Blog Archives
The Definitive Guide to Hoi An, Vietnam.
Hoi An Old Town
Having lived for three months in a town most tourists zip through in three days, I feel I can offer something to the zipping visitor in the way of recommendations for seeing, eating and doing. When you’re on a short holiday it’s always disappointing when you go to the mostly highly recommended restaurant and unknowingly choose their worst dish, or arrive at Lonely Planet’s suggested guesthouse, only to find they have since tripled their room prices and dramatically lowered the standard of cleanliness.
So, here are Fiona and my picks for this little heritage town. It’s a personal list, the things we did, saw, ate and liked. Even after three months, I’m sure we missed stuff too, so feel free to add your comments below.
Beautiful silk lanterns on An Hoi at night.
I have included prices in Vietnamese Dong (VND) and US Dollars (USD) where I could remember them. Typically, the exchange rate is around 18,000 dong = 1 USD.
Sleeping & Getting Around in Hoi An.
Photos by Fiona Jones.
Sleeping and Getting Around in Hoi An, Vietnam.
Hoi Pho Hotel
Chirstmas at Hoi Pho Hotel!Hoi Pho Hotel
627 (04 Old) Hai Ba Trung St
For two and a half months we lived at Hoi Pho. The staff are attentive and friendly. Our room was clean, spacious, light filled and had a balcony – perfect for a long stay. Small rooms start at $10. Our room was $15 and could sleep 3 people, however we negotiated a $10 per night rate as we were long term guests. Hai Ba Trung is a busy street and it was on occasion very noisy in our room late at night. Comparatively, we spent 2 weeks at Thien Nga around the corner for $25 per night in a much smaller room, but it was quite, had a pool and over looked rice paddies instead of the street. I would happily take a room at Hoi Pho again over Thien Nga in the future, simply because of the cost saving.
Me on said bike on the way home from La Plage - covered from the sun in the typical Hoi An way!
Bike Hire
Hire bikes from the vendor across the road from Hoi Pho hotel, on the corner of Thanh Binh 2 hotel. If you are hiring for several days, you should be able to negotiate 10,000VND per day rate. Pay in advance if you don’t want him chasing you down the street every day! He will also pump up your tires every few days.
COMMENTS
Recently stayed in a great value hotel in Hoi An? Please feel free to add your comments below.
Shopping in Hoi An, Vietnam.
I’ll only mention a few places to shop in Hoi An. You will notice (should you stray from the tour guided path) that most shops stock exactly the same thing. This is due to the governments control of what shop owners can sell and where. For example, if you have a shop in the market, you have a choice of only 12 types of shop you can open, and your stock is prescribed to you.
Buyer be ware – Vietnam is a bartering country. I saw an American tourist pay $25 for a t-shirt I bought for $2. Seriously. If you don’t care, fine, but know that you can typically offer half of the original asking price and still know you’re not getting a good deal!
If you are visiting on a tour or with a guide, be aware that your tour guide will be getting a commission from every shop they take you to where you make a purchase. Be independent and go to shops other than the ones you are directed to purchase from – you’ll likely find exactly the same item three doors down the road, for a much cheaper price as that shop will not be hiking up their prices for tour groups.
But really, how many ‘I went to Vietnam’ t-shirts do you need? Here’s a few suggestions where you will find wonderful and unique souvenirs from your trip to Hoi An, while also supporting some great causes.
The Lifestart Foundation Workshop.
Shop 5, Viettown, 127 Phan Chu Trinh St
The Lifestart Foundation Workshop is a co-operative of disabled and disadvantaged people from Hoi An and surrounding areas. Everything in the shop is made by the people in the co-op and 100% of your money will go directly to the makers. The running costs of the shop are covered by independent fundraising by Lifestart Foundation. This is a truly unique operation in Vietnam and well worth supporting.
Fiona with Nghi from Reaching Out in the childrens section.
103 Nguyen Thai Hoc (next to Tan Ky House)
Reaching Out is another charity-based organization selling really lovely hand made products. The shop does support disabled and disadvantaged crafts people, however they are on a set wage which is not effected directly by your purchase. It is not clear exactly where the profit from this organization goes, but I feel that there is heart in this organization and a good will for the people it supports.
Fiona with the team at Lotus.
100 Nguyen Thai Hoc St
If you’re into sterling silver, this is the place to shop – frankly all the other jewellers in town are simply inferior in quality and service. Phil and Nguyen run the show and are soon to open a second shop in town. They stock wonderful hand crafted sterling silver pendants with designs such as the iconic conical hat and lotus flowers. Just stunning. Give them an Aussie G’Day from us.
Shop 45 – for all your clothes and shoes!
