Hội An '24

Hội An is an extremely charming town, preserved throughout as it looked in the 18th century, with the Thu Bon River winding through it, a river system used in the 10th century to trade with the Vietnamese highlands, Laos, and Thailand. The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in the 18th century, Hội An was considered by Chinese and Japanese merchants to be the best destination for trading in all of Southeast Asia. Its importance as a port declined with the end of Nguyễn rule at the end of the 18th century, due to a turning away from foreign trade and silting of the river upstream. As its use for trade reduced, so did its contact with the rest of Vietnam. The 1990s saw efforts to revive and preserve the city by a Polish architect and conservator, responsible in part for the Hội An we were able to see this weekend.



The beauty of the town lies in walking around and letting it saturate you, the bright mustard walls of each building adding a uniformity of joy to each of Hội An’s facades. You will no doubt stumble upon your own serendipities, but here are five things we loved:

5. Walking along the river at dusk


You will be overtaken by bicycles if you walk west from this quieter point, and then by tourists scrambling to find their lantern-lit boat for the night hour. The lantern boat experience is highly recommended, but we settled for walking along the An Hoi Bridge and taking in the boats on foot.

4. Getting yourself a pair of shoes made

Having a pair of shoes hand-crafted to your foot size and shape was a really fun experience. We loved the quality at Song Da, and recommend it highly. After you love your first pair, Lien will ask you, "one more?" You would be best served by saying yes.

The town is well known for custom clothes tailoring, which was exciting as well when you don't know how it'll turn out! We have recommendations if you need them.


3. Lunching at Chickpea Eatery

Thanks to our pro traveler-explorer Anuvi, we were armed with a comprehensive list of vegan yummies: Chickpea Eatery is particularly fun because it's off the main road, tucked behind a little farmhouse serving Buddhist (vegan, low-FODMAP) food only. We loved the lemongrass tofu and tempeh-filled summer rolls.


2. Dining at The Noodle House or Morning Glory

When we had a hankering for phở, The Noodle House got us our fix! Situated right on Lê Lợi street, you get a gorgeous lantern backdrop while slurping up the best soup noodles we've tasted. For traditional Vietnamese options and their vegan variations, go to the original Morning Glory and try the tofu medley with a side of spiced pumpkin. Both are situated on beautiful streets for the evening, adorned with strings of lanterns.


1. Spending the afternoon at Fefe Roastery

The one thing we did without fail from the day we got there to the morning we left was get an iced Vietnamese coffee, filter-made (not machine) with condensed milk at Fefe. They will ask you to let it sit for five minutes as the coffee drips through the filter, but you will lose track of time as the breeze whistles through the courtyard in front of you. 


When we go back, we will post up with books on the second floor, in the balcony overlooking the square.

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