Sitting on cane chairs, holding coconut coffee and admiring lanterns while old men played acoustic music in a foreign city is a surreal reminder of how far I’ve come. Of the little luxuries I can enjoy thanks to adult money.

One late evening after work, I was talking to my mom when suddenly a weird sadness struck me. It crept up unexpectedly. Mixed with it was a hint of wistfulness. A terrible concoction for a Thursday, to be honest.

I missed Hội An.

I remember feeling pure happiness after stepping through Da Nang International Airport’s exit doors. A chill breeze engulfed me in a hug as if to say “Welcome to Da Nang.” Nothing compares to escaping 45 degree heat, standing under a cloudy sky and breathing in the smell of rain.

After locating our Grab pick up spot, Prerna ( my friend who also appears in my 24 Hours in Ho Chi Minh blog) and I oooh-d and aaah-d at the weather change. She found it funny how much I loved the weather change. It was better than we expected. A stark difference from Ho Chi Minh’s 45-degree heat press.

The drive to Hoi An was approximately three hours. We had already spent half our day on a flight thanks to Vietjet Air’s delays. Luckily, we were notified about the delay in advance, avoiding any unexpected surprises at the airport.

I tired to stay awake the whole way, enjoying the views as they transformed from bustling city to a highway flagged by open, green land. But sleep snatched my attention.

Once we reached our stay and stepped out of the car, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I wanted to ditch our bags at the reception and explore the streets.

We stayed at Hoi An Pho Library Hotel. It was a lovely, cozy abode. The street right outside was a treat to our eyes. Lanterns hung from strings and yellow roofs made for the perfect photo op. Right beside the hotel there was a pizza restaurant which we didn’t notice until we were leaving the next day. Opposite and few steps ahead we spotted massage parlors behind simplistic doors.

Since we only had a day and a half to enjoy this beautiful city, we dropped our bags, surveyed our room and got dressed. Old Town was calling!

Funny story, I purchased the skirt in the photo above from Uniqlo back in HMC. So, when I stepped out of the hotel, I was twirling, enjoying the feel of my skirt. The moment I looked up, a couple walked past me. The woman glanced at me and looked away quickly probably because WE WERE WEARING THE SAME SKIRT!

We asked the hotel manager for directions to the Old Town’s night market and started walking. The hotel also had cycles on rent, but I was skeptical about my navigation skills and Prerna’s riding ability. Maybe because she was super confident even after telling me she doesn’t know how to ride a bike.

We walked.

The funny thing about maps and being in a foreign city is that I’m overconfident about the walking distance. It says 10 minutes? It’s definitely right around the corner. And as always, it isn’t. It’s the farthest spot possible.

Hunger was waging war against our sanity, so we made a stop at one of the most popular restaurants in the area. I read the reviews before ordering. I had also read a book back in our hotel room that listed must-try foods. So, I ordered White Lotus Dumplings and mango juice. The mango-addiction was at an all time high in Vietnam and I’m proud I gave into it. We also got vegan fried rice to share. The drinks were too thick and the dumplings were sadly too bland for my taste.

Realizing Old Town was open but the sightseeing spots were closed, we agreed to wake up early the next day, explore a few spots and make our way back to Da Nang.

Friendly advice: You don’t need a ticket to walk through the streets. You only need to buy one if you want entry to the attractions. The ticket allows you admission to 5 attractions. To see more, you have to buy another ticket. There are guards/officials at every entrance who stamp your ticket. So, you can’t slip in unnoticed. There are booths in different spots to buy a ticket that comes with a free map. So, don’t stress too much, just ask them.

Back to the night market!

Hoi An’s Night Market

We passed golden-lit stores packed till the roof with t-shirts, traditional outfits called Ao Dai, earrings, figurines, coasters, tote bags, and food! We had just eaten so kept walking, trying to find the boats. Yup, the iconic boats!

It was magical.

Boats lined the docking area, tourists hopping in an out like a practiced act. A woman approached us to book a ride with her. We politely declined because our hotel had shared a brochure and told us it would be cheaper to book with them. She walked with us ignoring our ignorance of her. Finally, we asked her how much? And she quoted a price half of what our hotel quoted! We couldn’t tell who was fooling us, honestly. Since we wouldn’t be coming back, we decided to give in.

