If you know me, you know that I not only love to eat food, but I love cooking it, talking about it and recommending great joints to friends. If you’re looking for some of the best foodie fare that Vietnam has to offer, look no farther than Hoi An. Hoi An offers so much variety in the way of culinary treats that I could probably be here for a year and not get bored. Too bad I had to cram all of my tastes into one joyous fattening week. Warning: this gastronomic tour of Hoi An will make you hungry…and if it doesn’t, the food pics definitely will. This blog is less for my family and friends back home and more for people who plan on visiting Hoi An. I know it’s a lot of reading, so if you’re more of a pop-up book type reader, then just click the link for the pics

Doug and I wasted no time finding (in my opinion) the best restaurant in town. We were walking by and he pointed to a cute little house with a few tables and said “that looks good” I had read about it, so I said “let’s try it!” Miss Ly’s was so popular that she opened up Miss Ly II next door. We tried all the specialties of Hoi An and they were absolutely delicious. Miss Ly’s is known for her wontons which she has apparently perfected over the last 20 years. They were crispy and piled high with shrimp, veggies and a tangy sauce.  We also had her pork spring rolls and were not disappointed…they were full of fresh herbs and big chunks of pork and the vinegar sauce had a nice kick from the peppers they added to it. The White Rose of Hoi An is a steamed rice paper dumpling with a spoonful of meat in the center surrounded by a light broth. Miss Ly’s broth had a subtle lemongrass flavor to it and although I enjoyed it, it wasn’t Doug’s favorite dish. We also tried the main specialty of Hoi An, which is the Cao lầu; a dish made from noodles made by only one family who holds the secret recipe and provides the noodles to all of the restaurants in town. Here is a great story on the dish: http://www.afar.com/magazine/vietnams-bowl-of-secrets After leaving Miss Ly’s we walked across the street to The Banana Split café to have a delicious banana split…they are known for their sandwiches which I still haven’t tried yet since Ms. Phuong’s Bahn My sandwich stall is too close to pass up.

When we met up with June I was very happy to hear that she wanted to eat her way through town so we commenced by having dinner at a place called Café Des Amis. I read that Mr. Kim offers only a set menu of seafood or vegetarian and he comes to the table to explain to you how to eat the food in his particular way. We thought the restaurant was pretty good, but it was way too much food…we should have gotten two set menus and shared them instead of one each. Since Doug and I had picked the seafood option, the fish he brought us was so huge even Doug couldn’t polish it off – and that is saying a lot!

The next day we decided not to get ourselves in another food coma and promised to order one dish and share it from as many different places as possible so we could eat all day long. Our first snack of the day from Mango Mango was so delicious we knew we had to check out Chef Duc’s other restaurant Mango Rooms for dinner. I had a delicious watermelon drink (can’t remember the name) but it was essentially a watermelon margarita and it was quite refreshing. Chef Duc has culinary experience from Texas and California so his fusion food is a treat for your taste buds. The duck quesadillas we tried at Mango Mango was one of our favorite apps in all of Hoi An.

We then had June try the Cao lầu and spring rolls from another spot we walked by and then Doug was pretty full from all the eating so he left to take a nap. June and I walked around some more enjoying all the window shopping. We both picked up a few trinkets that she kindly took back for since I have limited space in my backpack. After all the shopping, we wanted something sweet so we stopped into Retreat for the banana fritters and ice cream. It was the perfect snack before heading back to our hotels to relax before meeting for dinner.

That evening we went to Mango Rooms for dinner and decided on one app and two entrees to avoid the food coma from the night before. Our appetizer was Diavolo Aperitivo which was beef marinated in five spices and stuffed in peppers and grape leaves. Those peppers were hands down the best thing we ate in Hoi An and I am going to try to repeat them when I get home. The La Tropicana was the most tender chicken breast marinated in lemongrass and other spices topped with a pineapple, tomato and ginger sauce. The Fabulous Fish called Phish was a perfectly seared red snapper fillet roasted with pepper, ginger and onion and served with a mango, tomato and garlic sauce. I really don’t think Chef Duc knows how to make a bad dish because everything we tried from both his establishments was spectacular. The atmosphere of Chef Duc’s restaurants are casual, but the price tag is fine dining for Vietnam = still cheap by Western standards but not for the East.

June’s last requested meal in town was Indian food, so we stopped at a chain called Ganesh. They had a menu full of north and south Indian cuisine and their theme was centered around the Aum which is my favorite symbol. They also had pictures of Gandhi and Ho Chi Minh at the center of the restaurant which I thought was a nice touch. We should have only ordered 2 entrees and shared them since the portions were so big we couldn’t finish. The house special there was one of the better Indian curries we’ve ever tried and the request for spicy was not denied. If you need a break from the lemongrass, galangal and fresh herbs of Vietnamese cuisine then Ganesh’s savory bites will fit the bill.

After June left, Doug and I went back to Miss Ly’s and he had the Papaya Salad with Squid and I’ll have to admit that after trying a bite, I wished I had ordered it too. Since I really liked the fresh pork spring rolls I had on our first visit there, I knew I’d like the noodles with pork and herbs. It was basically the same ingredients in the spring rolls with the addition of some crispy fried onion and chewy barbequed pork as well as the tender grilled pork. It was served in a bowl with everything separated and I was instructed to mix it up really good to get everything coated with the sweet and spicy chili sauce surprise at the bottom of the bowl.

