. There is all sorts of possibly USEFUL info there that will be repetitive if
I keep putting it in each page.Hoi An
NOTE: Mine & Other peoples hints & suggestions (mainly from LP Thorn tree) that
I have collated can be found either HERE
(PDF from 2002) or HERE (PDF's from 2003) Many kind
thanks to those that answered mine or others queries
. There is all sorts of possibly USEFUL info there that will be repetitive if
I keep putting it in each page.
What can we tell you about Hoi An ? Simple ----
dont go there --- it is horrible 
JUST JOKING !!!!
Hoi An was one of Southeast Asia's oldest international ports, playing host to Chinese, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese, French, English and American traders as early as the 15th century. Hoi An had a major role in Vietnam's early commerce and civilization, and held its position until late in the 19th century, when the Thu Bon River that linked Hoi An with the sea filled with silt and became too shallow to navigate.
A main pointer to the past glories of the trading nature of the town is the Japanese Covered Bridge, guarded on one side by a pair of monkeys and on the other by a pair of dogs. The original wooden bridge was built so the Japanese could connect their neighborhood with the Chinese quarter across the stream. As you walk through Hoi An, the architecture fills in more details of the city's colorful past. The first Chinese settlement in southern Vietnam was in Hoi An. The tiles on the rooftops curve in different directions, depending on the ethnic origin of their designs. Looking around you can still find remnants of the ancient Hindu Kingdom of Champa in the town.
Cham
Old building 10km's out of Hoi An
Firstly, if coming from Hue some notes on the bus trip that every place in Hue offers. Basically there is the 'sights' bus that stops at the beach and a few other places, then there is the supposed 'express' bus. The 'express' is touted as 3 hrs whereas the 'sights' bus is 6 hrs. The 'express' bus stops at the same places as the 'sights' bus albeit for a little less time. After some clutch adjustment on our 'express' bus at the top of the pass before Danang, it would have been a 4 & 1/2 hr bus ride on 'express' mode. If, one of us "who shall remain nameless", hadn't yelled at the bus driver at the Marble Mountain Cave stop near Danang, then we could have taken closer to 5 hours. The bus driver got such a fright that he immediately backed the bus out and we continued to Hoi An.
View from Hoa Van
Pass towards Danang
You arrive at the bus depot where mini-bus will trawl you through a range of hotels. You will be shown rooms at "X" price. If you like it - take it. If you come back the same room price seems to have gone up. Where you stay depends on your plans to a small extent. If you are shopping mainly then stay close to the town itself. If the beach is your intention then find a hotel nearer that --- pretty obvious really. Hoi An itself isn't a sprawling megapolis so nothing is too far.
Hire a bike or motorbike. This lets you get around easily to all locations and also let you explore the scenic countryside. The traffic is quite negotiable and the place is beautiful.A motorbike is $4/5 US ---- hiring one from your hotel seems a good idea.
A lot of people like having clothes or shoes made in Hoi An and it certainly is teeming with tailors & cobblers. We got some shoes made from $8-$16US ---- be careful about synthetic inners ---- that seem well made and comfortable. There is an entire building of Tailors and cloth merchants. It seems a lot of the tailors in here are just measuring places. There are heaps of tailor shops scattered around the town so find somewhere you are comfortable in dealing. Check the stitching on the finished product ! For sure as you are wandering the town ladies will drag you off to their tailor shops.
So .... what to do in Hoi An ???
The Beach.
Well not being a beach fan .... I can tell you this .... the sand is white, there is some surf, the beach is long, the water is warm, there are only European bathers, there are islands off-shore & there are these palm frond covered huts to shelter from the sun. Around the beach area is lots of restaurants looking for your business.It is a fair walk from the town and most of the hotels so a bike or motorbike is advised. We fear that there will be a preponderance of "resort-enclaves" developed down near the beach that will spoil the place.
