Hoi An Lindy Hopper Survival Guide

Hoi An before 8am. I highly recommend you take a morning bike ride around town, before all tourists arrive ;)

*Edited March 2020*

Here are some notes before you spend your time reading this post:

• The list is in a random order.
• The recommendations are all my personal’s favorites.
• I linked the Google maps address in each restaurant, if it has a Google maps pin.
• The list if made from a Hoi An-based Lindy hopper and especially for Lindy hoppers coming to Hoi An for 10th anniversary of VLX. I can’t be happier that it’s the 10th year but I can’t be sadder that I won’t be there, so this blog post is my gift.
• I’m a non-native English speaker, so don’t judge my grammar :”P
• It’s a loooooong post but written by heart. Complain or eat all!
• If you are vegetarian or vegan, ask for “ăn chay” version. It means vegetarian in Vietnamese (literal meaning is eating vegetarian).
• I also highly recommend you get a 3G/4G Sim card at the airport, Viettel is a good provide. It costs so little and it makes your travel so much easier.

RESTAURANTS

Authentic local restaurants (all less than $2)

• Bánh mì: an incredible thing about bánh mì is that you don’t have to be a foody traveler to fall in love with it, everyone loves bánh mì! It satisfies everybody with its simplicity and I personally find bánh mì in Hội An the best in Vietnam. Besides the most famous Bánh mì Phương (recommended by Anthony Bourdain, wow!), I usually go to Bánh mì Madam Khánh (The Banh mi Queen) to satisfy my bánh mì craving. The fact is I like Bánh mì Phượng as well, but I have ZERO patience to queue for a bánh mì which I can get the same somewhere else. While those 2 big names are very popular to tourists, locals really love Bánh mì Phố cổ which has been in town for decades. Their bánh mì is not too stuffed (it’s how locals enjoy the bánh mì) and is only 10–15k but it will make you come back more for it. Just a thing that they only open from the afternoon till late night, and there’s no table to sit, it’s just a bánh mì stall on the street. Did I say that bánh mì is one of the reasons why I moved to Hoi An? Try it and tell me I’m right! ;) If you want some spiciness, add some chili sauce! PS: Bánh mì Phi is my latest favorite spot. Try their bánh mì with avocado. Yum!

Bánh mì Hội An (Source: Internet)

**Vetetarian: what about bánh mì with egg? There’re lots of herbs as well.

• Cơm gà — Chicken rice (yellow rice cooked with garlic and chicken broth, with shredded chicken) is what a Vietnamese would seek for when they travel to Hội An. I can eat cơm gà every day! When I don’t have cơm gà from my mom’s kitchen, An Hiền is the only place that I can give 9/10. They have the best rice! (I’m talking about just the rice itself). When I eat, I also add lemon, soy sauce and chili sauce. All available on the table! If you love rice porridge, there’s also rice porridge with chicken.

NOTE: Good chicken in Vietnam means a bit chewy, it’s not as soft as chicken in Hainannese chicken rice for example. An Hiền is closed on full moon and 1st day of lunar month.

If you just want a quick cơm gà, go to cơm gà street on Phan Chau Trinh. So many cơm gà places on that street (just seek for a place with cơm gà sign) as the famous ones are there (Cơm gà Bà Buội and Cơm gà Nga). I personally don’t go to those 2 places as they are not tasty and pretty pricey. Not worth it for me. A plate of cơm gà ranges between 25k-40k.

• *Vegetarian: hmm there’s no vegetarian com ga unfortunately. Maybe just rice and soysauce? But there’s chicken broth in making the rice, though.
• Cao lầu: While you can find different versions of Bánh mì and Cơm gà every where else in Vietnam, cao lầu is the dish that you can only find in Hoi An. It’s the combination between very special chewy yellow-brown noodles and braised pork, topped with fresh vegetables and fried cao lầu topping.

My favorite is Cao lầu Liên, opens from 10am till runs out (usually 7pm). There was some complication going on with the venue, so please make sure that you find this lady in the photo. You can also show her the photo of me and her, maybe some more pork? ;)

• Another good local Cao lầu place is Cao lầu Thanh. On the same street, find address 26. A plus is this place opens from morning (7am) till runs out. A very famous cao lầu spot to locals.

NOTE: they are closed on full moon and 1st day of lunar month.

