In their latest blog post Matt and Sharon Ward passed through the wonderful historic town of Hoi An in Vietnam. Here’s what they had to say on the town from a His and Hers perspective.
After an early morning pick up from our Da Lat accommodation, we headed to the airport for our flight up to Hoi An. This felt like travelling in style after our previous bus journeys and we arrived at the Sunshine Hotel in Hoi An around mid-morning. As our room wasn’t quite ready, we took the opportunity to relax by the pool and take in our new surroundings.
His Guide:
I was taken aback by the cleanliness and bright white walls of our latest accommodation. Not only was it very reasonably priced, but the staff couldn’t do enough in helping us feel at home. After a quick bite to eat in the restaurant, we headed out to see what Hoi An had to offer us. I had heard great things about the town so I was feeling very relaxed about our time here. I was delighted to see that the main shopping streets were blocked off to cars and motorbikes, which allowed us to causally walk around the streets and stalls in peace.
On our first morning, we wandered downstairs to make the most of the breakfast, which was included in our room price. I was gobsmacked to see a couple at the table across from us happily tucking into a plate of spaghetti carbonara. With that sight still fresh in my mind, I went for the more familiar option of omelette and toast. After breakfast we walked back into the town to sample more of Hoi An. I don’t think I’ve ever seen more tailor shops in a small area in all my life. I would have had no idea which one to buy from, but luckily I wasn’t on the lookout for a suit. Around mid-afternoon we started spotting motorbikes zooming along the cornered off streets. We figured out that there must a point in the day when it’s ok for them to use the streets again, much to my disappointment.
That evening we had a very enjoyable meal at Hai Café, which apparently also offers cooking lessons.
The following day I was starting to feel a bit ‘over’ Vietnam and was looking forward to the next part of our trip. My spirits were raised when we met an American couple in the fantastic Good Morning Vietnam restaurant. After explaining that we were on an extended honeymoon, they told us that if we can survive this, then we can survive anything. A plaque on the wall next to our table also intrigued me. The waiter informed us that this is pointing out exactly where the water levels rose to a few years back when they experienced heavy floods.
Overall I found Hoi An to be a pleasant stop off destination but I think it would be perfect for a 2-day stop off.
Her Guide:
Our hotel room was clean and spacious with a balcony overlooking the pool. We later found out that the hotel was only 5 months old and only a 10-minute walk into the town. After having lunch at the hotel restaurant we made our way into town to explore our new destination. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the main shopping area was closed to vehicles, which meant no motorcycles. We enjoyed wandering around the quiet streets with there orange painted buildings, all of similar shapes and sizes and most of them being tailor shops promising to make you a suit or a dress within 24 hours.
The following day we made our way down for our complimentary breakfast, which consisted of a large selection of “interesting” dishes including tomato soup, spaghetti carbonara and the obligatory fried rice and noodles. We opted for eggs and some of that irresistible Vietnamese bread. After a dip in the pool we head back into town trying to think of what we should get made from the tailors. Neither of us could think of any things we wanted made, nor did we like the idea of having to carry a suit around the world with us. We therefore decided to decline the many offers to make us a suit and continued to explore the beauty of Hoi An.
We had dinner in the Hai Cafe where we tried delicious fresh spring rolls and I ordered a clay pot curry. Just before our main course was about to be served we witnessed all the staff running out the restaurant and onto the street. Not one to miss out on the action, I followed them out to investigate what all the fuss was about. A fire engine had entered into the narrow street blocking off any traffic and I soon found out that a fire had broken out in a restaurant further down the street. I was reliably informed by our waitress that the fire had to be put out as soon as possible other wise all the buildings would catch fire due to the close proximity of them. The fire was extinguished quickly and once the excitement was over it was back to business as usual.
Our last evening in Hoi An was spent in the very stylish Good Morning Vietnam restaurant where we met an older American couple. We shared our stories and they told us how they had travelled the world over 30 years ago and if we can survive 6 months traveling together, then our marriage will survive anything.
Hoi An was a lovely place and I’m glad we didn’t miss it out after we decided to change our route from Mui Ne. My only regrets were not hiring a bicycle and exploring more of Hoi An and I really wish I had got something made while I was there. I guess it means I’ll just need to go back one day.
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