A weekend in Hoi An

One of the things I love most about being in Hanoi is the weekends away. Within an hour you are in a totally different ethnic area of Vietnam. This weekend I headed to Hoi An, a heritage town of tailors and daiquiris and of beaches and motos.

Anyone who has done a tour of Vietnam will no doubt have stopped overnight at Hoi An. Women would have marvelled at the tailoring techniques, men would have marvelled at the money women can spend at the tailors. For me, Hoi An is the place to go to the beach, (hopefully) see some blue skies after the Hanoi grey-ness, have a drink (and fantastic dinner) at The Mango Rooms, and while I'm in the area, have some new clothes outfitted.

This weekend I have come down with my father and step-mother, who are not as excited about the cocktails (dad being a religious-whiskey-only-drinker) and am trying to entertain them with the idea of My Son than Yaly. For a place I know so well now (been here at least 5 times in the past 2 years), and usually a place I have come with expat friends, it's difficult to think about what a tourist to Vietnam would most like to do in Hoi An. I sat down to read about this in our hotel, the awesome Palm Garden Resort, to think about this. They suggest, bike riding, jet-skiing, pottery village and of course My Son.

While planning out a day trip to My Son for them, and a half day Yaly, half-day Mango Room for me, I have to say, I have begun reflecting on my time here in Vietnam. The attention everyones pays to you even for a cheap room, the relaxing view I have aquired over things like: time, queues and changing things. Here in Hoi An, and having tourists to show around, shows me how much I've learnt about the nuances of Vietnamese life (including telling the taxi driver off for trying to rip off my parents).

Anyway- For those of you who have stumbled across this looking for advice about Hoi An, rather than my personal life (how strange :)) - here it is:

1. Yaly is the best for good quality (not cheap) tailored clothes.

2. Staying in town can be nice, and culturally rich, but if you need to chill- head to the beach resorts.

3. My Son is worth seeing if you're interested in culture.

4. Go to the market in town- like any Vietnamese market, it's an experience, and for some reason, I particularly like this one.

5. Mango Rooms. Do it. I promise you, you won't regret anything on the menu.

6. Cooking classes are definitely worth it in Vietnam, including here- you can cook a mean fish dish.

7. Try to stay more than one night- especially if you want your clothes to be good value!

Oh Vietnam... am I wishing I had more time here now??