Doug and I went out for drinks that night to the Why Not Bar and I got a little carried away winning at the pool table and probably had a few too many specials so I didn’t feel so hot the next morning. We all know the best cure for a hangover is some greasy food and my favorite hangover food happens to be a good burger. I went online and searched for the best burger in Hoi An and was told to try Dingo Café. The Café was owned by an Aussie expat who had a great little deli connected to the café where other expats could shop for some of the goodies they missed from home such as peanut butter, jalapeno kettle chips and cake mix in a box: all hard finds in a country like Vietnam. Although the guacamole served with the burger was a delicious surprise and the jalapenos were a nice addition, we both thought the burger was just ok. We did really like the atmosphere of the place…they had cards and dominoes on the tables and Doug and I spent our lazy hangover day playing dominoes – which I won of course

The next day we had to try Phuong’s Banh My sandwich. Anthony Bourdain described it as “a symphony in a sandwich” and in this video he breaks down all the scrumptious ingredients of this melt in your mouth sub. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFkRUT-lIPg Forward to 06:05 to get to the right spot.

The line is always long and the 3-4 ladies working the stall are busily adding just the right amount of the ingredients with their chopsticks to make the perfectly balanced sandwich. Reading this article, I learned that Phuong hasn’t changed her recipe in years and her once mobile stall is now permanently attached to the main market in town. She wakes at 3:00AM every day to cure her meats and make her sauces and even if you have to wait 30 minutes, it’s worth it. Order the sandwich with everything and you won’t be disappointed. We paid 20,000 dong the first time and 25,000 dong the second…hearing that they have charged 30,000 dong for it depending on who is taking your order. It’s no matter, $1.00 or $1.50 this sandwich it’s worth its weight in gold.

The next night we tried to go to Trip Advisor’s number one rated restaurant in town called Vina Ngon. I read that the food was incredibly good here, but the kitchen was so small that it takes forever to come out. Doug and I got to the restaurant and all the tables were full so the hostess advised that we go across the street to Ca Khoai. I was a bit skeptical at first Doug suggested we order an app and have a few beers while waiting for a table to open up at Vina Ngon. If the app was good and no tables opened up, we would order our entrees there. I do love the way he thinks! We both got the delicious clay pots. Doug’s was pork and mine was a scrumptious lemongrass chili chicken pot. We weren’t disappointed by our luck but we decided to come back on an ‘off-time’ the next day to try out Vina Ngon.

When we returned to Vina Ngon in the middle of the day we had better luck getting a table. There were still 4 other tables full of patrons in this 8 table establishment and all of the reviews regarding the slow kitchen were true. We waited a while for our food, but it was full of flavor and worth the wait. Doug got the pork with pineapple clay pot which was very tasty and I got the fixed menu which was a great value since it gave you small samples of Hoi An’s most popular dishes in four courses. After trying the number one TripAdvisor reviewed restaurant, I still would choose Miss Ly hands down over Vina Ngon and that’s exactly what I did for our last dinner in town. We got the amazing grilled pork spring rolls to start and I got the squid papaya salad that Doug had ordered before and he tried the fish steamed in banana leaf which was one of the best dishes we’ve had in all of Vietnam.

Hopefully you get to enjoy all the culinary treats that Hoi An has to offer, but if you’re only there for a day, my recommendation would be to try Phuong’s Banh My sandwich and Miss Ly’s restaurant. Happy eating!

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjEgCTmg

Da Nang is pretty close to Hoi An and we could have probably made the 25km ride all the way through but it was rush hour on Friday evening and not only was the traffic horrendous, I was pretty damn tired. I’m definitely glad we pit-stopped there for an unexpected night of fun, but I was ready to get to Hoi An. I had heard great things about this charming town, and even though it’s one of the most touristy towns in Vietnam, that can be quite refreshing after being in a the middle of no-where for a few weeks.

Hoi An is home to over 450 tailors and growing. If you’ve seen the Top Gear episode where the guys buy bikes and go through the Hai Van pass, the town they stop in to get their crazy suits made is Hoi An. Even though there’s not much to see in the town aside from the Japanese Bridge, a few museums, temples, Old family homes and Assembly Halls the main draw of Hoi An (aside from the tailors) is the FOOD. Don’t get me wrong, I love pho…I even got the t-shirt. But after eating it days in a row for every meal I was ready for some culinary treats.

When we met up with June, we asked her what she wanted to see since she was only here for such a short time. She mostly wanted to eat her way through the city (just like me) and wanted to see the bridge and Ba Le Well since she had heard it’s story and that was just perfect! After our brief walk around town, we headed towards the Japanese Bridge and made it to the other side and came across the best sugar cane juice I’ve ever had. It was June’s first taste of the sweet nectar so I’m glad she had such a good product.

We ate our way through the town as Doug and I continued to do after June’s departure. See my food blog on Hoi An if you enjoy reading about food and seeing photos of food. Warning: it will probably make your mouth water, if not, it will at least make you hungry Our next mission was to find the Ba Le Well which is behind the famous Cao lầu noodles. The following story really sums up the heart of the dish and I like the writers’ quest not only for the well, but for the secret recipe of the noodles. http://www.afar.com/magazine/vietnams-bowl-of-secrets

One of the things I liked the most about Hoi An (other than the food) was its community outreach. These people are doing something right. They know that they are one of the most popular tourist towns in Vietnam and are thriving from the tourism industry and instead of just sucking in all the money for profit, they really give back. I passed by multiple centers for disabled and homeless. They have multiple shops based on free trade where disabled people create handicrafts with proceeds coming directly back to them. We saw one shop where they had a photo wall with each artisan and their work along with their story. They also let us go upstairs and watch the artisans making their crafts. Here is an example of one of the stores: http://www.reachingoutvietnam.com/public_html/ There is also an orphanage in town where you can go in and read to the children. Hoi An may be one of the most touristy towns in Vietnam, but it has a lot to offer in the way of charm and spirit.

Pictures from Hoi An: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjEgwFJe

Our final layover in Hanoi was filled with a water puppet show at the historic Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre (extremely exciting), and a few too many Bia Hoi’s with some new Columbian friends.  After just the one night we embarked on another night bus to the city of Hue.

