My next stops in Vietnam were Hoi An and Hue. Hoi An was so much fun, from taking a cooking class, to wandering around the old town, and even having new clothes tailor made. I spent a few days exploring Hoi An before I hired an easy rider and made my way to Hue, where I made a couple stops at different viewpoints and temples along the way.
After finishing my time in Da Lat, I took a fourteen hour overnight bus to Da Nang. When I arranged the booking of my bus through my hostel I was asked what seat I wanted. I was originally supposed to have an individual seat next to the window, however, when I got to the bus station I was switched to a window seat in the back row. Now this wouldn’t seem too bad, however, the seats on sleeper buses in Vietnam are in a lying down position and seats in the back row on the nonVIP bus are five super tiny seats across. When I got to my assigned seat I found that the last row also doesn’t even have enough headspace to allow a person to sit up, so I was super cramped. The random guy sitting next to me and I were crossing over each other due to the lack of space. Only forty minutes into the journey the bus made a stop on the side of the road and the guy in the seat next to me got out and when he came back on the bus he motioned to the Western couple on the other side of him to ask if they wanted to switch seats. The girl decided she would, so then she was in the seat next to me and the guy who was originally there was now on the other side of the girl’s boyfriend. After the stop, the bus continued on and it was a smooth ride the rest of the way to Da Nang, however it was a very long and restless night. Once the bus arrived in Da Nang, the Western couple and I spent time looking, unsuccessfully, for a local bus to get to Hoi An. During this time another bus arrived and dropped off passengers and the Western couple and I added another traveler to our group trying to figure out how to get to Hoi An. Eventually the four of us decided to split the cost of a taxi and the driver was nice enough to drop us all off at our respective accommodations.
Since it was still early in the morning it was too early to check into my hostel, so I dropped off my bags and headed out to breakfast and to kill time until check in. After breakfast I wandered around the old town, before meeting up with someone I had met back at the beginning of the year in Koh Tao, Thailand. We had decided to meet up for brunch but I didn’t get any food since I had eaten not long before. After catching up for a while we wandered back toward my hostel where we met up with some people she had previously met. I ended up hanging out in the common area with people from my hostel for the rest of the day. The next day Clara, who I met the day before at my hostel, and I arranged through our hostel a cooking class and bamboo basket boat tour. We were picked up for the tour in the middle of the day and taken to a local market to get the ingredients for the food we were going to make and were told about the ingredients we picked up as well as about other ingredients commonly used in Vietnamese cooking. After the market we headed to the water to go on a bamboo basket boat ride, which is a popular tourist activity in Hoi An. These boats are small circular bamboo boats that can tilt and spin and move about super easily. Once we made it to a large open water area you had the opportunity to pay a local to switch to a separate bamboo basket boat where a local fisherman will spin you super fast. While it was a super touristy area with a bunch of boats, it was a lot of fun and it was so cool seeing all of the different boats and listening to the music being played. On our way back to where we started the bamboo basket boat ride we were dropped off at our cooking class.
The first thing we did at the cooking class was learn, from start to finish, how rice paper is made. We started by learning about the traditional way they use a large wood stick to pound the rice to separate the rice from the shell by hand and we were able to take turns pounding the rice. After we separated the rice we were shown how to separate the rice pieces from the shell before being led to the next step of grinding the rice. Once the rice is ground down, it was made into a mix before being steam cooked to make rice paper. After being given a demonstration of how to make rice paper we were each given a chance to try to make our own sheet. It was super interesting to learn about and see how much work goes into making the rice paper from start to finish by hand.
After learning how to make rice paper, we went on to prepare the dishes. During the class we were able to make four dishes; fresh spring rolls, pho, southern style beef vermicelli, and banh xeo - sizzling Vietnamese crepes. The first dish we started on was the pho because the broth needed a long time to cook. Once the broth was finished and left to cook, we moved onto the fresh spring rolls, making both a vegetarian spring roll and a pork and shrimp spring roll along with a peanut Hoisin dipping sauce. Next, we made banh xeo - sizzling Vietnamese crepes, which is a savory dish made with a rice batter with shrimp added in. After being mixed, we poured a thin layer of batter into a very hot pan and cooked it until it was nice and crispy before flipping it and cooking it until the second side was crispy. Once both sides were crispy we added bean sprouts and fresh greens before folding in half and then putting it inside of a sheet of rice paper before serving. This was a delicious dish that was super crispy and flavorful.
The third dish we made was a southern style beef vermicelli, or noodle salad. To make this dish we started by assembling on the plate a mix of lettuce, mint, cilantro, and carrots. On top of the lettuce mix was cold, cooked vermicelli noodles. Once the noodles were added we moved on to the beef, which was sliced thin and then seasoned. To cook the beef we added it to an extremely hot pan and then quickly flambéed the beef to add a smokey flavor before adding it to the noodle and lettuce mix on the plate. After finishing the beef, the next step was to briefly cook a sauce made with beef broth, soy sauce, and fish sauce which we then poured on top of the beef. We then finished the dish off with a sprinkle of peanuts. I really enjoyed this dish and the mix of cold noodles and hot meat added a nice depth of texture and flavor. Next, was the final dish, pho, which didn’t have much left to do other than to be assembled since the broth had finished cooking. To finish the pho we very quickly cooked the noodles in hot water and then par cooked thin slices of beef before adding them to a bowl along with bean sprouts, green onions, and cilantro. The hot broth was then added on top of it all after which we finished cooking the beef. Overall, it was a really fun day and I really enjoyed the cooking class. My favorite dishes of the day were the southern style beef vermicelli and the banh xeo - sizzling Vietnamese crepes.
