Vietnam - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 878

Thanh Van Hotel 78 Tran Hung Dao T 0510 3916916,
W thanhvanhotel.com. Great location on the fringe of the
Old Town, rooms are comfortable, there's a po ol to lounge
around and breakfast is included. Double $25

Streets 17 Le Loi. This beautifully restored shophouse
provides a wonderful setting for the equally wonderful
food: try the squid salad with tamarind or the crispy rice
pancake with shrimp and pork, or grab a sandwich with
pear and grilled cheese. Mains from 65,000VND. Daily
11am-10pm.

EATING
Blue Dragon 46 Bach Dang. A percentage of the profits
made at this restaurant goes to the Blue Dragon
Foundation, assisting street kids in Hoi An. There are more
than a hundred inexpensive dishes to choose from,
including Hoi An specialities such as banh bao vac
(30,000VND). Cookery classes are also available ($15).
Mains 40,000-80,000VND. Daily 11am-10pm.
Cargo Club 107 Nguyen Thai Hoc. A colonial-style
Vietnamese and international restaurant, executing Western
breakfasts, speciality dumplings, grilled seabass and gnocchi
with equal ease. Next door the bakery section serves delicious
home-made cakes, ice cream and pastries (from 30,000VND).
Mains from 90,000VND. Daily 7.30am-11pm.
Fusion Café 96 Bach Dang. With a pretty terrace
overlooking the river, this popular family-run restaurant
delights the tastebuds with barbecue, fresh spring rolls,
burgers with bacon and blue cheese, muesli trifle and
more. Wash it down with chilli lemonade. Mains from
70,000VND. Daily 9am-10pm.
Miss Ly Cafeteria 22 Nguyen Hue. This refined, well-
established restaurant is run by a delightful family who
take great pride in the Hoi An specialities they serve, such
as cao lau (50,000VND). The taster plate (160,000VND) is a
great intro to four local dishes. Daily 11.30am-10pm.
★

DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE
Before & Now 51 Le Loi. Popular traveller hangout, with
colourful pop-art portraits of rock legends adorning the
walls, and suitably loud music to match. They serve good
cocktails. Daily 5-11pm.
Dive Bar 88 Nguyen Thai Hoc. British-run bar that's also
home to the Cham Islands Diving Center, with a lovely
cocktail garden, great mix of tunes and extensive cocktail
list. Learn to make your own in their mixology classes.
Daily 4-11.30pm.
Sleepy Gecko Cam Nam Island. The upstairs balcony
facing Hoi An from across the river is a great vantage point
from which to watch the sun go down, while the down-
stairs bar attracts expats with a good mix of music and
Vietnamese and Western food. Daily noon-11pm.
Q Bar 94 Nguyen Thai Hoc. Trendy, gay-friendly bar that's
always packed with a good mix of locals and travellers,
thanks to its expertly-mixed cocktails and chilled-out
electronica on the stereo. Daily 5-11.30pm.
Zero Seamile Beach Club Cua Dai Beach. A popular
late-night backpacker hangout with themed party nights,
happy-hour cocktail specials (cocktail buckets 80,000VND),
beach bonfires, a swimming pool and a sweaty dancefloor
for bopping to cheesy pop. After 11pm, a free hourly
shuttle bus runs from Before & Now to the Zero Seamile .
Daily 7am-4am.

11

Morning Glory Street Food Restaurant 106
Nguyen Thai Hoc. The king of the dining scene, featuring
an incredible array of street-food dishes - from squid
stuffed with pork and a smoky aubergine claypot dish, to
fragrant spring rolls and mackerel steamed in banana leaf.
Cooking classes also on offer. Mains 70,000-120,000VND.
Daily 11am-11pm.
Quan An 19 Hoang Van Thu. The guestbook testifies to
the popularity of this little restaurant, with outside
seating, friendly service and cold bia hoi for just 5000VND/
glass. The chilli duck (70,000VND), prawn spring rolls,
vegetarian cao lao and pork hotpot all get rave reviews.
Daily 11.30am-11pm.
Reaching Out Café 131 Tran Phu. A wonderfully tranquil
spot for tea and coffee (they've got quite a selection),
this café is dedicated to providing fair treatment and
wages to servers who are hearing- and speech-impaired.
Daily 9am-7pm.
Secret Garden 132/2 Tran Phu. Hidden away down an
alley off Le Loi (turn at no. 60), this restaurant is a gem.
Dine on high-quality, thoughtfully prepared Vietnamese
cuisine in a romantic candlelit garden, with live traditional
music every night and excellent service. Mains 120,000-
160,000VND. Daily noon-11pm.

SHOPPING
Books Randy's Book Exchange (daily 8am-7pm) on Cam
Nam Island has by far the largest selection in English, and
the owner is a good source of local information.
Handicrafts The trio of streets running parallel to the river
- Bach Dang, Nguyen Thai Hoc and Tran Phu - are the best
places to search for lacquerware, original and copied artwork,
pottery and ceramics, and shops selling colourful silk
lanterns, a Hoi An speciality. Reaching Out ( W reachingout
vietnam.com) at 103 Nguyen Thai Hoc is a particularly good
fair-trade shop that employs artisans with disabilities.
Tailors Tailors are a dime a dozen in Hoi An and some will
approach you as soon as you set foot in town. Those who
offer to make your clothes in 24 hours are ones to avoid, as
it allows no time for alterations and presumably involves
sweatshop labour to carry out your order in such a short
space of time. Recommended places include: Thu Thuy
( W thuthuysilk.com) at 60 Le Loi and Yaly ( W yalycouture
.com) at 47 Nguyen Thai Hoc. It's possible to arrange for
your clothing order to be shipped to your country.