While leaving our Airbnb in Ho Chi Minh City we ran into a German couple, Michael and Marina, in our building who also were headed to the airport and ironically, Hôi An. We all had the same idea of sharing a ride so they jumped in our Uber. We also shared the hour ride with them from the Na Trang airport to Hoi An after landing. Cue this creating a friendship between all of us and leading to meeting up not only in Hôi An, but for a food tour a week later in Hanoi. It really is crazy how quickly people bond while traveling and how easy it can be to meet great people.
We got a room at an awesome little place, Phu Thinh Boutique Resort, which had a pool, huge buffet breakfast and nice rooms. We figured while in a cheap country like Vietnam we could “splurge” aka spend what we usually do per night in other countries but get much nicer accommodations. While we could have stayed cheaper, a little upgrade was a nice break.
The great thing about Hôi An is everyone rolls around on bikes to get everywhere. Our hotel had a rack of them outside, so anytime we wanted to head into the main town we would grab one and ride the 4-5 minutes. The streets of the downtown area are full of strung lanterns and it just has an adorable feel to it. Streets are lined with cafes, restaurants and lots of tailors as Hôi An is a huge destination for custom clothing. All day you see people getting custom dresses, suits, bags, etc. made. We were probably the only people not buying something, but let’s be real, we don’t have room in our bags for more.
The city had great food options and we found ourselves frequenting the same places multiple times. Easily the best bánh mì sandwiches can be found for less than a dollar at Báhn mì Phurong. It’s even been endorsed by Anthony Bordain and I think I ate at least 6-7 while here. We also had a few meals/drinks at CocoBox where Katie could finally get some healthy smoothies she has been craving. Besides those two, I’d highly recommend eating at Nü Eatery and Morning Glory. Both have killer Vietnamese food and are well worth it.
The city itself isn’t huge on “attractions” to see and we were there in a bit of the off season (aka not crazy hot). So while we didn’t beach it up, we spent our days biking around the town and the nearby rice fields, strolling through the lantern-lined streets and frankly eating whenever we possibly could stuff more in.
