Ralph and Karen's Tours

After our plans were changed at the last minute due to Typhoon Kanjiki there were concerns that our flight from Hanoi to Da Nang would be affected or even cancelled.

We arrived at Hanoi Airport expecting the worst but everything went according to plan apart from a minor delay on departure.

An hour later we touched down in Da Nang and had a driver from our Hoi An accommodation waiting to take us on the 40 minute drive North. No sign of typhoon Kanjiki here.

Hoi An is on Vietnams central coastal area located on the banks of the Thu Bon River. While there is historical evidence of this region being occupied as far back as the 2nd Century, it wasn’t until the 1500s that is began to thrive as a trading port right through until the 1900s.

It is because of this history that the “Old Town” has been given UNESCO importance. There is currently a population of just u der 200,000 which is significantly less than the 8 million who live in and around the craziness of Hanoi.

We reached the hotel which is the Bel Marina Resort around 10pm and after a lovely meet and greet we were taken to our most gorgeous room with a beautiful welcome message.

What a lovely greeting. We didn’t want to muck up the bed

The room is just magnificent and luxurious – I could get used to this that’s for sure.

We wandered down to breakfast and relaxed over a steaming hot bowl of freshly prepared pho, and any other mixture of eastern and western breakfast options – after my pho I had some fruit and peanut butter on toast. How good.

We went for a walk to orientate ourselves and found the town is surrounded by waterways with bridges connecting all areas. It is a most beautiful little town with markets – both wet and dry – lining the streets and the calls from vendors and passers by ringing loudly in your ears. It’s very exciting.

See what I mean? It’s awesome. And the people all to friendly and willing to chat about their produce. I think they were talking about their produce ..

We were on the lookout for a leather backpack for Erin, our daughter and the very first leather shop we entered looked like they had exactly what we were after.

The gorgeous seller told us to take as many photos as we wanted so we could send to Erin to see if she like d it. Which we did.

Because it was the very first shop we moved on to explore elsewhere but ultimately Erin agreed it was the best option by a mile so after some friendly banter and haggling the deal was done with everyone happy with the outcome.

It ended up pretty funny as they asked if it was ok to film us in the final stages of the transaction so they could post the video on their Tik Tok page. Haha. I’m a famous tik tok influencer in Vietnam !

The weather was hot and steamy but the Ancient Town offered plenty of shade for us to keep exploring, this time for me to search for a linen jacket.

The first place we went to that had been recommended was closed. The second didn’t have a god vibe about it and their quote was silly. Even if it is for a bespoke linen jacket. So I gave up.

About 100m down the road I saw exactly what I was after and the lovely owner invited us in, sat us down and gave us welcomed cold water in front of their aircon.

Measurements taken, fabric chosen, design agreed …. Then apparently I “needed” a new linen shirt to go with the new jacket 😬

The most enjoyable no stress environment. And all for less than half the price that the original place quoted me just for the jacket.

We pick it up tomorrow – so I’ll reserve my judgement until then but I’m confident it will be a win.

We got back to the resort/hotel in the early afternoon and headed up to the rooftop infinity pool and bar. Rather than the lagoon style pool downstairs because there are no kids upstairs.

And what an oasis – hanging over the river with ridiculously beautiful views. You could get to like this.

We had a great chat to a couple from Hobart which were among the very few Australians we’ve met so far and swapped stories. So far both they and us agree that Vietnam is such a great value destination to visit as well as the cultural intensity it offers.

The Hoi An Night Markets are among the most popular and famous in all of Vietnam. And for a very good reason – they are set up between the two rivers and are just gorgeous and a five minute walk from our hotel.

The lanterns on display and for sale are a huge part of the attraction and are of every size, shape and colour. People pay (about 60c) to have their photos taken among the lantern displays.

The market is full of very good “100% genuine copies” of brand name products, as well as original and traditional pottery, ceramics, art and jewellery. Thousands of people flock here each night.

Scattered among the merchandise are many food stalls offering lots of tasty morsels to tempt your taste buds.

At the top of the market, the road along the river comes alive with restaurants and cafes all vying for your business while overlooking the beautiful scenes of the lantern boats all floating up and down the river.

We chose a restaurant that had been recommended to us by friends and sat outside enjoying the passing views. Food was great, beer and wine nice and cold and the service extra special.

When out of the blue …..

Man it rained !

Within ten minutes the road was literally flooded to overflowing

So we relaxed with another beer waiting for it to pass. and another beer.

The locals came out of the woodwork selling umbrellas and emergency ponchos which ended up being a good idea

And we were able to wade through this horrible mucky water back to the hotel.

Then the rain stopped what a fabulous night !

Our next day plan was to head out to the Ba Na Hills, around 90 minutes from Hoi An to visit some spectacular scenery and an amazing bridge called “Golden Hands Bridge”. But the weather Gods conspired against us as the mountainous inland region was supposed to be draped in fog.

And we struggled finding someone to take us there and back that we were confident with – prices varied significantly and when all was said and done we chose to stay local, explore more of the ancient town and relax.

