What to do in Hoi An if you only have one day?

Hoi An is the one of the most unique cities in Vietnam.  The Old Town portion of the city is a UNESCO heritage site and the old architecture is superbly preserved and displayed.  Hoi An is an extremely popular destination for tourists, but because of the high number of tourists here, it can be overwhelming.  Nevertheless, we recommend having one full day in Hoi An as it is definitely worth visiting.  As part of our Custom Itineraries for Vietnam series, here is a guide on how to spend one day in Hoi An.

 

1. Tailor some clothes, bags, or shoes

Custom tailoring is a huge industry in Hoi An.  Hoi An is home to more than 400 tailoring shops and thousands of tailors who are not only talented at making clothes but are skilled in making shoes and handbags as well!  Average turn around time for full suits is a day and about 4 hours for handbags or shoes!  If you are interested in getting custom made items, try to find a shop of your liking as early as possible during your visit.

Of course, the quality of the goods comes into question when the turnaround time is so quick.  The truth is that the opinion on this varies from person to person, item to item, and shop to shop.  Even shops with a solid reputation have been known to make sub par products.  A lot of times, the key is to be completely clear on what you want and to communicate it effectively with the shop owners.  If you happen to be in Saigon before your visit to Hoi An, we recommend that you buy the fabric and materials in Saigon as the choices are more plentiful and usually of better quality.  More information here: Custom Tailoring in Saigon.

Here are recommendations for where to go for custom made items (these are places where we have had good luck, and as much as we want you to have the same positive custom tailoring experience as us, we cannot guarantee it):

Shoes, Handbags:  Friendly Shop Hoi An

Shoes, Clothes, Jackets, Suits: Ms. Anh (093 570 5655).  She works independently and sometimes collaborates with different shop and stall owners.  Her tailoring knowledge and knowhow is superb.  She will meet you at your hotel once you contact her.

2. See the countryside

The countryside and rural areas of Vietnam are simply stunning.  Visiting these areas gives you a glimpse of the romanticized vision of Vietnam – the rice fields, the conical hats, the quaint architecture, the friendly faces… As the cities have become more industrial and cosmopolitan, these rural areas have become more remote and harder to reach.  Fortunately for Hoi An, it is still quite small in size compared to other big cities in Vietnam so the countryside is more accessible.

There are several types of tours which take you to the country side for sunrise or early morning glimpses of Vietnamese rural life.  This is also an opportunity for you to pursue some of your interests while traveling.  For instance, if you are fond of photography or of biking, there are tours that are catered specifically to your needs.  Alternatively, a university students’ association also runs free city tours.  Our recommendations:

Hoi An Photography Tour
Bike Tour
Free Tour

3. Go for a stroll and explore the Old Town

Once you return to the city after the tour, the afternoon is the perfect time of day to see some of the famous sights within Hoi An.  But first, before you set out on foot to discover the city, we recommend that you grab a Banh Mi sandwich to fuel you for the afternoon.  The Banh Mi sandwich in Hoi An is both famous and different from a sandwich that you will get in other parts of Vietnam.  The bread and fillings are unique to the region and is a great first insight into local cuisine.  We highly recommend Madam Khanh’s stand, who has been dubbed the Banh Mi Queen in Hoi An!

After you grab a quick bite, check out the famous bridges in Hoi An.  The first is the historic Japanese covered bridge built by Japanese merchants when Hoi An was an important trading port.  The second famous bridge is simply a foot and motorbike (and whatever other vehicle fits) bridge that connects two parts of the downtown area.  The architecture of this bridge isn’t historically relevant but the way that the bridge is situated makes for a great photo-op!  If you are a museum enthusiast, you can visit any of four famous museums in the old town area.  Or, for a greater insight into the history of Hoi An, visit some of the Assembly Halls built by Chinese merchants.  You can buy a composite ticket that allows you entry into one bridge, one assembly hall, one old house, one museum and one other place of ‘intangible culture’.  All these sites are within the Old Town of Hoi An and are within walking distance from each other.

4. Enjoy the scenery

Hoi An is surrounded by a series of inlets and small channels and some residents of the town have capitalized on this by offering boat rides along these channels.  Although this may initially seem like a very touristy thing to do, it is actually one of the best ways to view the old colonial architecture from afar.  Many boat owners sit along the boulevard closest to the water and offer boat rides.  Feel free to ask several different boat owners to find the one who offers the best price.  Often times, their initial price will fall dramatically if they feel that you will take a boat ride with one of their competitors.

