Patrick Scott, a writer from The New York Times, a US daily newspaper, has some words of advice for travelers on exploring Hoi An ancient town, Quang Nam province, Vietnam during 36 hours.

Hoi An ancient town, Quang Nam province. 

Situated on the coast of central Vietnam, the former commercial port of Hoi An offers endless wonders, from fishermen launching bamboo basket boats along palm-fringed beaches, to farmers in conical hats harvesting rice in swathes of green paddies.

The New York Times advises travelers to start their old town tour with U$5.15, for entry to five of the more than 20 historic sites and roam an ancient house’s 100-foot length, passing intricately carved columns and beams, through the open-roof courtyard, to a wall in the back, marked with the height of fall floods.

On 3:00 pm, you can enjoy silk row. If you’re more interested in the silk-making process, stop by Thang Loi for a tour and watch how silkworms munch on mulberry leaces and create cocoons that yield nearly 1,000 yards of thread, woven on a clacking loom, the article read.

The town starts to shut down around 9 p.m., but a few bars stay open late. Watch boat owners coax tourists onto the river from the curbside tables at Shamrock Irish Pub, which features a craft stout from Saigon’s Heart of Darkness brewery, or shoot pool to classic rock at the Dive Bar on Nguyen Thai Hoc street.

Most hotels and home-stays include bikes, so cycle out to the rice paddies between the town and the beach and marvel at acres of green patched with shrimp and fish ponds. Ride along sandy paths under canopies of coconut trees, past lolling water buffalos and farmers ushering flocks of ducks into narrow canals.

In addition, you can enjoy many kinds of dishes in Hoi An. You can go to Hoi An Market, barnlike, it stretches from the river, where a riot of tables loaded with papaya and dragon fruit lead to the raw meat counters inside, then to stalls loaded with incense and spices, and women napping on benches.

The New York Times advises that some of the best discoveries are along the narrow walkways off the ancient town. That’s where you’ll find Nu Eatery, just west of the Japanese bridge, in a distressed looking former house with three small rooms and a balcony for dining.

In 2018, the total number of visitors to Hoi An reached nearly 5 million, jumping 50.84% from a year earlier, according to the municipal administration.

Among them, international visitors accounted for 3.7 million, up 90.94% year on year, while the total number of staying guests topped 1.78 million.

Hanoitimes