Our last stop in Vietnam is the charming city of Hoi An. Hoi An is located almost in the exact geographic center of Vietnam (going from south to north), and is a welcome break from the always busy streets of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). The people of Hoi An are welcoming and friendly, and its probably hard not to be when your backyard is miles of lush green rice fields. In terms of landscape, Hoi An has it all: a river, beaches, and the Marble Mountains (five 1500 foot mountain peaks with some steep hikes into eerie “hellish” caves and old Buddhist shrines, as well as some incredible views from the peaks). The signature dish in Hoi An is cao lau (a heaping $2 bowl of dark pork broth, yellow noodles, and locally grown veggies), and it pairs well with fresh homemade beer, or bia hoi (which will put a mere 20 cent dent in your wallet). Hoi An also has enough stylish (and over-the-top) suits and dresses to make a Parisian seamstress envious.  Most clothing is custom fit by a skilled tailor right at the store. This allowed Renata to use her ever increasing Vietnamese vocabularly to negotiate custom clothing prices and exchange pleasantries with shop owners ( I, on the otherhand, have only recently learned to say “thank you,” as most of my focus has been on locating and consuming bia hoi).

Although we’ve experienced some great places in Vietnam, the beautiful landscapes and charm of Hoi An probably puts it at or near the top of our list.

Cam On (that means “thank you”)