Hoang Deu – down near the bridge.
Huyen and her mother have to be the most reasonable shop keepers in Hoi An! Their prices for shoes, clothes and bags are the most competitive in town. Bring your favorite pants, dress or anything for them to copy, or bring in a picture of what you want made. Forgot to? Never mind, Huyen has piles and piles of fashion books you can flick through. Point to your favorite garments and come back and try it on in under 24 hours! Having clothes tailor made for you is a fun experience – let your imagination run wild! I had 50s-style summer dresses made for $18 each, Converse-style shoes made for $10 a pair and dress shoes made for $12 and $18 – and everything was made to measure!
COMMENTS
Had a wonderful shopping experience recently in Hoi An? Tell everyone about it in the box below!
Where to Eat in Hoi An, Vietnam.
There is lots to choose from in the food capital of Vietnam – Hoi An. Based on my own experience, Hoi An supplies a far superior cuisine than any other city in Vietnam – a bold statement I can back up! Eating vegan and vegetarian is easy in Vietnam and given my personal preference as a vegetarian, I have listed specific dishes which are especially for veggies! Here are my personal pics.
Western/Tourist focused
Fiona with Sam from La Plage, the best chips in Hoi An and the best view is for free!
An Bang Beach – An Bang beach is the local beach, away from all of the resort-going tourists at Cua Dai Beach. Beautiful, quiet, pristine. We had the entire beach to ourselves more than once and the water is amazingly warm. Otherwise, on the weekends it’s a great spot to connect to and network with other long-term residents.
Directions: take your bike 2.5 kms along Hai Ba Trung St away from town, stay on that road till you hit the beach, it’s a straight line. Take the left hand side car park, it’s free if you’re a guest at La Plage. Walk to the right along the beach and you will pass banana leaf restaurants. La Plage it the last on the right. Say hi to Sam and Dennis for us.
At La Plage you will find the perfect beach side café setting, heaps of lounge chairs, great music, awesome views and the best French Fries (35,000VND) in Vietnam for sure. Try the tofu curry with raisins, cashew nuts, coconut milk and rice (90,000VND) and ask Sam about her chocolate stash from San Fran. You can expect frozen snickers and Nutella baguettes. Mmmm, Nutella…. A wonderful hangout any day of the week.
Fiona with Alberto - the real Italian deal!
Good Morning Vietnam – Italian Cuisine by a real Italian chef!
102 Nguyen Thai Hoc St
Wonderful fresh, hand made pasta in the middle of Vietnam, who would have thought!? It’s a great break from traditional food if you’ve been travelling for awhile. Try the pumpkin and fetta ravioli (135,000VND) or the minestrone (60,000VND). The wine selection is one of the best in Hoi An. Say hello to Alberto from us.
Fiona, latte, choc croissant, River Loung groovy couch-beds!
35 Nguyen Phuc Chu – across the river on An Hoi.
Great ambiance in their upstairs lounge. The best café latte (38,000VND) in Hoi An, as voted by Fiona who has tried them all! Try the chocolate croissants and lemongrass crème brulee. Have desert overlooking the lights of the old town.
With Sandra, enjoying dinner at Streets.
17 LeLoi Street
Streets International is a non-profit organization founded by Sandra and Neal. The restaurant is set up as a 5 star training facility for disadvantaged young people from Hoi An and surrounding areas to come and learn hospitality skills including food preparation, serving and front of house. The food is wonderful and the atmosphere in the café is so happy it’s contagious! While the menu is largely meat orientated, the kitchen staff are always happy to do vegetarian twists on menu items. The bread and butter pudding (45,000VND) is a must try for those who miss their Nan’s home cooked deserts. Eat heartily and know you are supporting some wonderful young people to pursue their dreams of international accreditation in a hospitality career.
106 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street
This is a lovely restaurant frequented by the tour bus crowd, so we avoided it for two months, except to go and indulge in their crème caramel (18,000VND), which is one of the best I’ve ever had. A fellow volunteer introduced us to the fresh rice paper rolls (45,000VND) which are the best I’ve tasted in Vietnam – the rice paper is made on the spot, not the re-hydrated kind served at most restaurants.
107-109 Nguyen Thai Hoc
Head to this hang out if you’re hanging for some real, unsweetened fresh baked bread. Their veggie burger is righteous, eggs benedict are perfect for upset tummies. Lipton tea with sweet milk was also a favourite of ours. All breakfasts are served with a generous basket of fresh baked bread rolls, fruit salad, tea or coffee and juice – definitely value for money!
Local Eateries (AKA – cheap eats!)
