views while walking on the famous Golden Bridge and saw beautiful gardens. To be honest, it was actually kind of sad to see it so commercialized but it was definitely a hit for many visitors from other parts of Asia. Not my favourite part of the trip but definitely worth a visit as it’s a must see just for the cable car ride alone. 

Golden Bridge at the Top

Gateway to Heaven

After the Ba Na “Disney” excursion we enjoyed spending the rest of the day by the lovely pool at our resort, did some shopping, took a boat ride and watched the lanterns festival from the old town. 

Lateen Feativies in Hoi An

Boat ride on the River … Make a Wish

Dinner was again at another local find called Verdant Space which we spotted by accident while taking a turn down an alley of the old town. We noticed it was filled with locals and decided it was a good sign. The restaurant was nestled right beside the owner’s home where the kitchen was, we could even see their children doing their homework in the living room from where we were seated. We again ordered a few dishes and some local beers making this dinner definitely our cheapest by far. It was $8 US for the 4 of us, we ordered 2 noodle dishes both containing meat, 1 chicken rice dish and 4 beers! Our new favourite is the noodle dish Cao Lau ….for now!

Yummy Noodles

A restaurant in house … literally!

Kids doing their homework on a Sunday night as their parents work right beside our table!

It’s now time to move on to the next part of our journey! Hanoi and Halong Bay, we are heading your way!