HỘI AN, VIETNAM

Hội An, is a small city located in Central Vietnam. It’s name is translated as “a peaceful meeting place“. Which is quite fitting. You will be away from the hustle and bustle of big Asian cities; devoid of Airports, train stations and sky scrapers.

With the colorful lanterns dancing with the breeze around the city, the lovely colonial houses, and at night the bright boats gliding along Thu Bon River – You will find peace here.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Highlights : Old Town, Night Market, Central Market, Japanese Bridge, Assembly Halls & Galleries
Duration of Stay: 2.5 Days
How to get there: Fly to Da Nang Airport (DAD),
Take shuttle or grab to Hội An (Hotel Pick-up USD 15)

WHERE TO STAY

There are 4 main neighborhoods to choose from. I think regardless of the neighborhood you will have a lot of options depending on your needs and budget.

• Cẩm Phô – Approx 685m to Old Town (Measured using Google Maps)
• An Hội – Approx 497m to Old Town
• Cẩm Châu – Approx 1.57km to Old Town
• Cẩm Thanh – Approx 3.64km to Old Town

As it was my first time in Hoi An, I wanted to be able to walk around Old Town and the night market. I booked A Tran Boutique Hotel – just 3 minutes away from the Night Market, and the bars and restaurants facing the river.

I love the convenient location, the spacious room, the breakfast and the bath

• 

• 

• 

CULTURAL TOUR AND FOOD TOUR

As I was travelling solo, I’ve decided to do something new – which is to join a Food Tour! I found ‘Hidden Gems of Old Hoi An’ – a cultural tour and food tour rolled into one. I booked the tour via airbnb, it is hosted by Harry from Angiee Adventures.

The experience was great! We walked around the rice paddies, and went to the oldest Cao Lau noodle factory, a bean sprout grower’s house. Emily, the guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. After learning about the local life and a bit of Hoi An’s history, we finally got the the good part! Food!

There were so many food stops, by the end of the tour we were all so full and our bellies were ready to burst!

If you are interested to book the tour, you can book via:

• Airbnb (If don’t have an account yet, sign-up using this link and get travel credits!)
• TripAdvisor
• Phone: +84 92 121 68 72 ; Email: tastewithlocal@gmail.com

FOOD GALLERY

There’s so much to eat in Hoi An! You can join a food tour, walk around the Market or find a cafe – or all of the above.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

If you haven’t been to Hoi An yet – I hope this post inspires you to go 

Huế, Vietnam

For my birthday trip, I went to Central Vietnam for 3 days. Upon searching for places to visit, I’ve stumbled upon photos of Vietnam’s former capital and Imperial City. One look and I knew I had to somehow squeeze Huế in my itinerary.

This city was the political, cultural and religious center of Vietnam under the control of Nguyen Dynasty and it is recognized as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO

Highlights : Huế Citadel / Imperial City, Thien Mu Pagoda, Tomb of Khải Định, Thuy Tien lake Abandoned Water Park
Duration of Stay: 6 hours
How to get there: Hoi An to Hue Tour (50usd/person)

Huế Day Tour from Hoi An

Huế is around 3 hours away from Hoi An by car, public transportation is doable , but since I had limited time I’ve opted to join a tour. There are tons of places to visit in Huế, but the day tour only included the Citadel, Thien Mu Pagoda, a dragon boat ride, and a visit to the Tomb of Khai Dinh.

• 

  Hai Van’s highest peak

• 

  Lang Co Beach

• 

  Lap An Lagoon

Scenes along the Hai Van Pass, the most scenic road in Vietnam

Our tour included a ride along the most scenic road in Vietnam, the Hai Van Pass. We encountered a lot of traffic along the way as their were a lot buses, and trucks trying to pass this narrow road. It was a bit nerve wracking, but the view sort of made it up for it. We stopped at Hai Van’s highest peak, somewhere in the middle to view Lang Co beach, and at Lap An Lagoon.

The Citadel / Imperial City

The Imperial city which was built in the 1800’s is huge. It is divided into 4 citadels, and if you have a day to spare you can definitely spend it here. Just wander around, and soak up it’s history. However, do note that the Citadel was heavily bombed during the wars, so restorations are ongoing.

