Relatively new to Hoi An is this amazing, western-style, ultra-modern theme park. If you are looking for a variation on Disneyworld, this is it! This is one experience that is definitely aimed at kids and families. Not something you would expect in Quang Nam province, but here it is and very popular with visitors from Russia, Korea and China. Stretching over an area of approximately 62 hectares, Vin Pearl Land Nam Hoi An is the ultimate destination for adventure. Guests will be welcome by 12 giant ships parked on the river at the entrance followed by a range of state-of-the-art entertainment. The amusement park features unique and thrilling rides, such as the Fast & Furious, the Fall of the Century, and Tornado Turbulence. In addition, visitors can experience the cultural heritage of Vietnam on a boat trip exploring the Connecting Harbour, with the miniature Hoi An ancient town. It’s an experience for all the family but not one you will necessarily need to have a guide with you. It is located south of Hoi An and you will need to arrange a car and driver to get you there. Allow 15- 20 mins drive and at least a 3-hour stay (or maybe all day!) It is open from 8.00am to 9.00pm However, this can change seasonally so be sure to check their website https://www.vinpearl.com/en/vinpearl-nam-hoi-an-resort-villas/entertainment/vinpearl-land-nam-hoi-an-511 Photo Credit: All photos here are from Vinpearl -nam-hoi resort website. Thank you

Rocking, rolling and spinning around on these famous coconut boats is an absolute basket of fun. The Basket Boat is known locally as “Thung Chai” and is very popular among the local fishermen in the central regions of Vietnam. The longer you stay in Vietnam the more you will see fishermen use them to catch fish with a fishing net and to carry oil, wood, food and other things they might need while fishing. The safe capacity of the boat is normally 5 people max (4 guests + 1 rider). For fun, the tour operators will often spin the boat on its axis using the oar to push it round and round. You don’t necessarily have to spin it, but it takes some practice to manoeuvre and the only way to get the hang of it is to have a go. The Basket Boat is also called “The Round Boat”, for obvious reasons. Another name for it is “The Coracle Boat”, from Wales in The Great Britain. Now that's a bit of trivia we bet you didn't know. The boats are well managed by mostly very experienced tour operators who get much joy from taking tourists out through the water coconut forests and showing their guests how to throw the nets and catch fish. It's a fun day and we strongly suggest if you and your family decide to do it, you will have a ball. Contact us for details of the best operators in the area to book with. It’s no sweat off us to do so Enjoy!

Nobody worries too much about spending money on a holiday, but nobody likes getting ripped off! So maybe try these few things before you go to make the most of your holiday dollars. 1. Download some handy Apps and set them up with the settings as you want them prior to you going: That way as soon as you land you are GTG! ie EXE I suggest you set up with currencies you want to compare with so when you are changing your money you know how close to the mark you are. PS: Remember the EXE App is to be used as a guide. I suggest the following Apps for starters: a) Exe b) WhatsApp or Viber c) Grab - ride sharing service d) Google Maps e) Google translate f) The App belonging to your Online travel bookings ie Booking.com etc Makes it so easy to keep track of your bookings. 2. Check out some cool websites that cover a wide range of things that are relevant to your trip and have earned a long time following like @hellohoianvietnam, Hoiannow.com and other travel groups on Facebook that you think fit your type of trip like; First time travel to Vietnam: What's Happenning? Hoi An & Danang: Vietnam Wonderful. 3. Check out local prices for ordinary things like water for instance - see my handy chart here. 4. Create what I call a "Ready Reckoner" of levels of currency starting with what 10,000 Dong = in AUD, currently that is around about .62c, so if you are charged 10,000 - 20,000 for a bottle of water which is standard on the streets, you can check your "Reckoner" and find you are paying about $1.20AUD. 1,000,000 VN can take you a long way. It might be the first time you feel like a millionaire in your life! 5. Free WIFI or use a daily rate with your service provider - Check your Mobile Phone service provider - Telstra and Vodafone offer a very good daily rate if you prefer to not get a sim and put in your phone with a new number. I mention this as a friend uses Optus and they did not support Vietnam with such a good daily plan; it was on direct usage basis and very expensive. Telstra I know I can get for $10 AUD a day and it covers me more than adequately for when I want to access Google Maps for example.Plus I can swith it on and off as I please or need. FREE WIFI is everywhere so if you want to, you don't need to get a sim at all. Just use the Apps like Viber, Whats App or Messenger for your calls and text messages. 6. Re Phone usage and data roaming - you can turn it on and off, and I suggest you do, as you will chew through very quickly. I know this might sound like common sense, but you'd be surprised how many people, including yours truly forget to do it. The best plan of action should be to only turn it on when you are in your hotel, or local establishment to use their WIFI to download and search. Saves on your plan level. As a safety measure, I put my phone on "Flight" mode so it wont do it automatically..hahah! 7. If you have prescriptions, bring the packets, not the prescriptions, as much easier to fill at a pharmacy and could save you a doctors visit. If it is something special make sure to get it filled to cover your stay. 8. Check your baggage allowance on your flights, both Internationally and domestically. Vietnam has only recently as of August, 2019 changed their International check in baggage on certain routes. It may serve you to pre purchase "check in" luggage for domestic flights to ensure you are covered. It is such a trap if you are a shopper like me. 9. Make sure you have the correct Visa for your stay - in the names that match your passport and for the journey you are taking. ie If you plan to cross the border out of Vietnam to Cambodia for example you will need a Multiple Entry Visa, the EVisa wont cut it. See detail here on my Handy hints for details.I mention the Visa as I have sen many caught out and had to spend crazy amounts of money with service providers to get a suitable or correct Visa. 10. Buying Dong before you leave? I wouldn't suggest buying Dong at your city of departure in Australia, prior to leaving. The exchange rate is ridiculous. Plus you often to have to order it weeks in advance through your bank. Wait to get to Vietnam where ATM's are plentiful and you can easily withdraw 3,000,000 per day, at some machines even more, with only one transaction fee for about 22,000 - 50,000 Approximately. This changes regularly and depends on which bank ATM you use. These are just a few ideas to help you save on the things you don't want to pay for when you don't have to. If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to contact us here at hellohoianvietnam@gmail.com

