Hoi An can easily be termed a foodie paradise. There are thousands of places to eat, all offering a vast menu and good service. If you’re a foodie you may have watched the late Antony Bourdain’s program “No Reservations” when he visited Hoi An and tasted the famous Banh Mi Sandwich from a street stand called Banh Mi Phuong and then declared it the best he had had in the whole of Vietnam. Bánh mì is the Vietnamese word for bread, or as the French call it a ‘baguette’. The French brought the baguette to Vietnam during the colonial time. Today, when we say Bánh mì, we mean the Vietnamese sandwich, which usually consists of different types of meat or tofu and is usually accompanied with a fried egg and a selection of sauces, which can get as hot as you want! Another famous street food outlet, which the locals love for its popular Banh Mi, is called Banh Mi Queen.

 

See the video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUMlwNHNXp0

 

The hotel manager at the previous hotel we stayed in, Banyan Tree in Lang Co recommended eating at the number 1 restaurant in Hoi An called “Morning Glory” and I can tell you that it did not disappoint. The food was simply amazing, a home-cooked array of delicious Vietnamese dishes with French and international fusion. Food for a family of five plus a couple of bottles of wine and the price was no more than 50 pounds AED 250. The owners also own another popular restaurant called Cargo Club, which has an additional menu, a kid’s menu and when Morning Glory is overflowing with reservations, it offers the same menu of its more famous sister establishment. We also found a great wine bar with a huge selection of wines called White Marble and stopped by the swanky Bird House for a cocktail, which is also a gallery/boutique and has a lovely seating area facing the river.

 

A fun tour which we did early one morning which the kids absolutely loved was the Coconuts Basket boat tour. Managed by locals, you disembark on the sides of the river flowing through the vast coconut woods and jump into funky, circular wooden boats. The fishermen are very welcoming and love to perform for the audience, either by rapidly spinning the boats or stopping and letting the tourists help the local fisherman swing out their fishing nets. They take the boats through the lush green waterways and intermittently stop for some crabbing, a very basic exercise that involves taking a simple stick, getting a crab to crawl on it and then dropping it into a plastic bottle!

 

Night Market

As mentioned before, Hoi An comes alive in the evening as the town bustles with energy and tourists mingle while live music thumps out from bars and restaurants. It also has a thriving night market, which was extremely busy so we didn’t work our way through it as it can get a bit tough with three kids in tow. Every evening we felt like we had completed a full on day so we would be pleased to get the kids in bed and relax in the hotel.

We stayed in a lovely, family run hotel called La Senta Hotel which is a 1.5km walk from the old town center (where all the action is) and nestled next to rich, flowing rice paddy fields. The hotel had a great infinity pool, spa and gym. We stayed in the deluxe triple interconnecting rooms, which were perfect for my gang.

http://lasentahotel.com/en/accommodation-n.html

 

For a more luxurious stay I would highly recommend The Four Seasons Hotel in Hoi An which is a couple of kilometers outside of the ancient city but situated on a pristine beach. It’s absolutely stunning and for me ticks every box:

https://www.fourseasons.com/hoian/

 

Da’Nang, the main city in Central Vietnam is approx. 20 minutes away and has all the top hotels situated on its expansive, winding, untouched coastline and beach area. Da’Nang is booming, one of the fastest growing cities in the world so it’s a nice base where you can then visit Hoi An for day trips which a lot of people do. A lovely property is with a Michelin Star restraurant is Sun Peninsula Resort.

https://www.danang.intercontinental.com/

 

Other great activities to do while in Hoi An are:

Marble Mountains:

Five beautiful limestone peaks that mark the midway point between Hoi An & Da’Nang and which hold deep spiritual significance. Many of the temples & shrines date back to the areas first Hindu Cham settler. These days the limestone cliffs provide the setting for fantastic exploration.

Monkey Mountain:

The Son Tra Peninsular is an iconic land form that defines the Da Nang coastline. Most day-trippers head for the Linh Ung Pagoda and the towering Lady Buddha statue. Head up the viewpoints on top of the mountains for 360 views of Da’Nang and the coast.

My Son:

Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. My Son comprises of 8 groups of 71 brick monuments, some dating back as far as the 7^th century. With a good guide to explain the significance of the old Champa Kingdom of which Hoi An was once part of, makes for an interesting tour.

Bach Ma National Park:

A French era hill station with mountainous peaks which reaches 1450m with beautiful treks. Also there are magnificent mountainous countryside and waterfalls.

Ba Na Hills: Read our review here: http://www.uniquefamilytravels.com/2018/09/10/visit-vietnam/

Originally developed by the French in colonial times, Ba Na is now home to three world record-breaking cable cars, and a kitsch theme park and entertainment center. It makes for a great but certainly surreal day out. Also home to the famous “Gods Hands” bridge.

Relevant links:

http://www.uniquefamilytravels.com/2018/09/10/visit-vietnam/

http://www.uniquefamilytravels.com/2018/09/10/tree-house-dinners-on-the-saigon-river/

Watch our Hoi An video here:

http://www.uniquefamilytravels.com/videos/ 

Visit Cambodia

http://www.uniquefamilytravels.com/2018/05/10/a-week-in-siem-reap/

Everything you need to know about Hoi An, download our e-book below

http://www.uniquefamilytravels.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Hoi-An-Vietnam-EBook.pdf.zip