Hoi An Ancient Town

Hoi An Ancient Town – one of the most popular tourist attraction in Vietnam not only for domestic tourists but also for foreigners.
Location

Hoi An is located on the bank of Thu Bon River- in the Central of Viet Nam, only 30 kilometers from Da Nang City. With a good location on the bank of a great river, it used to be one of the major trading port during 16th century. Centre Vietnam tours packages

History

Hoi An has been through a long time of history, but it still remains as in the very first days of its being born. It was divided into 2 main historical landmark: the occupying of the Japanese & Chinese, and the Western (Dutch and Spanish) during the 16th and 17th centuries. Mekong river tours Vietnam

CHung Tooc

During the Chinese period, Hoi An was called as “Hai Pho” (Sea Town). Hai Pho was a divided town - this side of Japanese Bridge for Chinese and another side for Japanese. Until French and Spanish period, Hoi An was well-known as Faifo - an international port city. Thanks to these days, Hoi An is a wonderful place for tourists due to itsforeign comprehensively positive and special pastimes and culture.

Weather

Hoi An has typically tropical climate. Normally, it is classified into 2 seasons: dry season and wet season - it is not too hot on dry season and not too cold on wet season so that you can travel more without nervous. Paradise Cruise Halong bay

What to explore

Coming to Hoi An, tourist are attracted by series of old - architectured lanes and houses with nearly 100% cristinely left from their initial buildings with moss grown walls, deeply plain roofs, old furniture in their cristine past arrangement, etc. Hoi An’s architecture was affected by Chinese, French, Japanese Culture.

1. Ancient Town

Hoi An Ancient Town

Since Hoi An is an old Town, its places of interest are of full historically classical meaning and image. Hoi An symbol, the most popular remnant is the Japanese Covered Bridge (Chua Cau or Lai Vien Kieu), on the west end of Tran Phu Street. The bridge was constructed in the early 1600's by the Japanese community. Tourists should spend time on visiting Quan Cong Temple, Musium of Culture. Many ancient style - oriented architects come here to have a direct look into the ancient houses of the town, among which are Phung Hung House, just west of the Japanese Bridge, Quan Thang House, or Tan Ky House. The design of the houses show how local architecture incorporated Japanese and Chinese influences. Cantonese Assembly Hall (Quang Dong), has a calm courtyard with ornate statuary. You could take a peek at the half-hidden back yard and its kitschy pastel dragon statues. Hokien (Fujian) Meeting Hall (Phuc Kien) and Chinese All-Community Meeting Hall (Trieu Chau), are also spanning the block. If you are Buddhist, there are a lot of pagodas to visit. Ong Pagoda, Quan Am Phat Tu Minh Huong Pagoda, etc. are premium places to get in.

If you want to explore Hoi An Ancient Town with a professional tour guide who can give you all good information about Hoi An history, local life,,..have a look at Hoi An city tour half day

Special note: If you enter the old town, you have to buy entrance ticket which costs 6$/ 1pax as your contribution is to restore and maintain ancient house. You can keep it and use it for anytime you enter the town.

2. Local belief

The main religion here is Buddhism. Therefore, people often go to the pagoda and pray on 30th and 14th of every lunar month. That time, the old town seems to be so nice with all colorful hanging cloth and paper lanterns.  Furthermore, it’s easy for you to see people preparing altars with candles, cakes, incense and wine in front of their shops, restaurants and houses to pray for all the unlucky ghosts who are wandering on the streets at night with the hope that they won’t disturb their business, their happiness and their normal life. That is also the reason why you can see the local people here they burn incense and cinnamon in the morning- the time they start a new day with the hope that the good smell of incense and cinnamon will bring them good luck all day and help them chase bad spirits.

Special note: When you come to some shops in Hoi An in the morning, you can get good price - morning price. Because sellers want to sell fast - buy fast so they can get good luck for the whole day. However, you should not visit a shop early in the morning without buying anything because you may be their first customer of the day which means that it’s not good if you don’t buy anything. First customer of the day is considered to bring the owner of the shop good luck and good business during the day, so you need to buy something even it’s small. You’d better go shopping after 9 a.m

3. Local food

When you come to Hoi An, you should not miss some specialties here: Cao Lau, Quang Noodle , White Rose, coffee with condensed milk and many local food that are not available on your guide book. You will have wonderful feelings when enjoying them. It is greater when you have a local guide who take you on a motorbike and explore Hoi An food. Not just eating, with a guide by your side, you can get many useful information about local food, have chance to talk to local people and have sight - seeing included on the tour. Come and enjoy with us at Hoi An street food tour by motorbike

Special note: This tour is available in the morning at 8.00 A.M or in the afternoon at 3.00 P.M. You can choose motorbike as the way you discover local food here. If you don’t like to go on a motorbike, you can choose the walking or cycling tour.