For a very unique experience, you may like to consider a short drive out of Hoi An Old town to visit this amazing pottery village. Photo credit - Thanhhaterracotta village. Thank you. http://www.thanhhaterracotta.com/?mode=about&id=5 Steeped in history, the village is completely surrounded by water, and the museum is completely surrounded by the village. Its interior is designed like the houses of the pottery craftsman of old: the kiln (oven), the potter’s wheel, the workshop and the place for presentation. For the artists who live here, life is simple. Eating and sleeping is done where there is space left to do so. There is a small restaurant and two guest rooms. It is true devotion to their craft. The park is modelled after a potter’s wheel. The two big buildings found their origin not only in the Cham and Sa Huynh way of building, but they are also inspired by the two kinds of kiln’s in the village: the updraft and the downdraft kiln. When you enter the gallery and walk on the stairways to the top, you know for sure it is an updraft kiln. You move through the building like hot air moves through the kiln. Standing at the stairway on the upper floor that leads to the roof, you see only sky. One visitor noted that it looks like the stairway to heaven, and that might be the feeling of the fire in the updraft kiln; it can escape at the top. On the floor above the gallery, products are shown from other Vietnamese terracotta villages. The top floor is dedicated to the excavations that revealed how the Cham built and how people lived in the Sa Huynh time. Photo credit - Thanhhaterracotta village. Thank you. You may be surprised to see some of the structures and mini cities modelled out of clay! There are various ways you can experience the village. Our experienced Vietnamese guide can advise you on the best way to do this by arranging your visit directly with the organisers. Email us hellohoianvietnam@gmail.com for us to arrange this as part of your experience package.

If you are looking for the real Vietnam. The real Hoi An below some of the superficial tourist layers, then you probably can't go past Etienne Bossot to take you there. Etienne runs very popular photo tours throughout Vietnam and Indochina. As he puts it, he is living his dream; living in Vietnam and sharing his craft and love of photography with like-minded people. His team and his travels extend far beyond Hoi An and Vietnam these days, as you can see here on his website https://www.picsofasia.com/ But if you would like to bring that camera you’ve been dying to use and be taken to some truly authentic and sweet locations for photos, this is where you come to book. Plus, you get to learn a thing or two along the way. We would strongly suggest you look at the popular Sunrise or Sunset tours in Hoi An http://www.hoianphototour.com/, as these give you an opportunity to view Hoi An in those special hours of the day that provide the most amazing light, shadows and angles. We can of course arrange this for you, as you may want to add this into a combination of experiences through hellohoianvietnam. Please email us hellohoianvietnam@gmail.com for more details and a specially reduced price. Photo credit: Etienne Bossot. Thank you.

