My Christmas New year break was a little different from my normal New Zealand family celebrations this year. In Singapore you only get Christmas day and New Years day as public holidays but our office was closed for a week so I took off to Vietnam with Ben and a friend. The joys of only being 3 hours away!
We split our time between Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh so I have broken this post into those two sections. We also stayed a night in Da Nang but I do not have much to offer in terms of advice for there other than its close to the airport if you need to be, and there is a night market you can visit for dinner if you are there at night.
Hoi An
Hoi An is a cute little town that is exactly like all the pictures you would have seen online, filled with lanterns and narrow streets. When you plan a visit there is a couple of locations you can stay in. We decided to stay in the old town itself and had a really cute Bed and Breakfast style hotel in an old villa. It was called An my House and I would recommend it to anyone, the couple running it were so lovely. There is also a really nice beach in Hoi An called Ao Bang Beach which is amazing during the summer to split your time up and escape the heat. You can stay there or just rent loungers on the beach and enjoy the ocean. It is very close to the old town and you can cycle or scooter between them which are both great ways of getting around and seeing everything. It is also a great place to get clothes made if this is your thing, our friend got about 10 items made in 24 hours. We loved our time in Hoi An but I would say 3 days is long enough if you don’t plan to do day trips, we had 4.5 days and by the last night the endless tourists (and the attractions to serve us) started to get a little bit too much to handle.
Hoi An is a foodie’s heaven, there are countless street stalls and restaurants to get your Vietnamese fix, so you will not go hungry. Below are a couple that I would recommend visiting, many of the spots we ate were also just street stalls so not listed.
Banh Mi Phuong – This is the famous Banh Mi spot that became famous when the late Anthony Bourdain featured it on his show. I honestly cannot say anything bad about a Banh Mi what is not to like? These were really good but to be honest I think I had ones just as good from street stalls…You need to arrive here early to avoid waiting too long but don’t let the line put you off it moves quickly. 2b Phan Chu Trinh, Cẩm Châu, Hội An
The Banh Mi Queen – Madam Khanh – This is the other famous Banh Mi spot you will read about when researching. Personally this one was my favourite, it was more rich and saucy than the other ones I tried. This spot also has a line so be prepared to wait 10-15 to order/get your Bahn Mi, 100% worth it though. Ben still claims the street stall one we had near where we stayed was the best. 115 Trần Cao Vân, Phường Minh An, Hội An
Morning Glory Restaurant – This restaurant has a big reputation in Hoi An and we were not let down. It was really good and I wanted to go back a second time but we decided it was best to explore. The three of us shared a range of dishes for our Christmas dinner and everything was insanely yum. The standout was the prawn curry. There is more than one now and believe they have the same menu.
Nourish eatery – A great spot if you feel like a healthy breakfast/brunch and want a little break from the Vietnamese. They have smoothie bowls, vege and vegan breakfasts and burgers and a wide range of juices and smoothies. Really nice spot with a yoga studio out the back if you are into that. 220a Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, Cẩm Châu, Hội An
Avos and Mangos – This was another place we visited for Breakfast. The menu is designed with you guessed it avos and mangos in mind and it is really yum! Another good option if you want more western style breakfast that is healthy too. The guacamole is 10/10. 82 Thái Phiên, Phường Minh An, Hội An
NostaLife – This place can be a little hard to find, down a little lane just off the main drag beside the tiger tiger bar. It is a nice courtyard and a bit quieter than right beside the river. The food here is really amazing and the prices are seriously cheap which makes it even better. We had an absolute feast here, we ordered so much that the waitress told us to stop ordering (we did not). Vietnamese pancake from memory was my favourite but we did not have anything I did not like so go for your lives. 33/1 Đường Nguyễn Phúc Chu, Hội An
The Hill Station – This spot is a little part of Europe in Hoi An. We had drinks here a couple of times and a cheese board. They have heaps of cheeses to choose from and a happy hour each day so it is a lovely spot to relax. They also have a full menu and the food looked really good but we did not eat there. 321 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, Cẩm Châu, Hội An
Cafe Cao Lau – Famous place for the dish of Hoi An Cao Lau. Very very cheap and equally as yum. Would recommend if you want to try Cao Lau. 687 Hai Bà Trưng, Phường Minh An, Hội An
Ho Chi Minh City
We were in Ho Chi Minh for New Years and it was crazy busy! We spent our couple of days in the city just walking around and soaking it all up. We did however do one day tour to the Cu Chi tunnels. We choose to do the tour where you travel to the tunnels by boat and 100% would recommend. You get to see the river delta and arrive a lot faster than you would by bus or mini van. They take you through a guided tour of the tunnels which are pretty amazing/shocking to see and then boat you back for lunch.
The rest of the time in Ho Chi Minh we spent eating, are you surprised though? We were not in HCMC for long but here are my short list of recommendations below from our time there (sorry not sorry it is not that Vietnamese).
Octo – 10/10 do not miss. We were lucky to be recommended this place by a local and went here for dinner on NYE before the party. We got the only table left and had to be out by 9pm as it was fully booked and if that is not a sign of a great place then I do not know what is. It is a Spanish tapas spot and the food is amazing, there was not one thing I ate that I did not enjoy. The cocktails were also standout, and after a week or two without an Aperol spritz I was happy to find the perfect one. More expensive than standard Vietnam food but much cheaper than this place would be if it was in another big city like Auckland or Singapore. We spent about $150 kiwi and did not hold back on drinks and food. 75 Hồ Tùng Mậu, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
Pho 2000 – Cheap cheerful Pho from the same place Bill Clinton visited. Very basic spot but they do a great Pho and it is right in the middle of the tourist area. 3 Phan Chu Trinh, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh,
Hungry Pig – A spot that was recommended to me a couple of times if you feel like a break from Vietnamese food. The specialise in all things bacon and do a pretty awesome burger of a big breaky to sooth a hangover. This is close to walking street/backpackers area. 144 Cống Quỳnh, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
Pizza 4 P’s – A bit of a establishment in HCMC, it is a really awesome building with high ceilings and exposed brick to start with. Very yum pizza and they also have pasta although I did not try. Book ahead as it is always full, I do believe there is more than one as well. 8 Thủ Khoa Huân, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
If you visit over new years Broma not a bar is a great place to get a ticket for the unlimited drinks party they have. They set you up at a table and the place overlooks like park where there is a stage and a countdown performance. You can also see parts of the fireworks.
kirstywanders 
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