A Hotel Review in Hoi An , Vietnam - The Ancient Garden Boutique

Located outside the ancient city of Hoi An, the Ancient Garden Boutique Hotel is within a walking distance of about 10- 15 minutes to the centre of all the activities.

There are a couple of restaurants closeby to the hotel. After walking a little closer to the Ancinet City, we found a lot more interesting restaurants from which to choose for meals. The front desk staff was friendly and helpful. The receptionist gave us some ideas of what were happening in the city when we asked and she offered us some tickets for a cultural show on the same evening but we had other things in mind. Another amenity offered to guests by the hotel - free bikes to ride around in this ancient city!

Our room was on the ground floor, clean and spacious with a set of French doors leading to the outside garden. The hotel came with an outdoor swimming pool but the weather was a little too cool therefore we didn't take a dip there. Breakfast was served in the hotel's outdoor patio garden filled with lush green plants while birds were chirping in the morning crisp air. Enjoying a nice hot beverage and a delicious hot breakfast in the lovely garden setting, we were happy that we booked this hotel in Hoi An - a nice, comfortable and afforadable place!

RT, Ancient Garden Boutique, Hoi An, Vietnam, 2026

The Ancient Town of Hoi An, Vietnam, has a lot to offer to Visitors

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hoi An has a lot to offer to visitors and we enjoyed or time in this beautiful town. There are a lot to do and see in the Hoi An Ancient Town. The following are a few interesting things we have learned about Hoi An:

The city is a physical testament to the cross-cultural exchange that occurred there. Its architecture and street plan reflect a unique blend of indigenous and foreign cultures (principally Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and European) that created this unique settlement for example the Japanese bridges, Chinese assembly halls,

Vietnamese tube houses, and French colonial shophouses all coexisting within a few blocks.

We noticed the iconic mustard-yellow walls seen throughout Hoi An. Not a random choice, the color is traditionally associated with French colonial architecture and royalty in Vietnam.

Now it has become a popular aesthetic colour for tourism. There were so much to discover in the Old Town!

There seemed to be a lot of tailor shops around town; I learned that Hoi An is a "Tailor-Made" Capital. It is world-famous for its hundreds of tailor shops.

One can walk in a tailor shop, choose a design and fabric, and have a custom-made suit or dress ready for him/her in as little as 24 hours at incredibly reasonable prices. I kicked myself for not getting one done for myself!

Hoi An is a great town for strolling around as it is a pedestrian and cyclist's Paradise since the central Ancient Town is largely car-free. We explored the narrow, charming streets on foot while many people did it riding on bicycles, or by cyclos, a bicycle rickshaw.

The Full Moon Lantern Festival - Once a month, on the night of the full moon, the city turns off its electric lights and lets the ancient town be illuminated solely by colorful silk lanterns, candlelight, and floating flowers on the river.

This is a celebration of Hoi An's heritage and a magical experience for visitors. But too bad, we were not there at the right time.

Strolling around in the Hoi An Old City was a like treating our eyes to a feast! I especially loved the area after we crossed the Japanese Bridge; there seemed to be endless array of street vendors and shops selling all kinds of arts and crafts items. We also discovered that in some shops, they would actually exchanged money with you, how about that!

The shops that caught our eyes were the arts stores.

Though unable to paint to save my life, I appreciate and enjoy looking at beautiful artwork and I was delighted finding so many arts shops here in Hoi An.

The iconic Chua Cau (Japanese Covered Bridge) is not perfectly straight. One end is slightly wider than the other, and it has a slight lean. Local legend says the bridge was built to slay a mythical monster (Manmazu), whose head was in India, tail in Japan, and body in Vietnam, which was causing earthquakes.

The bridge was built to "stab" the monster's heart and stop the tremors. Interesting stories, eh? We loved learning about all these interesting stories about the places where we visited! RT, Hoi An, Vietnam

A Coconut Boat Ride at Thanh Dong Village, Vietnam

One of the things on our must do list during our Vietnam visit was riding in a round boat among the coconut forest! The next day after our arrival at Hoi An Ancient City, we looked for the information and hired a taxi taking us to the round boat ride. However, half way before reaching our destination, the taxi driver informed us that the boat ride was no longer available at that location.

Instead of following the map directions on our GPS, the driver started taking us to another location. J. noticed the driver's change of routing without our consent so he stopped him and insisted that he take us to the location according to our original instructions.

We heard that there were a lot of scammers around in Vietnam and needed to be careful. We were right! The boat ride business was still there at the same location; we found it but the place was not as busy as we had imagined. Though the weather was a bit cloudy and we were the only people by the river, we decided to go ahead with our planned activity. Since each round boat could only sit two passengers, we hired two boats plus a boatman for each taking us down the river.

These round boats were special local creations. The boatmen seemed to enjoy their work, especially ours. While rowing our boat down the river, he was playing some happy music on his CD, singing happily and joking around with us and the other boatman most of the way.

The water was calm and the river was quiet with only a handful of boats going down leisurely on the water, very different from the busy crowded scene in Hoi An where it was bursting at the seams with tourists. We passed by cocount trees, vegetations, a few nice houses with docks along the river as well as a couple of restaurants where diners sitting on the patio were waving at us and delighted at seeing us being so happy on our boats where we started dancing to the happy muisc played onboard. Half way of our ride, our boatman stopped rowing.

Taking a fresh reef and with a small knife in his hand, he skillfully started cutting and folding the reef. After performing a few simple cuts, bends and folds, in a few minutes' time, he made two grass rings from Mother Nature, and gifted them, one for each of us!