Best decision so far? I think so!

Even if someone tells you it is a waste of money and not worth the hype, I still recommend it. Keep expectations low. Focus on enjoying the breeze kiss your face, thread its fingers through your hair and the colorful boats bob on the water.

Our boatman saw us clicking selfies and used hand gestures to tell us not to worry! He would take our pictures later. I handed my Polaroid to him and we posed. Suddenly, he needed to anchor the boat, so he placed my camera on the floor. I panicked! If the boat tilted a little more to the left, my camera would be bobbing in the water too. Funny enough, when Prerna handed her phone to him, he did the same thing! It was hilarious.

Kudos to him for getting the money shot!

After the boat ride that was 10-minutes shorter than promised (I timed it, to check), we continued walking down crowded streets.

We were surprised by the sheer amount of Indians that dotted the streets. Vietnam has emerged as a top destination for Indians, but to see it in effect was something else. Popping out of the crowd were sellers holding toys, magnets, postcards and more. So keep your eyes on the road and not on your phone while walking!

Second piece of friendly advice: carry a water bottle. The grocery stores opposite the boating area do not have price tags on items. We knew water costs 5000-7000 VND in 7-eleven or GS25 stores, but they quoted 13000 VND more or less.

Navigating the Night Market in Hoi An

Whether you choose to go on a boat ride or not, stand with your back to it, then start walking to your left. Keep walking till you pass a theatre-like performance on your right. Then, take a right around the bend and keep walking. You’ll stumble upon a table packed with souvenirs and earrings and chic-old timey stores. Yes, they’ll be more pricey than market stalls. No, they won’t bargain with you. We tried.

Keep walking through winding streets until you spot stalls set up in the middle of the road. That’s the night market!

If you want to skip all this walking, walk to your right from the boating area. Keep walking till you reach the end, where the first stall you see will be selling posters. Unless, she changes her spot, you’ll find her easily. The basic idea is to look for stalls not stores. Keep walking along and you’ll do a full circuit, ending up at the boating area again. That is if you don’t change lanes. We felt like we were walking through a maze but enjoyed it. Night markets are great motivators. It’s definitely the most we worked our body all year!

What I bought at the night market: earrings (a store was selling the same ones available at the stall. Stalls are more flexible price-wise.)., cardboard posters, scented candles (the lady packed it excellently after we mentioned we’re flying), t-shirts, and a shirt. We spotted a store selling lovely tunics at closing time. But the price felt too high for the quality. Since it was for my mom and I was skeptical about the fitting, I didn’t buy it.

My First Coconut Coffee

Although the stores were closing, the night market was only blooming. It’s a strange contrast. But perfect for people wanting to hang around.

When we realized we’re tired, need to wake up early tomorrow and walk a lot more again, Prerna and I decided to head back. Maps showed a different route, that was somehow faster! We made a pit-stop at a cafe, drawn by the live music. They were closing in half an hour and we had huge cups of coffee to relish.

Sitting on cane chairs, holding coconut coffee and admiring lanterns while old men played acoustic music in a foreign city is a surreal reminder of how far I’ve come. Of the little luxuries I can enjoy thanks to adult money.

The moment we placed our order, the music stopped. But we had each other’s company to enjoy.

The coconut coffee was too sweet for my taste so I only enjoyed half of it. On our way back, the streets were eerily quiet but we were far from scared. We were alert, because you can never really tell what lurks in the shadows. Our luck is such that while the locals are great, we might bump into a rowdy tourist. But luckily, it never came to that. The walk back to our hotel was very pleasant.

Midnight Noods

Dinner was more like a snack. So, it was only natural that we were hungry after all the walking. Prerna fished out two cup noodles she’d carried – her backup vegetarian stash. The AC in the room decided to be stubborn. We couldn’t change the temperature and it was too late to ask for assistance. So we braved the cold with hot cup noodles and snuggled in, dozing off to Netflix.