Hoi An in Vietnam's picturesque Quang Nam province has been drawing visitors since the 2nd Century BC. A trading hub since ancient times, this vibrant port city is a melting pot of cultures and diverse influences. Even today, Hoi An has a hip, cosmopolitan vibe that blends perfectly with its rich history.
When I was in Hoi An earlier this year, I had three days to explore it, which, as travellers know, is rarely enough to thoroughly acquaint oneself with a destination. However, the Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, where I was a guest recently, did a commendable job of curating an impressive immersive itinerary to showcase the region's culinary and cultural heritage. It was just enough to fill my stay with enriching experiences while whetting my appetite for a deeper exploration in the future.
The three-storey-high Faifo Cafe is one of the tallest buildings in Hoi An and a popular stop for tourists who troop up to its terrace for stunning views of the ancient city.
On our guided walking tour of Hoi An, organised by the Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, we were accompanied by Linda Goh, Director of Public Relations and Communications, and we also made a pit stop at this famous roastery. From the faded yellow exterior to its worn signboard, the lanterns hanging on its awning, and the steep wooden steps polished smooth by legions of tourists, the cafe embodied the unique charm of Hoi An Ancient Town, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
From the terrace, it was a sea of yellow topped with the ochre of tiled roofs. Perfectly preserved ancient dwellings were arranged side-by-side in neat rows. According to the Unesco World Heritage Conservation website, the town has 1,107 timber-frame buildings with brick or wooden walls built between the 15th and 17th centuries. A popular Southeast Asian trading port during this period, the city's original plan remains intact to this day. In fact, during the reign of the Hindu Cham kings (7th-10th centuries), it was a trade hub for merchants from Asia, Persia and Arabia.
I ordered a strong Vietnamese coffee at Faifo and grabbed a wooden table overlooking the street below. I could see tourists ambling along the narrow lane, stopping now and then to admire a leather bag here, a silk tunic there and picking up a paper lantern or two to carry home.
Scooterists, the most privileged tribe of motorists in Vietnam, zoomed about in this car-free zone while some shopkeepers sat at their shopfronts, desultorily fanning themselves in the steamy air. Interestingly, Hoi An is very much a living city with many residents residing within and just outside the city.
One of the most iconic things about Hoi An is its lanterns. Strung across streets, hanging from buildings, and illuminating boats on Thu Bon River, one could call Hoi An a City of Lanterns. The magical Hoi An Lantern Festival is held on full moon nights, where the houses, streets, and rivers of Hoi An are lit up with hundreds of them. At the end of our tour, we sailed down the Thu Bon river on a country boat. Our oarsman handed me a paper lantern. I made a wish and set it afloat, watching it make its way to the bank. Would my wish for health, happiness and prosperity be fulfilled? I didn't know, but that moment of magic when the river glittered with light and a snatch of song and the laughter of tourists filled the air, felt like a kind of wish fulfilment.
The last time I rode a pillion on a Vespa was in college. It was thrilling then and it was thrilling now when I hopped on behind a Vespa Adventures driver for a food and drink tour through Hoi An.
Vespa Adventures is one of Southeast Asia's most popular ways of touring. With a presence in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, the bright orange t-shirts and helmets or their drivers are common in these countries. With Goh accompanying us on this specially curated Four Seasons tour, our media party hopped on these vintage beauties to authentically experience Hoi An.
Our trip started in the best way possible with a sundowner at the chic Tok restaurant and bar. Set amidst paddy fields in Tran Nhan Tong just outside Old Town, it's famous for its unique cocktails. I tried their Rice Bloom—white rum infused with pandan, lotus milk, vanilla syrup, and lime juice.
After a "buzzy" start, we headed out under a beautiful evening sky to eat Banh Xeo, a kind of "sizzling pancake," at Restaurant Banh Xeo Khue Hoi An. The matriarch spooned the batter into sizzling skillets, and the crowd at the eatery was proof of the pancake. The crepes were delicious. They were filled with sliced pork, shrimp, bean sprouts, and green onions and served with a sweet and sour fish sauce.
Our next stop was Com Ga Hoi An TT Hoa Vien, an all-you-can-eat Chicken Rice (Com Ga) eatery where we enjoyed this iconic Vietnamese dish. The owner served us a plate of shredded chicken salad mixed with coriander, spring onions, and greens in a lemon juice dressing, a bowl of chicken broth, and a platter of pale yellow rice. The owner instructed us to take some rice in a bowl, cover it with the chicken salad, and top it with broth for a warm and refreshing meal.
