After a few days in Nha Trang, our group mosied on up to Hoi An, known for their cheap, custom suits. With Phong's Vietnam VIP pass, we were able to get a family friend, Dong, to take us around and show us Hoi An's sights. (If Phong was my VIP pass, Dong was like our AmEx black card - he both lived in Hoi An AND is a professional tour guide).
Dong is my kind of guy - the first stop he took us to was a local noodle shop that served a specialty called mi quang - a thick noodle with pork, peanuts and veggies served with a very small amount of soup. Super fresh, light and delicious - one of my favorite dishes in Vietnam. After lunch, Dong took us to a local pottery maker consisting of two older ladies that have been making potter for 60+ years. We watched them work their magic and they were even kind enough to let us try making our own pottery (pretty horrific looking until they helped :)).
Before arriving in Hoi An, the only thing I thought they were famous for was suits, but I was happily proven wrong. Hoi An is a gorgeous city to walk around with it's old, French architecture and beautiful river walk. It was a very quaint and relaxing place to walk (or bike) around and might have been my favorite place in Vietnam. Not too big or crowded. After walking around town a bit (and drinking some cafe sua da), we took a relaxing river cruise, armed with rambutan and mangosteen (what could be better?).
After enjoying the town, it was finally time to suit up! Every other shop in Hoi An makes custom fitted clothing, so we had a hard time deciding where to go. We kind of picked one at random, but really lucked at as the owner was really nice, spoke great english, and gave great recommendations. We went in wanting to get a suit or two, but the prices were so good, we all went a little crazy. All of us either got a suit, jacket, jeans or dress made. And they were super fast - we got fitted one day, and they were ready by the next morning! The day I get back to the states, Phong and I are putting on our suits and going to Applebees. You are more than welcome to join.
After our fitting, we all rented bikes and took a beautiful ride down to the beach. We got there right in time to see the sunset and to enjoy some Vietnamese donuts, more escargot, and one of my favorite things growing up - nam (think ceviche pork with peppers).
For dinner, Dong took us to a place that served sliced cold beef (Phong's favorite meal of the trip). There were legs of beef hanging in front of the restaurant and what they did was thin-slice it and serve it with rice paper and veggies, to be eaten as rolls. And obviously when eating thin-sliced beef rolls, you must drink a lot of 333 beer (a local Vietnamese beer). They drink beer with ice in Vietnam! Every 10 minutes or so, they'll fill your glass with a giant block of ice to ensure you beer is cold and watered-down to perfection.
To cap off the night (and to continue drinking beer-water), we obviously had to karaoke. We rented out a room and proceeded to offend the likes of Lionel Richie, All-4-One, and Janet Jackson. Although we didn't do half bad with Gangsta's Paradise, fool!
Get a suit, walk a beautiful town and have a killer bowl of noodles. All in Hoi An.
Dong is my kind of guy - the first stop he took us to was a local noodle shop that served a specialty called mi quang - a thick noodle with pork, peanuts and veggies served with a very small amount of soup. Super fresh, light and delicious - one of my favorite dishes in Vietnam. After lunch, Dong took us to a local pottery maker consisting of two older ladies that have been making potter for 60+ years. We watched them work their magic and they were even kind enough to let us try making our own pottery (pretty horrific looking until they helped :)).
Mi quang - thick noodles with roast pork, shrimp, peanuts, and a bit of soup. Delicious.
Phong getting a little help with his pot. 60 years of experience should do the job.
The final product.
Before arriving in Hoi An, the only thing I thought they were famous for was suits, but I was happily proven wrong. Hoi An is a gorgeous city to walk around with it's old, French architecture and beautiful river walk. It was a very quaint and relaxing place to walk (or bike) around and might have been my favorite place in Vietnam. Not too big or crowded. After walking around town a bit (and drinking some cafe sua da), we took a relaxing river cruise, armed with rambutan and mangosteen (what could be better?).
After enjoying the town, it was finally time to suit up! Every other shop in Hoi An makes custom fitted clothing, so we had a hard time deciding where to go. We kind of picked one at random, but really lucked at as the owner was really nice, spoke great english, and gave great recommendations. We went in wanting to get a suit or two, but the prices were so good, we all went a little crazy. All of us either got a suit, jacket, jeans or dress made. And they were super fast - we got fitted one day, and they were ready by the next morning! The day I get back to the states, Phong and I are putting on our suits and going to Applebees. You are more than welcome to join.
Getting ready for boneless chicken wings at Applebee's.
After our fitting, we all rented bikes and took a beautiful ride down to the beach. We got there right in time to see the sunset and to enjoy some Vietnamese donuts, more escargot, and one of my favorite things growing up - nam (think ceviche pork with peppers).
The girls enjoying some escargot.
Nam - many nights of stomach aches due to this, but so worth it.
For dinner, Dong took us to a place that served sliced cold beef (Phong's favorite meal of the trip). There were legs of beef hanging in front of the restaurant and what they did was thin-slice it and serve it with rice paper and veggies, to be eaten as rolls. And obviously when eating thin-sliced beef rolls, you must drink a lot of 333 beer (a local Vietnamese beer). They drink beer with ice in Vietnam! Every 10 minutes or so, they'll fill your glass with a giant block of ice to ensure you beer is cold and watered-down to perfection.
To cap off the night (and to continue drinking beer-water), we obviously had to karaoke. We rented out a room and proceeded to offend the likes of Lionel Richie, All-4-One, and Janet Jackson. Although we didn't do half bad with Gangsta's Paradise, fool!
"I'm a loc'ed out gangsta, set-trippin banger
And my homies is down, so don't arouse my anger, fool!"
And my homies is down, so don't arouse my anger, fool!"
Get a suit, walk a beautiful town and have a killer bowl of noodles. All in Hoi An.
You're living the life, Pert. Thanks for keeping such a great travel blog. :)
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