Vietnam: Hoi An (Part 1)

If Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi were the hares in the classic story, Hoi An would most definitely be the tortoise.

While it’s by no means slow (nowhere in Vietnam is), Hoi An is a relaxed beach town with an amazing mix of old Vietnamese tradition and contemporary practices.

It’s probably one of the more tourist- orientated cities, but it certainly doesn’t feel that way. While the number of tourists probably equals the number of locals, there aren’t as many badgering waiters or hawkers trying to sell you the clothes off their backs.

Coincidentally, it was the only stop where we arrived by train. The train was delayed (or on Vietnam time) so we had a little time waiting at the station before boarding.

It arrived eventually…

Our first stop after getting off the train and checking in was a restaurant called Bamboo for some food. Both Mum and I ordered white rose, a delicacy of Hoi An. I also went for Can Lao, a pork broth soup with crackling and vegetables. It was lip-smackingly good. Dad took his opportunity to eat some Western food and ordered a good ol’ chicken burger (he gobbled it up before I could get a photo!)

Hoi An is known for its quick and high-quality tailoring services, so after filling our bellies, we made our way to a tailors suggested by my brother, who’d been there before.

Blue Tam Tam is one of the hundreds of tailors in Hoi An and is run by a group of knowledgeable and professional ladies.

We had read that to check a tailor’s quality, one should only order one item, see how they mock it up the next day and if it’s up to your standard, order more.

We ran with that approach and after consulting the ladies ordered a trench coat for me and suits for the parents.

After having every inch of ourselves measured, we left the shop with the promise of returning the next day for a fitting.

The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring and resting, before deciding dinner was on the cards. At the suggestion of our hotel, we visited Miss Ly’s, a restaurant on one of the main streets. Run by an American man and his Vietnamese wife and family, it was collecting good reviews left, right and centre so we were in good company.

I started with a Mojito, my first drop of alcohol in over 2 and a half weeks.

Luckily for my liver, the food arrived not long after. We went for White Rose again (it’s super tasty!) and fried wontons to start.

For mains, we had pork fried rice;

chicken and lemongrass salad;

and grilled fish in banana leaf with chilli and garlic.

The food lived up to its reviews, with amazing flavours and textures. It was a great insight into the local food and made all of us wish we had bigger stomachs!

It was a little pricier than your normal street food, but well worth it.

With full stomachs, we set off to explore Hoi An by night.

It was bustling!

As one of the more lively towns we had visited, there was lots going on. Clubs and bars line each side of the river, with people drinking on the street and watching the world go by at a number of open air cafes.

The next morning, we woke to rain. It delayed our plans to ride around the city, a popular activity because of its flat geography.

After breakfast we made our way through the local market to a shoe shop for some custom made shoes.

The ladies at Friendly’s Shoe Tailors were helpful and informative – and not afraid to bargain! Following the ‘order one first’ rule, I ordered a pair of loafers, while Mum and Dad went for boots and dress shoes respectively.

We returned to the tailors before stopping for a coffee and pastries at Cargo Club, a modern cafe just off the river.

Although they look appealing, our apple pie, apple strudel and chocolate cheesecake were a little disappointing. It’s unrealistic to expect amazing things in a country where the food is so diverse, but with the French influence and glowing reviews of the cafe, our expectations were set a little higher!

We continued our walking tour around the city, stopping to look at anything that caught our eye along the way.

We passed by another market, and the ‘food court’.

All this looking at other people eating left me wanting some food of my own, so we stopped at a street stall that pops up every day between 3 and 5. There’s only one thing on the menu…banh can.

These little rice pancakes are cooked on the bottom only, leaving a spongy inside to be filled with pork sausage, noodles and vegies.

All that walking had well and truly knocked us out, so we decided to spend an afternoon at the day spa. Both Mum and I got facials and manicures, while Dad went for a foot massage. At $4 a manicure, it was hard to say no.

We lost track of time a little and ended up rushing to the tailors for a second fitting, and some more ordering.

That night, we ate at Bale Well, a tucked away restaurant hidden in the laneways in the north of the city centre.

The menu is simple – 4 items, wrapped around each other to make one amazing combination. It’s even printed on the hand towel wrapper.

Served with lettuce, vegetables and sauce, a waitress expertly showed us how to roll the pork satay/spring roll/grilled pork in rice paper with all the condiments.

We devoured it. It was one of my favourite meals of the entire trip, with the perfect combination of fresh and cooked elements. The best part? Its simplicity.