Chillout or go wild when you experience local nightlife

Start your night by releasing a candle-lit paper lantern into the Thu Bon River, a ritual that is said to bring good luck and happiness to those who partake. From here, roam around Hoi An’s lantern-lined ancient town streets and alleyways, while live music can be heard from every which way. Make a pit-stop at the 17th century Japanese Covered Bridge, a prominent site in the city, and bask in its beauty as it leads you to the Chinese Quarter. Re-energize yourself with some a late-night banh mi and a coconut popsicle from the Night Market. End your enchanting night by going to bed and getting rest for the next day… or by getting drunk off cheap beers (Bia Hoi is the local draft beer) at one of the many local bars that are scattered all around the city.

Get a taste of the vibrant food scene

Hoi An is arguably the hub of street food in all of Vietnam. Perhaps the most popular dish you can find here is called cao lau. In order to make this dish, water must be taken from Hoi An’s one thousand year old well, Ba Le. The rice must be soaked in ash water from the region’s Cham Islands, and the vegetables must be taken from the Tra Que organic vegetable village. As you can see, Hoi An is equally as famous for its labor-intensive cao lau as it is for its ancient beauty.

Hoi An also boasts a high-quality fish scene as a result of the lingering fishing culture. Take a cooking class when you visit this city and you can learn all there is to know behind the culture, history and how to prepare the food here. This combined with the locally grown, brightly colored produce, the unique tofu desserts, and “mango cakes” that are actually made with sticky rice, peanuts, sugar and no mangoes whatsoever make for a truly unique and exciting experience for your tastebuds.

Learn to relax with the local, laid-back way of living

Hoi An is a town of many simple wonders. The minimal traffic makes for a more relaxing day to day life. The less time you spend stressing about how to get from point A to point B, the more time you have to enjoy both points. The city’s low cost of living, affordable accommodations, cheap transportation options, and food that is equally as cheap (and equally as delicious), only add to the low levels of stress here. Your accessibility to local markets makes everyday items not only more affordable, but also more fun to purchase.

Explore the region’s unique topography

Hoi An was blessed by the topographical gods. The city itself is surrounded by lush, green mountains, offering exciting bicycle rides and adventurous (or less-so) hikes. Get lost in the hills of rice paddies and quaint villages until you reach the next reason why this area is blessed: the beaches. Whether you decide to go north and hit up the exciting Da Nang Beach on the Nui Son peninsula, or go west to An Bang for relaxation away from tourists, every inch of this area is a geographical masterpiece.

Enjoy a tailor-made shopping trip

Though Hoi An is famous for its pottery, gastronomy, history and architecture, perhaps the city’s biggest claim to fame is its massive collection of tailor shops. Because of Hoi An’s humble beginnings as a small trading port city on the Silk Road, the tradition of tailoring was perfected. So much so, that to this day tailor shops outnumber all other businesses two to one! Take a class and learn how to tailor any item you like or get something tailored specifically for you, as a nice, unique memory to keep you warm on the bus back to Hanoi before getting on the plane back home.

Get educated on Hoi An’s involvement in the silk trade

During Hoi An’s peak as a silk trade hub around 300 years ago, silk was used as a type of currency, playing a major role in economic and cultural development in Vietnam. Silk is a naturally occurring protein fiber produced by the cocoon of a silkworm. It takes about 3,000 silkworms consuming 104 kg of mulberry leaves over three days in order to produce a mere 2 kg (1 lb) of silk.

The result of this tedious, difficult process is a lightweight, soft and absorbent material that is perfect for hotter countries like Vietnam, and other Southeast Asian countries. Because of the difficulty and grace that is required to handle and to create the silk, it was considered a luxury item and therefore was only available to royals. Today, although some types of silk are still highly pricey, you can still find yourself some nice silk scarves, among other items, as a token of your time on the former Silk Road.