We went back to the tailor for my final fitting and everything was perfect. So … I decided to get them to make me a couple of pair of shorts as well. Why not? the total cost was AUD$201 for a gorgeous navy linen fully lined jacket ($110), a blue and white striped linen shirt ($35) and two pair of linen shorts ($28 each).

On the way back to the hotel we sat in a gorgeous little cafe on the river front and had a bite to eat – a banh mi of course – and a couple of refreshing drinks while we sat people watching.

What a way to pass an hour or so.

The prices of food and drinks are as good as we can remember anywhere else in the world we’ve visited. And the quality of food and drink is brilliant.

So far we haven’t had a poor meal, everything fresh and clean and so enjoyable.

On average we are getting beers for between 25,000-80,000 Vietnamese dong which is around $1.45-$4.30 with the top end either in a fancy hotel or restaurant or a draft craft beer.

The wine is amazingly good/great. We have had no trouble whatsoever getting glasses of French, Chilean, Spanish wines for very reasonable prices between $5 and $12. So good.

Cocktails are normally $6-$12 and often on a 2 for one deal so there’s no shortage of drinking options. Of course we are drinking more water than anything and at 50c for a litre bottle that’s an easy decision.

Food options are plentiful. From street food which is brilliant and just so cheap to 5 star restaurants that are a fraction of the price of what we’d pay at home.

For example a banh mi is normally between $2 and $3.

A bowl of freshly cooked pho is normally $3

We went to a street food restaurant in Hanoi and had pho, Vietnamese chicken rice, a couple of beers and a soft drink and the bill came to AUD$14

The other end of the spectrum was in a French/vietnamese fusion restaurant where we had a full meal including wine and beer and even desert and it cost us $60. The same meal at home would have been closer to $200

The restaurant we were in when the typhoon rains came through a couple of nights ago was called “Morning Glory” recommended by friends of ours. it was a super restaurant right on the river front and probably considered an upscale restaurant.

We had prawn and pork dumplings, fresh green beans with pork mince, tuna fish cakes, king prawn and pork in a clay pot with all number of sides. Each dish was just superb. Because we were stuck there we had extra beers and wine (French Rose) and the total bill was AUD$65.

Last night we wandered around looking for a cafe we’d seen and we found it – it’s called “Iberico Tapas & Vino”. A Spanish/Vietnamese Tapas Bar ! Again on the river with gorgeous staff and location.

Well … what an experience ! Freshly imported and sliced jamon and chorizo, manchego cheese, jamon croquettes, patatas bravas, bbq king prawns in tomato and garlic and roasted eggplant. F. A. R. Out! comida brillante !

Add a few sangria and Estrella beers. What a night and even though it was AUD$100 the price is half of what we’d pay at home.

Our last full day in Hoi An has come around very quickly and it’s fair to say we’ll be sad to leave tomorrow for Ho Chi Minh City.

It’s the first day where the sun is out and shining in its full glory with temps in the high 20’s, not too hot and a lovely feathering breeze.

We took a free shuttle bus from our hotel for the short – 10 minute – ride down to An Bang Beach.

What a gorgeous place. The drive out to the beach took us through Hoi An town, which we didn’t even know existed and on a future visit deserves more exploring.

The beach is a long stretch of golden sand with lovely clear blue water of the South China Sea.

We are trying to swim in as many oceans, seas, bays that we can around the world and this one ticks another box.

It’s a typical Asian beach, with awesome beach lounges and umbrellas with bars and restaurants lining the water front. The water temp was ideal – maybe a fraction warm – and crystal clear.

The Cham Islands are on show from the beach and they sit approx 15kms off the coast and are popular for snorkelling and diving day trips. There are 8 islands in the archipelago with only one island – Hon Lao – inhabited. This looks like another reason to bring us back here.

What a relaxing way to spend a day (and catch up on writing this blog 😬)

Our last night in Hoi An, and we’d had some fabulous food all week. Not had a bad meal. But we were looking for something a bit different and ended up deciding to visit a place called Madame Hein – another French/Vietnamese fusion restaurant.

The restaurant is an end building in a block a couple of streets back from the river that is over 230 years old and it is gorgeous. Lots of original features and some well chosen renovations.

We sat out front under a lovely cooling fan and were greeted beautifully and made feel welcome straight away.

The drinks menu was terrific, with some lovely French wines on Offer and ice cold beer.

The menu is just perfect – lots of local produce, home grown herbs with just a touch of French influence included. 

We chose two starters – home made pate with lovely lightly toasted baguette and a pork charsui rice paper roll that was beautiful.

For mains, we shared bbq chicken with lime and honey, served with bom chow and rice and a coconut and tamarind seafood casserole – chock full of prawns, squid, clams, fish and vegetables 

Simply superb. The best meal we have had in our two weeks in Vietnam

All the while we had lovely friendly conversation with the host who loves her job, and knows the history of the place and her foods.

We couldn’t have had a better end to four fabulous days in this sensational little town – we will return.