7 Days Travel Itinerary in Vietnam. Hoi An, the UNESCO Heritage Site in 3 Days

Day 1: 27 September 2018 (Thursday)  ● PENANG – KUALA LUMPUR - DANANG   
Penang (PEN - Penang Intl) → Kuala Lumpur (KUL – KLIA2) via AirAsia  AK6111
Kuala Lumpur (KUL – KLIA2) → DaNang (DAD) via AirAsia AK648
PM: Arrive DaNang International Airport
PM: Take Grab Taxi to Green House Hotel and check-in
PM: Walk to  My Khe Beach and dinner at Be Anh 2 Seafood Restaurant  
PM: Take Grab Taxi to Chè Thái Liên for local dessert 

Day 2: 28 September 2018 (Friday)  ● HUE 
AM: Depart from hotel to Hue (distance 2.5 hours journey)
AM: Breakfast at hotel, Green House Hotel
AM: Minh Mang Tomb
AM: Khai Dinh Tomb
PM: Thien Mu Pagoda
PM: Imperial City (The Citadel)
PM: River Cruise at Perfume River
PM: Return to DaNang
PM: Dinner at Be Anh Seafood Restaurant
PM: Enjoy Dragon Bridge View at night followed by supper (local dessert) at 196 Bạch Đằng,
Quận Hải Châu, , DaNang, 550000 

Day 3: 29 September 2018 (Saturday)  ● DANANG 
AM: My Khe Beach
AM: Breakfast at hotel, Green House Hotel
AM: Take Coco Bus Tour N2 at East Sea Park
AM: Linh Ung Pagoda (Lady Buddha of DaNang)
AM: Marble Mountain
PM: Roman Catholic Diocese of DaNang
PM: Han Market
PM: Shopping at Big C Hypermarket, DaNang
PM: Dinner at Lotteria at Parkson, DaNang 

Day 4: 30 September 2018 (Sunday)  ● BANA HILLS 
AM: Visit Man Thai Fishing Village
AM: Breakfast at hotel, Green House Hotel
AM: Depart from DaNang to Bana Hills (journey to BaNa Hills is around 45minutes)
AM: Arrive at BaNa Hill Gateway. Took hotel to Hoi An Station → walk to Bordeaux Station
→ Louvre Station  
AM: Check-in Mercure Danang French Village Bana Hills
PM: Visit French Village
PM: Fantasy Park
PM: Visit Linh Chua Linh Tu Temple, Ba Shrine, Tombstone Temple, Spiritual Zone 
PM: Take the Funicular to Flower Garden
PM: Visit Le Jardin d’Amour Flower Garden
PM: Visit Linh Ung Pagoda
PM: Visit Golden Bridge
PM: Fantasy Park 

Day 5: 1 October 2018 (Monday)  ● HOI AN 
AM: Breakfast at hotel, Mercure Danang French Village Bana Hills
AM: Walk along French Village
AM: Check-out from hotel
AM: Take cable car from L’indochine Station to Toc Tien Station
AM: Take Grab Taxi to Hoi An (distance 1.5 hours journey)
AM: Check-in River Suites Hoi An and refresh
PM: Visit Japanese Bridge (Chua Cau)
PM: Visit Trung Hoa Assembly Hall
PM: Quang Trieu (Cantonese) Assembly Hall
PM: Visit Fukian Assembly Hall (Phuc Kien)
PM: Dinner at Old Garden Restaurant
PM: Hoi An Night Market  

Day 6: 2 October 2018 (Tuesday)  ● HOI AN 
AM: Breakfast at hotel, River Suites Hoi An
AM: Visit Old House of Tan Ky
AM: Watch Art Performance at Hoi An Traditional Art Performance House and play Bai
Choi (Vietnamese Bingo Game) 
AM: Visit Hoi An Market
PM: Visit Japanese Town and Phung Hung Ancient House
PM: Stroll around Hoi An Ancient Town and watch sunset along the river banks
PM: Put paper lanterns on the river (at night)
PM: Dinner at Nha Hang Vi Que Vietnamese Restaurant
PM: Hoi An Night Market
PM: Supper at CocoBox Hoi An 

Day 7: 3 October 2018 (Wednesday)  ● HOI AN - KUALA LUMPUR – PENANG 
AM: Breakfast at hotel, River Suites Hoi An
AM: Hoi An Ancient Town and Cau An Hoi (Bridge)
AM: Hoi An Japanese Bridge
AM: Check-out from hotel and depart to DaNang (distance approx. 45minutes journey)
AM: Depart from DaNang (DAD) International Airport via AirAsia AK649 - Kuala Lumpur
International Airport (KUL – KLIA2) via AirAsia AK6138 - Penang (PEN - Penang Intl
Airport)

Hoi An Ancient Town - a UNESCO world heritage site 

Hoi An means a peaceful gathering place

Hoi An has been my favourite destination all this while. When I knew that I will be travelling to Vietnam for a short meeting in September, the first thing that crossed my mind was to make a short trip to Hoi An.  