4. Cam Thanh coconut village

About 5 kilometers from the old town, Cam Thanh Village is where you can make your trip back to nature. This village is well- known as a very peaceful and relaxed place for tourists with the water coconut forests. One of the most popular activities there is the Cooking Class and Eco Tour. Not just cooking, you can do some work as a real fisherman like fishing, riding basket boat, and chatting with local people here. More information about the tour at Hoi An cooking class and eco tour   3
Special note: You should join the tour on sunny day or light rainy day so that you can enjoy more. It is too wet and not comfortable on rainy day.

5. Duy Hai fishing village

Close to Cam Thanh Village, Duy Hai fishing village which can be reached by boat is really famous for making fish sauce in Hoi An. Going to the fish market and a local house to learn the way people make fish sauce here is really interesting. Please read more at Duy Hai fishing village by tour half day   4
Special note: This tour is just available in the early morning 5.00 A.M. That time, the fish market is very busy because fishermen bring many fresh fish from previous night back home and sell for local people. You’d better join this tour on Dry Season when the weather is good so that you can have a safe and great trip on the boat.

6. Kim Bong Carpentry Vilage

Only 15 minutes by ferry from Hoi An Old Town, you can go to visit Kim Bong Carpentry Village. Here, you are seemed to be back to countryside of Vietnamese people with many rice paddies and buffalos. Coming here, you will have deep knowledge about how people make boats, Quang noodle and sleeping mats. In addition, you can listen to more stories about local people and local life here. Have a look at our tour at Kim Bong carpentry village at Kim Bong village bicycle half day tour   5
7. Tra Que Vegetable Village

Hoi An has been famous for vegetables a long time ago and Tra Que Vegetable Village is a wonderful place where people produce vegetables that you shouldn’t miss. 15 minutes by cycling from the old town, you will arrive this veggies village. Farmers here - they prefer seaweed for fertilizing for veggies, not chemical fertilizer, so veggies is really clean (organic). More interesting, you can have experience like a farmer when you grow and water the veggies here. Visit Tra Que vegetables village bike tour  for more information.     6
8. Thanh Ha Poterry Village

Once more village you should not miss in Hoi An is Thanh Ha Poterry Village which is famous for products that make from pottery. Coming here, you can understand more about character of the local people here: they are truly patient, skillful, careful and definitely talent. Come and learn how to make pottery products like a local. Visit Thanh Ha pottery village for more information.

Street food Hoi An

Cao lầu is a local dish unique to Hoi An. Made of a fat soba type noodle and severed with crispy pork, lettuce, bean sprout and special sauce. I know sounds pretty basic, right? but there’s genius in this dish – it’s delicious and one is never enough. Legend has it thatv the noodles are made using an ancient Cham spring sourced from a “secret” well on the out skirts of town, making it difficult to reproduce anywhere else in Vietnam. Centre Vietnam travel

It’s best devoured from street food stalls where the locals have fine tuned this bowl of joy to perfection. Having sampled a couple hundred, I’m pretty sure I have found the best, just a short walk from Dk’s House (our Hoi An Hostel). Open only after the sun goes down, you’ll find Mr Trung’s Cau Lua stall on Tran Phu opposite the Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese. Halong bay travel Vietnam

Tucked away down the Ba Le Well Lane on the edge of Hoi An’s Old Town is Ba Le Well Restaurant. This is a hugely popular spot with both Hoi An locals and tourist alike. This street food stall come restaurant is one of our favorite places to eat at on one of Dk’s regular street food tours. Mekong delta tours Vietnam

Street food Hoi An

It’s a set menu and no sooner have you sat down plates piled with fresh herbs, crispy savory pancakes stuffed with bean sprouts and a river shrimp, pork skewers, shrimp spring rolls, Viet Kimchi, satay-style dip and rice paper all magically appear in front of you.

Think roll-your-own BBQ pork rice paper rolls but don’t let that put you off as the staff here are super helpful and will demonstrate the tricks of the trade. I’ve been on countless meals here when the staff just stand there rolling rolls through the whole meal – talk about service!

