We arrived in Hoi An at our hostel and within about 10 minutes of checking in we were on our way to the beach. The weather was absolutely beautiful, and finally sinking our feet into the warm sand was a wonderful feeling after a long bus journey. We joined our friends Ana and Rita, who introduced us to some of their new friends – we ended up spending all our time in Hoi An, and beyond, with these guys. We had lunch and beers on the beach, and soaked up the sun until it disappeared at a disappointingly early 4.30pm.
Once we were back and showered, our friends (old and new) whisked us off into the town for dinner. They had been here for a few days so took us to their favourite restaurant!
Lanterns
Hoi An by night, especially the riverfront, is a sight to behold. Lanterns are hung everywhere – along the streets and the quaint bridges that cross the river.
Food
The food in Hoi An was probably one of the best things about it, although as a city we adored it! We ate loads of Vietnamese dishes during our time there – including noodle soup (Pho)…. and an incredible evening at a Greek restaurant! We wined and dined with Sebastien from Germany and Jaume from Barcelona, drinking Da Lat wine and enjoying the tastiest Greek food – what a good find.
We also tried the legendary Banh Mi – the French-inspired Vietnamese sandwiches, and went to Banh Mi Phuong twice – the place recommended by Anthony Bourdain!
It was here that we also did our first cooking class of the trip. Our hostel offered a free class, so we eagerly signed up! As a group we learnt to make fresh spring rolls – how to assemble and roll them, and how to make the delicious peanut sauce that accompanies them.
The recipe is as follows…
Peanut sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy beans (just the liquid)
- 2.5 tablespoons water
- Almost one tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon MAX peanut butter (thickens)
- 1 tea spoon sugar
- Cook garlic in hot oil for 20 secs
- Add sauce
- Stir, 20 secs
- Pour into dish.
- Top with ground peanuts and fresh chilli
Spring rolls
- Hard rice paper – add water gently to soften
- Assemble lettuce, mint, mustard plant, spring onion, cucumber, carrot, tofu
- Roll.
Enjoy one of the simplest, tastiest and freshest starters ever!
Exploring the Countryside by Bicycle
Our hostel also offered a free bicycle tour, so being the keenos that we are, we signed up! Our tour guide was the lovely Ngoc, who had also led the cooking class. She was a lovely lady who was very passionate about Hoi An, and really excited to share her knowledge with us. We were pretty much her biggest fans. She led us out of the hustle and bustle of the city, into the countryside – there were rice and vegetable fields, water buffalo, and all kind of landscapes to be enjoyed. Next, we moved on to the river where we saw the water coconuts growing! It was here we took a pitstop and Ngoc taught us how to make things out of the coconut leaves, including rings and even a grasshopper, as modelled below!
The sun started to set so we were back on the bikes heading home – cycling through the busy streets of Hoi An by night was certainly an adrenaline rush!
Old Town
The Hoi An old town was a joy to explore. Boasting Ancient Houses and Assembly Halls aplenty, we learnt a lot about the Japanese and Chinese influence in the architecture here. We saw the Japanese bridge, and visited an Ancient House in which the family still resided 7 generations on. We were told how the house itself was Vietnamese, but the roof was a Japanese design and the balcony was Chinese. Really beautiful stuff!
Gig Numero Dos!
Our girls Ana and Rita had been begging to hear me play since we met in Bangkok 6 weeks previous, so I promised I would. The realised that Hoi An might be our last place together before we parted for good (I’m not ready to talk about this yet haha), so we found a bar with live music, and I asked the guy if I could play a few songs. He was a really talented Irish fella called Paul, now living in Da Nang and playing in the 2 cities to make a living. Before I knew it I was up playing some songs, and Paul and I had a little jam at the end of the night. Does 2 gigs make it enough to say I’m currently on tour in SE Asia? Probably not. Maybe if I get a third I’ll make a poster or something….
Tailor-Made Just For Us
When in Hoi An…why not?! Hoi An is famous worldwide for its tailors – you can get pretty much anything you want made in next to no time. We found a great Tailor called Wild Orchid – where Chloe got a dress and a bikini made. I decided to get 2 bikinis made, and after some quick measurements and picture exchanges, they sent us away! We were both immediately impressed with our new items upon our first try, and with a few adjustments we walked away very happy with our tailor made clothes!
Day Trip to Da Nang
We made a quick trip over to neighbouring city Da Nang… not so much to see the city, but because, ahem, we wanted to go to the cinema! It was the new Fantastic Beasts film after all. We got the bus there which took about 40 minutes, and got a grab car back. There was some sightseeing though – we saw the famous dragon bridge! At 9pm on Friday and Saturday nights the dragon breathes fire, but sadly we weren’t there on a Friday.
Another thing to be noted was how CHEAP the cinema was. We paid about £3 for a ticket, large popcorn and a large drink. Absolute steal! We just had to ignore the Vietnamese subtitles, and everything else was the same. Chloe was a little bit excited, as you can see…
When it Rains it Pours
We actually ended up staying in Hoi An longer than planned, due to typhoons hitting the South. We’d been warned another typhoon was on the way over the weekend, so decided not to dice with our lives, and ended up staying for more exploring, eating, drinking and generally enjoying ourselves. I was secretly pretty pleased as it meant I got the watch the Arsenal game on the Sunday night, instead of spending the evening on a bus. However the weather took a turn for the worse on our second day, and it drizzled most days. That was until our final day in Hoi An, where the rain was torrential all day. As we left the sports bar where we watched the game that night, the river had overflowed into the streets!
Hoi An was a beautiful, charming city where I could easily go for 2 weeks on holiday – a mix of beach, old and new town and the best food of the trip!
Annie x
Pint-Sized Adventurers 