City Rating: Hoi An
Population: 120,000
Date of visit: May 2015
Attractions & sights: 3/5
Nightlife: 2/5
Safety: 5/5
Infrastructure: 2/5
Low budget factor: 5/5
Total: 👍👍👍👍/5
The city in a nutshell:
Hoi An is a laid-back, colorful and picturesque city in Central Vietnam. Everything is slower here than in the big and hectic cities such as Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. That makes it a great place to relax a few days and enjoy the ancient old town that looks like a little theme park with its bridges and lanterns. Despite of 120,000 inhabitants, Hoi An is rather a cute town than a city.
Where to stay:
Old Town is the best choice. Another option could be one of the luxury resorts near the beach. A taxi to Old Town (where all the action takes place) takes 5-10 minutes.
The Good:
Hoi An is one of the most (if not THE most) charming little cities in Southeast Asia. Old Town is the main sight of the city, as it is the colorful part of it.
If you’re lucky and visit Hoi An during full moon, you will be witness of the Hoi An Lantern Full Moon Festival. Old town is illuminated by lanterns then and you will see hundreds of lanterns floating down the river at night. A magical spectacle.
All the shops, bars and restaurants are also located in Old Town plus you have the two or three sightseeing attractions of the city here. That makes Old Town definitely the place to be.
Nightlife is okay in Hoi An but nothing special. There are a few bars along the waterfront. Why Not is the name of the bar, where all the travelers meet at 2 AM (that might be outdated by now though).
All in all, Hoi An is a fantastic city to spend two or three days. It’s like a fairy-tale village. Definitive must see-city when you’re in Southeast Asia, period.
The Bad & The Ugly:
The scam-mentality is much bigger in Vietnam than in other Southeast Asian countries. I have experienced mafia-like behavior by a bar owner, who threatened us that we couldn’t enter his bar anymore if we go to his competitor’s bar again. Besides, the motortaxi drivers rip you off big time at night.
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