Hue is known for its lakes, canals, and historical sights.  One main attraction to visit is the old Imperial City and Citadel.  Once home to the Emperor, this mote surrounded city was held by the North Vietnamese army in 1968 during the American war for 25 days, known more commonly as the Tet Offensive.  The whole area was pretty much destroyed, but reconstruction has been done and there were interesting things to see.  We were hoping for more renovation from the Purple City which is where the Emperor’s private living grounds were located.  How often can you visit a citadel inside a citadel inside a citadel?  Unfortunately most of that area is still leveled to the ground.

We rode bicycles around the city to visit the Thiend Mu Pagoda, built in 1601, famously known as the home of Thich Quang Duc, a monk who immolated himself during the war to protest religious repression.  His blue car that he drove is on display.  Our bicycles also took us to the serene setting of the Tu Duc Mausoleum.  A peaceful place with many lily pad filled ponds, pine trees (surprising in this climate), and beautiful architecture.  Our hotel in Hue was staffed by some of the friendliest people we have ever met, they would greet us with a cold drink and chilled wash cloths when we returned from our daily adventures.  Incredible service for 15 dollars a night.

The food of Vietnam has been a true culinary experience.  Our pallets are constantly awakened by new unexpected and unidentified flavors.  Our first bites are sometimes followed with questions or insecurities about what we’re eating, but by your next two or three bites you are in love.  Your taste buds are just shocked by experiencing flavors they have never before encountered.  The food changes throughout the country with regional specialties.  You get on a bus eating one thing and then get off being offered another.  For example Hue is known for their vegetarian food because one Emperor preferred this style of diet.  Here we indulged in Mecan, Aubergris, dry noodles, and Nem.  In Hoi An we really enjoyed Cau Lau and Wantons.  All of Vietnam has served us delicious Pho, spring rolls (both fresh and fried), tropical fruits, and an array of vegetables especially herbal greens.

We were treated with a short bus ride (4 hours, finally no sleepers) to the city of Hoi An.  The trip gave us our first look of the Vietnam coast and South China Sea.  Hoi An has a charming appearance with old yellow stoned buildings lining narrow streets filled with vibrant pink buganvilia and colorful paper lanterns.  The ancient town or main downtown lies on the Thu Bon River and is only 3 km to the beach.  The buildings are filled with many, many souvenir stores as well as an infinite amount of tailors.  It is common for tourists to get custom clothes fabricated when visiting.  We enjoyed our days at the beach and our evenings in town admiring the charm the city has to offer.

Many locals are making a living off the numerous visitors every year and they have turned persistence into an art form.  We are hassled at the beach, in town, at dinner, etc…  It gets quite tiring when you just want to enjoy yourself and you are consistently overcharged or handed incorrect change.  At times there are so many people pestering you to buy from them that we cannot even communicate with each other.  We’ve met some amazing kind and generous people, but this kind of behavior is hard to deal with on a daily basis and can be overwhelming.

Nha Trang is an urban city home to a beautiful 6 km stretch of beach with warm water and views of coastal islands.  Many tourists (especially Russian) flock here for some fun in the sun.  We found it lovely to rent lounge chairs with an umbrella during the day and enjoy walks in the sand and cold beer at night.  There is even a small microbrewery on the beach that we had to try, but offered nothing comparable to Sierra Nevada of course.

The locals definitely appreciate the beach as well.  We arrived by another night bus at the early hour of 5 a.m. and were greeted by a sunrise over the water and herds of locals heading to the shores for swimming and exercise. The beach was filled with thousands of people.  We couldn’t believe it! During the day the beach is handed over to the tourists, and then once again at 5 p.m. the locals are back out enjoying the beautiful recreation their city offers.

Our last stop Ho Chi Minch City, previously known as Saigon when the south had its own capital, was home to some interesting yet disturbing historical sites.  The Independence Palace which was home to the Southern President of Vietnam was great to view with many board, banquet, living, and conference rooms.  One of our favorite parts was the basement that acted as the president’s refuge if there was an attack.  We were intrigued but disturbed by the War Remnants Museum which focused most of its attention on the Vietnam/American war.  Definitely pictures you don’t want to see, and possibly a little one sided, but stimulating.

We have really enjoyed Vietnam’s big cities, Saigon included, with their incredible buzz and energy.  We would sit on the sidewalk in little plastic chairs indulging in our cheap Bia Hoi’s and watch the craziness of the city’s world go by.  From here we have voyaged into our next country of Cambodia.  No more WordPress problems here, so the blog should be coming out regularly.  If you haven’t had a chance, the pictures from our previous blog have now been added.

Entering the Citadel

The Forbidden Purple City

Thien Mu Pagoda

Exploring The Mausoleum of Tu Duc

First View of the Vietnam Coast

Hoi An at Dusk

Thu Bon River

Cau Lau

Vietnamese Paper Lanterns

Standard Self Portrait

Independence Palace

The Streets of Saigon

Hoi An Day 1
We took a 6 hr bus to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a one hour flight to Da Nang and finally a taxi into Hoi An. We had an hour or so in Ho Chi Minh, only enough time to grab my first bowl of real Vietnamese pho from a street cart for $1. Mmmm. Back to street food I can eat.

We arrived in Hoi An around 10:30pm, and it was a ghost town. Shops were boarded and streets were silent. After checking into our hotel, we went around the corner and found a little food cart with a few young people eating on the sidewalk. Tiny town feel. We sat down and were surprised to find that the guy next to us was from Connecticut. He taught me the essential phrases for getting around – hello, how much, thank you, and good night. He also gave us several recommendations as we ate, and helped us order food. We had our first bowl of Mi Quang – yellow rice noodles with slices of pork and a mix of green leafy veggies, topped with a bit of broth to coat the noodles.