What I liked most is the library, the Japanese inspired gardens, and the theater.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Visitors are required to buy a ticket before entering the Citadel:

Adults: 150,000VND
Children (Aged 7-12): 30,000VND
Combination : 360,000VND (This ticket includes entrance to 3 tombs for 48 hours)

Thien Mu pagoda

Our tour guide shared with us why this was named as Thien Mu. According to her, there was an old lady in Red who appeared on top of the hill. She foretold that, one day a Lord would build something of great importance in the hill, and the said Lord would attain power. When one of the Lords passed by the hill, he heard the legend and decided to build a Pagoda. He named the pagoda, Thien Mu.

• 

• 

The pagoda is located at the end of Kim Long Road, in Huong Long Ward, on the northern bank of the Perfume River. So after visiting the Pagoda, we went for a dragon boat ride along the Perfume River. I was not a fan of the boat ride, we were hungry and there was a lady forcing us to buy souvenirs inside the boat.

• 

• 

Tomb of Khải Định

Emperor Khải Định is perhaps the most unpopular emperor in Vietnam (it was pretty apparent by how our guide described him). He was a puppet political figurehead for the French, in fact in 1923 he even authorized the French to raise taxed on his countrymen, part of which was to pay for his tomb. He was so unpopular that Ho Chi Minh even wrote a play about him, called the “Bamboo Dragon” to ridicule him as nothing but a powerless puppet of the French government.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Khải Định’s tomb is certainly jaw dropping and majestic, an elaborate mix of different architectural styles.

• 

The ceiling of the palace is decorated with nine intricate dragons. The rear room of the palace is home to a temple containing Khải Định’s grave, an altar to him and a statue of his likeness that was cast in Marseilles.

On the way back to Hoi An, we’ve passed by an essential oil factory. I bought 3 bottles of lemongrass oil for 250,000 VND.

That ends my Huế day tour, if you want to know more about the tour leave me a message!

8 Days in Turkey

Turkey is such an amazing country, so many places to see and so many things to eat. However, we only had 8 days of vacation, so we had to pick the places that we really wanted to see.

You can click here to go to the Itinerary, or here to see the expenses.

Here are the places that made it to our list:

Cappadocia

• 

• 

A historic region in Central Anatolia and one of the top tourist destinations in Turkey. It is famous for it’s magical landscape, filled with Fairy chimneys, and cave houses.

Highlights : Goreme, Uchisar Castle, Hot Air Balloon Ride*, Fairy Chimneys, Cave Hotels, Underground Cities
Duration of Stay: 2.5 Days
How to get there: Fly to Nevşehir airport (1hr 20 mins)

* We were unable to do the Hotair Balloon Ride due to the weather

Pamukkale

• 

• 

Also known as the ‘Cotton Castle’ for its snow-white limestone shaped by calcium-rich springs. it is located in Denizli in the southwestern part of Turkey.
Highlights: Travertines, Hierapolis, Cleopatra’s pool
Duration of Stay: 1 Day
How to get there: Sleeper bus from Cappadocia to Denizli (8 hrs)
Shuttle bus from Denizli to Pamukkale (1hr)

Selçuk

• 

• 

A picturesque town near Izmir, in western Turkey. A great place to stay if you want to do a day trip to Ephesus and Şirince.
Highlights: Ephesus, Temple of Artemis, The House of Virgin Mary, Basilica of Saint John, Selçuk Castle
Duration of Stay: 1.5 Days
How to get there: Cab from Pamukkale to Denizli (1 hr)
Train from Denizli to Selçuk (3 hrs 30 mins)

Şirince

• 

A scenic old town across a hill, it is what you get when you mix a Traditional Turkish and Greek village. This is perhaps the most picturesque town I have ever seen, filled with lovely houses and lush green scenery.
Highlights: The town itself, Şirince bazaar, Wine, Olives and food
Duration of Stay: 0.5 Days
How to get there: Shuttle from Selçuk to Şirince (20 mins)

Istanbul

• 

• 

Turkey’s economic, cultural and historic center. Istanbul is a natural transcontinental city straddling the Bosphorus strait, which is considered the boundary between Europe and Asia.
Highlights: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, The Grand Bazaar, Galata Bridge, Galata Tower, Eminönü, Bosphorus Trip, Basilica Cistern, Hammam
Duration of Stay: 2.5 Days
How to get there: Cab from Selçuk to Izmir Airport (55 mins)
Fly from Izmir to Istanbul

The Itinerary

Here’s the itinerary we used for our trip. I can send you the excel format, just comment below.

