Hoi An, Vietnam: Top 4 Things to Do and More
Before the crack of dawn we boarded the sleeper bus in Pakse, Laos that had a direct route to Da Nang, Vietnam. It was the first sleeper bus of its kind that we took with narrow bunk beds that Mike barely fit into. His feet were practically on top of the head of the person in front of him.
I couldn’t help but gloat in that moment because finally my 5”2’ height was to my advantage. The bus was not the cleanest – there were bags of chicken feed in the aisle and some sticky substance on the floor that we had to walk on barefoot (you’re made to talk of your shoes upon entering the bus). The guy on the top bunk who dangled his dirty feet in my face was also a nice touch.
BUT the bus got us from point A to B and it was cheap (it cost 500,000 LAK, which equates to about $60 for two people). We were the only foreigners on the bus, aside from one lovely English girl who was nice company on the long ride. We also commiserated during the more stressful parts of the journey that included an intense border crossing into Vietnam and continually being shouted at by the bus operators and driver as they shuttled us on and off the bus. After a 14-hour bus ride that seemed like eternity, we finally arrived in Da Nang, Vietnam-smelly, tired, and hungry.
Pro-Tip: Make sure to get your visa for Vietnam in advance. We got ours at the Vietnam Embassy in Vientiane (Laos’ capital) in 2 days.
We recommend staying in Hoi An for 2-3 nights. Since we were celebrating Christmas here and because we needed to stay in a spot to set up our website, we hunkered down in Hoi An for 7 nights.
Getting There
We arrived around 4:00pm on December 23 at the Da Nang bus station. While I waited with the bags, Mike hustled around the bus station in search of a local bus that could take us from Da Nang to Hoi An (20 miles south of Da Nang), which was our final destination and where we were planning on celebrating Christmas. We finally found one: Bus #1 which is a yellow bus that runs from Da Nang to Hoi An and back for roughly 30,000 VND ($1.30) per person. It is a longer option and can take 45-60 minutes to get to the Hoi An bus station. Be forewarned, you’re at the mercy of the local bus operator. They are blatant and unforgiving in their collection of bus fares, so we got the gringo tax and paid twice as much as the locals. It was obviously frustrating, but what can you do?
Accommodations
We booked 7 nights at the Sun Boat Hotel in Hoi An. The hotel borders the Thu Bon river, which was an excellent setting for watching the sunrise from our balcony and capturing some drone footage (check it out on our Brown Flip Flops YouTube channel). We booked a nicer spot for Christmas given the occasion, but it was still relatively cheap by western standards, costing us $26.71 a night. The breakfast was delicious and included everything from baguettes, eggs, smoothies, and muesli. The room included all the necessities – TV, toiletries, room service, a stocked fridge, and even a balcony and pool. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to use the pool because it was either overcast or raining the whole time we were in Hoi An.
We used Booking.com for our accommodation – use our referral link so that you can get a $25 reward! https://www.booking.com/s/43_8/roxyba87
Side note-we missed the memo that the rainy season is not sequenced with Thailand’s and Laos’s, and that this part of Vietnam does not start to get dry until January so we had rain everyday for most of the day. Oh well. We took it as a “meant to be” moment since we needed the down time to develop and launch our travel website.
Second side note-building our website came with a bit of a learning curve. Neither of us had experience building a website, but we were determined. With much sweat and hard work and with the help of Hogan Chua’s YouTube video, an expert when it comes to website development, we were finally in a place to launch our website, which we did on January 2, 2019 (yay!). We can now say we are website developers. *Pats self on back*.
Top 4 Things to Do in Hoi An
I call Hoi An a “boutique” town given its charming vibe. It’s a clean place with a quaint ancient town that has a mix of old Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, and French style architecture. It reminded me a lot of Luang Prabang, Laos and has been one of my favorite places. Here is a list of the top 4 things to do when in Hoi An:
1. Visit the Ancient Town – walk around the Ancient Town to do some shopping and see some of the beautiful architecture, including the Chinese Assembly Halls, and trot over the Japanese Bridge. The Ancient Town is very picturesque and unique with a mix of Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, and French architecture. The area was especially cute this time of year because of Christmas. Many of the shops had Christmas decorations and played Christmas music, which I loved since it’s my favorite holiday.
The Ancient Town is known for its leather goods and there are many shops around the area where you can get anything from custom-made leather bags to shoes. I actually got a pair of leather sandals made for 18 bucks. The Ancient Town also has a bustling market where you can get any kind of food you want. As you walk around, make sure you are alert because the streets are teeming with scooters and cyclists jostling for space on the streets and sidewalks. You can also buy a nonla and a fashionable poncho-they’re great rain accessories.
We spent most of our time here when we weren’t working on our blog, and ate most of our meals here as well. My food recommendations are below.
2. Marble Mountains – this is a day trip from Hoi An and you’ll want to wear your sneakers. You can explore 5 mountains that offer panoramic views, caves, and Buddhist sanctuaries.
3. Bay Mau Coconut Forest – take a coracle boat and take in the surrounding coconut forest.
4. Ba Na Hills – this is a day trip from Hoi An as it is technically located in Da Nang. You’ll have to put your fear of heights aside as you’ll need to jump on a cable car to get 3,280 feet in the air. There you’ll see the famous golden bridge held by a set of stone hands. It’s a sight to see, but be aware that it’s a tourist trap.
Food
As far as food, many of the better places to eat are in the Ancient Town. Here is what I recommend:
1. For Christmas dinner, we went to Hoi An Steak House Restaurant, which had a set menu that we took advantage of. It included a smorgasbord of meats – pork chops, steak, sausage, chicken breasts – and fries, a salad, sautéed veggies, and two glasses of red wine. It was absolutely delish, and I’m realizing as I write this, we sound fat. Oh well, ‘tis the season!
2. If you want Japanese food, go to Tadioto. It was our favorite place because of the ambience, service, and quality of food – we went twice. It had a trendy vibe, and there happened to be expats and non-obnoxious tourists each time we went, which was a nice comfort.
3. For a mix of Vietnamese and American food, you can get decent grub at Little Flower Restaurant and Firefly Restaurant & Bar. The owners were very friendly, and it was a perfect atmosphere after long days of website development. These places were also conveniently located 5 minutes from our hotel.
4. For phenomenal burgers, go to Burgers Plus. The quality of the burgers and wedge fries were superb. They even had a combo option for 140,000 VND (roughly $7) that included a burger, fries, and a beer. Can’t argue with that.
5. For a nice breakfast, you can check out Avos and Mango. If the resident puppy alone doesn’t sell you on this place, then you have no heart. They had an interesting take on their coffee, which is blended with avocado – not my favorite, but I’ll given them credit for the ingenuity. Their avo toast is bomb though.
Our Key Takeaways and Tips
Hoi An is a must when in Vietnam. It has a unique charm, especially around Christmas with a festive backdrop to celebrate the holiday.
- Grab a bicycle and cycle around Hoi An’s Ancient Town
- Tour around the Ancient Town and do some shopping. Consider getting a custom-made leather bag or shoes
- If you want a break from Vietnamese food, this is the place to do it. You’ll find lots of diverse options
- Take day trips out of Hoi An