Hoi An Day 2
There are over 400 tailor shops in Hoi An – that’s what the town is known for. It’s easy to get overwhelmed. I went to one I read about online called Yaly. Some tailors looked like mom and pop shops; this one looked like a factory. It was bustling with people, and the sales women all had fake American names. Tourist trap.

Most people get suits made, but I wasn’t ready to spend $150+ before testing their skills, so I chose to get a dress made first. Everything was customizable… material, styles, colors, etc. Every girl’s dream, except I actually didn’t enjoy having to make so many decisions while on vacation. It was part of the Hoi An experience, so I rolled with it.

I put a deposit down on my $85 dress, scheduled a fitting for the next day, and walked away feeling slightly robbed. The sales woman told me that prices at Yaly are fixed, but there’s nothing in SE Asia that can’t be bargained. I ended up wandering into a different tailor shop on the way back to the hotel and got another work dress made for only $20! Oh well.. fool me once.

Hoi An Day 3
I heard that the cooking class at Morning Glory restaurant was a must (Morning Glory is a popular vegetable in SE Asia with high nutritional value, in case you’re wondering). Thanks for another great rec, Chris! The class was the highlight of Hoi An for me. It started with a market tour where we learned about cooking and medicinal purposes of fruits and herbs; then we returned to the restaurant and made a five-course meal – cabbage soup, crispy pancakes, fresh spring rolls, mango salad and chicken skewers. Traditionally though, there are no”courses” in Vietnamese dining – all dishes are served at once and eaten in whichever order one chooses. The instructor, Ms. Vy, taught us interesting facts like this throughout the cours… tumeric is good for your skin, mung bean is good for liver detox, etc. I love interesting tidbits like this.

After the class, I returned to Yaly for my fitting. I didn’t like my dress. Still, I got it sized and scheduled a final fitting for later in the day. FYI, that’s typically how this tailor town works; first visit is to show a pic of the piece you want made (they have tons of catalogues as well as internet for you to browse), choose your fabric, choose your style and get measured. Second visit is a loose try on of the piece and further fitting; this is where you want to be very specific about the details, otherwise you end up with the tailor’s vision instead of yours. Third visit is usually the final, and they’ll have you wait around until while they make final adjustments. That’s why in this town, I did a lot of walking the same streets and eating at the same places – you have to just be ‘around’ to keep returning to the tailor for fittings. Later in the day, I got my final dress from Yaly and the other random shop. Didn’t really love either of them. However, out of bordem and a little frustration, I decided to get a blazer made as well. Hoped that third time would be a charm.

Hoi An Day 3
I spent some time on An Bang beach, which is roughly 3 miles from the main part of town. Yep, another great rec from Chris. It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle. It was a quiet beach and I got a motorbike ride there for 20 Dong ($1). Could have also rented a bike for the day for the same price.

Later in the day, I returned to the tailor for my blazer. It fit! Third time was a charm, and I started to understand how people get hooked to personal tailoring.

In Summary
Hoi An is very much a community with a tiny town feel. The buildings are mostly yellow with brown trim – the architecture combines influence from surrounding countires and is a site in itself. For some reason, Beauty and the Beast type of town comes to mind.

Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect: every other shop is either a custom tailor, custom shoe maker, jewelry store, souvenir store, or fake Polo/Lacoste shirt street stall. All the food street carts are the same - they all sell Cau Lau and Mi Quang. I’m convinced they mark everything up for tourists, but even with the markup, you should expect a bowl of noodle soup to be no more than 25 Dong; without meat, expect a 5 Dong discount (ask for the discount or you won’t get it!).

“Early to bed, early to rise” is a great description of this town. It’s difficult to find a restaurant open past 10pm, and the locals are out and about by 4:30am to sell the freshest meat and produce at the Central Market. If you buy ingredients after noon, ask for a discount because produce is considered less fresh at that time (since everything has been subjected to the sun).

So what’s the catch phrase for Hoi An? Like I said, every city has one (and I’m highly amused by them). In Hoi An, it’s, “You look in my shop? Happy hour, many styles, many colors.” In actuality, every store is the same. Whoever mass produces the jewelry and knock-off brand name shirts in Vietnam has a monopoly!

Next stop… Hanoi.

The UNESCO Old Town of Hoi An has been preserved in the character of its original 17th century construction. We wandered down narrow lanes with Sino-French architecture poking from behind the countless vending stalls. Many of the colorful old buildings lining the streets have had the bottom renovated into a shop, with the historic charm left to the second story.

Hoi An is home to the tourists destination for custom-tailored clothes of all sorts. Silk gowns? Sure. Italian leather tuxedo lined with Peruvian alpaca wool? I’m sure you could get it for a well under-wholesale bargain price. Haggling is a must, and with the shops starting the bidding at 500% value, getting ripped off can still feel like a moral victory once you’ve talked then down to half price.

Tired of sightseeing the Old Town, we decided to book a boat trip out to the pristine Cham Islands off the coast. We figured this would be a perfect day excursion before an outrageously long train to Saigon. On our walk back to the hotel, we were harassed by a friendly shop owner, Mr. Giau. Sporting couple of stylish five-inch follicles of coarse black hair twirls from his underchin, he coaxed us into renting a motorbike for the next day. Rather, he had a competitive price and nicer bikes than other places. And sweet neck hair.

Back at the hotel we had no better ideas, so we grabbed a pair of bicycles from Mr. Giau and the chin hair and set off for Cửa Đại (Cua Dai) beach. About 4 km north east along a poorly maintained road, my bike squeaked with every wheel rotation, somehow managing not to collapse onto a heap of metal and bolts. The beach wasn’t too crowded for a Friday afternoon and we soaked in the sun and salty brine until the evening market began to set up and ran us off our prime real estate. Back in the city with the bikes returned, relaxing for a brief while in air conditioned comfort felt amazing.