If boat rides don’t interest you, you can enjoy the scenery in a different way.  The ocean is not too far away from the main city so a 100,000 VND cab ride will get you to An Bang beach, one of the best beaches in Vietnam.  This particular beach was also named in CNN’s 100 Top Beaches in the world so if you happen to be in Hoi An during the right time of the year, we recommend checking it out!

5. Enjoy Hoi An’s regional cuisine

As we mentioned earlier, the regional cuisine around Hoi An is unique, and we recommend that you take the opportunity to try it out.  Hoi An has an eclectic mix of restaurants and you will have plenty of dining options.  Look for Cao Lau on the menu, which is a noodle soup unlike pho and other noodle soups you will find in Vietnam.  Also be sure to try white rose dumplings, which are shrimp dumplings shaped with the translucent cover formed in the shape of a rose.

Though Hoi An has both famous and budget eateries where you can try these dishes and more, we recommend Streets Restaurant Cafe.  Not only is it a restaurant serving up delicious food, it is also a social enterprise that helps disadvantaged youth to develop new skills and solid work experience.

6. Visit the Lantern Market and enjoy the nightly entertainment

After dark, the Old Town in Hoi An transforms into a mystical row of lights and lanterns.  In fact, Hoi An is a big centre for paper lantern manufacturers and merchants.  Every shop or establishment will have a few lanterns outside, but the real sight is the lantern market.  Here you’ll be able to see how these lanterns are made and will have a plethora of choices should you wish to take some home with you. (Location of Lantern Market)

After a stroll through the market, check out the outdoor traditional theatre.  You will have a chance to see Vietnamese folk dancers and musicians perform traditional pieces.  The theatre runs from 9 pm to 10 pm at a square on Nguyen Thai Hoc street.  It is completely free and open to the public so it’s interesting to see, even if it’s just for a few minutes as you pass by.  Before you retire to your hotel, be sure to light a candle box and set it in the water.  Many kids sit along the banks of the channel and offer candles to you – remember to make a wish!

 

 

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What to do in Hoi An if you only have one day?

Hue plans inclusive tourism

Hue is seeking to involve residents and the private sector in developing tourism, seeking to take advantage of the area’s enormous tourism potential by promoting its heritage sites and natural beauty.

 

Holiday hotspot: A group of foreign visitors inside the former Royal Palace in Hue, a familiar tourist attraction.

Also, local authorities will develop policies for residents who want to take part in public tourism programmes, as well as create locals centers for tourism services in the former capital city.

At the same time, authorities will have tourism promotional programmes to expose more foreigners and international agencies to Hue’s monuments and natural landscapes.

The year 2014 will be the first year for implementing this strategy. Accordingly, tourism sector expects to receive 3 million visits, including 1.3 million visits by foreign tourists, bringing in total revenues of US$139million.

Hue Festival 2014, the biannual tourism event focusing on traditional arts, music and dance, along with performances by international art troupes, is expected to serve as the primary tool in reaching this year’s tourism goals.

The festival, which will take place in April 2014, however, seems to be less attractive at the international level because its organisers could not work more successfully with global media and Vietnamese media agencies that publish in foreign languages.

In 2013, Hue attracted 2.5million visits, including nearly one million international tourists. For 2014, local tourism sector officials expect to have 2 million visitors stay over night in the city, though in the past most tourists considered Hue to be a place to visit during the daytime, while they spent nights in the adjacent Da Nang City or Hoi An Town.

In comparison with other popular destinations, Hue is lagging behind in providing qualified tours, food and beverage, as well as accommodations for visitors, resulting in slower tourism development, despite the huge potential for tourists wishing to tour monuments, enjoy beaches, the natural landscape, the area’s food, as well as the culture.

Hue plans inclusive tourism

Hoi An Ancient Town

Hoi An is an old town down the Thu Bon River, on the coastal plain of Quang Nam Province, about 30 km south of Danang City. Hoi An used to be known on the international market with many different names such as Lam Ap, Faifo, Hoai Pho and Hoi An.

