Hoi An is a small town on the coast of South China Sea in Central Vietnam. Hoi An is located in the Quang Nam province and is home to approximately 25,000 inhabitants.
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The former harbour town of the Champa people at the estuary of the Thu Bon river was an important trading centre in the 16th and 17th centuries, where Chinese from various provinces as well as Japanese, Dutch and Indians settled down. During this period of the China trade, the town was called Hai Pho (Seaside Town), during the French occupation. Originally Hai Pho was a divided town, because across the Japanese Bridge used to be the Japanese settlement. The bridge (Chua Cau) is a unique covered structure built by the Japanese, the only known covered bridge with a Buddhist pagoda attached to one side. The town is known to the French and Spanish as Faifo; the name is thought to be the result of a mis-communication between a local habitant and a Spanish trader around the 17th century. The trader asked whether this was Pho and received the answer "Phai! Pho." ("Yes! Pho.").
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In 1999, the Hoi An old town was declared World Heritage by the UNESCO, as a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port of the 15th to 19th centuries, whose buildings display a unique blend of local and foreign influences.
Today, Hoian is still a small town, but it attracts a fair number of tourists, also being a well established place on the backpacker trail. Many visit for the numerous art and craft shops and tailors, who produce made-to-measure clothes for a fraction of the western price. Several internet cafés, bars and restaurants have opened along the riverfront.
Getting there
By plane
The nearest airport is in Danang, which has frequent connections to Hanoi, Saigon and some flights to Bangkok, Singapore and Siem Reap, Cambodia (for Angkor Wat). A taxi from the airport to Hoi An costs about US$15 thanks to the cartel, but only about half that in the other direction.
By train
There is no railway station in Hoi An. The nearest is in Danang, from where there are several trains a day from Hanoi, Saigon, Hue, Nha Trang etc. Most travel agents and hotels can book a train ticket for you.
By bus
Traveller buses run daily up and down the coast from Da Nang, Hue and Nha Trang. Note the road to Nha Trang is awful and the trip takes all day - it is much better to take a train. Sinh Cafe's office is at 2 Phan Dinh Phung St., just off Hai Ba Trung, and they charge US$2 for the trip to Hue (4 hours, twice daily).
By motorbike or taxi
It's easy to take a motorbike or taxi to and from Da Nang via the Marble Mountains (see below), from where you can catch a train onwards.
Getting around
The centre of Hoi An is very small and pedestrianised, so you will be walking around most of the time. Unfortunately bikes have not been banned from the center yet, so particularly at night keep an eye out for motorized kamikazes.
To go to the beach, or reach some of the more remote hotels, it is easy and cheap to hire a bicycle. Taxis are few and far between, but can be called by phone. You can also charter boats for about US$1/hour.
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Almost all of the Hoi An hotels will rent out motorbikes at about five USD a day. It's standard practice for them to rent you the bike with just enough petrol to make it to the next petrol station. If you value your money, go to a gas station, rather than the hand-operated roadside pumps- the markup is vicious. Use the bike to visit My Son, about an hour away, or the Marble Mountains, about forty minutes north towards Da Nang.
There are so many historical sites and cultural attractions in Hoi An that it is almost impossible not to see at least 1 or 2 of the more famous ones. Even if you are here on business or stopping over on your way somewhere else, there's sure to be something you can see in the time you are here. You should at least try to see the Japanese covered bridge or make an inspection of one of the fusion Chinese-Japanese-Vietnamese shop-houses in the old town.
Listed below are Hai Au Hotel tour suggestion for your days in Hoian.
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HOIAN WALKING TOUR
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Take a walking tour on its narrow cobblestone streets visiting former merchants’ antique houses, lantern workshops, Phuc Kien Assembly Hall, the 400-year old Japanese Covered Bridge, and the colorful bazaar.
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Group size (pax)
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1 - 2 pax |
3 - 5 pax |
6 - 10 pax |
The above rates are inclusive of:
- Tour guide (English or French speaking);
- Entrance fee.
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DANANG CITY TOUR
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Danang City is located in middle of Central Vietnam, between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, separated from Laos by the western Truong Son Mountains. It is surrounded by Thua Thien-Hue along the northern border and Quang Nam on the southern border. It is embraced by the East Sea with 150km of seacoast.