Café 43
Trần Cao Vân St
This is a little local café, a favourite haunt of many of the non-Vietnamese residents in Hoi An. Cheap, great food. Highly recommend the vegetarian hot pot (60,000VND), it’s not on the menu, so ask the owners. It is a generous serve for two people. Also ask for some instant noodles. This hot pot comes with tofu, vegies and salad which you roll up yourself in rice paper rolls.
With my fav vegan Pho soup - YUM!
Thien Quoc - Vegetarian Restaurant
130 Tran Cao Van St
This has to be the cheapest vegan eatery in the world! The food is 100% vegan and most meals are 10,000 VND (around 30 cents). You can get rice with fresh cooked veggies or a bowl of pho (noodle soup), cao lau and other local dishes. Most come with faux meats, so don’t be scared to eat them, it’s typically textured vegetable protein or a variation on tofu. They also serve fresh soy milk which is wonderfully nutty in flavour.
Eating my famous Tofu Rice - just ask Lien!
Mr Tung – hokker style, out door restaurant by the river
Cnr of Le Loi and Bach Dang St
This Sinagpore-style hokker centre is home to about a dozen tiny restaurants. Each bench belongs to a different owner. Although the menus are identical, the food quality is not – it depends entirely on who is cooking it. We recommend Mr Hung, having tried many different benches. Lien is the resident chef and she is both delightful and a superb chef. We recommend the chicken rice (25,000VND), and you can ask Lien to make it with tofu instead. Please say a big hi to her from us, she will laugh heartily if other people also order ‘chicken rice, no chicken’!
Street vendors
The following vendors wander the streets of Hoi An selling their food, which should not be viewed as inedible or dubious in any way – it’s all fabulous food which we eat nearly every day and have not had any tummy problems with.
Fresh, warm popcorn - ain't nothin like it! And you can take home an inflatable dolphin too - I did!
Mr. Popcorn Man
You will hear Mr Popcorn Man before you see him. Listen out for a Happy Birthday instrumental soundtrack. Then you will see him with his mobile popcorn making cart, strung with inflatable toys. The pop corn is warm, made on the spot, and drizzled with his secret caramel sauce. Bags range from 2000-5000 VND, depending on how much of a tourist you look like!
Mr. Banh Bao’s cart features the best of disco music, and they are the real tracks, not remakes! So you can eat your Banh Bao and have a groove at the same time. Banh Bao is a steamed sweet bread dumpling traditionally filled with pork and vegies or other meat concoctions. Vegetarian Banh Bao are denoted with an orange dot on top. If you are around town for a few days, let the vendor know and place an order for the next day. Be sure to go back and buy your order though, as they will make it up especially for you. Pay around 3000VND per banh.
Look at that smile! It comes for free with your tofu desert!
Mrs Tofu Desert
This little lady is a little more difficult to locate as she calls out her product in Vietnamese as she walks around the streets of Hoi An. She carries her portable restaurant on her shoulders and sets up shop wherever she finds a customer. It is a silken tofu desert, slightly sweet with a thin caramel sauce and grated ginger on top. You eat it on the spot and return the bowl to her. She charges only 2000VND, no matter who you are.
Mrs. Crème Café
This is a wonderful desert cart selling jelly-type triangles and a Vietnamese spin on the crème caramel. Instead, you get a custard topped with a thin coffee sauce. The jellies are multi-flavoured and multi-colour. Deserts range from 2000-5000VND.
COMMENTS
Have you been to Hoi An recently and have something to add? Please feel free to keep this post updated with the most recent information. All comments welcomed below!
Meeting Barry, Nguyen and creating JadeMonster.
Sock creatures galore!
One day I was introduced to Barry III, a floppy lovable little creature made from striped socks. Out of the bag, Barry was followed by half a dozen equally strange and adorable friends. I wanted all of them, but I couldn’t have them – they were already adopted and heading for new homes many miles away from where they came.
At the Workshop.
Barry and his brethren are made by Nguyen (pronounced ‘Nwin’), a wonderful young woman who has been making and selling sock creatures for the past seven months at the Lifestart Foundation Workshop in Hoi An, Vietnam. My mum, Karen Leonard, is the founder and director of Lifestart so I often check out the new stock as it is released.
I spent yesterday afternoon with Nguyen, her mother and sister-in-law at their home 10km out of Hoi An, Vietnam. We were greeted with a table of fresh fruit and tasty custard buns – she knows me well! I have spent the past few weeks working with Nguyen creating the JadeMonster, my very own range of sock creatures, so it was lovely to spend some time with her away from the workshop.
Nguyen and her mum at home.
