Hoi An is one of those places everyone raves about, saying how it’s the best spot in Vietnam with its incredible food, quick and amazing tailored clothes and its charming old town. Well I guess everyone was right because frankly, it was an incredible place.
Hoi An totally reminded us of walking through the streets of Tuscany but also a mix of Singapore…strange right? The well preserved old town is influenced by a mix of Chinese, Japanese and Europeans as seen through the brilliant architecture and design. Walking through the narrow streets you can get lost in the fine detail of each and every house, storefront and restaurants.
Hoi An is very well known for their tailor shops, rightfully so. We visited three shops and within two days both of us had four new pieces of clothing. Our favourite and most memorable experience was at Kimmy’s.
We sat down with our personal tailors and discussed our visions and ideas about what we wanted. Lorne went with a clean white button up and I went all 50’s and got a light pink, deep v wrap dress. Together we looked like we worked at an old school diner, or bowling alley. Lorne went on to order a full three price suit and got a pair of his favourite pants replicated, he couldn’t be happier. We also got shirts that have “They Went There” embroidered on the front and we sent them home so they wouldn’t get ruined on our travels, don’t worry I photographed them for proof and will show you here.
From discussing our looks to drawing them and finally seeing them come to life was such a cool and unique experience, not to mention quite cheap, considering how costly it would be to do this back home in Toronto.
Our hotel provided us with free pedal bikes and we rode for miles and miles everyday, some days we would just follow the road and see where it took us; mostly leading to a gorgeous open field or alternatively to a food market. We had so much fun ringing our bells, biking along the backside of the markets next to the river and seeing things from a different perspective.
Our first night there we met a wonderfully kind waitress who couldn’t have been happier to take us out to the markets the next day. We bought fresh produce and then she brought us to her home to prepare and eat rice paper shrimp rolls. It was an incredible experience talking to her and learning about her family, her home life and who she is as a person.
We can say with confidence that Hoi An is a must see place in Vietnam and we will be back to explore more of it as soon as possible!
See you soon Hoi An!
-Rachel
Live Life With Passion
They Went There 