By joining together our successful evening food tour with late afternoon sightseeing we offer a Private Guided Tour for our visitors who may only have limited time in Hoi An, or for those who just want to experience a ‘snapshot’ of this most enchanting town with its foodie culture!
Today’s Hoi An is an expanding country town surrounded by paddy fields farmed mainly by women in ‘coolie’ hats growing rice. Verdant fields full of herbs and vegetables worked by water buffalo and the Thu BôÌn river where fishermen use methods unchanged through generations. But Hoi An’s star attraction is its historic Old Town dating mainly from the 15th – 19th centuries, indeed it possessed the largest harbour in S.E. Asia as far back as the 1st century. The Old Town is recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site so its not hard to imagine Hoi An’s long history with its beautiful beaches and old port overlooking the East Vietnam Sea – during the period of ‘China trade’ the town was called Hai Pho (Seaside Town) and its Japanese merchants believed the ‘heart of all Asia’ lay beneath Hoi An in the 18th century.
This long history has given Hoi An, through its cookery schools and 100+ restaurants, the accolade of ‘premier food destination’ in Vietnam. So Xuan Tu’s private 5 hours late afternoon and evening adventure is designed to immerse you in the history & culture of the Old Town AND the sight, smell and taste of what is probably the healthiest cuisine in the world – genuine food that stimulates all five senses at everyday prices for local people, and prepared with pride at market food stalls, make-shift street restaurants and in what often seems to be the owner’s front room!
We meet in your Hoi An hotel at 15.30 where introductions are made and we discuss our itinerary (and any food intolerances) with you. We begin our private food experience with a ‘Banh Mi’ (a baguette by any other name, and already we are seeing those historic influences on our country – here the French Colonial period!), before our sightseeing tour of this historic, charming & complete Vietnamese Old Towns.
We include visits to a temple, workshops, old houses with a mix of Vietnamese, Chinese, Hindu, Japanese & Portuguese influences, some dating back to 1780 and not forgetting our famous Japanese Bridge built in 1719. Hoi An is a shoppers paradise, especially its well-known tailor and shoe shops! Look out for Hoi An’s famous lanterns which adorn its streets and buildings, they are a good souvenir of your visit here from the lantern shops. The Central Market is a perfect choice to see local food and is a good starting point for our evening foodie journey.
It’s been less than a week’s time since we’re back to our home town, much of the beautiful moments are still lingering on our minds! Thanks Xuan Tu for all the great arrangements 🙂 Your team is well-worth to rank #1 in TripAdvisor!
– client TripAdvisor review
During your Hoi An tour we try some 10 local delicacies depending on availability and your personal preferences. From traditional Vietnamese coffee to central Vietnam’s famous spring rolls and BBQ pork skewers, from steam savoury rice cakes to deep fried seafood wonton, perhaps ending with a favourite street dessert!
As you can imagine, probably the best place to see the beautiful kaleidoscope of coloured lights & lanterns that illuminate Hoi An and its riverfront is from the river itself before our evening comes to a close at around 20:00.
We ensure you are returned safely to your hotel or give you great recommendations for the rest of your evening in this most atmospheric of Vietnamese old towns.
What’s included:
- a full 5 hour private guided walking tour in English
- all entry fees & food taken
- cold, bottled mineral water
- moist towellettes
- Hoi An or Da Nang hotel meet
What’s excluded:
- alcoholic drinks if taken
