I don’t think Hội An is a strange city to anyone if you have ever wanted to or planned a trip to Vietnam. It’s definitely one of the most visited cities in Vietnam because it has the best of both worlds – the charm of old houses and buildings, and a beach town. I’d never thought of Hội An as a beach town, though. Growing up, Hội An was a very well-preserved Ancient Town, and if we had wanted to have more things to do around there, we would have gone and stayed in Da Nang, which is about a 45-minute drive away from Hội An. Da Nang is a much bigger city, with beaches, sights to see, and a lot more food options. However, now that I am older (and wiser, hopefully), I definitely prefer a much smaller and quieter town to stay in. Hội An is not mean quiet, as there are a lot of visitors going to the Ancient Town daily. But, the last time we were in Hội An, we stayed at the Four Seasons Resort Nam Hai, Hội An, which is only a 12-minute drive from the Ancient Town, but far enough that we could really take in the slow-moving lifestyle in very luxurious accommodation.

The Resort

The Four Seasons Resort Nam Hai, Hội An is one of my top 3 Four Seasons hotels & resorts, and easily top 5 resorts altogether, if we had gone there during warmer weather. Regardless, this is by far the best resort in Vietnam, arguably sharing the crown with Amanoi. The price point is sort of different between the two resorts, though, so if we take that into consideration, the Amanoi may have to take a step back.

The Four Seasons brand is notoriously known for its customer service. Although they may not be able to do everything you’d ask for like the Aman brand would (which is what they do), I have never experienced a slight inconvenience staying with the Four Seasons hotels. They’re friendly, warm, and welcoming. And because we have stayed at enough Four Seasons hotels in the past few years, we always get greeted very generously by their hotel management staff every time we check in. Yes, the Aman team would do that for you, even if you have never stayed with them before. But let it be reminded that at the price point to stay with any Aman properties, that’s expected. With the Four Seasons, they are expensive, but they’re also a bigger brand with many hotels and generally are more affordable for a lot of people in a general sense compared with the Aman group. Therefore, although flawless customer service is expected with the Four Seasons, they’re also very personable and genuine. Some of the Four Seasons properties even have that Aman-like service, and I’m not even exaggerating.

This Four Seasons Resort Nam Hai, though, is a picture-perfect property, even in the rain. Their villas scream Vietnamese houses and decorations, in a very good way – the drapes around the bed are literally what older houses in Vietnam would have to protect people from being bitten by mosquitoes at night. The coconut trees surrounding the property reflect what the countryside looks like in Vietnam, and they’re being embraced at this resort. There are these giant ceramic water tubs on the ground, and that is if you know, you know. I remember the first time when we got into our room, walking out to the patio facing the ocean; I instantly felt at home. I grew up in the middle of Saigon – a busy, bustling city, but my grandparents’ house was still located in a much poorer and rural area of District 8, with rice paddy fields and monkey bridges just behind the houses. Every summer for years, my older sister and I would spend days there with our cousins and friends, running wild and free in these empty fields, (trying to) climb the coconut trees, and just being kids. Years later, the city had grown so fast with buildings after buildings all over; even the poor area of District 8 had become more industrial. But, the Four Seasons Resort Nam Hai took me right back to my younger self.

At this resort, you can certainly walk around a huge property on foot. But, they provided us with 2 bicycles, just like any other guests, and that was probably one of the most fun parts about staying at resorts anywhere in the world. It’s strange, but riding a bicycle in Vietnam is such a childhood thing to me. Combined with the ocean breeze, the wind in my hair—oh, it was such a joy.

Other amenities such as the gym – it was a dream – a fitness goal, actually. Tall ceilings, very open and spacious between machines or workout areas, and not too old machines did make for a great morning workout for us every day we were there. The dining options here were also great. Their bar upstairs from the main restaurant served the best high-quality beef jerky along with the drinks. If you live in Vietnam, you know we’re crazy about our jerky products; hence we have very high standards when it comes to those. These were delicious, with slices of lime on the side to squeeze in, enhancing the beefy and spicy flavor. It was actually the best drinking snack! Their food (buffet breakfast, lunch, and dinner) was delicious, too. Most of all, their almond milk latte was the best of its kind. I have tried almond milk lattes from many different places in different countries – from commercial-grade almond milk to homemade ones, and I hate every ounce of it. But here at the Four Seasons Nam Hai, I am not sure what they put in their almond milk latte, but it was so addictive. So much so that I had to order a second one to take with me on our drive from Hội An to Huế on our last day. To this day, I have not found another place on earth that can compare with their almond milk latte.

