Shop till you drop!

That seems to be the main theme of Hoi An, a town littered with shoe shops, lantern makers, and over 400 tailors. You can get some great deals for a chic new ensemble; while tempting, we decided to explore the other side of Hoi An.

Downtown is full of character as you stroll past the alleys of dilapidated mellow yellow houses adorned with colorful lanterns. Along the riverside women sell fresh fruit and knick-knacks and others wash their clothes or lazily fish. After seeing the red washed Japanese Covered Bridge our tummies were rumbling and a traditional dish specific to Hoi An sounded like it would hit the spot. Cao lau is rice noodle dish that uses water from a special well in the city. It is then topped off with pork, fried dough, and stems of herbs. We also enjoyed some fresh spring rolls and deep fried wantan dumplings; washing it all down with some local brew. We like to call it ‘tree tree tree’ beer but it’s really ‘Ba Ba Ba’ in Vietnamese.

The next day we got out of town on some rickety bikes and pedaled our way out to the rice paddy fields and beaches. Vietnam will surpass Thailand as the top rice exporter in the next couple years, and it is easy to see why as flooded paddies line the country side roads. Families and neighbors head out in the morning to plant this life crop spending most of the day bent over sowing the delicate green blades in tidy rows.

A couple more kilometers down the road we find ourselves at Ang Bang Beach, said to be the local beach. There are a couple basket boats made from weaved bamboo dotted along the beach. After walking down the vacant strand we hopped back onto our bikes and started for Cua Dai Beach. The sun finally came out and we took another walk amongst the breezy palms and mild surf. Jenny even went for a swim!