HỘI AN

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BIRTHDATE - 

• 1595

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POPULATION - 

• 121,742

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AKA - 

• Hai Pho, Faifo, Faifoo

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MEANING - 

• Peaceful meeting place

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RIVER - 

• Thu Bon river

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HISTORY - 

• Traces of civilization in this are go back 2200 years.

• It was a prt of the Champa Empire which extended from Hue to past Nha Trang and into Laos. 

• It was founded as a trading port in 1595. It became one of SA Asia's major ports and was visited by ships from around the world.

• it was destroyed by the Tay Son Rebellion then rebuilt and continued to be an important port until Da Nang 30 km north took over.

• Fortunately it was left alone during the Vietnam War.

• It became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1999 and has never looked back.

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BEST TIME TO GO - 

• February to April are the most pleasant months.

• Hoi An has two seasons. September to January is the wet season

• The rest of the year is dry. It is warm all year with June, July being summer

• You could come here any time really

• Typhoons come between October and December and Hoi An floods quite often.

• If you're going to be here at this time request a room that is not on the ground floor.

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BOOKINGS -

• Everything should be booked well in advance to avoid disappointment

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NAVIGATING -

• Before you go download Maps.me and all the relevant maps.

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VISA  - Apply to the Embassy in your country. Beware of online scams.

 

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TOP 10 - In No Order

1. Japanese Covered Bridge

2. Custom made clothes

3. Old House of Tan Ky

4. UNESCO Old Town

5. An Bang Beach

6. Marble Mountain

7. China Beach

8. My Son

9. Ba Na Hill Station

10. Cao Lau and White Rose                                                                                                  

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TIPS -

• ​take some warmer clothes for Ba Na Hills

 

FUN FACT - 

• The Japanese Bridge was built as a magical sword to control the monster Namazu. It was a big monster, it's head was in India, it's body in Vietnam and it's tail in Japan.

• They also believed other monsters lived under the bridge

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AIRPORT TRANSFER - Da Nang International Airport (DAD) 30 km

• There is a shuttle bus, public bus or a taxi. Travel time is about 45 mins.

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SAFETY - 

• Take the usual precautions. Hoi An is very safe but there are a few scams to watch out for.

• Be careful on bicycles and motorbikes.

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FOOD - 

• Hoi An is delicious

• It is famous for two dishes which can only be made here as they require the water drawn from a special 1000 year old well in town. 

• They are Cao Lau and White Rose. Both are noodle dishes. Cao Lau is said to be the history of a city in a bowl as it has influences from the city's history. It's a noodle dish with BBQ pork, greens and a little broth.

• White Rose is a more simple dish and consists of flower shaped dumplings covered with fried shallots and served with a dipping sauce.

• Some pretty good spring rolls can be found around town.

• Hoi An Banh Mi (Vietnamese meat rolls are especially good here),

• Mi Quang (noodle dish),

• Grilled pork sticks in rice paper,

• Hoi An Tofu, Chicken Rice, 

• Bun Thit Nuong (vermicelli noodles with grilled pork, herbs, veg and peanut gravy)

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NIGHTLIFE - 

• There are a lot of cafe's, restaurants bars, wine bars live music venues, in the old town and along the river.

• It is ideal for a nightly pub crawl and they stay open until 3 am. It is well lit and very colourful.

• Just find somewhere to start and off you go. There is also a great Night Market in the centre of town. 

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STAY - 

• Most hotels are available on Booking.com unless otherwise stated. It's best to get bookings with free cancellation and pay on site when you get there. Hotels chosen are usually 3*** or 4 or 5 if they are good value. They are chosen firstly for their location, value for money, positive testimonials regarding cleanliness and service and features like rooftop terraces and great views. 

• Since the end of Covid a lot of prices have gone through the roof. So if the selected hotel is out of your price range click on the location map and choose something cheaper nearby. Or you might prefer something else but try to stay in the same area.

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FLIGHTS -

• Da Nang International Airport (DAD) - 30 kms and 45 minutes away is the closest airport. It has direct flights to 28 airports in 11 countries. These are all in Asia and you can transfer through the major hubs of Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Hong Kong. As well as Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi of course.​

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