Ba Le Well specilises in banh xeo a local country pancake made with egg, rice and bean sprouts. They source all their veggies and herbs from the organic Tra Que Vegetable Village (You can check the organic veg village out on our free daily bicycle tour). Make sure you go hungry as the food just keeps on coming.

I won’t tell you about desert as it’s such a pleasant surprise it’d be a shame to ruin it!

Generally the set menu runs at about 80,000 – 100,000 per person depending on how much you scoff down!

Top 7 Souvenirs to Buy in Vietnam

The top 7 souvenirs to buy in Vietnam, whether you are on holidays or on a business trip.

Apart from the joy of discovering a new culture, taking photos and tasting the exotic flavors of Vietnam, shopping might bring you more opportunities to get in touch with local habits.

A shopping tour is usually the last step of a trip and it is always a bit tricky. The second “HCMC 100 exciting things”, a campaign promoting activities in the city, announced some time ago the top 7 souvenirs to gift to friends, family members and loved ones. The results came from a poll voted on by travelers and expats. Travel to Vietnam

Hopefully more of these events will be coming to other major cities, such as Hanoi, Hoi An, Hue and others.

CONICAL HAT

Ao dai

Non la (leaf hat) is a circular cone made of bamboo cataphylls, notable for it’s romantic adornments. The non la is more than an indispensable tool for people in Vietnam: it has become a cultural symbol. The style differs by region, so for example those of the Tay people have a distinct color, while in Thanh Hoa they use only a 20-hem frame. Hue’s is thin and elegant, while Binh Dinh’s is thick. Mekong delta tours

Vietnamese wear the non la all year. The shape protects the wearer from the downpours of the rainy season like an umbrella, and provides shade and protection from the heat during April and May, when temperatures climb to unbearable levels.

Top 7 Souvenirs to Buy in Vietnam

Local Insight: At a workshop, you can get a hat for only VND 3,500 - VND 10,000. Depending on the quality, price at souvenir shops range between VND 30,000 and VND 100,000.

Since the 18th century, the ao dai (long dress) has been Vietnam’s national costume. There are three main styles of ao dai nowadays. Halong bay cruise

“Trendy” ao dai reach to the floor and fit the curves of the body by using darts and a nipped-in waist; the “hippy” ao dai is brightly colored and very popular among young teenagers; and the “mini” ao dai have slits extended above the waist and the panels reach only to the knees.

The usual way to acquire an ao dai would be to pick the fabric first. Usually there are two different colors, one for the long dress itself and a second contrasting color for the trousers worn underneath. After the fabric is chosen, you bring it to a tailor specialized in creating ao dais. Usually it takes around one week until you can pick up the finished product, but please keep in mind that during the preparation for Tet (lunar new year), it can take significantly longer.

Local Insight: An ao dai costs at least VND 700,000. If you can spend the time and have experience finding decent cloth and a good tailor, you might have your stylish ao dai at a reasonable VND 1,500,000.

Silk is woven from the cocoons of the silkworm. Thus, It has always been considered extremely luxurious and only available to the nobility. The days when silk had only been manufactured for Vietnamese royalty is long gone, and the fabric has become widely used throughout the country. Silk and its beautiful products are affordable nowadays, so tourists have a chance to choose their favorites and gift them to friends and family.

Local Insight: The price for regular Vietnamese silk is at least VND 70,000/m and over VND100,000/m for premium kinds. Silk below that price is originating from China and of questionable quality.

The art of hand-embroidered pieces of clothing and framed silk pictures is an old handicraft tradition in Vietnam. You will mostly encounter picturesque natural scenes like flowers, trees, animals and birds, patiently stitched one colorful thread at a time. But also daily life scenes, even portraits can be created with this ancient technique. Tourists are frequently baffled by the vast variety of designs, offered in hand embroidery shops, the vibrant colors and the intriguing depth of the artwork.

In some shops, tourists can explain or sketch their individual idea to the artist, who creates a personalized present for friends and family.

If you visit Da Lat, there is a workshop & gallery for marvelous and artful hand embroidery images upstairs in the central market.

Local Insight: You can buy a small hand embroidered product for around VND 500,000. For bigger pictures, the price can be VND 2,000,000 and above.

