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Experience Heaven and Earth in Hoi An – Post 11

June 27, 2013 By Jan Robinson 33 Comments

This post may contain compensated links. We may earn a small percentage if you book through a compensated link, but it won’t cost you any more by doing so. You can read our full disclaimer here.


Updated July 2018. The Heaven and Earth Bicycle Tour Hoi An was our favourite thing to do in this charming town. Ride through both the town and country visiting local industries, including boat building, mud brick making, mother of pearl inlay work, fishing nets and fishing baskets.

The Unesco heritage listed buildings of Hoi An showed their age but were in remarkable condition.

Hoi An Buildings

Our bicycles were loaded on to the ferry – Hoi An Riverfront.

Bikes on Boat Hoi An Riverfront

We chose Tour 1 on our April 2011 visit – the half day ride.   Although it is now described as departing at 8.30 a.m. and returning at 3 p.m. (including lunch), our meeting time was 7.45 a.m. and my diary records a 4p.m. finish.  Hmmm. Maybe we did Tour 2 – or was our group particularly slow?

The Market Stall at our Morning Tea Break

Market Stall at Morning Tea Stop

Lan, our young Vietnamese guide, spoke the best English Australian of any I had heard in our month in Vietnam.  As well as being a wonderful source of information, she had a wicked sense of humour, that kept us entertained all day.  Her side kick Phuong, another young Vietnamese woman, was the Ying to Lan’s Yang – a gentle and helpful assistant.

Sampling Peanuts straight from the ground.

Sampling Freshly Dug Peanuts

That morning before we had left our guesthouse, Hoang Trinh, there had been an early morning rain storm.  Dodging rivulets on the streets, we raced over the famous Japanese Bridge, then minutes later crossed the An Hoi Bridge over the main part of the river, that led to Heaven and Earth’s Office at 57 Ngo Ouyen.

No Plans used for these boats – just knowledge passed down the generations.

Traditional boat making

A lifetime of punctuality made me eager to arrive on time, but bikes were being tried out for size and raincoats distributed when we arrived 5 minutes late.  Some people had cancelled (because of the rain) much to Lan’s dismay, but we were happy with the final group size – an American/Swedish family with two daughters, a girl from the Philippines and ourselves.

Many times I have seen mother of pearl inlaid on boxes, but had never realized the craftsmanship required to make them.

Mother of Pearl Inlay Collage

We retraced our route through the streets – this time by bicycle – back over the An Hoi bridge but this time turning right, through central Hoi An to the food market, on the banks of the Thu Bon River.  Back in the day, sailing boats from Europe, China, India and Japan would have been tied up along this same stretch of river.

These fishing baskets are widely used in Vietnam.  The exterior of the ones we saw on this tour were varnished, but north of here at Cat Ba Island they were tarred to make them waterproof.

Woven Bamboo Fishing Boats

Our Guide Lan

Lan

Hoi An was unharmed during the Vietnam/American War and it’s Unesco Heritage listing continues to protect the beautiful old buildings that housed and traded silks, porcelain and spices from the Fifteenth until the end of the Eighteenth Century.

Making Mud Bricks.

Earth Mud Bricks

The excitement that I felt as we rode through the market place and hurriedly boarded the tiny ferry started to subside, but was soon reawakened by the foreign sounding throb of the exposed motor and the cool fresh river breeze on my face.  Obligingly the rain disappeared and didn’t bother us for the rest of the day.

A typical view on our ride through the countryside.

Thu Bon River and Boat

During the day we saw traditional timber boats being built, artisans creating mother of pearl inlay (intricate and time consuming work), an ice-works, round woven fishing boat making and paddling.  Lan purchased a bunch of freshly dug peanuts, from a lady working her vegetable plot.  Peeled and eaten straight from the ground, they tasted nothing like store bought peanuts, just like raw legumes – which I suppose they were.

When we stopped at a tiny local store for what I thought was lunch, I ordered a beer – only to discover it was actually a morning tea break.  Oops – It tasted just as good mid-morning, as it would at a more proper time of day.

