Discovering the Charm of Hoi An, Vietnam: A First Visit to Remember
Hoi An, Vietnam, offers a rustic blend of charm and culture, and my first visit was simply adorable.
Here’s a summary of our easygoing weekend trip for a friends birthday. Video and travel essential links below.
The journey started with a smooth DaNang Airport experience; sleepy queues in a clean new airport. British passport needs no visa but other passports can apply online (takes a few days to process.)
Collected by our friendly hotel driver, it was an efficient one-hour hotel car transfer to the Moire Boutique Hotel, our home for the weekend. Bonus points : We liked Moire’s commitment to local hiring, community engagement and sustainability, and ‘Moire’ is a term used to describe the rippled or wave pattern when silk is scrunched.
Nestled along the riverside, the hotel boasts picturesque views of the historic old town market. Facing parallel, it’s designed to look the same historic style and offers bikes and tour buggies on request. The market is a convenient little bridge walk away, with a charming local laundry stall tucked along the path to the hotel pool, selling water, snacks, vehicle rental and more —a delightful touch of everyday life.
One standout experience at Moire was savoring their salted coffee, a creamy bitter/sweet/salty taste explosion – with an enticing offering of other specialty coffees available at the Yellow Bicycle Cafe. It’s an absolute must for cafe destination travellers (or any sweet coffee lovers!)
While tap water is not drinkable, we safely enjoyed iced coffee at every meal (although I always carry activated charcoal on travels to be safe – available in my travel essentials list below.)
Hoi An itself is a friendly town full of charm. Its old market is a treasure trove of local culture and collectable lanterns, perfect for exploring at a leisurely pace. Beyond sightseeing, Hoi An offers hands-on activities like tailor-made clothing and silver jewelry-making, which can be completed in just a few hours.
The weather was balmy with cool breeze, bright sun requiring hats / sunglasses / sunscreen / insect repellant vital – and breathable easy-dry clothing that won’t catch on things (eg. bike riding / market stalls / motorbikes etc.)
Food was nice – notably the local vegetarian dishes and fresh foods. Our group of mixed diners increasingly ordered vegetable curries, greens and rice dishes as we realised how delicious they were. Some dishes were inexplicably sugary, like pasta or potatoes.
We were told roughly 20% of Hoi An’s populace is international, a combination of long stay travellers, remote workers and retirees – due to the low tax and easy livability. Bikes and motorcycles are popular modes of transport, and we saw quite a few runners jogging past calm al-fresco cafe diners.
Worth noting is the annual November flooding – when the river can rise to gently flood parts of the area for short periods. They’re used to this every year but is good to check if visiting!
This trip left such a charming impression that we’ll happily return. Hoi An’s combination of cultural richness, warm hospitality, and unique experiences makes it a relaxing, romantic and photogenic destination worth revisiting again and again.
My essential items :
- Sunscreen, sunglasses, mosquito repellant, activated charcoal, small bag for easy photo-taking, cool summer clothing that won’t catch on things.
🛍️ Asia travel essentials list : AMAZON
