Light fantastic
FACT FILE
Twitter: @TravelEdNigel of the most famous destinations for Asian tourists, yet is almost unknown to westerners.
Cars and motorbikes are banned from the centre and this makes it a really pleasant place to wander around and take in the mixture of architecture.
There are several preserved old shophouses and it’s fascinating to walk into a 200-year old property to see how people once lived.
The most alarming fact is that the river regularly floods the streets in the rainy season and the houses were built to accommodate this.
During the summer months people lived and worked downstairs but once the rains set in they move furniture upstairs.
The symbol of Hoi An is a wooden bridge built by NORFOLK for £79. Bag four nights in a twobedroom Partridge up to caravan, sleeping Vauxhall four people, at the Great Holiday Park in on Yarmouth, arriving more October 14. For info visit parkdeanresorts. co.uk. the Japanese in the 17th Century and if you walk across there are lines on the wall showing how high the water levels have gone each year. Some were up to my chest level.
Hoi An really comes alive at night when the streets are lit with colourful silk lanterns. You can buy your own lanterns for just £2 and it’s also famous for silk clothes and wooden sculptures. Just be sure to haggle.
While in Hoi An you must try some of the city’s famous dishes. The first is cao lau noodles made from rice which has been soaked in lye water which gives them a unique texture.
They are served with beansprouts, herbs and crispy pork. The flavours of sweet, salt and sour explode in your mouth.
Another famous Hoi An dish is the Banh Mi, or baguette sandwich stuffed with ROOMS at Angsana Lang Co (angsana.com) start at £102 a night. Rooms at Banyan Tree start at about £370 a night. (banyantree.com).
Qatar Airways (qatarairways.com) fly from Heathrow to Dan Nang. Return fares from £671.
Info: vietnamtourism.com. GET involved in the arts, culture, science and sport on Fun Palaces weekend on October 5 to 6. Held in forests, fields, museums and galleries, the events bring people together to celebrate creativity. See: funpalaces. co.uk meat and vegetables, coriander and chillies. The late chef Anthony Bourdain described the Banh Mi served by the Banh Mi Phuong street stall as the best in the world. What’s better is that it will cost you about £1.
Vietnamese food is a delight with its endless fresh ingredients. At Lang Chai restaurant built on the Lap An lagoon we had a sumptuous meal of oysters, squid, prawns, clams and steamed vegetables with fresh coconut juice to drink, straight out of the coconuts.
In Hoi An we had a delicious papaya salad, deep fried wonton, BBQ pork, chicken satay, fish with pineapple and banana fritters.
At the Angsana hotel we had dinner at the Moomba restaurant, including pumpkin soup with coconut and satay skewers.
On our trip back to the airport we played a game of spot the scooter transporting the most cargo or people. We saw a family of five crammed onto one. But the prize went to one man carrying a full-size wardrobe. Now that’s an apocalypse waiting to happen. DON’T miss your final chance to be entered into a draw for a fabulous £40,000 travel prize jackpot.
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