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Group size (pax)
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1 - 2 pax |
3 - 5 pax |
6 - 10 pax |
The above rates are inclusive of:
- Tour guide (English or French speaking);
- Car for transportation;
- Entrance fee
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MY SON HOLILAND
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My Son was a complex of constructions, including different temple-towers and stela in various architectural styles. French researchers listed some 70 temple-towers there. However, time and war together have taken their toll on these relics. Now, only 20 temple-towers remain almost intact. The rest have been reduced to ruins. These vestiges are valuable treasures of information for studying the development of Cham culture. During its seven centuries of development, Cham arts produced many works equal to masterpieces of the world. Though less impossing than the Angkor in Cambodia and less diversified than the Pagan site in Myanma, My Son is unique of its kind in Southeast Asia.
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Group size (pax)
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1 - 2 pax |
3 - 5 pax |
6 - 10 pax |
The above rates are inclusive of:
- Car for transportation;
- Tour guide (English or French speaking);
- Entrance fee.
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HOIAN WATER LIFE GLIMPSE
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Thanh Ha Pottery Village is 03 km West of Hoian, by the bank of Thu Bon River. Thanh Ha Pottery craftsmen had ever been invited by the Court of Nguyen Dynasty in Hue to create special products for activities of the Imperial Palace.
Kim Bong Carpentry Village is very famous for its wood-carving products. Now in this village, there is one Workshop funded by UNESCO in order to train young people in the village.
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Group size (pax)
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1 - 2 pax |
3 - 5 pax |
6 - 10 pax |
The above rates are inclusive of:
- Tour guide (English or French speaking);
- Boat;
- Entrance fee.
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HUE OLD CAPITAL
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Hue Citadel has been recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO since December 1993, Hue Royal Musical (Nha nhac) has been declared as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage since November 2003.
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Group size (pax)
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1 - 2 pax |
3 - 5 pax |
6 - 10 pax |
The above rates are inclusive of:
- Car for transportation;
- Tour guide (English or French speaking);
- Entrance fee;
- Lunch.
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MYLAI MASSACRE
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The My Lai massacre was a massacre committed by U.S. soldiers on hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians, mostly women and children, on March 16, 1968, in the hamlet of My Lai, during the Vietnam War. It prompted widespread outrage around the world and reduced American support at home for the war in Vietnam. The massacre is also known as the Son My Massacre.
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Group size (pax)
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1 - 3 pax |
4 - 6 pax |
6 - 11 pax |
The above rates are inclusive of:
- Car for transportation;
- Tour guide (English or French speaking);
- Entrance fee.
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EXCURSION TO CHAM ISLAND
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- 8:00 am: Pick up for customers at the hotel with a minivan, reach the pier. On board.
- 8:30 am: Departure from the pier, a cake, coffee or tea available on board.
- 9:45 am: Arrival at the islands, snorkling on coral reef and sightseeing of the islands.
- 11:30 am: Transfer to Bai Chong beach for lunch.
- 12:45: Lunch under coconut trees.
- Afternoon, relax on the beach, swimming, snorkling, or trekking and canoeing.
- 16:00: Return to the mainland.
- 17:00: Back to hotel with minivan
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The above price is including all for the excursion.
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1 DAY SCUBA DIVING IN CHAM ISLAND
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For beginners
- 8:10 am: Pick up for customers at the hotel with a minivan, reach the pier. On board.
- 8:30 am: Departure from the pier, coffee or tea available on board. Small course about the theories of diving and pratical advises.
9:45 am: Arrival at the islands, one discover scuba dive with a certified PADI instructor.
11:30: Transfer to Bai Chong beach for lunch;
12:15: Lunch under coconuts trees.
- Afternoon, optional dive or enjoy the beach, swimming, snorkling, trekking, canoeing or simply relaxing.
- 16:00: Return to mainland.
- 17:00: Back to hotel with minivan.
For certified divers
- 8:10 am: Pick up for customers at the hotel with a minivan, reach the pier. On board.
- 8:30 am: Departure from the pier, coffee or tea on the boat. Small course about the theories of diving and practical advises.
- 9:45 am: Arrival at the islands, first dive.
- 11:30: Quick food, coffee or tea on the boat.
- 12:00: Second dive on an advanced dive site.
- 14:00: Return on Bai Chong beach.
- Afternoon, enjoy the beach, free... having a cold drink front on the see...
- 16:00: Return to the mainland.
- 17:00: Back to hotel by a minivan.
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Group size (pax)
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For beginners |
for certified divers |
The prices are including all for the excursion and dive
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