Before the end of our boatride, we each had a cute green ring on our fingers handmade from a freshly harvested reef along the river. How cute was that!

After the boat ride, we took a walk in the organic garden right beisde the restaurant and enjoyed a delicious local lunch made from the freshly picked vegetables from the farm.

What a wonderful and healthy ending to an enjoyable afternoon of riding in the famous cocount boat! RT, Thanh Dong Village, Vietnam 2026

Withdrawing Cash from the ATM's Was not Easy in Hoi An, Vietnam

Upon arriving to Da Nang, Vietnam, we were able to withdraw some cash from our bank account right away as there was a bank machine right outside the Da Nang Airport.

Therefore, we made the same assumption regarding cash withdrawal when we travelled to Hoi An, a UNESCO Heritage Site about an hour bus ride away from Da Nang and very popular with tourists. Not wanting to charge everything on our visa charge card, we needed to have some cash on hand for small purchases such as coffee and street food etc.

We thought it would be easy getting cash from the ATM machines in this popular tourist town. How wrong were we! Yes, there were a lot of banks and ATM machines on the streets of Hoi An especially in the busy tourist area. We saw quite a few people lining up for their banking business in front of these machines. Not sure if they could do it easier than we could.

We tried withdrawing money both from our own bank account and charge card. However, everyone of these ATMs rejected our cards! It was frustrating as we had such an unexpected difficult time getting money from our accounts via these machines. We even went to a few banks in person and were told that we couldn't do the withdrawal from our Canadian bank.

Finally, a bank employee told us about the HD Bank, one of the few banks that could exchange the currencies for us and might allow us to withdraw money. We went and thank goodess, after much searching and looking, eventually we did find a bank which could help us, the HD Bank, where we could retrieve some cash so that we could continue our vacation in Vietnam with some pocket money! RT, Hoi An, Vietnam, 2026

Hoi An Ancient Town, Vietnam - the Ancient City of Colourful Lanterns

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hoi An Ancient Town ( near Da Nang), Vietnam was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. It is recognized as an exceptionally well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century.

Hoi An was the most famous and bustling international trading port in Southeast Asia. Ships from Japan, China, Portugal, Spain, Holland, and France would come to exchange goods like silk, ceramics, pepper, and spices. Therefore, when planning for our trip to Vietnam, we put Hoi An down on our must see list.

We booked a hotel outside the ancient city, but within a leisurely walking distance in about 10- 15 minutes. After unloading our luggage, we strolled around the neighbourhood checking out the city. We came across a seafood restaurant close to our hotel and had dinner there.

After dinner, we were reenergized ready to spend an evening walking. There was a lively vibe on the streets as we were passing numerous shops, cafe and restaurants. The closer we got near the water, the brighter the streets became.

Exploring the Streets and Less Known Market, Cho Bac My An, in Da Nang

Instead of visiting the famous attractions when travelling, one of the things we enjoy doing is exploring the less known streets and local markets of the city where we are visiting. We did the same thing while we were in Da Nang. Instead of visiting the biggest market where it is busy and filled with tourists, we went to Cho Bac My An, translated as Bac My An Market. It is a medium size authentic local marketplace in the Bac My AN ward of Son Tra district near the famous My Khe Beach.

When staying at a beachfront resort near My Khe Beach, this is the closest major market for buying fresh food. It is also famous for its seafood — many locals and tourists buy fresh shrimp, crab, and fish here and take it to a nearby "quán" (shop) to have it cooked.

At the market, we saw lots of stalls selling fresh seafood and produce including a wide array of local fruits, vegetables, and live seafood.

Desiring to sample some street food, we looked for the dedicated food section serving local specialties. We tried some of the cold drinks there. They were delicious! Besides food vendors, there were many sellers and stores selling everyday goods such as clothing, household items, and Vietnamese provisions.

Many vendors also sold flowers on the street. J. bought a piece of luggage with a self lock included at a very good price, nice colour and design too. He was happy about that.

We also had an early dinner at a restaurant where they served their customers outside. The Bac My An Market is a great place to experience local life in Da Nang away from the tourist crowds! Beside the market, we also explored the streets and passed by some interesting shops.

The one I like the most was a spacious place where parents can drop off their kids to play in the various play area while enjoying coffee and watch them in action. What a creative business idea!

RT, Bac My An Market, Da Nang, Vietnam

My Son Sanctuary, an UNESCO Site Near Da Nang, Vietnam

After enjoying our breakfast at the My Son Resort, we called a taxi taking us to the My Son Sanctuary and spent almost the whole afternoon there.

My Son was recognized by UNESCO in 1999 as the only surviving evidence of the vanished Champa civilization, which dominated Southeast Asia for centuries. Built by the Champa Kingdom between the 4th and 13th centuries, it is a group of temples dedicated to the Hindu gods.

My Son is the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom which became part of Vietnam in the 15th century. It is a unique architectural marvel! The temples are constructed from red bricks, stacked without visible mortar, yet they have stood for centuries. The techniques used to bind them and the intricate carvings on the stone remain a mystery to researchers.

We could see that there were employees working on a number of places at the sanctuary. The site has been lovingly restored and shows the intricate Hindu inspired carvings and architecture.

We watched a couple of cultural performances at the sanctuary and were dazzled by the colourful costumes, songs and dances.

The scenery of My Son Sanctury was enchanting, quiet and calming! With mountains in the background, quiet water reflecting the lush vegetation, we enjoyed our walk among the ruins and hiking on country roads along a winding river.

We had a culturally rich and delightful afternoon at the My Son Sanctuary! R.T. My Son Sanctuary, Vietnam