Hoi AnHoi An in central Vietnam is a charming town and definitely worth a visit. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the old town dates from the 15th century and the port has been an important trading place since the 1st century, when it was the largest harbour in SE Asia. Over the years, Chinese, Japanese, Dutch and Indian merchants settled in the town and influenced the culture and architecture. Perhaps the most famous site in Hoi An is the unique Japanese Bridge, which has a Buddhist temple attached. There are also a number of museums, ancient houses, temples, communal houses and Chinese Assembly halls.
Entry to the old town of Hoi An costs 120,000 VND ($6 if you don't have local currency) and includes access to your choice of 5 of 22 attractions. Tickets are valid for 24 hours, so you can use on 2 days. Most hotels in Danang offer a complimentary shuttle service to and from Hoi An - we would recommend visiting in the evening when lanterns float down the river and the town comes to life. |
In addition to its interesting architecture and culture, Hoi An is famous for its tailors, whose 600 shops line most of the streets. There is so much choice that it is difficult to decide who to shop with. We wanted the experience of having clothes tailor-made for us but did not want to spend too much in case the quality wasn't good. Also, we only had one day left in Danang before flying to Saigon, so needed clothes to be made quickly. After popping into a few shops but not being happy with the materials available, we found Thien Thanh Cloth Shop on Le Loi. Although not strictly a tailor, they made us a pair of shorts, a work dress and 2 jackets ($180 total price). The jackets were good, except that they were made with single vents instead of the double requested. After a second fitting, the shorts were perfect and the dress was ok - good for the price. Whilst another fitting would have helped each piece and the quality wasn't perfect, this was a fun and good value shop to go to without too much sales pressure, so would recommend especially for holiday wear. Also excellent was the recommended shoe shop Mi Su, who custom made Mrs d2t two pairs of leather sandals (with leather lining) - very comfortable even after a day cycling and walking in the rain and $70 for 2 pairs seemed a fair price.
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