This incredible depiction of Vietnam’s lifestyle, ethos, and heritage will leave you spellbound. The talent you will see in contemporary dance, visual arts, optical illusions and melodious background music is sure to impress the most discerning critic. Originally, A-O Show was only staged in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. So locals and foreigners in Hoi An, either used to miss this enthralling performance or needed to travel far to experience it. The show is based around “Lang Pho” life, meaning village and city. With all the contrasts that brings, it has a great dynamic of emotion and amazing skills in story telling. If you were to compare it with anything, think “Cirque de Soleil”, but as purely a Vietnamese story. For a lovely thing to do on any evening in Hoi An, at 6pm, we would highly recommend. The AO shows are not on every night, please check the calender on their website for your dates to make sure you don’t miss out. https://www.luneproduction.com/ao-show Feel free to contact us for any further information or if you wish us to make the booking for you when you arrive. hellhoianvietnam@gmail.com

One thing is for sure, Ba Na Hills is nothing like you could possibly imagine! The name gives nothing away and believe it or not, it has gone crazy since I first posted about this attraction. So what has changed? .....Social media and a huge upswing in tourists. So let's start with some in-depth info that may help you plan your trip. Firstly, you need to understand it's location. It is located about 40-50 mins drive from Danang and about an hour from Hoi An. Ideally I would suggest for first timers you pre organise a driver and possibly even an English speaking Guide to escort you through the entry, ticket purchase and maze that is the whole area of Ba Na Hills/Sunworld. Because Ba Na Hills is now probably the most talked about place to visit while you are in Danang, when you go is extremely important to avoid the heat, and the crush of tourists taking selfies and jamming into areas that really don't support crowds. It has truly become overwhelming, and between 10-4pm it is at its busiest. If you can make it EARLY. Do so! I mean, be there at 8.30am and get on that cable car: Or visit late ( after 4.30pm) and do an overnight stay. Otherwise you had better be prepared for crowds everywhere. While it boasts the world’s Longest single-rope cable car system 5,801m and also the world’s highest angle between the departure station and the arrival station at 1,368m, it now features so much more than its recreation of a French village originally built over 100 years ago. Hard to believe, Right! In our eyes, the experience has changed from a kind of escape which can turn back the clock, to that of a full fantasy theme park. So for kids, they will be jumping for joy! For all the info see here https://banahills.sunworld.vn/ For those that would like to experience a slower more peaceful view of this attraction I would suggest an overnight stay and try and capture a sunset or sunrise if you can. There is ONLY one hotel which is the 4-star Mercure Ba Na Hills French Village Hotel. They just happen to own about 6 hotels on the lot. Wake up to a new day and you can imagine the panoramic views! The start of the cable car is about an hour drive from Hoi An. Email us at hellohoianvietnam@gmail.com if you would like more information.

Just to mix things up a little, we strongly urge you to consider taking a Vespa Tour around Hoi An. There are many kinds of tours available; short around town and local village tours, evening restaurant hopping or longer tours of 2-3 day tours. Its crazy to say but once you get the bug, you will find it hard to want to go to places any other way! The riders are all well-trained, experienced, friendly and safety conscious, so don't worry, it’s just as important to them to make sure your journey is hazard-free. Its so worth checking out the website for all the options: http://vespaadventures.com/hoi-an-tours/ However, hellohoianvietnam has selected this tour as their favourite because it takes you to Hue via the Hai Van Pass and Langco Beach. So many great vantage points to shooting amazing vistas and steeped in history. But we don't want to give it all away…. You have to see it for yourself. You begin your Vespa Adventure as your experienced drivers bring you out of Hoi An & along the coastal road stopping at the North end of the world renowned Da Nang Beach. Then after a quick break on the suspension bridge overlooking Da Nang City & the fishing port, you head along Da Nang Bay and stop for a local-style coffee. Heading up the famous Hai Van Pass by motorbike, you’ll take in the amazing views over the bays before stopping at the top to see the old war battlements and bunkers & learn about the fascinating history and strategic importance of the pass. Then it’s back down the Hai Van Pass for fun hairpin bends and windy hill roads, before taking a brief stop to take in the amazing view of Lang Co Beach & Lagoon from near the level crossing. It’s back on the Vespas and after riding around a lagoon adorned with stilted houses & oyster farms, you’ll have a well-deserved Vietnamese lunch in a delightful local setting. The fascinating ride continues as we head north on to the quieter coastal road, passing through the magnificent rural countryside. You ride past many ancestral houses & tombs which play an important part in Vietnamese culture, known as the ‘City Of Ghosts’. You’ll then jump off the bikes and head up to a hilltop Buddhist pagoda with stunning views of the huge lagoon. After a break in a local cafe, you visit & learn about the history of a thousand-year-old Cham Temple and the Champa Kingdom. The final stretch takes us through yet more beautiful rural landscapes and local villages; you visit a local family making fish sauce, pass by many ornate tombs and ancestral houses and check out a local boat building yard before arriving in Hue city. The day and Hai Van Pass tour will conclude in Hue with drop off at the hotel. Please email us hellohoianvietnam@gmail.com and we can arrange either transport for your return and or hotel overnight. *Highlights* – Da Nang Beach, Hai Van Pass by Vespa motorbike (like Top Gear!), old war bunkers, hilltop Pagoda, ‘City of Ghosts’, Cham Temple, classic Vietnamese lunch, local fish sauce making family, boat building yard, conclude in Hue. If you would like to know more about the tours and book through us as an add on to another experience of your choice, please email us at hellohoianvietnam@gmail.com and we will work it into your stay. *Please note that your travel insurance may not cover if you have an accident so be aware that while this company is highly reputable, accidents do happen. Photo Credit: Vespa Tours facebook page. Thank you.