Turkey 8 Days Itinerary
Day 0	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7	Day 8	Day 9
SIN > IST	SIN> IST > NEV	Cappadocia ,  Nevşehir	Cappadocia ,  Nevşehir	Pamukkale, Denizli	Selcuk	Ephesus	Istanbul	Istanbul	IST > SIN
11:25 PM Turkish Airlines Changi Airport Singapore (SIN)	5:25 AM+1 Istanbul Ataturk Airport (IST) 8:50 AM Istanbul Ataturk Airport (IST) Flight to Cappadocia	4:00 – 8:00 – Breakfast & Hot Air Balloon 10:00 – 17:00 – Göreme Open air Museum – Love Valley. –Kaymaklı Underground  – Paşabağı Valley –Dervent valley – Rose valley and Red valley – Pigeon Valley   18:00 – 21:00 – Dinner – Dervish Show – Hammam **	06:00 – 8:00 – Breakfast at Hotel 10:00 – 17:00 – UÇHİSAR CASTLE – Goreme Free and Easy 18:00-19:00 – Dinner 20:15 Bus to Pamukkale (8hrs to Denizli, 1hr Denizli to Pamukkale)	06:00-7:00 ** Rest Travertines Hierapolis Antique Pool	8:00 – 11:00 Travertines 13:30-17:00 Travel to Selcuk (3.5 hours) TL25	8:00 – 11:00 Ephesus Tour 13:00 – 17:00 Sirince Village Tour	05:00 – 06:00 – Breakfast (Hotel), Travel to IZMIR (ADB) (55 mins) 8:00 -9:05 ADB to IST 10:00 – 12:00 – Sultanahmet Area – Bosphorus Trip – Eminonu – Taksim Square 18:00 – Dinner at Istiklal Street	06:00 – 8:00 – Breakfast (Hotel) 10:00 – 17:00 Sultanahmet Area – Hagia Sophia – Blue Mosque Lunch – Topkapi Palace – The Grand Bazaar	2:00AM – 17:50
	22:00 Overnight Stay @ Cappadocia	22:00 Overnight Stay @ Cappadocia	Sleeper Bus	22:00 Overnight Stay @Pamukkale	22:00 Overnight Stay @ Selcuk	22:00 Overnight Stay @ Selcuk	22:00 Overnight Stay @ Istanbul

 

Trip Expenses

Traveling in Turkey is less expensive than other European countries. You can probably budget around $30 dollars per day for food and transportation.
We found it easy to find hearty and affordable meals ($6 / meal) around the different places we’ve visited. Transportation is also cheap – trains, shuttle and cabs were easily available. Here’s a breakdown of our expenses in our trip:

Essential Costs	SGD	TL	USD	Euro	Peso
Annual Travel Insurance (Allianz Global Assistance Travel Insurance Silver)	$41.40	182.99 ₺	$30.64	€ 27.32	₱1,570.30
Turkish Visa Fee	$88.68	391.97 ₺	$65.62	€ 58.53	₱3,363.63
Flight to Istanbul (SIN > IST ) RT	$1,220.74	5,395.65 ₺	$903.34	€ 805.69	₱46,302.52
Flight Capadoccia (IST > NEV) OW	$80.60	356.24 ₺	$59.64	€ 53.19	₱3,057.06
Bus from Capadoccia (Goreme) to Pamukkale	$17.50	77.35 ₺	$12.95	€ 11.55	₱663.78
Flight to Istanbul (ADB> IST) OW	$43.45	192.04 ₺	$32.15	€ 28.68	₱1,647.96
Hotels
Cappadocia Hotel (2 Nights)	$87.00	384.54 ₺	$64.38	€ 57.42	₱3,299.91
Pamukkale Hotel  (1 Night)	$20.00	88.40 ₺	$14.80	€ 13.20	₱758.60
Selcuk Hotel  (2 Nights)	$55.40	244.87 ₺	$41.00	€ 36.56	₱2,101.32
Istanbul (2 Nights)	$81.00	358.02 ₺	$59.94	€ 53.46	₱3,072.33
Tours & Activities
Hot Air Balloon (Capaddocia / Pamukkale)	$260.10	1,149.64 ₺	$192.47	€ 170.00	₱9,865.59
Private Tour  (Capaddocia)	$45.90	202.88 ₺	$33.97	€ 30.00	₱1,740.99
Bosphorus Tour (Eminönü station)	$5.00	22.10 ₺	$3.70	€ 3.30	₱189.65
Museum Pass	$93.75	414.38 ₺	$69.38	€ 61.88	₱3,555.94
Total Costs	$2,047	9,461.06 ₺	$1,583.98	€ 1,444.11	₱77,633.64