What is so special about Hoi An is that this little port town is in an incredible state of preservation. It offers some of the most densely-concentrated sights in Vietnam with its old streets bordered with ancient houses and assembly halls, its pagodas, temples, ancient wells and tombs. In total, more than a thousand places of interest. The architecture of Hoi An is characterised by a harmonious blend of Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese influences. After many centuries, Hoi An is still respectful of its traditions, folk festivals, beliefs and of its sophisticated culinary art. Set in a quiet environment, Hoi An is surrounded by peaceful villages that have crafts such as carpentry, bronze making, ceramic…

Researchers said most of the buildings in Hoi An underwent restoration at the beginning of the 19th century, even if they might be constructed long time ago. The ancient architecture shown most clearly in the Ancient Town that located in Minh An Ward. It covers about 2 square kilometres and almost of all famous relics in Hoi An are gathered here. The streets are very short and narrow, having a winding, crossing as the chessboard style. The topography of the ancient town tilt gradually from north to south. The buildings in the old town is built mostly with traditional materials such as: brick, wood and no more than two floors. The traces of time is able to find not only on the architectural design of each building but also everywhere like: on the yin-yang roof tiles covered with moss and plants; the old gray mold walls; the pictures carved on a strange animal, or describing a old story… Having inherited a multi-cultural architecture so varied and sophisticated, Hoi An must have attracted numerous and talented workers in carpentry, ceramics, and woodcarving from China, Japan and other regions of Vietnam.

For centuries, Hoi An had developed into a melting pot of various nationalities who came to the area, bringing along their own cultures. Accordingly, Hoi An features the co-existence of indigenous customs and habits and those imported by foreign settlers.

There are animist cults, of the Genie-Whale and worship of deities of natural phenomena (such as rain, wind, thunder), but also the worship of Holy Protectors like Thien Hau, Quan Cong, Bao Sinh Dai De, Avalokitesvara, especially among the Chinese community. They hold regular festivals or cultural and religious activities on the occasion of Tet Nguyen Tieu (the 16th day of the 1st lunar month), Thanh Minh (3rd lunar month), Doan Ngo (the 5th day of the 5th lunar month), Trung Thu (the 15th day of the 8th lunar month), Trung Cuu (the 9th day of the 9th lunar month), and Ha Nguyen (the 15th day of the 10th lunar month).

The social and cultural diversity adds up to the uniqueness of Hoi An’s inhabitants.Rich in traditions and early exposed to the outside world, the Hoi An people feature a unique cultural identity, which has been well preserved from generation to generation. Lives of people who stay here incline to be interior with subtle quiet. In the mind of the natives of Hoi An, this town constitutes a large ancient home that shelters a big family of many descendants including hospitable dwellers, friendly hosts and hostesses, kind-hearted women, obedient children and so on. They together form a harmonious community who has lived peacefully side by side through successive generations.

Upon reaching Hoi An, visitors will immediately feel the hospitality and friendship the locals extend to them. One thing that has withstood the test of time, one thing that the Hoi An people today can be proud of and therefore, make every efforts to preserve is their popular ho (chants) and age-old cultural festivals. Among them, the “Nights of Hoi An” is held on the 14th night of every lunar month. Visitors can immerse themselves in a festive atmosphere imbued with the traditional identities of Hoi An.

The architectural significance of Hoi An has been recognized by UNESCO, during the 23rd Congress which took place in Marrakech (Morocco) from the 29th of November to the 4th of December 1999, since the town was officially listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site.

ATTRACTIONS:

In the ancient town:
- Chua Cau (Japanese Bridge)

- Old Houses: Quan Thang Old House (77 Tran Phu); Diep Dong Nguyen Old House (80 Nguyen Thai Hoc) Tan Ky Old House (101 Nguyen Thai Hoc); Phung Hung Old House (4 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai); Tran Family Chapel (21 Le Loi)

- Ancient Wells: Ba Le Well (Kiet Gieng Alley, Minh An Ward)

- Assembly Halls: Quang Dong Assembly Hall (17 Tran Phu); Phuoc Kien Assembly Hall (46 Tran Phu); Trieu Chau Assembly Hall (157 Nguyen Duy Hieu); Hai Nam Assembly Hall (10 Tran Phu)
- Museums: Museum of Trade Ceramics Hoi An (80 Tran Phu), Museum of Sa Huynh Culture (149 Tran Phu); Hoi An Museum of History and Culture (7 Nguyen Hue); Hoi An Museum of Folk Culture (33 Nguyen Thai Hoc)
- Lantern Manufacturers: Ha Linh Lantern Manufacturer (72 Tran Nhan Tong); Huynh Van Ba Lantern Manufacturer ​​(54 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai)

Surroundings:
- Cua Dai Beach;

- Bay Mau Coconut Forest;

- Cu Lao Cham;

- Tra Que Vegetable Village;

- Thanh Ha Pottery Village;

- Kim Bong Carpentry Village;

- Tombs of the Japanese traders

Hoi An Ancient Town