WHERE TO STAY
An Bang or by the beach is nice. You’re a 15min drive from the center of town but it’s a lot calmer/quieter, and you’re on a beach.
Ancient Town is pretty crowded but closest to all the bars and the walking streets and a lot of the more touristy stuff.
Staying in the Rice Paddies is really nice, quieter vibe, feels like you’re in the country. You can find cheap Airbnbs. Would highly recommend a motorbike anyway, but especially if you stay here.

MOTORBIKE RENTAL
Highly recommend a motorbike in Hoi An, much more convenient, opens up a lot of possibilities. Two of the most reliable companies…
1 - Tigit Danang: by the airport you’ll fly into
2 - Hoi An Bike Rental: free delivery anywhere in Hoi An, good bikes of all sizes, responsive on WhatsApp

GROCERIES
Ba Le Wet Market is where the locals mostly go, decidedly cheaper and better than the other places you’ll find

Refillables is a gem: they have tons of amazing products and ingredients and they’ll fill any size container you bring (and they have ones there) and just charge you by weight. Some really great finds here.

Pete’s Luxury Whole Foods is another random find. They’ve blown up and are shipping their product all over Vietnam and supplying hotel chains with their granola, snacks and other products. I’m obsessed with their granola and their sugared coconut flakes.

MISC
Blind massage: look up nearest one to you with good reviews, it’s a unique experience … someone ‘discovering’ your body piece by piece as they touch you and reacting. Usually someone sees you head-to-toe and makes whatever assumptions they are to, but in this case they didn’t know my height or build until they touched relevant parts and were able to make (accurate) assessments of even my age and ethnicity (and random medical history) as they touched my body.

I don’t have a specific rec but tailor-made suits and custom-built dress shoes are a big thing here, and a more useful souvenir than a random trinket.

DAY TRIPS

Danang is the largest city in Central Vietnam, and where you’ll fly into. It’s 30mins away by bike. See below for a couple of recs.

Huế is 2-2 1/2 hours from Hoi An and whilst it’s a nice enough motorbike ride getting a private car is probably worth the $80-100 USD so you can just relax (and probably nap). There’s a lot to do. The highlight is the massive citadel which you could spend a whole day at. Lots of temples, a palace, a theater. There’s lots of unique local food including bún bò Huế which can be not for the faint of heart depending on who’s making it. It’s a lot sleepier which is a nice change of pace.

Bana Hills: sure, it’s touristy, but also the cable car to get there is worth the trip alone, the Golden Bridge is truly incredible, and the rest of it is a confusing messy awesome bizarre mismatched theme park that I got a big kick out of.

My Son is a site with tons of temples, some of which were abandoned part of the way through construction, from the 13th all the way back to the 4th century. Great place to wander around for an afternoon.

Marble Mountains / Ngũ Hành Sơn and Am Phu Cave are actually between Hoi An and Danang and a worthwhile excursion. The cave especially (which translates to "Hell”) is a trip and a half, you won’t see much like it elsewhere.

Rice fields: I strongly recommend getting a motorbike (or bicycle) and getting lost in the countryside for a while. There are parts you can find where it’s rice fields in each direction as far as you can see and utterly serene.

STREET FOOD

#1 Bánh Mì: my favorite is Madam Khanh, aka “The Bánh Mì Queen”. The BBQ grilled pork (“thịt nướng”) is my favorite. Slightly sweet, it might be my favorite sandwich of all-time.

#2: Bánh Mì Sum also excellent and a little less well known. Open afternoons till later in the eve.

#3: Bánh Mì Phượng is the most well known due to Anthony Bourdain giving it the two-thumbs-up but it does live up to the hype. The grilled pork is again my favorite, but the thập cẩm (everything) is amazing. Their chili sauce helps seal the deal.

#4: Bánh Mì Thành Quân is a bakery, and that’s the big selling point, the freshest crunchiest baguette with soft fluffy insides you’ll ever eat. Ask them when they’ll have fresh bread. Simpler toppings but it’s that bread. Right outside Ba Le Market.

At some point I’ll look up specific recs for cao lầu, mỳ quảng and white rose dumplings which are probably the most popular local dishes. Bún thịt nướng (grilled pork with herbs on rice noodles) is also cooked differently in Central Vietnam and worth checking out.

RESTAURANTS

Mid-range: Purple Lantern in A Bang has a variety of dishes, highlights incl the lime leaf chicken, eggplant-pork, couple of fish dishes. Say hi.
Mid-range: Canh Dong is best at night and probably will a slightly larger group. Between town and the beach it overlooks the rice paddies which are illuminated at night with tiny little lights and it’s magical.

Fancy: Mùa is a seasonal tasting menu showcasing local ingredients in a beautiful setting. It’s about $40 without the pairings for context.

Veggie: Minh Kien, not be confused with Minh Hien, is a fave. The braised green banana, the mushroom stuffed tofu, banana blossom salad and the pumpkin are all faves. Also is a decent place to get work done during the day, they have a huge book collection and good wi-fi.

DESSERT

Also pressed milk (incl sesame, green bean and sweet corn) is delicious. Chè is a very authentic Vietnamese dessert that comes in many forms and the chè bưởi (made with pomelo skin and coconut milk) is incredible and a local delicacy.

Try to pickup local yoghurts (Sữa chua), esp the fresh ones. My favorite flavors are Aloe (nha đam), Black Rice (nếp cẩm), Corn (bap) and Butterfly Pea Flower (hoa đậu biếc).

ENTERTAINMENT

Memories Show: huge production, 100s of performers, it’s actually a fun Vietnamese experience with the music and costumes. The art village and performances beforehand were underwhelming, and doing the boat to get there was a bit of a zoo so making your own way isn’t a bad idea. I hear the restaurant there is nice, but the stalls are a what you’d expect from a night market somewhere.

Lune Productions’ Teh Dar, a “bamboo circus”, is truly world class. Tuan, the creator, studied under Cirque du Soleil and does a wonderful job of

DANANG
Since Danang is just a 30-45min drive away, here are a few restaurant recs whilst you’re there
The best cao lầu I’ve ever had is at Mỳ Quảng Cao lầu Hàat. Their mỳ quảng is also great. Go early because they run out.
nén is maybe the best restaurant in Central Vietnam another local-forward seasonal tasting menu. It’s around $100 USD but quality that would cost 2-3 times or more in other countries
Visiting the Lady Buddha is a fun drive, though if you’re on bike parts of it are blocked off to automatic scooters, you’ll need at least a semi-automatic.