Sand painting is the art of pouring colorful sand and powdered pigments on a sticky surface and fixating it later with spray, so it doesn’t come off again. However, there is a second art form called sand painting, which is practiced in Saigon: The artist pours the colorful sand between two glass panes or in a specially designed mug or vase. The layers of sand form an enthralling piece of art, that looks stunning on every shelf and makes an excellent souvenir. Vietnamese sand picture art comprise 4 categories: Landscape, portrait, labor scenes and the traditional art of calligraphy.

Local Insight: The price for artful sand pictures ranges from VND 300,000 to VND 700,000.

GUOC MOC

wooden clogs

Wooden clogs (guoc moc) were a sort of traditional footwear for men and women alike in the past. After the feudal period, they mostly remained in a trio of Non la, Ao dai and Guoc moc to increase the gracefulness of Vietnamese ladies when attending important festivals or any special events in town. Guoc moc are rarely used nowadays, but tourists can catch a glimpse of them at traditional activities like the Cai Luong and Ca Tru performance.

Local Insight: Being considered as quite old fashioned footwear, the real Vietnamese wooden clogs are hard to find. If you can find some around VND 150,000 then go for it.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

A handmade musical instrument can also make a nice keepsake. Bamboo flutes and mini t'rungs are very popular among visitors. Since the flute is just a small bamboo pipe and the t’rung can be easily disassembled for transport, they are convenient to carry home and don’t use up too much space in your already stuffed luggage.

The sweet tone of these instruments will thrill your ears and remind you of the most memorable moments from your trip to Vietnam.

If you are in Saigon, there is a nice old man, playing and selling simple flutes in Le Loi street at the sidewalk. If you are interested in hearing more traditional flute play, there is a student club of young flutists, who meet in the evening hours at 23/9 Park near Ben Thanh Market to play and practice. Nguyễn Thiện Thuật street in D1 is also known as “guitar street”. There are many shops and workshops for instruments, mainly guitars and their relatives - like the ukulele.

Local Insight: Prices for a t’rung range from VND 300,000 to VND 1,000,000. Simple bamboo flutes come at around VND 10,000.

You should expect to bargain for the items you want to take home as souvenirs. One “trick”, that can be applied in Ben Thanh Market is to browse the fixed-price shops outside and negotiate with the inside shops for the items you want to buy. We also have a blog post on bargaining at the market which shows you some tips to bargain and suggest some of the best places for shopping apart of the Top 10 Shopping Places in HCMC.

Vietnam safe country travel statistics must knows

Yes. In General, Vietnam is a friendly and safe country to travel both alone and with your family and friends. By using common sense and awareness you will minimize your chances of encountering any troubles in your travels.

Crime Rate
Like many countries in South East Asia, Vietnam has a high crime rate. But, the majority of crime in Vietnam relates to petty theft such a bag and jewellery snatching, pick pocketing, theft of items such as cell phones, wallets and unattended motorbikes. Caution needs to be taken when visiting heavily populated tourist areas such as Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi, Hoi An or any crowded areas where thieves can easily snatch your belongings and run. Many unsuspecting tourists have lost their belongings to the swift actions of a thief and an accomplice on the back of a motorbike. These thefts usually take place whilst the victim is located roadside. PANDAW CRUISE

Comparative Crime Rates By Country:

The table above compares the rate of homicide in 6 different countries around the world. As documented, Vietnam has a relatively low homicide rate of just 1.6 per 100,000 of the population. This is comparable to developed countries such as Australia (1.0)  and France (1.1). According UNODC source the United States Of America Homicide Data recorded (4.7) Homicides per 100,000 in 2012. Alova Gold Cruise

Violent Crime

Vietnam safe country travel statistics must knows

Violent crime against tourists in Vietnam is quite rare and should only be considered as a moderate risk factor whilst traveling through most regions of Vietnam. But like anywhere in the world, we suggest that you should travel with caution. To minimise your probability of encountering troubles, we highly recommend you keep valuables such as jewellery, watches, cell phones, wallets, purse or money out of sight. Splendours of Vietnam and Cambodia (17 days,16 nights)

What To Do If You Are A Victim Of Crime In Vietnam?

Vietnam is now a very popular tourist destination with millions of new visitors every year. Overall you will find traveling in Vietnam safe and non threatening. If you do happen to be a victim of crime or theft, the best thing to do is contact your hotel/hostel manager who can put you in contact with the local Police or hospital if needed. We suggest you remain cautious and vigilant, but don’t let this stop you from enjoying the adventure and beauty Vietnam has to offer.