Hội An – The City

Hội An – The city is a very lovely place on its own, even if you don’t think of it as the Ancient Town that is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But it is, and that’s even cooler. Hội An itself is a slow, much smaller city compared to other metro cities of Vietnam, and I love it just as it is. You could say it’s a bit of a sleepy town, as the drive from The Four Seasons Resort Nam Hai took me through the rice paddy fields on one side and houses on the other side. People move slower here, with a much simpler life. When you get into the Ancient Town area of the city, there are more people, more scooters, more cars, and taxis, as expected with most tourists gathering in this area. But it’s really fun to walk around the town admiring these well-maintained older houses and buildings with the lanterns above our heads. There are restaurants, street food vendors, and coffee shops everywhere you go, and tons of picture-worthy spots for the social media crowd.

Getting a tailored suit in Hội An – worth it?

The answer is yes, and you should do it. It’s very fast, 24 hours fast. We went into a tailor shop just outside of the Ancient Town called Kimmy Tailor, and we all had such a great experience. Honestly, I didn’t do a lot of research on which store to go to, as my brother had this handled, so I can’t compare this place to many other places on the block. But they were all friendly, professional, could speak English pretty well, and we did get the suits back within the same day, so there’s that.

The process was efficient – they’ve got it figured out and it showed. We came in, and because there were 3 of us who wanted to get their suits made, each got assigned to a tailor. First, they talked about the process, then they discussed what the boys wanted in terms of style. Then, measurements, and now narrowing down to the actual style of the suit. They made recommendations to Toby based on their observations of his athletic body type. After that, it was time to pick the fabric – we gave them some ideas about what Toby wanted, and we were shown options inside the store. After a while, Toby still wasn’t able to find what he wanted (materials and color); our tailor took us to their warehouse for more options. I thought she was very attentive, helpful, and determined to find what Toby wanted. Once everything was picked and aligned, we were told to come back in the afternoon for the first fitting. After the first fitting, they took feedback and finished up the suits. Roughly 2-3 hours after that, we came back to pick up the final products. A total of 4 suits in less than 24 hours, insanely fast, and they were all happy with the suits. Toby did say that the fabrics ended up being too stiff to wear, which I think we sort of anticipated once we picked the fabrics. Nonetheless, it cost roughly $350 for the whole suit, within 24 hours. I say it’s a no-brainer if you’re looking for a tailored suit.

My litter sister and I were thinking to have dresses made for us there too, but after showing them the pictures of the dress we wanted, the lady recommended us to not do it, as she said it would be actually better to just buy it from the site haha. They were simple dresses, and I appreciate she was being honest. She would have just gone with our requests to make more money, but she didn’t.

Again, 10/10 recommended.

Food and Drinks

Hội An, being a popular tourist spot, has a lot of options for food and drinks; some are amazing, while others are just tourist traps, at least for my very discerning Vietnamese palate.

The first thing I am going to tell you to must go and get is Bánh Mì Phượng. It’s the place where Anthony Bourdain called “The Best Banh Mi on the planet” (or something like that – they have it framed on a wall there) and I fully sign off on it. It was, yes, the best Bánh Mì on this planet, or at least the best one I’ve ever had in my life and I eat a lot of Bánh Mì, in Vietnamese and anywhere I can get a hold of a Bánh Mì. The baguette was smaller, crispy on the outside, and plenty of toppings inside. The kicker was the homemade pâté with some ground pork in it too; it was heaven. The place was packed when we went around 12 pm, but it moved really fast. It was one of the very rare places that Toby agreed to wait in line for because unless it’s life-changing, he wouldn’t do it. We waited in line, got our bánh mìs, took a cab in a pouring rain and cold to go back to the Four Seasons, asked them if we could sit in their restaurant to eat the Bánh Mì while ordering some other appetizers and drinks, of course (we were not monsters!). They happily assisted us, and the first bite of that Bánh Mì sent me straight to heaven, no joke. Keep in mind it wasn’t immediately eaten when we got it; with the time travel and the cold rain, it was still the best Bánh Mì I have ever eaten. To this day, nothing can beat it.

