Rolling Through Hoi An

At one time, Hoi An, (previously known as Faifo), was one of the region's most important ports. From the 7th until the 10th century, the Cham Kingdom used South East Asia's largest harbor to control the spice trade with Indonesia. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Hoi An was one of the most significant ports in the world, and the remnants of it's multicultural past are still evident today. Hoi An Ancient Town, or "Old Town" as it's more commonly referred to,  has been so well preserved that it was deemed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Today, the quaint, old-timey feel draws droves of tourists to Hoi An, most of us end up spending much more time there than we'd originally anticipated, (which was the case for myself and Caroline as we'd booked only two days and ended up spending five). It's no secret that the touts of Vietnam can be exhausting, and Hoi An's versions are no different in their relentlessness to sell you souvenirs or tailored suits. Bikes offer a nice respite from this mild inconvenience, and because of Hoi An's small size, it's easy to cruise through town  while the hawkers flutter past like the background of a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

The Best of Hoi An

Now it's time for me to choose my favorite moment/activity/memory of Hoi An, while shamelessly casting all other moments/activities/memories aside. We enjoyed all of our time in this sleepy little town, as evidenced by our extended stay, (which I've covered previously--2 days extended to 5), but this choice was an easy one.

And the winner (of nothing) is: Our cooking class

The class started with an early morning tour of the local market, where we shopped for all of the ingredients we'd later use to concoct our four traditional Vietnamese dishes.

Disclaimer: Some of the following images are pretty brutal.

Disclaimer: The following images aren't brutal at all...just noodles and stuff.

After the shopping was finished, we took a leisurely boat ride upriver, through the coconut groves.

We cooked outside under a palm thatched roof near the river. Some of the other cooking classes in Hoi An had upwards of 35 people in one group. We also read reviews saying that they weren't very hands on, some of the classes even pre-cut/chopped/sliced all of your ingredients and then basically cooked your food while you held hands with them. Our class at Cooking Tour consisted of six people, ten is their absolute limit. Not only did we purchase all of our ingredients at the market, we were also responsible for preparing each course in it's entirety.

From left to right, top to bottom:

Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Peanut Hoisin Sauce

Vietnamese Crepes with Sweet Chili Sauce

Beef Vermicelli Salad

Pho Bo Ha Noi -- Hanoi-style beef and noodle soup. A Vietnamese staple.