Exploring Ancient Town: Hoi An, Vietnam - UNESCO Site
In April, we took a family trip for ten days to Vietnam. Like I do before most trips we take, I go down YouTube and Instagram rabbit holes looking for unique places or stops. I kept seeing images for Hoi An and was immediately drawn to the yellow walls and lanterns I was seeing online. I purposely carved out three days for us during our ten day trip to Vietnam and I am so glad I did, it was my absolute favorite stop on our trip.
Street market in Ancient Town, Hoi An
Where We Stayed
We flew from Hanoi to Danang and stayed in a quaint villa outside of Ancient Town. Chi was an exceptional host, offered a breakfast service each day and the pool was the perfect oasis to escape the afternoon heat. She also provided bikes, so exploring the rice fields and quiet outskirts of Hoi An was especially enjoyable on two wheels.
Mr Tho Garden Villas aerial view
Biking around the outskirts of Hoi An and watching locals working
During our bike ride, Jordan and I stumbled upon this farmer working with his oxen. He let her walk them around!
Ancient Town
Our first full day in Hoi An was spent exploring Ancient Town which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. We purchased a ticket for 120,00 VND (roughly $5 USD) to visit any five sites within Ancient Town during our trip. You simply hang on to the ticket while you are visiting and show them at whatever site you decide to explore-there are 21 to include temples, the Japanese covered bridge, museums, tombs and ancient houses. Sadly while we were visiting they had just started the restoration of the Japanese covered bridge so there was really no good angles to see it from the outside, though you can still walk through it.
Hainan Assembly Hall
Hoi An is a photographers dream day or night. By day, stroll the streets filled with colorful old French architecture, vibrant lanterns and overflowing street markets. By night, enjoy the shift in energy as the city comes alive with glowing lanterns lining the water and store fronts. The energy at night is palpable-live music emanates from restaurants while visitors enjoy boat rides, ice cold beverages from rooftops and decks and sample street fares from carts that line the road.
Ancient town, Hoi An
Hoi An comes alive at night
Make sure you enjoy a boat ride one evening
Restaurants
There are so many wonderful restaurants and coffee shops in Hoi An. Here are some favorites I would recommend checking out!
The Field Restaurant & Bar: Great views along the water and great drinks.
Tok: We were blown away by this place. We ordered most of the tapas on the menu to share and everything was fantastic. The restaurant itself is stunning with great views of the rice paddies. Their staff even brought out toys for our kids to play with while we ate, they truly went above and beyond.
Mango Mango: Located in ancient town, this vibrant Asian fusion restaurant is in a great location to watch the nightlife in Hoi An and listen to the live bands that play in the restaurant across the street. You can make a reservation to sit on the top deck upstairs, or opt for the downstairs deck or restaurant if you don’t have the time to make a reservation. I actually ate here twice during our stay and ordered the tuna each time, it was delicious!
Leif exploring the grounds at Field Restaurant
Coffee Shops
There are so many options, and honestly most of the places are going to be great. We ended up getting coffee from these two places several times, I became a coconut coffee addict while in Vietnam and could not get enough.
Puff Puff: I believe they have two locations, but we went to the one located in ancient town twice. It’s located conveniently right as you walk through the open air market at the beginning of ancient town so it’s the perfect location to grab a frozen coconut coffee to explore with or sit and relax on your way out.
Frozen coconut coffee at Puff Puff, yes please.
Tin Coffee: This coffee place was right around the corner from where we were staying (outside of ancient town) so it was an easy walk or bike ride to get over there. They also have great coconut coffee, cold brew or egg coffee.
Address: Province, Cẩm Thanh, Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam
Clothing & Leather Goods
If you have the chance, definitely check out the many shops that offer custom leather goods or clothing. I didn’t have any clothing made, but I did invest in sandals. In the shop, you select the style of shoe you would like and then pick out your desired color from the swatches they have. I had a custom pair of leather sandals done in one day and they were just under $33 USD.
Kha Thi Leather Shop in Hoi An
I really enjoyed exploring Hoi An and would certainly go back. It was definitely very hot and humid while we were there, so plan accordingly with sunscreen, hats and of course lots of water in between those iced coconut coffees! Happy travels.
All images photographed on a Sony A1 & Sony A7RIII and aerial photo captured with DJI Mini 3 Pro.