There are nearly 1000 ancient buildings in Hoi An

There are plenty of reasons why yellow colour is chosen

Hoi An is the yellow city of Vietnam

This beautiful little bridge is emblematic of Hoi An

Hoi An, located on the south of DaNang is a UNESCO Heritage Site. It has become one of
the most popular destinations in Vietnam and is one of the must-visit destinations in
Vietnam. I’ve read a lot about Hoi An, but I had no idea how much I would love it here. We
spent 3 days here. The best way to experience Hoi An is to simply stroll through the alleyways, pop into ancient houses and admire the architecture. In fact, many of these buildings have survived the trials of time, flood and war. By night, the whole town turns magical with an array of beautifully coloured lanterns lighting up the sidewalks and night markets.

The Quang Trieu (Cantonese) Assembly Hall features a garden and a fountain with a dragon made pottery

The Fujian Assembly Hall was founded in 1690

Fujian Assembly Hall

The hall is full of animal statues with lacquered works of art lining up in a vivid celebration of Fujian artistry

The assembly hall is full of statues, bronze bells and drums with lacquered works of art lining up in a vivid celebration of Fujian artistry

Read more at: http://www.vietnam-guide.com/hoi-an/fujian-assembly-hall.htm?cid=ch:OTH:001

The assembly hall is full of statues, bronze bells and drums with lacquered works of art lining up in a vivid celebration of Fujian artistry

Read more at: http://www.vietnam-guide.com/hoi-an/fujian-assembly-hall.htm?cid=ch:OTH:001

Fujian Assembly Hall - Coming inside, we light up the big incense-coil to wish good health and fortune for the entire family

One for the album

Hoi An Ancient Town has ticketed entry. If you’re just wandering the town, eating and
browsing shops, you don’t need to buy one. The ticket covers admission to five places of
historic sites (there are 22 points of interest in total) and is valid for 24 hours. We purchased
the tickets for 120,000VND/person.  The top 5 hidden delights that we visited in 3 days
were:  (1) Fukian Assembly Hall, (2) Quang Trieu Assembly Hall, (3) Old House of Tan Ky, (4) Japanese Bridge and (5) Hoi An Traditional Art Performance House where we had the opportunity to watch art performances and play Bai Choi.  

Old House of Tan Ky - An old merchant's residence

A typical old house in Hoi An

Our third stop. Another heritage site

To me, the food in Hoi An was some of the best I’ve eaten so far in Vietnam. The must-try
food is our list are none other than Cao Lau, Mi Quang, white rose dumplings and chicken
rice. Cao Lau is a favourite haunt of mine! It’s a bowl of thick rice noodles served with pork
and local greens. The dish is seasoned with fresh lime juice and red chili peppers and taste
superb!

We arrived Hoi An at around 11am and headed straight to our hotel , River Suites Hoi An

trying to get an early check-in.  Despite we arrived several hours before the check in time, we
were assured our room was already prepared for us. Before we were taken over, we were
given a map with plenty of information on where to find food, markets, and main
attractions. Our room was gorgeous – clean and neat!  

One for the album

The Japanese Bridge - most famous bridge in Hoi An

The interior architecture of the bridge

The bridge was opened in year 1719

The bridge also features the structures of dogs and monkeys which represents the Chinese and Japanese

 Hoi An is filled with ancient historic buildings. The most famous is the Japanese Bridge (Chua Cau), which was our first stop. During the 18^th century, Hoi An was the most important trading port in all of Asia, linking Japan and China with the rest of Asia. Our following stops were: Trung Hoa Assembly Hall, Quang Trieu (Cantonese) Assembly Hall and Fukian Assembly Hall (Phuc Kien). These intricate structures, which were built as regional gathering spaces for merchants to do business, are protected by ornate entrance gates. All these assembly halls were founded during the 16th – 17th century are well preserved and worth a visit.

Hoi An delicacies - Cao Lau

Hoi An delicacies - white rose dumplings

Hoi An delicacies - Hoi An crispy wanton

Hoi An delicacies - Chicken Rice

Hoi An's most famous traditional herbal drink. Must-try!

After all the photographs taking, it’s finally time for dinner! We had our dinner at one of the
most popular restaurants in town, Old Garden Restaurant. The restaurant has extensive
menu from local delicacies to classic and everything in between. A really great place to try
Cao Lau, white rose dumplings, chicken rice and Hoi An spring rolls. All tasted superb! I’m
sure you’ll want a second.

Along the river banks

Thu Bon River towards the evening

The river side was a prominent stop among foreign traders during the 16th and 18th century

Myself at Thu Bon River towards the evening

Release a lantern and make a wish

After dinner, we spent our evening relaxing along the river banks, getting lost in the
alleyways and ended our day roaming around Hoi An’s night market to admire all of the
beautiful coloured lanterns, houses and picked some souvenirs to take home. Overall, it’s
been a big day! 