• *Vegetarian: hmm not available in these places.
• Thành Nam Quán — Hà Nội Restaurant: if you come to VLX without passing by Hà Nội, food in this restaurant brings you no regret for not coming to Hà Nội (except you miss dancing with Hanoi Lindy Hoppers!). Delicious and reasonable, the owners are also one of the friendliest people you will meet. I used to go there not less than 2 times a week! My favorites are Bún chả Hà Nội, Bún đậu mắm tôm (with shrimp paste), Bún nem, with extra Chả Cốm. If you order those at the same time, I think they will guess that you are my friend. Haha!
• *Vegetarian: available

• Cơm Linh: A casual authentic Vietnamese restaurant that I like. Good and reasonable. They have Com Linh 1 & 2, and Sen Viet. This is where you can find the best Phở in town ;)

• Bánh đập Có Ngay: Located on an island near the Old Quarter, this whole neighborhood of Cẩm Nam offers the best bánh đập (smashing rice paper), hến xúc bánh tráng (clams served with crispy rice paper), and corn sweetsoup. This is a go-to for lots of locals. Most restaurants are on the river so it’s very refreshing and nice looking out corn fields on the other side of the island. Check it out!
• White Rose Restaurant: another Hoi An local dish, kind of white dumpling dipped in fish sauce.

View from Cẩm Nam Island.

Now, if you want to eat all that but not patient enough to go through my whole list (or propably won’t have time as you are busy dancing), Hội An Central Market is where you need to go. Go to their food court and you will have all local dishes I mentioned above. Easy!

If you want all that but in a more fancy place, The Market is an amazing place where you can order everything locally in a well-decorated place. Of course, it is a bit more pricey but totally worth it! Or Morning Glory in the Old Quarter is a good spot too.

Here are some other Vietnamese restaurant options:

• Nu Eatery: Vietnamese fusion restaurant. My favorite! Their steam bun is soooo good!
• Nhan’s Kitchen: quick and cheap, they’re doing a very good job on both Vietnamese and Western food (loveee their pizza!)
• A Rồi Seafood: Even though it is a bit far from the Old Quarter, this is where I go (and lots of locals) for fresh & cheap & delicious seafood.
• The Field: as its name, it is right by the rice field! Food and beverages are a bit pricey, though, and I am not so keen on their food either. BUT, the place is beautiful and relaxing, plus quiet!
• Trà Quế Waterwheel: a green restaurant right in the heart of the organic vegetable garden. They also offer great cooking class.
• Shrimp wonton noodles: one of the oldest Chinese restaurants in town. It opens from 7 in the morning till 5pm. They have homemade egg noodles with char-siu pork, plus their yummy homemade shrimp wonton.
• Aubergine 49: this restaurant is an exception on the list as I haven’t been to before. BUT, everyone I know who went there said that it’s excellent. So you can give it a try and let me know!
• The Noodle House: ALL KINDS of Vietnamese noodles. Next to the market and the river.

View from The Field.

**Non-Vietnamese: Chez Cesar (French), Hoshigami Sushi (Japanese), Samurai Kitchen (homecooked Japanese), Thai Kitchen (Thai), Ganesh or Baba Kitchen (Indian, and I am Ganesh kind of person), Le Cabanon (French sandwich with very good view over the river), MIX Greek (Greek food, amazing!), ThirtySeven Woodfired Grill & Bar (high quality food with river view).

Vegetarian/ Vegan restaurants

• Minh Hien: really tasty vegetarian in a book store.
• Đạm Vegetarian: kind of a vegetarian buffet. This is where locals go to! Their food is really good!
• Karma Water: all vegan!
• Nourish Eatery: a new trendy place with Falafel Bowl and yummy smoothie bowl.

Bar

• Salt Pub: right on the quiet part of the beach
• Soul Kitchen/ Soul Beach: right on An Bang Beach with live music every day.
• Kahuna’s Beach Club: a new beach club with a pool!
• Tap House: craft beers!!! Who’s in? ;)
• Pasteur Street Brewing: getting craft beer right in the old town.
• Tadioto: my new favorite bar to go to. It’s near the Old Quarter and opens till very late (after midnight, whoo!). It offers a wide range of whiskey (especially Japanese whiskey) and a secret sushi bar. This is a secret place, there’s no sign, find this address, and go inside!
• Barbetta: great cocktail menu and vintage interior design

From Soul Beach and Soul Kitchen.