We did go to another Bánh Mì joint in Hội An per the internet searches (Madam Khanh), and I can tell you right now, skip it if you just want to eat the best Bánh Mì. If you want to try out different places just to see and don’t believe me, sure, go to Madam Khanh. But don’t tell me later that I didn’t warn you!

(To be fair, Madam Khan’s Bánh Mì were not bad at all. In fact, they were a lot better than many other places in Vietnam, even. But it’s no where compared to Bánh Mì Phượng)

The Ancient Town has quite a few coffee shops around, and to be honest, you’re in Vietnam, so the chance of getting a bad coffee may be very slim. We wandered around and went to Hoi An Roastery Espresso & Coffee House, located right inside the Ancient Town – I recommend it if there are too many options for you to pick from.

We also stopped by a Herbal Tea stall called Mót Hội An – Nước Thảo Mộc Sả Chanh inside the Ancient Town (right a few stores from the coffee shop) during midday for a quick break. It had become popular in the town since 2-3 years ago, and although it wasn’t anything special – herbal tea with lemongrass, it hit the spot after walking around for a while. I bet it would be such a good drink on a summer day, too.

As far as food goes, Hội An or the greater region has a few specialties that everyone should try: cơm gà Hội An (Hội An chicken and rice), Mì Quảng (turmeric noodle soup), and Cao Lầu (another noodle soup that originated from Hội An). There are a lot of restaurants in and around town that serve this, so go nuts. We had a place bookmarked for the noodles that we wanted to go to, but when we walked there, they were closed for the day (sad!). However, across the street from it was a lady with a stall that served both cơm gà Hội An and Cao Lầu. She had no customers at the time, and she called us over. Being born and raised in Vietnam, my brother and I immediately crossed the street to her stall—because we knew it was going to be great. And it was: simple, cheap (very!), non-touristy, and delicious. We got both dishes for the group; the boys did go for seconds for their dish, though. We were starving at the time, sure, but I think the food was actually so good that we were so happy. I don’t have her address; I apologize, but if this is going to give you a thumbs-up on trying out any random street vendors (that don’t look too dirty), I’d be happy to do so.

Now, we did try a more Westerner-friendly spot in the Ancient Town called Mai Fish. The chef is Vietnamese but he is from Texas, and he did grow up in Hội An. The restaurant is lovely, clean, spacious, and catered to Westerners, both in flavors and in friendly English-speaking environments. But, it was actually really delicious. My Chicken & Rice dish was really good, as well as the appetizer (Bò Lẫu)! For Vietnamese people, if you’re looking for a more “upscale” spot to break away from the normal joints, or if you’re visiting Vietnam for the first time and want to ease into it, this place is a great start!

As far as what to avoid, personally, it would be the Bánh vạc. I am not sure how to translate this dish because I have no idea what it even was (even after looking at the picture below). It is sort of known as one of the local dishes to try in the city, and I say skip it. I can’t remember the taste of it; I just remember that it’s something I would not seek out ever again. The place we went for this is Nhà hàng Bông Hồng Trắng, which is a huge place and definitely catered to tourists. This restaurant is a place that I would not recommend to anyone. We were all underwhelmed by it; nothing was good—neither the food nor the drinks.

Overall, Hội An is a fun and relaxing city for everyone to visit at least once if you’re in Vietnam. It’s a place I would go back to again if I’m in the area. As for the resort, it’s definitely somewhere I want to return to very soon in warmer weather so I can truly enjoy every square meter of that magnificent place.

Have you been to Hội An? Let me know how you like the city and what the best thing you’ve experienced there!