Hoi An: You Buy Something! | 180 Degrees West

Charming hosts and obnoxious salespeople. Bustling shops and deserted country lanes. Hoi An, like Vietnam, is full of contradictions. But it sure is pretty. Here are some photos of our time in Hoi An, an ancient port known for its old buildings, custom-made tailor shops, and picturesque countryside.

Hoi An - 033 — Vendors at the morning market

We arrived at 6 am on our first day, and if you can wrench yourself out of bed, you should get an early start, too. The town still feels very authentic at that time, with locals haggling at the market, drinking coffee, gossiping as they open their shops. But as the day wears on, more tourists fill the streets, the hawkers get more aggressive, and the heat and humidity climb.

Hoi An - 023 — This is what you should do when that happens

Hoi An - 192 — Old shophouses line the river

If you eat one thing in Hoi An, it must be the banh mi at Bahn Mi Phuong. A freshly baked baguette stuffed with mayo, pate, cured meats, fresh and pickled veggies and chili sauce creates a monster culinary major chord. It all just works, perfectly. We could eat one of these every single day.

Banh Mi Phuong, Hoi An — Bahn Mi Phuong – nom nom nom

If it hadn’t closed for building repairs on our second day in Hoi An, we could have had every single meal at the Central Market’s food hall. It’s the cleanest market food we’ve seen so far, and many local specialities including Mi Quang and Cao Lau (pictured below from the sweet lady in stall #34) can be found here, along with the usual suspects like pho, spring rolls, coffees, and fruit shakes. None of the dishes here exceeded 30,000 VND (less than $1.50 US), most were less than 20,000 VND (less than $1!).

Central Market Cao Lau Stall, Hoi An — This little fella used Jordan’s leg as a scratching post while we were eating lunch

There are tailor shops literally on every corner (and on every street in between). Jordan got a wonderful suit custom-made by the tiny, opinionated “Miss Forget Me Not” and her sister, Rose. She’s in stall #20 in the cloth market. Miss Forget-Me-Not gave Jordan a no-nonsense scolding to shave his beard during the fitting while Rose, taking his measurements, commented on his “big boobs.” (Read more on Vietnamese ladies’ obsession with Jordan’s chest in our Nha Trang post).

Miss Forget Me Not - Hoi An Cloth Market Stall #20 — Jordan getting fitted for his suit by “Miss Forget Me Not” and Rose. He looks like a giant next to those little ladies!

While Hoi An city is beautiful, if the hawkers start to bug you like they did us (“You buy something!” “You eat at my cafe!” “You rent bicycle!”), a quick bike ride will get you to deserted beaches and endlessly green rice paddies, where the locals wave hello and ask you your name just to be friendly. The best part: when we arrived back at the amazing Hoang Trinh guesthouse (possibly our best accommodations yet!) covered in sweat, the sweet-as-apple-pie staff brought us a big glass of coconut milk and chilled pineapple!

An Bang Beach, Hoi An — An Bang beach, and not another soul on it

We didn’t have a map, so we just sort of meandered through farms and villages. Sometimes just getting lost is the best way to explore.