On our second day in Hoi An, we visited the Old House of Tan Ky. Built in the 19th Century, Tan Ky isn’t the oldest of Hoi An’s ancient houses, but it might be the best-preserved. This was a merchant’s quarters, which hosted traders and stored goods for sale. We were told that this charming wooden home has been owned by the same family for seven generations. Next, we went to Hoi An Traditional Art Performance House to watch the traditional art performances and experienced Bai Choi (bingo game with folk singing, UNESCO certified). The game starts when the cards are taken out by the referee. Each time of taking out the card, the referee will speak out the name of the card. The person has 3 cards which are spoken out is the winner.

One for the album

A local street vendor in Hoi An

An old town made of bewitching yellow walls

Marble Temple -  buildings are still wonderfully maintained

We spent the entire afternoon walking around the ancient town and visited the local market
in Hoi An. There are several markets in Hoi An, and most tourists will visit the Central
Market and Night Market. Towards the evening, we stroll along the river banks and took the
traditional boat ride and released flower lanterns into the river, carrying our wishes. For our
last night, we spent it on eating Cao Lau again. This was then followed by late dinner and
supper at CocoBox Hoi An.  Their coffee really hit the spot and the coconut ice-cream was
superb!

The crossing dragon bridge over Thu Bon River - that connects the old and the new town

The dragon bridge

What to do in Hoi An?

There are so many little things for you to do here for example:

◊Visit Hoi An Waterfront

◊Visit Hoi An Ancient Town

◊Watch Colourful Lanterns

◊Visit the Japanese Bridge and snap photos of the historic site

◊Explore the Fukian Assembly Hall

◊Explore Quang Trieu Assembly Hall

◊Explore Old House of Tan Ky

◊Admire Hoi An’s Old Architecture

◊Visit Phung Hung Ancient House

◊Watch Hoi An Traditional Art Performances

◊Put paper lanterns on the river

◊Play Bai Choi (Vietnamese Bingo Game) 

◊Stroll around Hoi An Night Market

◊Enjoy Hoi An local delicacies

◊Join Vietnamese Cooking Class

◊Have clothes custom made at a local tailor 

Admire the beauty of thousand lanterns here

Admire the beauty of thousand lanterns here

Admire the beauty of thousand lanterns here

Colours of Vietnam

Entrance Fee(s): 
Hoi An Ancient Town Ticket - 120,000VND/ticket 
Traditional Boat and Paper Lanterns - 100,000VND/2 persons  

The entrance ticket allows access to 5 sightseeing place in the ancient town

Restaurant(s)/Café(s): 
Old Garden Restaurant 
Address: 33 Phan Chu Trinh, Phường Minh An, Hội An, Minh An, Vietnam
Opening hour(s): 08:00 am to 11:00pm
What to order:  Cao Lau, Mi Quang, Chicken Rice, White Rose, Hoi An Spring Roll 

CocoBox Hoi An 
Address: 94 Lê Lợi, Phường Minh An, Tp. Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam
Opening hour(s): 07:00am to 10:00pm 
What to order: Vietnamese coffee, homemade coconut milk, cold pressed juices, coconut ice 
cream   

Accommodation(s): 
HOI AN 
River Suites Hoi An (1 Oct – 3 Oct 2018) **Highly recommended!
Address: 4 Nguyen Du St., Cam Pho, Hoi An, Vietnam
Tel: +84 235 3924 999
Room price: MYR 327.73/ 2 night for 2 adults booked via Agoda  
Room type: Deluxe Room, River View inclusive of breakfast

River Suites Hoi An - well decorated spacious room

The hotel is located very near to the old town and night market

Air Itinerary Details: 
AirAsia: Penang (PEN) – Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – DaNang (DAD)/ DaNang (DAD)– Kuala
Lumpur (KUL) - Penang (PEN) 
From             To                 Flight        Date                    Dep     Arr 
PEN                KUL               AK6111        27 Sept 2018       07:10    08:10
KUL                DAD              AK648         27 Sept 2018       10:30    12:05
DAD               KUL               AK649         3 Oct 2018          12:35      16:20
KUL                PEN               AK6138       3 Oct 2018          17:55      18:55
Return ticket fare/person: MYR473 (KUL-DAD-KUL) + MYR178.48 (PEN-KUL-PEN) =
MYR651.48 (Economy Class)

VietJetAir : Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) to DaNang (DAD) 
From         To             Flight           Date                  Dep      Arr 
SGN            DAD           VJ628            27 Sept 2018     09:00   10:20
One-way ticket fare/person (inclusive of 20kgs baggage allowance): USD39.95
VietJetAir Booking Website: https://vietjetair.com/Sites/Web/en-US/Home   

Note: All entrance / transportation fees and accommodation rates/charges listed on this
post are based on our (chengywong.blogspot.com) travel dates (2018) and therefore subject
to change(s). ©chengywong.blogspot.com is not responsible for content on external web 
sites. 

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