Hoi An was our final stop during our two weeks in Vietnam. Hoi An is on the eastern coast of the country, about halfway between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. For the most part, Hoi An is a quiet beach town, though there is also a bustling and tourist-filled Old Town. We stayed on the more beach-y side of town at a great little hotel (which immediately won me over by serving us slices of pineapple and fried spring rolls during check in) that was only a short walk from the water. 

Beaches

At this point, we were about a month into our travels and had been on the move quite a bit from place to place in Vietnam. It was nice to be in a more relaxing scene for a few days. We mostly spent our time in Hoi An at the beautiful- yet awesomely empty- beach and wandering the streets of Old Town trying to find the best tailoring deals. Here are a few photos from the beach: 

Tailors

Hoi An’s claim to fame is its inexpensive tailoring services. There are literally hundreds of tailoring shops in the Old Town area that will create anything from a formal gown to a bathing suit for you. Seemed like we had to take advantage of such an opportunity! Sid bought a custom made suit and I bought a couple of dresses. Here are the results (and the process!): 

Cooking

On our final day in Vietnam, we attempted to learn the secrets of all the delicious meals we were eating throughout the trip. For about $15 each (including food), we took a private cooking class at a small restaurant. We got to choose our dishes (papaya salad with shrimp, chicken curry, and tomato eggplant) and they were nothing short of amazing! I’ll definitely be trying to imitate the papaya salad when we go home… 

And with that, our time in Vietnam came to an end. Next up: a short visit to Cambodia and Angkor Wat!