My Morning Tea.

My Morning Tea

We rode mostly through rural areas, past palm trees, rice paddies and water, stopping to watch mud bricks being made.  I really enjoyed visiting the traditional Vietnamese home belonging to the Tour group’s family. Lan explained the shrine inside the home (every Vietnamese home has one) and answered questions about family life, after which we participated in a hands-on straw mat weaving demonstration.  In the front garden of the home, shaded by thatch and trees, lunch was served at small bamboo tables.  My chicken fillet with sweet sticky sauce, rice and morning glory (green vegetable) was delicious.  I did not hear one complaint.

We rode across this bridge, but you could walk your bike if you preferred.

We road across this bridge

After Lunch everyone sat around talking or relaxing in the hammocks.  Some of the men of the household had an after lunch rest in the hammocks as well.  Phuong who had formed an easy friendship with the young American girls was happily braiding hair.

Lunch Beneath the trees.

Lunch beneath the trees.

Leaving our bicycles behind at the house, I felt a slight moon walking sensation as Lan and Phuong led us to  the ferry boat stop.  This time we all had a chair to rest on as we glided by the fishing nets poised like giant insects waiting to pounce.  Back at the office we took the opportunity of tracing our route on the office map – if we had arrived on time that morning we would have done that before the tour started.  Damn!  As it was we had no idea where we were going.

But then that was half the fun.

We passed lots of these fishing nets on the way home.

Fishing Nets.

Budget Travel Tips

Cost of Tour 1 – 24 USD/Adult

Tour 2 is the same tour minus the lunch at the Vietnamese home – 17 USD Adult.  I would recommend Tour 1 because I would not like to miss the home and lunch experience.

The Tra Que Herb Village Tour would be perfect for those short on time or cash.  It is only 6 USD and takes two hours.

Definitely take your camera and don’t forget sun protection.

Drinks are not included in the tour price.

Hoi An is reached via Danang, where there is an airport and train station.  We arrived by overnight train from Ninh Binh in the North and left by Vietnam Airlines to Nha Trang in the south, using a taxi (30 minutes) for both transfers.

Read more posts about Vietnam here.

More from my site

  • We chose Lan Ha Bay over Halong Bay – Post 8We chose Lan Ha Bay over Halong Bay – Post 8
  • Nha Trang Things to Do by Bicycle – Post 10Nha Trang Things to Do by Bicycle – Post 10
  • Kenh Ga Water Village, Vietnam – Post 9Kenh Ga Water Village, Vietnam – Post 9
  • Take a walk to Cat Cat Village – Post 6Take a walk to Cat Cat Village – Post 6
  • Bac Ha Market Town – Post 5Bac Ha Market Town – Post 5
  • Sapa Vietnam – Into The Mist – Post 4Sapa Vietnam – Into The Mist – Post 4

Filed Under: Bike Rides, Budget Travel Tips, Reviews, Vietnam Tagged With: One Month in Vietnam

About Jan Robinson

Jan Robinson writes about travel on her Budget Travel Talk blog. A solo traveller in her teens, for the last 40 years Jan has travelled through Australia, Asia, Europe, Turkey and New Zealand with her husband. They specialise in road trips, caravanning and Independent travel without spending a fortune. Her favourite destination is Turkey and she is currently dreaming of Myanmar and Mexico.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Muza-chan

    June 27, 2013 at 4:47 pm

    Beautiful article 🙂

    Reply
    • Jan

      June 28, 2013 at 8:05 am

      Thanks Muza-chan.

      Reply
  2. jenny@atasteoftravel

    June 27, 2013 at 10:05 pm

    What a fabulous trip Jan. I’m pretty sure I would be walking across the bridge. I love the fishing baskets..did you try one!!