After that, It was time for us to head to White Rose Dumplings at 533 Hai Ba Trung Street to try our hands at making the restaurant's famous translucent dumplings shaped like roses. But it was easier said than done. I tried to give the pot stickers the required shape after filling them with the shrimp mixture, but sadly, in my hands, they were more momos rather than roses!
Our final stop was at Che Co Bich, where an elegant lady was serving Che, a Vietnamese dessert soup, at her street stall. She topped some cold, mildly sweet coconut milk soup with mung beans, black-eyed peas, tapioca pearls and agar agar. It was a refreshing end to an epic Epicurean adventure.
For more details: vespaadventures.com
The last thing I thought I would find in sleepy Tra Que on the outskirts of Hoi An was a bright yellow rum distillery run by a tall and handsome Frenchman. Later, after I had spoken to Antoine Poircuitte, the co-founder of La Distillerie d'Indochine, and sampled all five of his rums, I discovered that the Sampan is no ordinary rum but one that carries the terroir of its fertile Vietnamese soil, the freshness of the plump organic sugarcane, and the expertise of Porcuitte, a third-generation distiller.
What made him choose Vietnam to set up his establishment? I asked. "The quality of sugarcane in Vietnam is excellent," he said. Besides, I love the country, and the sea is just a short walk away." That's as good a reason as any.
We visited the distillery that Poircuitte founded in 2018 with two friends as an excursion from the Four Seasons Resort Nam Hai. As we entered the establishment, we had to skirt fresh bales of sugarcane at the entrance, waiting to be pressed for juice. Poircuitte took us on a distillery tour and showed us the distillation process, from pressing to fermentation and natural distillation.
At the start of the excursion, we had been promised we would have a chance to sample five of his award-winning Sampan rums, and Poircuitte did not disappoint. We took sips of three white rums (43 per cent, 54 per cent and 65 per cent) and two aged rums (47 per cent and 55.9 per cent) while Poircuitte held forth on his passion project.
At the end, we each got a bottle of 43 per cent proof white rum and a tray of spices and fruit to infuse it with. I chose some star anise, clove and citrus to spice up mine. After Poircuitte's approval, my bottle, with its stylish label and a Sampan (traditional boat) motif, was handed over to me as a souvenir with instructions to open it after a month for more aroma and flavour.
For more information: lamaisondindochine.com/en/la-distillerie-dindochine
The best way to learn about a cuisine is to try one's hand at it. We had been signed up for a half-day session at The Nam Hai Cooking Academy, where the resort's chefs teach guests to make traditional, healthy, tasty Vietnamese food with the freshest ingredients. The experience usually includes a tour of a local market or a visit to an organic farm.
Tra Que Village offers local culinary experiences, and ours included a session on making rice paper, which is ubiquitous in Vietnamese cuisine.
Our jovial host took us through stone grinding the rice flour, making the batter and spreading it on a cloth stretched over a steamer. The batter has to be spread thinly like a dosa before it is gingerly lifted with a bamboo stick and laid out to dry on bamboo racks. The entire process was accompanied by laughter and song, culminating in us making rice paper rolls stuffed with herbs and vegetables.
We travelled to the Tra Que village, between Da Nang and Hoi An, which is known for its organic produce and eco-friendly farming practices. Protected from the harsh Vietnamese sun by the non la (conical bamboo hats), we made our way through beds of vegetables and herbs. Here, farmers claim to feed the crops a kind of algae found in a nearby lagoon instead of artificial fertilisers.
Once we were back at the Four Seasons Resort, The Nam Hai, Chef Tran Thi Huyen Trang, an expert in traditional Vietnamese cuisine, divided us into teams, handed out aprons and ingredients, and set us to work.
From her, we learnt how the delicate flavours of pho come alive when spices like cinnamon, cloves, star anise, ginger, carrots and white onions are dry-roasted before being added to the chicken broth. She taught us to strain the pho broth carefully before adding noodles, meat, and vegetables. We also tried making crispy fried spring rolls filled with aromatic herbs and vegetables and a delicious chicken salad with greens to go with it.
Perhaps the most important lesson we learnt that day was that Vietnamese food, like life, is all about balance, an intricate play of salty, sweet, sour, spicy and bitter.
For more details: https://www.fourseasons.com/hoian/services-and-amenities/cooking-academy/