Hoi An has some of the best food options in Vietnam. Bridging the north and south cuisines, while incorporating a few specialties of their own (true Cau lau noodles must be made with water from a specific Hoi An well), the city is a hungry foodie’s paradise. We let a couple of ladies in the central cafeteria scream enticements at us before we sat down. We sampled a local Cau lau noodle bowl, with fresh green veggies under a pile of dense egg noodles and a tasty spiced meat broth, it was quite tasty.  On the walk home, we picked up our motorbike and sped the block and a half back to the hotel.

The night before, the hotel owner, Steve (a friend of Ben and fellow Aussie), had convinced us to head north towards Da Nang and Marble Mountain.  Once the site of a massive mining operation for (it’s a toughie) marble, Vietnam shut it down when upon realizing that they were eating into a site of lucrative tourism.  After a quick breakfast at another squatty noodle stand, we set off. There is no shortage of marble shops below the site, but nowadays all of the rock comes from China.  I piloted the motorbike between trucks, tourists, and statues being wheeled from one place to another and parked.  An uneven set of stairs leads up the side of the largest mountain, winding around to many pagodas and caves.  Some of the larger caves have been turned into sites of worship and there are some large Buddha there.

There are five separate “mountains” that make up the Mountain, but only one is really worth the climb.  The view from the top spread from Da Nang out to Núi Sơn Trà (Nui Son Tra, or Monkey Mountain) and down the long China Beach that has a couple different names along the way towards Hoi An.

After a trip down the treacherous marble stairs, we steered along the beach highway to Monkey Mountain.  I have no idea why it is called that – it’s more of a hill that extends a bit off the coast.  I took a wrong turn and we ended up at the old American radar base which is now being used by the Vietnamese, but is very closed to tourists.  There was a little helipad-turned-pagoda and the views over Da Nang harbor were great.

From the top, we coasted down the road on our trusty thunder hog and cruised back down the highway to An Bang Beach.  An Bang is a little slice of heaven nestled in the cleavage of Hoi An’s beach country. It’s located on a secluded section not yet overblown by hotel developments and just far enough away to deter the casual beach bum. Between swimming alone (literally) in the clear waters and relaxing in the shaded beach chairs we somehow managed to have a decent afternoon.

I know what your thinking; “what a shit hole.”  It was here that we realized our commuting had doubled as an extended sunning session and the thick coatings of sun screen were too little too late.  I was slowly becoming lobsterboy and Bree was just as badly roasted.  We retreated to the hotel room and a cold shower.

Back in town, we realized that we should probably plan how we were leaving the next day. We stumbled upon a random travel agent and found the trains booked for the next three days.  This left us with few options. But our friendly agent Flower arranged the best scenario for us. Night bus to Nha Trang (12 hours) spend all day there, night train to Saigon (8 hours). Bummer.  She told us to pick the tickets up at latest 3:30 for the 6pm bus. However, our boat trip was supposed to return at 5pm. We were in a bit of a pickle. But like most things in life, we took it as a challenge in our abilities to be awesome.

Returning to our street food the next morning, another yummy noodle bowl made for a good breakfast before we were swept off to the islands.  On a neat covered wooden boat, we slowly motored out to the Cham Islands – pristine and jungle covered above with fish and coral swimming below.  We spent a couple hours at a few different diving sites snorkeling and jumping off the boat’s roof.  The captain steered us to a secluded beach for a buffet lunch and hammock relaxation – you know, slumming it.  Returning to the mainland after spending all day snorkeling face down in the water, it was fairly clear to me where I had neglected to apply sun screen generously enough: the bottoms of my wing flaps were the newest addition to lobsterboy.

The shuttle dropped us in town at exactly five minutes after 5pm. We rushed across the bridge to our hotel, grabbed our packs, and hurried back towards the bus pickup, passing by Mr Giau’s shop one last time. As he wished us good luck on our travels and we bid a hasty goodbye, his neck whisker swaying gently in the breezy evening, waving us on our way.

We somehow found Flower’s shop in time for our bus to Nha Trang. Our travel agent friend tsked us and handed over our train tickets for the next day’s journey to Saigon. Braced for another hell carriage where sleep goes to think about what it’s done wrong, I was pleasantly surprised by another one of Vietnam’s slaps in the face to western thinking. They know how to make a sleeper bus: Russian nesting doll-style almost fully reclined seat bunk beds.  Although a little short and narrow for the average non-tiny Asian person, it wasn’t all that bad. Shortly into the trip, I thought I saw something crawly out of the corner of my eye.  “Did you see one?!” a very excited Brit asked. “Was that a cockroach?” “Yeah! If you seen one of those bastards its your duty to kill it! We’re all in this together!” She seemed like she had the situation under control, and I fell asleep before thinking too much about it.

We arrived early in Nha Trang.  As in 5 AM early.  The streets were already lively abounding with sidewalk stands and good smells.  After stashing our backpacks at the local backpackers’ hostel for the day, we headed to the beach.  Nha Trang is famous for its nightlife and party scene (self-described as hedonistic) so the beach was largely void of tourists.  Although the city area we walked around in seemed a bit like some sort of Vegas-Chinatown hybrid, the beach was very nice.  A beautiful sand strip runs parallel with the main downtown, full of reedy huts and people trying to sell you everything from food to parasailing rides.  Snagging a pair of prime location sunbeds, I curled up in the thatched-roof shade and fell back asleep.  Bree dug her nose into a fantasy novel and spent the morning reading.  In a valiant effort to vealify ourselves, the two of us managed to do very little moving that day.  With just a single trip to the nearby minimart, it was by far the full-day low of activity we have had in three months.  I could say it was terrible, but that wouldn’t actually be true.

