Best Restaurants in Hoi An

Color-bomb in one Hoi An Chicken Dish

It is said that to make the famous Chicken Rice, Hoi An people carefully choose rice and chicken of top quality. Only free-range chickens raised in countryside gardens, not the industrial factory-style birds are selected because poultry raised in the gardens are stronger, with a far richer flavour and more muscular meat than the soggy stuff produced in industrial agriculture facilities. In addition, local cooks season the rice before cooking it with chicken broth and pandan leaves on wood-fired clay ovens. The chicken meat is boiled with some ginger before hand-shredded into small pieces and gently simmered with ginger, crushed onions, Vietnamese coriander and other spices to best absorb their flavours.

The trick to the recipe is to skillfully make the chicken pieces smell fragrant and spicy without losing the meat’s natural flavour. After all, the chicken skin is slippery and the meat is really tender and juicy. The springy chicken pieces and pleasantly yellow fragrant rice is then topped with pickled carrots, peppermint, papaya, and salted onions.

The dish is served with a small bowl of soup containing some chicken giblets like heart and liver as well as dipping fish sauce or very spicy chilli sauce to enhance the flavour depending on the preference.

Just 3km north from Hoi An, An Bang is recently one of the most happening and pristine beaches in Vietnam. Unlike the crowded and intense atmosphere of the neighbor Cua Dai Beach, An Bang excites travel-lovers by its original, peaceful and laid-back scenery. Stepping the very first footstep on the foam layers of white sand stretching endlessly from sides to sides, you can easily meet the pure desire to cry. The beach here holds the look of a tamed beauty, wherein the sky and ocean blends in an ethereal blue color, that makes your heart skip a beat.

An Bang Beach, a perfect place to hide

In the dry season which falls between March and September, An Bang seems more gentle and lovely to its visitors. During this peak time, people come to An Bang yet, just in small groups to share the little joy of hiding under the blistering sunlight, refreshing wind breeze, soaring temperatures and calm waters. After swamping yourself in the sea of An Bang day, just order beer from a random mini bar and watch the sunset dye all creatures in the shadowy shades of night. The breath-taking landscapes might cheer up any stressful souls.

We all know Hoi An and its wonderful heritage. The impressive old town, full of ancient monuments such as the famous Japanese bridge, as well all its delicious street food. So many things to discover, to experiment and to taste.

However, there is a “not-to-be-missed” activity which is located only 3km far from Hoi An’s old town. It is called the Vegetable village of Tra Que. It is a heaven place for any Vietnamese farmer. The soil is rich and clean, the temperature is perfect to grow any kind of vegetables and the air is clean and not polluted at all.

Tra Que village - Hoi An

This small village actually provides organic greens for most of the restaurants and markets in Hoi An as well as for all the nearby areas. This is not seen as being a normal farming place, where to garden or grow vegetables. The way people farm here is pretty different from usual Vietnamese practices. No chemical products are used, only some seaweed that grow in surrounding lakes are planted in order to make the other greens grow faster.

Glad to the delicious food products it provides, this village has fast built a name in the tourism industry. It is now possible to go and visit this peaceful village and eat those juicy and fresh vegetables.

Happy hours in Tra Que - Hoi An