Coffee/ Drink shop: Time to talk coffee ;)

• Rosie Cafe: a must-go coffee shop right in the back alley near the Old Quarter. Their breakfast & slow-press juice menu is so yummy! Oh, this is also a great spot for photos ;)
• Mia Coffee: I love their matcha latte!
• The Espresso Station: one of the best coffee shops in town (in terms of coffee quality) in a hidden alleyway. Good luck finding it! ;)
• Sound of silence: beautiful quiet spot on Tan Thanh Beach.
• Reaching Out Tea house: a silent break in Hoi An. It is a charity that supports people who are deaf or have speech impediments. Their tea is amazing!
• The Chef: Hoi An Rooftop view. PS: I haven’t been back to this place for awhile but it has very good rooftop view.
• 92 Station: Another rooftop bar in town.
• Window Ice Cream: my go-to homemade ice-cream. It’s not an ice-cream shop, but you can sit by the window or on the river just opposite. Cargo Club has good ice cream and dessert, too.

ATM

• MB Bank Cua Dai or MB Bank Hai Ba Trung: this is where you can get the most cash (5+ millions) and low fee (for international card holders)

Tailor: you can mention my name when you see them for some discounts (if lucky ^^)

• Chiba Tailor: I can’t recommend this place enough! If you know me and see my swing clothes, 99% is probably from Chiba. From my vintage dress to my traditional Vietnamese áo dài, from my headband to my earings, Bình from Chiba knows my measurement better than I do :P There are ready-made clothes available at shop, but she is also available for custom-made stuff. Just bring your design or Pinterest or Instagram photo and she’ll make your dream come true (materials available at her shop as well). It takes only 2–3 days or even shorter if desired. Their favorites materials to work with are linen, silk and cotton. And they make incredible embroidery!
• Leaf Boutique: another great store with high quality linen.

**Note: male clothes are available as well. My boyfriend’s wardrobe is also from her. She just doesn’t make suit.

• Quốc Tiến or Tuna Clothes Shop: Here’s a ready-made cheap clothing store in the Old Quarter. If you are looking for cheap comfy tourisy stuff, this shop has it all with a very very good price as they distribute clothes for different shops in town.

Transportation: bicycle is my favorite option. You might have a free one from your hotel or ask them to help you rent one if you like biking around. (around $1–1.5/ day)

• Motorbike rental: If you are looking for renting a scooter Contact Na. She’s a very nice lady and will help you with renting a scooter.

You can mention my name to get their good rates. I’ve already asked Na.

• Book a taxi: Contact Same same but better transportation — Vu is my ex-landlord and can help you with any transportation you would need. Hoi An/ Da Nang or even further than that. Price to go between Da Nang and Hoi An is 200–300k depending on what time of the day (an additiontal charge for a late night/ early morning pickup).

You can mention my name to get their good rates. I’ve already asked Vu ;)

• Grab (both taxi and motorbike) are also available in Hoi An. Or Mai Linh Taxi is a recommended taxi company to call at 0235 3929292.

Spa/ Beauty:

• Ma Spa: who doesn’t want a good massage after hours of dancing? First thing I did when I came back from Saigon Swing Fest was going to Ma Spa to have my feet massaged yayy! The place is in front of the rice paddy and run by lovely 2 sisters. Let them know that you are my friend!
• Citrus Health Spa: their deep tissue massage and full body massage is the best. Van, the owner, is a very experienced person in her field and her staff is all well-trained. You get to choose your favorite oil. Love it!
• For those who want a hair wash or to get nails done, check out Ba Le Well Salon and Phuong Phi Hair Salon.
• Nails and nails and nails at Hi Nails.

If you are a work-aholic and you can’t stop working from dancing, check out Hub Hoi An — Coworking space.

Hub Hoi An Coworking space.

PS 3: My favorite beach is Tan Thanh beach area. Find it yourself ;)

PS 2: I finishing this blog post while I’m having a break from Swing Break Mexico and OMG, I am craving for Hội An food and jealous to think of all your fun time dancing and making your belly happy with Hội An feast!

PS 3: Don’t forget to check out Swing Cool Kidz with the cool kidz! And DANCE!

-HOPE YOU FIND THIS BLOG POST USEFUL AND ENJOY VLX! -