That evening, we grabbed dinner and hopped on a train to Saigon for the final leg of our journey on the Reunification Express (the name given to the railway connecting Hanoi with Saigon).  Another example of poor planning, we arrived for the second day in a row at 5AM.  After a short wait and taxi we checked into our hostel.  Saigon is a city similar to Bangkok – an enormous sensory overload of exciting.  Unlike Hanoi, which has tried to maintain its Old Quarter charm, Saigon has built up and out and up some more.  Intermixed with New York skyscrapers and Chinese Temples, the people are largely unchanged from elsewhere in the country – endlessly honking amid a sea of motorbikes ignoring traffic lights to and from their favorite squatty stand or market stall.  This picture is actually quite tame compared to the normal vehicular weaving that occurs.

Situated in the backpackers district, there were far too many whiteys for our comfort level.  It seems that the infrastructure of the area has largely been transformed to appease the influx of tourists – the market, stalls, and restaurants were all very unadventurous and toned down.  Not that they still weren’t interesting, just a bit tame from elsewhere. After a jaunt around the Bến Thành Market (Ben Thanh, Central Market) for breakfast, we headed to the Reunification Palace and War Remnants Museum.  Both were closed for the lunch-siesta period, so we kept walking around the city and stumbled across one of the most amazing scenes in Vietnam yet.

Eventually, we came to Notre Dame – an installation from the French colonial period.  Just across Paris Square, was the famous Saigon Post Office, another French-built structure.  Inside the Post Office, there were neat late 1800’s maps of the Cambodage area (which were less than accurate) and a mosaic of Ho Chi Minh observing the action of the hall.  Outside, we picked up some cold drinks and imitated the locals.

On our walk back to the Museum, we passed the first supermarket we have seen in SE Asia and Bree nearly wept with happiness.  We also came across, the best mango smoothie ever and drank it.  The War Remnants Museum was more of a dedication to the war crimes committed by America museum.  It was a sobering look at the devastation and horrific acts during the War.  A floor was dedicated to the horrors of Agent Orange, the 2,3,7,8-TCDD (super bonus points for naming the big ugly) containing juice used as a defoliant.  The carcinogenic and teratogenic effects are still being seen today, although very little help goes out to the Vietnamese sufferers.  There were also some fascinating pictures from photojournalists on both sides of the fight.  Then it was back to the hostel and dinner, but not before we hit the supermarket and loaded up on grub.

An epic quest for breakfast led the team down to District 4 and a pretty amazing market street.  Overflowing into the street, produce of every given color was splayed out enticingly for the shoppers.  Motorbikes screech to a stop and shout at the owners who, having idly been picking their feet, quickly scramble around their area throwing this and that into a bag and the motorbike takes off between the slow ambling crowd.

After walking by most of the market and a lot of unrefrigerated slabs of meat and fish, we opted in a different direction.  Over to Chinatown, we crept into the more quiet market where there was also a lot more unrefrigerated meat stuff and fake the plural of Rolex (just Rolex, or Rolexes, Rolexi?), designer clothing, and sparkly jewelry.  We found the food section and ate.  The shrimp here is cooked in a really delicious sauce, but you eat the whole thing, shell and all – I don’t have much of a problem with it…

The whole of Chinatown is fairly small, so walking the streets passed by various Chinese Temples.  Each was different and dedicated to certain deities and often an influential person of that culture.  On the walk, we espied a must-try listed food that had previously escaped our mouths, so we stopped for brunch number two at a bột chièn (bot chien) stand and crammed it down in front of a temple.

Returning from Chinatown, we lazed around for some of the afternoon and went on a short walk.  That evening marked our first true “miss” at street food – a Bun bo hue place that was pretty bad, although it was really our fault for picking a place right along backpackers row.  It appeared a bit less geared toward attracting the outsiders, but it was actually geared towards just being bad at food.

On our last full day in Saigon, we greeted the tai-chiers in the parks and ambled down to the waterfront.  Coming back along what could have easily been the ritziest street in the whole city, it was lined with five-star hotels and designer stores – a bit disconnected from the area just a minute’s walk in either direction.  But a neat building named – are you ready – Trụ sở Ủy ban Nhân dân Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh (Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Hall, i.e. City Hall) was in the area and we stopped by.

Our walk continued via a detour and return to the best smoothie place ever.  I cannot even being to describe for you the feeling of a cold fruity smoothie when it is the devil’s bedroom (complete with humidifier) hot outside.  It was not just good, it was that good.  The fun continued and we reappeared at the Central Market, for some bargaining in the touristy expanse.  I left with a couple of shirts, and Bree with a couple of airy floof pants, all for dirty cheap (both price and quality).  The shop owners were funny and good natured despite the constant competitive bargaining, grabbing my arms and pulling me into their shops to insist that I buy pink lady shorts because I’d look sexy.  The best way to get what you want is to play along and have fun, but be pretty set on what price you want to give them.

After purchasing our goods, the friendly owner slapped at me, “you too good bargainer, I no get lucky today.”  But I think it still translated in her mind to “suckers, you just got had and now I’m making fun of you and you don’t even know it.”  It began to rain and the thin tin roof started to bounce in the heavy downpour.  We walked home in the warm wetness and camped out for a bit in our room for it to calm down outside.  Still raining but not as hard, we ventured back out for our evening mealtime.  There was an extra-squatty lady just a couple of doors down from the hotel serving up a noodle dish under a poorly engineered tarp shelter who we decided to try it out for dinner.  It was arguably the best meal we had in Saigon.

We had little time to get breakfast the next morning before jumping on the bus to Kampuchea.

The presentation of the food and character of the vendors is what always stood out about Vietnamese markets.  Women donning conical hats and matching patterned pant suits perch themselves on boxes in their characteristic squat position that most of us only dare try in yoga class.  Others drape a scarf across their mouth and nose to shield themselves from the dust and sun, concealing their identity and smiling with their eyes to the many passer-bys.  They sit in a sea of round, flat wicker baskets that display an array of fruits and vegetables – some familiar and others wholly unique to this part of the world.