Hoi An translates as "peaceful meeting place". The town could be viewed in some ways as a place that time forgot. It’s old world charm has had a fascination for tourists for a long time now. Some say if you want to see the real Vietnam from a historic perspective, this is the place to visit. While only a short drive from Danang, (less than 30 mins) it’s historic buildings largely remained unscathed by the Vietnam war. In 1999 the old town was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO as a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port of the 15th to 19th centuries, with buildings that display a unique blend of local and foreign influences. Most prominent in the city's old town, is its covered "Japanese Bridge" dating from the 16th-17th century. In fact most of the “must see” places in the town are jam packed into only a few streets beginning at the Japanese bridge or Pagoda bridge as it is also known. There are 5 famous Assembly Halls in Hoi An. 1. Quang Dong Assembly Hall 176 Tran Phu Street 2. Duong Thuong Assembly Hall 64 Tran Phu Street 3. Phuc Kien Assembly Hall – the biggest 46 Tran Phu Street 4. Hai Nam Assembly Hall 10 Tran Phu Street 5. Trieu Chau Assembly Hall 57 Nguyen Duy Hieu Beyond the Assembly halls, there is this amazing place called: THE OLD HOUSE OF TAN KI 101 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street This place is special for many reasons in addition to its amazing architecture, design and ornaments dating back to the 16th century. It is mostly recognised for its national heritage, as it used to be the place where heads of state from other countries would come to be welcomed to Faifo. As a tourist they will also show you how they have managed to save their building and magnificent furniture from the floods as they point you to the watermark lines showing how high the waters have come in the building during years when the old town has flooded. However, through Vietnamese resilience and ingenuity by lifting the furniture up into the roof they have managed to keep the building in good condition. For a good read on all the sites in the town and their history check out this blog https://blog.inspitrip.com/7502/hoi-an-ancient-town-a-guide-to-vietnams-unesco-world-heritage-town/ About your ticket to the UNESCO Ancient town The UNESCO town visit involves purchasing a ticket at any one of the various entry points to the town. As a tourist you may often look very obvious to these stand holders, so they have been known to call out to you to make sure you have purchased a ticket. The ticket entitles you to enter the buildings and view the various rooms and various presentations. Without the ticket you can only view the buildings from the outside. The ticket is very cheap and well worth the money. The trick with the ticket is you don't have to visit all the sites in one day. Just make sure you bring it with you as they tear off a portion that belongs to the site you have visited on entry. If you have done the old town prior and don’t wish to do again, you just tell them this at the counter and they will nod with approval. And then just keep walking!! YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PURCHASE A TICKET JUST TO WALK THE OLD TOWN. It’s only required if you wish to go inside any of the UNESCO sites listed here. Please email us hellohoianvietnam@gmail.com if you would like to include this into your experience of Hoi An and we will arrange a guide to join you and possibly take you to other places to make your day complete. Allow about 2 hours to do this tour thoroughly and check on times for the cultural dance shows as they vary from season to season.

As a great way to mix up your adventure in Hoi An and Vietnam, we had to throw into the mix a tour on four wheels! Not just your ordinary 4 wheels. We are talking Jeeps. Jeeps made to travel all sorts of terrain and over all sorts of landscapes. One of the tours this company has on offer takes you way up into the mountains to visit a tribe called the Co Tu Tribe. There is some amazing scenery along the way and if you are looking for a unique experience to acquaint yourself with one of the most remotes tribes closest to Hoi An, this is the trip to do. See their website at http://www.vietnamjeeptour.com/view/contact-us/vietnamjeeptour.html If you would like to add this kind of tour into your experience and have one of our guides accompany you, then please email us at hellohoianvietnam@gmail.com and we can arrange it for you.