Vietnam's Lovliest Spot

> > by Catherine Lawson

All along the river, couples emerged from a maze of cobbled streets to stroll the promenade, pausing to ponder menus and settling at alfresco tables with glasses of ice-cold Bia Hoi. As the first irresistible scents of lemongrass and garlic emerged from a dozen kitchens, we rushed to join them.

Easily Vietnam’s most charming coastal town, Hoi An woos romantics with its stunning scenery, ancient temples and luxurious hotels located just a stone’s throw from everything. With cars banished from Hoi An’s narrow cobbled streets, lovers set a leisurely pace here, meandering through the maze of back alleys that house an excess of cafés offering exemplary cuisine, and cobblers and tailors offering made-to-measure goods at bargain prices.

Located halfway along Vietnam’s magnificent 3450 kilometres of coastline, Hoi An stands out as the prettiest and most historically authentic spot on the coast. While much of Vietnam’s French colonial architecture was decimated during what the Vietnamese refer to as the American War, Hoi An remarkably survived unscathed. Today, this vibrant town is World Heritage-listed and for visitors, it serves as a living museum of what other Vietnamese destinations might have looked like long ago.

With exceptional hotels located within strolling distance of the Old Town, a stay in Hoi An rates as one of the highlights of any journey through Vietnam. Tourists tempted here come not only to tour the remarkable architecture and indulge in unique food found nowhere else in the country, but for the fantastic tailored clothing sold at irresistible prices. The skill of Hoi An’s tailors is legendary across Vietnam, and a business suit or evening gown will set you back a mere $20-25. All over town, skilled cobblers craft gorgeous handmade leather shoes, boots and sexy sandals to match. Just make your choice from the racks of fabulous styles, have your measurements taken and within hours, your perfectly fitting new clothes and shoes are ready to go.

For those with empty suitcases, Hoi An’s glazed, blue-and-white porcelain is hard to resist, and the town is particularly well known for its exceptional cotton cloth. And if you are in need of a little personal pampering, just take a stroll through the chaotic waterfront markets and within minutes you’ll be joined by a local beautician offering a massage, facial or pedicure for less than you’d pay for a cup of coffee at home.

The quiet, cobbled streets of Hoi An’s magnificently preserved Old Town lead past more than 800 structures of historical significance: temples, covered-stone bridges, family homes and even an ancient well that continues to supply sweet spring water. Most structures date back a couple of hundred years to a time when the town was known as Faifo, and was one of South-East Asia’s most important trading posts. Attracted by the region’s quality silk, paper, porcelain, pepper, mother-of-pearl and tea, ships sailed from Portugal, Holland, China, Japan, Britain, America, France and India to trade. A number of stunning sites are open for viewing and your $6.50 World Heritage entry ticket allows you to visit a range of buildings of your choice and helps fund continued conservation works around town.

When it’s time to rest your weary feet, you’ll find cafés all over Hoi An serving potent Vietnamese coffee, delivered to your table in a tall glass with a generous layer of sweet condensed milk on the bottom and topped with an individual coffee filter. The distinctive, delicious aroma of “ca phe phin” comes from beans that are roasted with butter, infusing the coffee with a wickedly rich, nutty flavour. Perhaps only the most ardent coffee aficionados will want to sample “Chon” - the most expensive coffee blend that derives its flavour from beans that are fed to weasels, gathered from their excrement, and then roasted.

Hoi An’s exceptional shopping and dining would be enough to sate the demands of most travellers, but there is one remarkable attraction nearby that simply must be included in any itinerary. Rivalling the Khmer’s Angkor Wat and Thailand’s Ayuthaya, the nearby Cham Towers at My Son are an extraordinary, 4th century collection of crumbling, moss-covered temples with a genuine Raiders of the Lost Ark feel. Once the religious and intellectual centre of the Cham Empire, World Heritage-listed My Son stands at the foot of Cat’s Tooth Mountain surrounded by rugged jungle. Despite being extensively bombed by the Americans in their attempts to flush out the Vietcong, My Son remains archaeologically the most important site in the country. Today, many Cham towers are still standing, rising defiantly out of the rubble. And if you look carefully, tiny detailed brickwork decorations are unbelievably still visible. My Son is quite compact, so you can easily explore the towers in a half day tour from Hoi An ($6.50). You can reach My Son independently by moto taxi (about $6.50 per person) or hired motorbike, or join an early morning bus tour and arrive in time to catch sunrise over the monuments ($6.50 with breakfast).

One of the most pleasant ways to spend a few hours in Hoi An is to hire a bicycle (50 cents per day) and escape to the sea. Pedalling the very easy five kilometres east of town, we meandered through rice paddies where men rode ploughs pulled by water buffalos, arriving at the water’s edge on beautiful Cua Dai Beach. The beach boasts some luxurious five-star accommodation and here you can sink into a deckchair on the sand and order sunset cocktails.

While Vietnamese wine is best avoided, a glass of delicious, freshly brewed beer drawn straight from the keg is impossible to resist, especially when it sets you back a tiny 25 cents a glass. When your appetite awakens, it’s time to peruse the menu and delightfully, Hoi An’s magnificent cuisine is entirely worthy of the generous rave it attracts. Specialities include the succulent, steamed “white rose” shrimp dumplings and crispy, fried pork wontons topped with finely chopped vegetables, seafood and fried garlic. The strictly-local Cao Lau can only be genuinely sampled in Hoi An because the noodles around which the dish is based, are made using water taken exclusively from Hoi An’s ancient Ba Le Well. The doughy steamed noodles are mixed with crispy fried croutons, bean sprouts, steamed greens and sliced pork or tofu, and topped with fresh chopped coriander and crumbled, crisp sheets of rice paper.

On a series of gastronomic adventures we indulged in appetisers of fresh coriander and vegetable spring rolls, and zesty salads of sauteed squid and shredded green papaya drizzled with a ginger, garlic, Vietnamese mint and lemon dressing. We ate barbecued whole fish stuffed with lemongrass, coriander and rum, and a fragrant dish of claypot eggplants in a thick, garlic gravy. The overwhelming majority of travellers are content to leave the cooking to Hoi An’s highly capable chefs, but those with an interest in recreating Hoi An’s unique cuisine at home can take part in evening cooking classes held at a few restaurants in the Old Town. Priced from around $8, the classes begin with a demonstration of three or four dishes, after which you and your classmates sit down to sample your efforts.

After a full day exploring, and a leisurely dinner, you’ll be glad your hotel is only a short stroll away. Hoi An’s exceptional range of hotels are conveniently clustered around the Old Town, and with so many to choose from, prices are keenly competitive. A spacious double room with fan, private bathroom, hot water, cable TV and fridge costs a tiny $8 per night for two, and absolute luxury doesn’t cost much more. Most travellers end up spending far longer in Hoi An than they intended, waylaid by the region’s fine food, Old Town ambience, exceptional shopping and stunning scenery. Allow an absolute minimum of two days, but plan to linger longer. In Vietnam, it doesn’t get any better than this.