After starting our Asian winter trip by spending ten days in beautiful Hoi An, Vietnam, it’s time to start thinking about moving on. When we arrived we had booked a guesthouse for five nights, but within a couple days decided it made sense to stay a bit longer. We’re so happy we got to really explore this town in depth and I wanted to share some of the things we really love about it:

-In Hoi An, Heather found us the perfect guesthouse: Vinci Villa is located a short walk from the ancient town center in a residential (local) neighborhood, surrounded by good and cheap restaurants, and run by the friendliest family imaginable (and they have two puppies!). Our $30USD/night room is huge and modern, overlooks the beautiful pool, includes a delicious cooked-to-order breakfast and offers free bikes to use around town.

-In the late afternoons, after spending the day sightseeing in town or riding out to the beach at An Bang, we can sit on our second-story terrace and listen to the sounds of local life in the neighborhood: kids playing in the maze of alleys surrounding us; the chatter of women as they pass on the street below; the sizzle of a wok and the smell of fish sauce as a meal is prepared next door; and always, always, always, the rumbling and honking of the motorbikes speeding by on the bigger streets a block away.

-On Sunday afternoon and into the evening we can hear the melodic (yes, sarcasm) strains of the neighborhood kareoke bar.

-At An Bang beach, after a couple visits, we’ve gotten to know the ladies who walk up and down the beach hawking souvenirs. While we haven’t bought any of the chopstick sets, fridge magnets or wind chimes they deal out of the big bamboo baskets they carry around, we love when they come over to our lounge chairs, set down their baskets and chat about the weather, their families and our travels. Always smiling, they love to hear how much we enjoy their town and beach.

-Sitting in a cafe along one of Hoi An’s busy streets and just watching life go by. Seeing the rush of motorbikes zig-zagging down the street, avoiding tourists and dogs and old ladies, some bikes holding entire families of four, or a driver and passenger who’s holding a folded-over mattress or 15′ lengths of PVC pipe; watching young Asian tourists, faces buried in their phones, try not to kill themselves on the uneven and crowded sidewalks; the elderly Vietnamese shuffle along in outfits that look a lot like pajamas.

-The food. Dumplings, noodles, soups, sandwiches. I miss them already.

-The prices. Meals and drinks for two under $10USD! I miss them already.