Before Barry and the JadeMonster, life for Nguyen was a little different. She lives with an inoperable condition commonly known as ‘a hole in the heart’, which renders her immobile 12 hours each day while she is connected to two large oxygen tanks. Her condition often leaves her unable to leave her bed for days at a time. Consequently, holding down a typical full time job in Vietnam (well in excess of the standard 40 hours per week we expect in Australia) has been very difficult for her in the past.
She needed a job that could be flexible in hours but also create enough income to cover her living and medical expenses. Fortunately, Nguyen was introduced to the Lifestart Workshop which creates income earning potential for women from disadvantaged backgrounds.
To begin with Nguyen made embroidered cards but her creative talents were soon discovered when a volunteer brought in a prototype for the sock creatures. At first Nguyen – and all the ladies at the workshop – were very skeptical of the potential popularity of these weird looking dolls made from socks. Sock creatures did not exist in Hoi An before Nguyen and her initial thoughts were that they were crazy and silly and that they would not sell in the shop!
These reservations were quickly blown out of the water. Within six months the sock creatures have become the most popular item in the shop, selling as quickly as they are placed on the shelves (literally – I’ve seen her put one on the shelf and it gets adopted immediately!) Nguyen has now broadened the range of her sock creatures she makes and everyone seems to develop an immediate favourite.
With the first JadeMonsters!
Since starting work with Lifestart, Nguyen has been able to purchase a motorcycle, greatly increasing her mobility and independence and her income has doubled, allowing her to fulfill her immediate goal of providing some simple comforts for her family home. She can now work flexible hours depending on her health without fear of losing her job. She takes home 100% of the money she makes from the dolls. Some of the socks she is using to create the JadeMonsters are donated by a Melbourne based sock manufacturer, which reduces her costs considerably.
Nguyen comments on the improvement in the quality of her life. She now has a wonderful support network among the other women at the workshop, her English is constantly improving due to English classes and her regular interaction with tourists and she greatly enjoys and appreciates the opportunity to work with and meet so many people.
JadeMonster logo!
To me, Nguyen’s sock creatures spread bundles of happiness all around the world – they each carry a small piece of Nguyen’s resilient spirit inside of them. I’ve witnessed people from all walks of life break into spontaneous, glowing smiles when they see these creatures. I am so overjoyed to have the opportunity to work with Nguyen on the JadeMonster. Should you chose to purchase one, I only hope it brings you as much happiness as creating them does for me!
To have your very own JadeMonster, please visit http://www.jademonster.net.
The New Way to Work – elance.com.
Working 40 hours per week isn’t pleasant. Working 60+ hours, even less so. So I quit my music teaching job. I left the family business. Mum wonders who she can blame for my rebellion. I told her Tim Ferris and his first edition of The 4-Hour Work Week. She’s reading it as I write this.
I’ve read a lot of ‘wealth creation’ books. I was part owner in seven properties, on my way to the dream of early retirement. I played gigs on the weekends. I was working so many hours I would wake up with such little sleep some mornings, my day would start in tears. Something had to give.
Fiona, rang me from work one day, telling me she’d bought The 4-Hour Work Week with a discount Borders voucher that had landed in her inbox. She said it sounded interesting. Once at home, I read it from cover to cover – three times. I engaged the expertise of a lifestyle coach. Then I quit my job and sold my share in the properties. Finally, I felt like I had the right information, I felt empowered. My dream felt possible.
Playing at Secret Garden, Vietnam.
For the past twelve months I have dedicated myself to my true passion – performing and writing music. I have played in Australia, India and now Vietnam. Next will be the Philippines. I have released five of my original songs online, with five more to come.
Playing for the children at the local orphanage.
At the same time as quitting my ‘real job’ as a singing teacher, I employed a Virtual Assistant through elance.com. Vipul is based in India and is worth his weight in gold. While I perform in Vietnam, he is looking for my next gig in the Philippines. While I develop a new line of merchandise for my website, he is sourcing distributors. Brilliant. I really can be in two places at once.
Playing at Kyra, India.
So now, I wake up every morning, well rested and energized for the day ahead. All day every day I am creating. Making music, making JadeMonster plush toys, bags, tees. I can go to the beach any time I want.
Beach view, Kovalam.
Living currently in Hoi An, Vietnam, my weekly cost of living is reduced to $80 per week . Yes, I live in a hotel (no cleaning or bed making), eat at vegan restaurants (no cooking) and ride my rented bike (no maintenance costs) for $80 per week. As long as I earn $80 per week, I can sleep, eat and get around. Any more than that and I’m saving, traveling, shopping or re-investing back into my music and merchandise products.
Sunday. Vietnamese coffee. Beach.
My New Way to Work is now far less complicated, almost entirely stress-free and 100% enjoyable.
Come and join me!
jade@jadeleonard.com
www.jadeleonard.com
www.jademonster.net
