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7 recommendations for Hoi An include: 

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• Wandering the old town

• Visiting five historical buildings with one entrance ticket (such as the Japanese covered bridge, Phung Hung house, Fujian Assembly Hall, House of Ky) 

• As the sun sets, enjoying the lanterns as you take a boat ride 

• Eating Cao Lau

• Taking a half-day trip to My Son, the ancient temples 

• Spending an afternoon on the beach (An Bang & Hidden beach)

• Shopping for souvenirs exquisite to Hoi An such as Vietnamese silk

Day 1: 

Walk around the Old Town as you get lost in the grid of streets admiring the yellow merchant homes decorated with bougainvillea flowers, discovering secret alleyways, & visiting some of the iconic historical buildings. On the Japanese covered bridge, also known as Chùa Câu, you can buy a ticket that enables entry into five historical buildings. The ticket covers several old houses, temples & pagodas, & museums amongst others. These include Cau Temple inside the bridge, Phung Hung Ancient House, Old house of Tan Ky, Fujian Assembly Hall, Hoi An Museum of History and Culture.

Spend the evening at the night market that begins at 4 PM, where the lanterns mesmerize especially on the very first night of being in Hoi An. Filled with music and street food, the ancient town is lit up by the Japanese bridge or Chùa Câu that is often frequented by dragon dancers. Local to Hoi An is the dish Cao Lau, which is worth trying as you roam the market. 

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There will be several folks who will attempt to convince you to take a boat ride with a special lantern that you can release in the water. They ridiculously overcharge so avoid falling into their trap. Walk directly to the boat harbor and you can buy yourself a ticket for 75000 VND. 

Day 2: 

We biked to My Son and arrived at the site by 7 AM to avoid the sun and crowds. An hour away from Hoi An, there is also an option of booking guided tours. Tours, however, need to be pre-booked from Hoi An, there are no tour guides available at the site itself. 

As we walked around the ruins, it was incredible to discover the shared influences between Vietnam & India. Champa Kingdom, which ruled from 2nd - 17th century, was deeply inspired by Hinduism & the ruins depict stories, sculptures & carvings of Shiva, indicating a dedication to Shaivite Hinduism as well as an influence of Mahayana Buddhism. My Son served as the political and religious capital of the Champa Kingdom, which emerged as early as AD 192. The dynasty continued to establish itself along the southern coast while engaging in battles, evolving into a decentralized country and eventually, becoming a part of Vietnam. 

Entrance fees: 150000 VND / $6.40

Timings: 6 am - 5 pm

Time spent: 2 hours 

After a hearty breakfast, you can head to An Bang or Hidden beach for a beach day. There are several shacks for food and drinks at An Bang beach whereas hidden beach is more of a bring your own picnic kind of beach, so totally depends on what you’re seeking. 

We culminated our day back around the night market and shopped for souvenirs exquisite to Hoi An. 

Hué (pronounced hu-way)

What’s the best way of getting to Hué?

One can take a train from Da Nang, soft seats can be booked for 140970 VND / $6 each. We used a booking office in Hoi An to reserve train tickets because one can only book online, if you’re booking in advance. From Hoi An to the Da Nang railway station, a cab will approximately cost 450000 VND / $19-20 and the journey takes around 2.5 hours. 

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What is the best way to move around within Hué?

It would be best to hire a bike or a car, because the must-visit sites are at a bit of a distance from each other. We hired a bike from our airbnb for 100000 VND per day / $4.26​

Start your day bright and early at the Imperial citadel, which sprawls across 520 hectares and has SO much to explore! One can easily spend the entire day at the citadel, which I would highly recommend if you’re spending more than a day in Hué. If you only have a day, you can get an audio guide for half-a-day, which takes you through the highlights giving you a glimpse into the Nguyen dynasty. After 200 years of civil war, the Nyugen dynasty came to power and was the last Vietnamese dynasty to rule from Hué, the imperial city. The architecture of the Citadel is unique, especially the elaborate gates facing the south because south was the direction for the Kings to rule the country and listen to the people. 

Entrance Fees: *If you plan to visit the emperor tombs in Hué as well, which are a must-see, purchase a combo ticket, my recommendation would be to purchase a combo ticket to visit Imperial Citadel, Minh Mang tomb & Khai Dinh tomb for 420000 VND or if you have more time, a ticket for the Imperial Citadel, Minh Mang tomb, Khai Dinh tomb & Tu Duc tomb, for 530000 VND. There is a ticket available for all sites for 580000 VND and all these can be purchased at the Imperial Citadel entrance. If you are planning on visiting more than one site, it doesn’t make sense to buy tickets for individual sites, much much economical to get a combo ticket! 

After spending the morning at the Imperial Citadel, head for lunch and eat everything that the royals did!

Some of the Hué specialities include:

 Bun Thit Nuon: Noodle with BBQ pork eaten with peanut sauce, and sweet and sour fish sauce with minced chili and garlic

~ Bahn Beo: Steamed Rice Cake with savory ingredients.

~ Bahn Ram It: Sticky rice cake with dried shrimp on a crisp

On the top right, 

~ Bahn Nam: Rice flour stuffed with shrimp and pork and steamed in banana leaf

Bottom left follows, 

~ Nem Lui: Grilled minced pork in rice paper veggies and peanut sauce

~ Bahn Cuon: BBQ pork and cilantro wrapped in moisture rice paper

~ Banh Khoai: Fried rice pancake with pork, shrimp, and veggies mixed with peanut sauce

Bottom right,

~ Bun Bo Hue: Hue style round noodle soup dish with pork, beef and paste of shrimp and pork 

And,

~ Bahn Leo: Casava stuffed with shrimp and pork and steamed in banana leaf (not captured in photographs only savored in our bellies) 

Spend the afternoon and the following morning exploring the tombs, the main ones include Minh Mang tomb, Khai Dinh tomb & Tu Duc tomb. Each tomb stands strong in its glory, bringing to life each emperors’ unique characteristics and personalities, keeping their memories alive even today. The tombs are located at a distance from each other, and we biked across each site. 

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Visit Thien Mu Pagoda, a seven storey stupa where each storey depicts a buddha that appeared in human form. Walk behind the pagoda to enjoy the majestic hundred-year old bonsais!