A TIP: there is a bike parking area near the boom gate about 100 metres from the bridge into the beach town itself. A cunning guy will "suggest" you park your vehicle there for an inflated price. The implication is "all" vehicles have to park there. If you cross the bridge, turn left straightaway, turn 1st right and then take any left turn you can avoid this and end up at less visited parts of the beach.
UPDATE --- The above tip stays true. You have to purchase something from the vendors to park your bike at the beachside joints, however you do get secure parking; shaded area; recliner chairs etc. You will still be harassed by the vendors mercilessly. The amount of development down to the rivermouth is staggering & one hopes it never gets that busy.
On the road to the beach we can recommend this wholeheartedly cos we went there most days. As the road rejoins the river, about 100 metres on you will see a cafe/restaurant on the edge of the river. STOP !!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy there nice food, great juices and possibly the best coffee in Vietnam. The Cafe Sua is like rich melted dark chocolate and inspired us to buy Viet drip-o-lators for ourselves !!!
UPDATE --- New Owners but still excellent - aligned to an Art Gallery in town - nicer furniture, get the staff to put a cupple of beers in the freezer 1/2 an hour before you return ;->
The Town
Is beautiful and long may it remain so. It is a paradox that the places we most seek for their antiquity and "old worlde charm" invariably cause them to change as we all want to experience the magical "it". (In the case of Angkor it will only be a short period of time before all tourists follow rope paths around the 'selected' sights) We dont disagree with this, it's necessary to protect places from unfettered tourists trampling over and despoiling the very sights we are there to see.
UPDATE --- There is an ATM on the main street between the beach & Danang (very small building). Try crossing the bridge @ the beach end of the market and follow the road (by bike or motorbike) …. Nice scenery and some good place to have a drink or food. Hire a motorbike and head out past the pottery village and then left towards the coast - great little villages.
The "official" site is here: Hoi An World Heritage
Like Hue, Hoi An is deserving a 'World Heritage Listed' area. This will hopefully ease a rash of ugly developments and change. If you had to live in a boat for 3 months of the year due to flooding caused by inadequate drainage then you would be hopeful that the tourist dollars would help to fix this problem. Have no doubts, Hoi An will change and it may not be for the worse, but romantic visions are in the eye of the beholder. Personally we find that it is a place worth preserving, but our experiences in China over 15 years suggest that 'progress ' is the same the world over.
UPDATE --- New hotels are appearing frequently and can be great value with 'opening specials'. The town itself is 'protected' from rapacious developers I hope ... but it's character is worth preserving. I live in a tourist area & get pissed off with too many tourists, so I can empathise with those locals of Hoi An who dont make a living from tourists.
Food.
The food of this area is "famous" for their local specialities & justifiably so. It's most famous dish is "Cao lau," a slightly soupy mixture of noodles, bean sprouts, greens, slices of pork and a type of seasoned croutons. Hoi An is said to be the only place "cao lau" can be properly prepared because the water must come from Ba Le Well, which dates from Cham times. Another famous dish is White Rose, made with shrimp wrapped in rice paper with garlic, lemon and chili sauce, fashioned to resemble a rose --- yummy. The third main dish is Wontons (probably as a result of Chinese influence) that are delicious.
For a good explanation of Hoi An food ---- try here >>>> Food Explained
UPDATE --- This town has FAR TOO MANY good restaurants to name. However, The Fukien has awesome Wontons; The Bach Dang on the riverbank has eggsellent white rose, duck and try the Vodka-Coconut-Pineapple Shake; The Thang Long also on the river --- have the Chinese Fondue Hot Pot that is FANTASTIC. I think the trick in Hoi An is to have a course to share with companions in each restaurant you fancy until you are replete. The food range is that interesting that you can eschew pizza etc for your duration.
Rise early
And see fleets of fishing boats come to the head of the river, just outside the market, daily at 6am. The bartering and buying is a spectacle in itself. It is completely run by women - they take small boats out to the large boats, collect the fish, return to shore and then haggle with the dealers.
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