 As in many countries, especially tropical ones where temperatures soar by mid-day, the markets are the liveliest in the early mornings, however most markets in Vietnam also act as the favourite lunch spot for locals and for good reason.  Step behind the scenes of the Hoi An market in Central Vietnam and amongst bubbling pots and chattering locals savor the town’s most prized delicacy, Cau Lau. This medley of sliced pork, leafy greens, crispy dough squares and bean sprouts all on a bed of thick rice noodles is the best $2 you will ever spend.  Unique to Hoi An, you will see Cau Lau on offer at every cafe in town, but don’t be enticed by plush seating and water views; I’ve tried them all and believe me the market wins.  Hands down.

Vietnam markets are also unique in that sometimes they come to you.  Imagine yourself sitting on the beach in the coastal town of Nha Trang. Your mouth parched from the 40 degree sun blazing down on you, when out in the distance you see a woman bound towards you with a collection of fresh fruit.  She offers everything from pineapples and mangos (sliced into bite-sized pieces, no doubt) to dragon fruit (more of an art piece than a succulent fruit) and rambutans (the lychee’s hairy cousin).  Is it a mirage you may ask yourself; nah, this is just beautiful Vietnam.

As seen on The Foodnetwork.ca.  Photolicious: Vietnam’s Hoi An Market.

Aparna spent a year working in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & Thailand. She loved the chaos of Hanoi. She spent a good part of that time making the Vietnamese market women laugh due to her unusually large eyes and rather loud laugh.

Aparna

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@originaltrails

And I think this is one of the funniest things that has happened on this trip – we attended a stranger’s wedding! On the day of the dinner at the beach, we received an impromptu wedding invitation. Michelle and Gordon (our newly made friends) have a good friend who is marrying 2 people at the beach, and we are invited. We arrived, feeling a bit strange among the guests, whom we thought to be at least friends of the couple – but no one knew them! After we heard that we didn’t feel so strange about being in a stranger’s wedding picture… it was quite a fun experience. It was an informal wedding (let’s see where should the bride stand? – Oh there she is, get out of the way!), but very sweet and on the beach with a huge, frothing surf and a beautiful, stormy gray sky. Definitely an experience to remember!

I think the most idiotic question you could ask yourself in Hoi An is “Where is a tailor??” Because they’re everywhere. When I say everywhere I don’t mean on every second corner, like Starbucks – I mean one after the other after the next. Almost every single storefront is occupied by a tailor. We are, unfortunately, very confined when it comes to shopping because of the size of our bags, but we did allow ourselves to indulge in buying au dais, the elegant, traditional Vietnamese dresses. We only went back to the tailor 4 times for fitting and readjustments – but they ended up looking great!

During our time in Hoi An we attended a cooking class with Green Bamboo Cooking School and visited the local (and only) market. The women who teaches has been frequenting this market since a little girl, and the old women remember her and have known her since then – adding to that little-town, special-bond feeling you get between people who have been parts of each other’s lives forever. In a large city the person who works at the register in your local supermarket isn’t always the same – and so you never really get that relationship that builds over time. We cooked cau lau, a specialty to Hoi An and only Hoi An. These special noodles are flavored with the ash of a special tree and is rumoured to be cooked in special water from the ancient Cham well nearby. Anyway, they are unbelievably good – smoky and sweet! And since we can only get them in Hoi An, we ate as much of them as we could!

Hoi An is a quaint little town, and the entire feeling we had there was one of the closest to home in a while. It’s such a small town that we came to know its streets, visualize particular corners (in big cities you can only the visualize the street your hotel is on – everything else is a blur!), and walk around knowledgeably and comfortably without a map. Our tailor ladies know us, so does the coconut lady in the market, and the staff at our favorite restaurant Blue Dragon. Having friends (and talking to other people for once!), spending time together at the beach and having dinner together was really special since we haven’t done that in so long. We took walks by the riverside and biked through the rice paddies. It was the first feeling of… being locals.

He would fit right in!

Papa's new little boy!

Lets play spot the local.  Harder than finding Waldo.

Cau Lau – delicious noodles only found in Hoi An.  Cause it needs to be made from water from a certain Well.  I didn’t ask what was in the water.  Probably better that way, I had it 4 times in 2 days.

But then again, the last week or so has been pretty amazing in terms of chance encounters. We shared our Sapa homestay (see Muddy Memories in Sapa) with a pleasant Canadian-English couple, whom we had a nice couple days of chats with. At the end of our stay, we part ways and head back to Hanoi on separate days. Two days later, wandering the streets of Hanoi, a city of 6 million (and 4 million motorbikes apparently), we literally walk right into each other. Okay, so it was in front of the Opera House we probably have seen the same people before, but these guys were just more familiar to us and well, seeing the same people was bound to happen.

Hoi An Riverview

We meet another pair on our eventful cruise in Halong Bay (see previous post). They’re from Canada. Yay! Vancouver too. Hurray! I’ll refer to them as “BC” because that’s what their initials spell out to be, and well that’s where they’re from. Turns out “B” went to my highschool (or rather I went to hers, since she predates me by a few years) and graduated with the same major as Judy at the same University. “C” works for the same company that administered my benefits and worked down the street from where I did. Fine, coincidences aside, we get along great and we part ways without any intention of seeing each other again except “maybe back in Vancouver”.

Hoi An’s lovely Japanese Covered Bridge

We get to the lovely but touristy town of Hoi An a few days later, and you guessed it, BC is sauntering down the same backalley at night as we are. We decide to meet up the next day for dinner seeing as the universe has decided that all Vancouverites in Vietnam should stick together. But its clear that even a few hours apart is unacceptable, as we run into them again in a small Museum of Folk Art in the early afternoon, hours before our scheduled dinner date. We leave the pair not saying goodbye but “see you later” knowing that somehow, somewhere, we’ll find each other again.

