Hoi An Old Town Highlights : Walk Back in Time

Two weeks into our journey in Vietnam and after getting scammed a couple of times in Ho Chi Minh city, we had started to warm up to the country thanks to our time in Da Lat. But in our hearts we knew that something was missing here, probably the sort of unique vibe that was instantly easy to soak in places like Thailand and Indonesia. Our quest for culture, colours and cuisine took us to the ancient town of Hoi An. This city is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world and is a melting pot of vibrant art, intriguing history and sumptuous flavours. With an old world charm to the entire city, a vibrant ancient town which is also a UNESCO world heritage site, beautiful countryside and an amazing concoction of flavours, Hoi An Old Town is truly an artist’s canvas and a writer’s best words.

Located along the coast of central Vietnam, Hoi An was once a thriving hub of spice trade and merchants from across the globe descended here, occasionally leaving behind their cultural imprints on this city. The traits of Chinese and Japanese cultures are most prominently visible among the many historical buildings and heritage houses in the old town. In fact, one of the most popular attractions of Hoi An, The Japanese Covered Bridge, was built across the water channel to connect the Japanese and Chinese quarters in the 18^th century. This centuries old structure has gone several restoration works over the years to preserve the historical significance and aesthetic appeal of the bridge. Inside the bridge are shrines of religious importance to Taoism, and also relics of two dogs and monkeys which represent the Chinese years of commencement and completion of the bridge. The old town is spread on either side of the bridge where beautiful old houses are dotted across the entire town.

The beauty of the old town comes through the many heritage houses painted in a distinct shade of pale yellow with forlorn walls that give them a charming old world look. These houses were once home to the original settlers of Hoi An starting several decades ago. Today, many of these buildings have been converted into cafes, boutique stores, workshops for local arts and crafts, art galleries, sustainable spaces and heritage museums. Walking through the lanes of the old towns with these houses on either side of the street and beautifully decorated by colourful lanterns, is an experience in itself that should not be missed.

Each and every aspect of the old town takes you back to a bygone era and you can actually feel the slow paced old world vibes. Although it gets very crowded with each passing hour when huge groups of Chinese tourists visit the city, strolling through the place definitely an experience worth your time. If you are looking to sneak in some great photos in the old town, the early mornings before 10 AM is the best time as the tourist crowds don’t start arriving till then.

The evenings are stunning to say the least when the entire place colourfully comes alive with gorgeous sunsets over the river and the lanterns lighting up across the entire town. The streets start brimming with several night markets, tiny food stalls and open air eateries serving local cuisine. Right at the edge of the waterfront and the entrance of the old town, a theatre group performs plays which is quite good to watch as the locals seem to be having a lot of fun with constant cheering and clapping. Although as a foreigner, it is difficult to understand a word of it as they perform in Vietnamese but it is a good insight into the local performing arts.

Besides arts and crafts, the old town of Hoi An is a great place to experience another significant aspect of Vietnam – the Vietnamese cuisine. The local and worldwide favourite Vietnamese sandwich – The Banh Mi is found in plenty all over the town. Popular Banh Mi joints such as Banh Mi Phuong serve the best Banh Mi in town and attract a lot of customers throughout the day. In and around the old town, you can find many vendors serving unique fast eats such as Lotus Stem Lemonade, Steamed Meat Buns and Tapioca cakes. Open air eateries by the riverside serving Cau Lau – the signature Hoi An noodles served with fresh herbs – are perfect spots to truly eat like the locals where you seat on a tiny stool and share tables with other customers. However, we found the best culinary experience at yet another local restaurant in a lane on the other side of the river across the old town. That particular lane has several restaurants where you can enjoy real authentic Vietnamese cuisine and also take cooking classes at the same time. For great food served with truly amazing Vietnamese coffee at cheap prices, this is the place to go in Hoi An.

Of the many destinations we’ve traveled across Southeast Asia, Hoi An was probably the most unique. This sights and sounds of this place wasn’t like anything we had experienced before and the cuisine was pleasantly distinct from others although we took some time to get used to the flavours. It was here in Hoi An during the last leg of our journey, we truly admired the charm of this country. What was supposed to be a three days trip to this place, soon turned into an entire week of our best days in Vietnam. By the end of our trip, we were left with a feeling of not getting enough of this truly charming place and we knew that someday we will visit again, to be enchanted by the splendor of Hoi An.