traditional | A Year, Maybe?

The best time to explore the city of Hoi An is at night – after spending the day lounging on the beach overlooking the beautiful blue water of the Vietnamese east coast. There is plenty to do here for the relaxed traveler, not so much for the adventurous. At night the lanterns are lit and a red glow descends upon the streets. The shopfronts are very authentic and exactly what I imagine Asia to look like before modern and western influences – it feels as though you are stepping back in time when wandering through the streets.

Most travellers here must have the same idea, beach by day and wander at night because the population of the city seems to triple after dark. Restaurants come alive – our favourite was Morning Glory which comes highly recommended and was even booked out on the first night we arrived. They run cooking classes too which we heard from our new friends Joni & Kirsty was really good. The restaurant serves ‘street food’ but with a restaurant finish and is quite reasonably priced considering the prices at other tourist traps in the main quarter.

Another popular thing to do in Hoi An is have clothes made – you can’t walk 10 steps without seeing another tailor, particularly on Le Loi which is the street we stayed on. We went to the central market and bartered with one of the tailors there to have two dresses made for Jess and a jacket for me. The quality of the clothes was great but we disagreed a couple of times with them regarding price so we didn’t get anymore made. The price in the tailor shops is a little more expensive but you get to see what you are getting (they have numerous clothes on display) and the material is often a better quality. Bargaining at the market is good if you have something you want copied or a strong idea of what you are after and can choose from thousand of available fabrics!