Separated at birth apparently, only to be reunited in ‘Nam

I haven’t been feeling so great since the end of the homestay in Sapa. Either a mild flu or nasty cold has got me short-tempered on many days. I can’t say many of the locals are making me feel any better either. In Hue, the old imperial capital, we seem to be swindled or scammed everywhere we turn. What appears to be a friendly cyclo (bicycle rickshaw) ride turns out to be a hard sell for a boat cruise and a demand for 50% more than what we agreed upon. Fed up, we take a cab ride to the boat docks, where the metered taxi unabashedly takes us for a ride to run up the meter. Another seemingly successful haggle for a boat ride ends up with the skipper taking us a few hundred meters short of our negotiated stop and refusing to go any further. A popular Viet-glish of the saying for those involved in the tourist trade is “same same” meaning, its similar so you pay the same price (even when it’s obviously not). Foreigners have taken the saying and added “…but different” to the end which such ubiquity that it appears on t-shirts and café names all around southern Vietnam.

No doubt the captain of this particular boat insisted that one bridge was “same same” as the other and proceeded to deposit us to the closest one available so that he could get on with his day short-changing other unsuspecting tourists.

Happy times on the cyclo before the “misunderstanding”

Hue Citadel detail

Down Hue’s Perfume River, well almost all the way down

Getting out of Hue as quickly as possible we head to beach town Nha Trang on the overnight train. Sun and sand, exactly what we need, we tell ourselves. It’s already 25 degrees in Hue, and Nha Trang is 12 hours away due south, so it must be positively tropical down there. As with all things left to chance, the weather is decidedly less than what we expected. It’s pouring rain and feels much cooler than the 30 degrees we were itching for. So we take the opportunity to rest up and recover from all the lovely bugs we’ve collected in our lungs. The only time we brave the dampness outside is for meal time, in yet another backpacker district filled with “international cafes” offering “Italian, Indian, and Vietnamese cuisine” – all on one menu! It seems that every backpacker district worth it’s salt has at least one Indian restaurant claiming a “real Indian chef from India” or French food “cooked by Europeans”. For lunch we stick to Pho but pay double the price as a local joint. For dinner, as we walk not two blocks from our hotel, when we hear the familiar cry “CANADA!” from none other than BC, drinking Tiger beer on an open patio – pretty much exactly as we had left them in Hoi An. Sharing yet another table not the second but third place together, these four Vancouverites, I can’t help but shake the feeling of Déjà vu. Or should I say rather, Same Same?

Lovely view from our hotel room in Nha Trang, just in time before they build another to block the view

Deserted beach once again!?

Back in Hoi An, a great deal of colour and eating beckoned. The colourful Chinese lanterns dotting the streets and the relaxed way of life really charmed me. Here, there were few motorcycles and a lot of people got around either on foot or by bicycle.

I spotted some amusing sights on the way, like this couple trying very hard to relax for their wedding photo shoot…

… while their costumed wedding party awaited.

And just before dinner I spotted this restaurateur picking his nose outside his very empty joint. I wonder why no one patronised his cafe.

I headed on towards the market where lots of yummy sights and smells awaited. The sheer variety of fruit, vegetables and herbs made me yearn for a kitchen to whip up some food inspired by the local produce.

I settled with having their local snacks instead. First, there were these odd little pancakes, reminiscent of the Indian appom. The tiny cakes were small enough to pop into the mouth whole and were crispy. The greasiness was countered by the shredded vegetables and herbs and the whole ensemble completed with a spamstick and a mystery-meat ball. It was a very satisfying starter.

A short wander away was this version of bun. The thick rice noodles were bespattered with thick sweet sauce a bit like the stuff at home that’s put on yong tau fu, just quite a bit more savoury. It was much nicer with the hot sauce and the hotter yellow chillis.

Yet another odd dish was this plate of assorted steamed dumplings. I wasn’t particularly impressed even though the guide book said something about “white rose” which was supposed to be shrimp encased in rice paper of sorts and steamed. It was more like soon kueh with slightly drier skin. Not bad when hot but not much more than not bad.

Wandering away from the market, I ducked into an alley along the quaint streets…

… and found myself in a little porch with a bowl of cau lau in front of me. This is a Hoi An specialty that involves flat yellow noodles being smothered with braised pork and topped with lime juice and the usual herbage. It’s finished off with crispy fried rice paper bits and tastes really yummy, though very much reminding of what I do at home with leftover braised pork.

The best dish I had in Hoi An was the chicken rice, thankfully not featured in the guide but chanced upon on the street. The rice was cooked with chicken stock, just like Hainanese chicken rice at home. Unlike the stuff at home, it was topped with a whole variety of oddities like boiled pork, beansprouts and herbs. Not to mention, the chicken was just the shredded type torn apart with fingers. The flavour was amazing. It was an epiphany to have incredibly aromatic, chickeny rice matched with herbs like coriander and laksa leaves. It was definitely a step up from Hainanese chicken rice.

I’m sure some of you must be wondering why I hadn’t mentioned Vietnam’s national drink yet. The coffee here is thick, strong and incredibly sweet and milky with added condensed milk. And that’s the only way you should have it. Ask for ca phe sua da and you get a tall glass of ice to cool it all down with. It’s wonderful on a hot day. When you’re done, chase it down with the green tea provided gratis.

I first noticed this coffee place because of the many men perched on red plastic chairs watching TV in the morning. They disappeared by midday and I only ventured there in the afternoon to get a mobile plan top up card and a glass of coffee. After the first sip, I was hooked. I spent every afternoon there enjoying my ca phe sua da, playing with the very cute puppy called Remain, and chatting with the proprietress about Hoi An, Vietnam and Singapore.