Hoi An Things to Do

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Take Cinnamon Cruises along the Thu Bon River, to escape the commercialism of the town and to regain a sense of "normal" life. Just a few minutes from the "tourist" town, you will find yourself among normal people, in rural Vietnam. Savor, indulge, and unwind. Enjoy the finest in the authentic Vietnamese cuisine, surrounded by spectacular river views on Cinnamon Cruise offering a variety of cruises for groups or individuals, from Cooking Cruises, Lunch Cruises to romantic Sunset Dinner Cruises.

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Cinnamon Cruise is the first ever wooden boat restaurant in Hoi An offering sunset dinner cruise, lunch cruise, special occasion dinning cruise and cooking cruise on Thu Bon River. It is not just a dinner or lunch but it is an experience. Cruising on the river, learning local river life, sipping your cocktail, watching the sunset and tasting your authentic Vietnamese food with a rich wine list. Let's savor, indulge, and unwind on the Cinnamon Cruises as the highlight on your vacations in the very nice city of Hoi An.

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I needed shave and a beard trim so I stopped at this little place in Hoi An. For $2.00 My beard was trimmed, I was shaved and as a bonus he cleaned my ears, proudly showing me the wax he removed -- eerie feeling.

We have tasted Vietnamese food several times in Saigon, but here it is amazing Vietnamese food they have. We were cruising for nearly 3 hours on Thu Bon river at the sunset, sipping cocktail and tasting different dishes and we do love pork and egg comes along with rice. Another highlight was Vietnamese spring roll, a lovely light crispy batter with prawn filling too. We definately recommend it to friends.
Peter.

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Set in the South China Sea, Cham Island is 21kms from the ancient town of Hoi An.

The Vietnamese Army is stationed here, and permits are needed to set foot on Cham Island.
The easiest option is to book your trip with a travel agency in Hoi An.
You will only be able to have a look at the village, as the rest is occupied by the Army and off limits.

The village where you arrive is small, and unspoilt.
I went with the tour group to have a look at a Museum, which was good, then we trekked across some rice paddies to a Temple. On the way, we passed a lovely little sheltered cove where the boats sheltered from the weather.

After a look at the Temple, we returned to the main village where a very small market was being held, and after that, we could go and explore the village on our own.

I thought it was lovely, I loved all the "basket boats" and watching a person in one, to me, so clever!......then the locals all getting together to push a boat into the water. The local ferry arrived with supplies, and some more time was spent watching this being unloaded.

Time to catch our Boat, and head to another part of Cham Island for snorkelling!.

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Today the Cham islands are also a Marine Protected Area because of their many important marine habitants, especially beaches and coral reefs, and rich biodiversity.

After snorkelling, our boat departed to Chong Beach for our lunch and rest and recreation stop.

What a pretty little spot this was!!

Tropical, with palms and a running stream, gorgeous sandy beach, and the only people here, were out tour group and the few people working at the Restaurant.

Lunch was nice and enjoyed by all.
As the day was cold, after lunch, most of us went for a small walk, then spent our time relaxing on one of the recliners on the beach. It was too cold for swimming!

Our guide told us, you could stay here in basic accommodation for a small fee of $8.
It certainly looked inviting,..........but remember, IT IS BASIC!

I believe there is a beach party held here every August.

For more info, check out the website....

http://www.chamislanddiving.com/overnight_island_trip.html

After the visit to the main village on CHAM ISLAND, then we boarded the boat, and headed to a reef area for snorkelling.

Set in the South China Sea, Cham belongs to the Cu Lao Cham Marine Park, which comprises eight islands and is home to 155 species of coral and over 200 species of fish.

The day we were here for snorkelling was COLD! so there were only a couple of people who braved the chilly wind and snorkelled, the rest of us chickened out and watched.

You could come on again for the snorkelling & diving .... with two companies, Rainbow Divers and Cham Island Diving Center, offering trips and courses.

Their websites are ...............
Cham Island Diving Centre: 88 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An. T: (0510) 910 782. http://www.chamislanddiving.com

Rainbow Divers: Hoi An. T: (0917) 239 433, (0914) 224 102 http://www.divevietnam.com

Something advertised you may or may not be interested in................

"Cham Island Diving Centre throws a party once a year on August 18, which includes an overnight on the island. Up to a hundred people attend, and it's popular with local expats. It costs US$65, or US$100 if you want to dive -- two dives included. It's likely to be a pretty wild party."

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I was taken to the Kim Bong village as part of a tour to "My Son"

It is very famous for its carpentry, with most of the architectural projects in Old Hoi An being were constructed by the villagers here.
Their woodwork is excellent.....with lovely carvings and sculptured works on the head of scissors, desks, altars, furniture, cabinets, trays, and more.....

Some produce wooden souvenir gifts to sell to tourists, you have a look at the shop last.

The Kim Bong carpenters now still keep their traditional occupation alive. Many of them turn to make fishing boats for fishermen all over Central Viet Nam whereas a lot are into restoring and repairing old buildings in town or making wooden statues, wood carved articles and traditional looking furniture to be sold and exported.

Kim Bong Capentry village was awarded by UNESCO for its preservation.

You could go here on your own, by catching the ferry across the river.