That evening Clara and I met up at a night market with Solomon, who we both met at our hostel. The three of us ended up wandering around the night market and the river area of the old town for a while before heading back to the hostel. The next day the three of us got brunch together at a delicious Banh Mi shop before heading over to a tailor shop to get their prices and to look at different clothing style options. Clara and I ended up parting ways with Solomon and we wandered around the old town for a while and found a large market with a bunch of small tailors. After wearing the same five shirts for so long and never having anything cute or nice to wear, I decided before arriving in Hoi An that I would get one or two custom pieces made since Hoi An is known for all of its tailor shops. I ended up finding a dress style on a mannequin that I liked and got my measurements taken for a dress to be custom made and that would be ready to be picked up the next day. Since the tailor shop I got my dress made at was in a large market without a storefront, the price was cheaper than it would have been at a shop that had a storefront. In total, my custom, made from scratch, dress was only $14 USD. After ordering my dress, Clara and I continued wandering around the old town and through some other tailor shops before going back to the first shop where I got my measurements taken for a wrap top I wanted to have made. It is a high quality top and ended up costing about $25 USD. Once I finished at the tailor shop where I got my top, Clara and I headed back to our hostel and hung out with others for the rest of the evening.
My last two days in Hoi An were pretty chill and relaxed. Since the weather was pretty overcast and rainy I didn’t go out much. On my third day in Hoi An I picked up both my dress and top from the tailor shops and then hung out with people from my hostel. That evening the hostel had a trivia night which was a lot of fun and was a great end to the day. The next day was my final day in Hoi An and I used it as an admin day to catch up on my planning and writing. Then that evening I joined an event my hostel was hosting with people I had met the days prior. It was a really fun end to my time in Hoi An.
The next morning I was picked up bright and early by an easy rider I had hired to drive me on his motorcycle from Hoi An to Hue. While both cities are relatively close to each other, the ride took up most of the day since we made many sightseeing stops along the way. After leaving Hoi An we passed by different rice fields and beautiful countryside before making it to the first stop of the day, Marble Mountain, outside of Da Nang. This is a mountain that has multiple temples at the top and temples in caves as well. After spending a little while wandering around the top of the mountain and through the different temple areas, I made my way down where I met up with my driver again and we continued on our way. Unfortunately the weather was super rainy, so before we made it to the next stop we had to pull over and put on rain ponchos and rain pants. After putting on rain gear we went to the next stop which was a boat temple that was along the beach. By the time we finished the quick photo stop the rain turned into a torrential downpour, but we continued on anyway to the Hai Van Pass, which is a beautiful scenic route that goes up through a mountain pass before going back down the mountain. Along the way we stopped at a rock viewpoint, which unfortunately didn’t have much of a view due to the low clouds and rain. Once we rested for a short time we continued our drive up the mountain. Once at the top of the mountain we were fully engulfed in the clouds, which was really cool and also strange since we were not able to see very far. We then made our way down the mountain which brought us to the end of the Hai Van Pass section of the day.
After finishing the Hai Van Pass we headed to the beach in the next town where we stopped for lunch before continuing on to a small fishing village. Along the way, we ended up needing to stop for a short break under a highway overpass to wait out the rain since it started coming down even harder. Once the rain eased up we continued to the fishing village where my driver told me about how the village runs and what they fish for. It was only a short photo stop because everyone in the village was asleep since they start their work so early in the morning. We then continued on our way to Hue. Along the way we passed through the largest rice fields in the area before going to a local village that produces large amounts of mushrooms. After stopping at both the rice fields and the mushroom growing village, we continued on the last stretch of the way to Hue. By the time I arrived at my homestay in Hue it was early evening, so I checked in and then laid down to rest. Even though I had worn a rain poncho and rain pants, the rain managed to still make its way through and my pants were cold and wet. After being in the cold rain all day, by the time I got to my bed I was super cold and was feeling sick and had a slight fever. I ended up spending the rest of the evening in bed sleeping. Even though it was super cloudy and rainy the whole day and I ended up getting sick, the journey from Hoi An to Hue was beautiful and I completely enjoyed riding on the back of a motorcycle.
The next morning I took it easy and rested as much as I could since I was still feeling sick from the day before. After a slow morning, I headed out and wandered around the temple area of Hue. I didn’t end up seeing much of the city of Hue since I was only there the one day and I prioritized resting since I had gotten sick. That evening I was picked up and taken to a bus station where I got on an overnight bus to my next stop.
Overall, I had a great time in Hoi An and met so many awesome people. I really enjoyed learning more about Vietnamese cooking and foods. It was also nice being able to get two new items of clothing that were different from the same five tops I had been wearing day in and day out for months on end. I’m really glad that while in Hoi An I had heard from other travelers about taking an easy rider up to Hue because it was a super fun experience and I had the nicest driver. Even though I got sick due to being exposed to the rain for hours on end, I would still do the ride again because the views and the memories I made were amazing.
"It seems that the more places I see and experience, the bigger I realize the world to be. The more I become aware of, the more I realize how relatively little I know of it, how many places I have still to go, how much more there is to learn."
- Anthony Bourdain
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