Hội An: Lovely evening in the old town!
A couple of days ago, I spent a nice evening in Hội An. It is a nearby city to Da Nang and contains a historically preserved town dating from the 15th to 19th century! The lanterns at night and the picturesque boats on the river provide a beautiful backdrop. Being a foodie, this town also offers some delicious street food and a night market. I highly recommend a trip there and I’m sure there is something enjoyable for everyone!
📕A bit of history:
Hội An’s old town used to be an important trading port during the 15th to 19th centuries. It is now a UNESCO world heritage site with a well preserved example of a historical South East Asian port featuring a blend of local and foreign influences. For example, there is a covered Japanese bridge which used to lead to a Japanese settlement. Another fun fact: this was one of the first places in Vietnam exposed to Christianity through missionaries.
🚗How to get there:
I was staying in Da Nang and there are several options on transportation to get there. With a car it is 300,000 VND/one way and buses around 30,000 VND. Other options are renting a motor bike for about 100,000 – 120,000 per day.
🥢What I ate:
The most fun part for me about Hội An was the food! It’s truly a foodie paradise, be sure to check these out:
Vietnamese Pizza
This was everywhere and not to be missed! Not sure if it’s more like a pizza or a quesadilla but the outside is crispy (made with rice paper) and topped with some delicious ingredients and sauce.
BBQ skewers
I tried one with lemongrass flavor and it was amazing!
Herbal Tea at MOT
150 Tran Phu Street, Minh An, Hoi An 550000, Vietnam
After some salty foods, it’s nice to refresh with some iced herbal tea that tastes as good as it looks! It’s hard to describe this unique blend of tea, but it uses a mixture of lotus, lemongrass, and other herbs.
Cao lầu
This is a regional dish of Hội An. This dish features special noodles topped with pork, cracklings (either made with pork rind or noodle dough), broth, and fresh greens. The main thing that sets this dish apart and makes it unique to Hội An is the noodles. Being a noodle lover, I couldn’t be more excited! The water used to make the noodles comes from a local well and mixed with lye, giving it it’s unique color.
Banana/Mango Pancakes!
For dessert, I recommend these sweets! They are freshly made right in front of you and filled with either ripe banana or mango and topped with chocolate and shreded coconut.
🛍Shopping!
I’m not a huge shopper but if you enjoy shopping there are also plenty of stores. There were many handmade leather goods stores, boutiques, and night market trinket stands. I did buy a little lantern to bring home with me to Finland and hang in my room!
After visiting this beautiful town, here are my tips:
🏮Go in the early evening before the sun goes down. This way you can enjoy the town come to life with the lanterns! Not to mention, it is the perfect time to start munching on street food.
🏮Be adventurous and try as much of the food as possible! There were other foods not pictured here (fresh tofu, dumplings, etc) because I forgot to take pictures. My recommendation is to try anything that looks and smells good.
🏮Better to go with a group if you want to sample more food. It would be easy to get full if you go with only a few people!
Have you been to Hội An? Which foods did you try? Stay tuned for more upcoming blog posts on both my trips to Cambodia and Vietnam. Meanwhile, check out my other travel posts like Berlin trip: One day of food, culture, and history or Suomenlinna: a blend of nature and history!