    Reply
    • Jan

      June 28, 2013 at 8:07 am

      Ha ha, I rode across it because it was the quickest option. The bridge was floating on 44 gallon drums. I left Marty to take one for the team in the fishing basket – he was a natural 🙂

      Reply
  3. Lisa Goodmurphy

    June 28, 2013 at 9:53 am

    What an interesting tour! The bridge would have made me a bit nervous – either walking or on the bike! I have neither seen nor heard of fishing baskets before – such a unique vessel.

    Reply
    • Jan

      June 28, 2013 at 10:17 am

      It was great – I think Emma would love it 🙂

      Reply
  4. Life Images by Jill

    June 28, 2013 at 9:58 am

    Sounds live a wonderful tour and being able to meet and talk to a family is special.
    Hmm….I will have to practise bike riding skills first!
    Have a wonderful weekend.

    Reply
    • Jan

      June 28, 2013 at 10:17 am

      I really enjoy bicycle tours Jill and Lan made this one special.

      Reply
  5. Lisa Wood

    June 28, 2013 at 7:00 pm

    Now that is a tour with a personal touch added to the day! They sure don’t do things like that here 🙂
    What a scary looking bridge – when you said that you rode over it I had to go back and re-look the photo. No way would I be that game.
    Now those Hammocks – YES Please. i so could see myself sitting there day after day.

    Reply
    • Jan

      June 28, 2013 at 9:06 pm

      I just rode as fast as I could to get to the other side ASAP 🙂 I lay in a hammock after lunch – it was delightful.

      Reply
  6. Marisol

    June 29, 2013 at 4:13 am

    Hi Jan, your tea break story made me laugh so hard! Hey, anytime can be a beer break, especially if you’re in a tropics:) I enjoyed your bike tour! Amazing how much you have seen. It’s definitely an interesting way to explore. I’d love to paddle on those basket boats.

    Reply
    • Jan

      June 29, 2013 at 9:43 am

      I think the others on the tour viewed me in a whole new light, after my “tea break” purchase. It hit the spot!

      Reply
  7. noel

    June 29, 2013 at 6:00 am

    I’ve always wanted to visit Hoi An, looks like it was an amazing experience, love the breakfast drinks 🙂

    Reply
    • Jan

      June 29, 2013 at 9:41 am

      This trip was in 2011 Noel. People say it has become more touristy now, but I think a bicycle ride into the country would still be the same.

      Reply
  8. Dana Carmel @ Time Travel Plans

    June 29, 2013 at 7:54 am

    This seems like such an interesting tour – especially the fact that you get to see a traditional Vietnamese home. I also love the round boats. It’s amazing that they’re waterproof!

    Reply
    • Jan

      June 29, 2013 at 9:41 am

      I learned so much about the Vietnamese on this tour Dana. Our guide shared some personal stories and explained a lot.

      Reply
  9. Leigh

    June 29, 2013 at 9:07 am

    I went through Hoi-An fro part of a day. It looks to me like you got a whole lot more out of the place than I did – and sometimes going slowly is the way to do it. Wonderful photos.

    Reply
    • Jan

      June 29, 2013 at 9:38 am

      We spent five days there Leigh relaxing as B.H. wasn’t well. Originally we were planning to visit Hue as well, but it has to wait for another day 🙂

      Reply
  10. Michele {Malaysian Meanders}

    June 30, 2013 at 10:13 am

    I think watching them doing the inlaid mother of pearl must have been very interesting. I also never thought of what kind of work was involved. Many Penang expats tell me that Hoi An is great trip.

    Reply
    • Jan

      July 1, 2013 at 12:59 pm

      Evidently it has become much more touristy since we were there in April 2011, but trips into the countryside would still be the same.

      Reply
  11. Krista

    June 30, 2013 at 8:07 pm

    What a beautiful trip – I love all the crafts and techniques you were able to observe. I find that sort of thing fascinating.

    Reply
    • Jan

      July 1, 2013 at 12:59 pm

      Yes, I think it is a great way to learn about a country too Krista.

      Reply
  12. Nancie

    July 2, 2013 at 2:22 am

    What a great looking tour! Hoi An is one of the places I want to go when I return to Vietnam. Beer, when it’s hot, is good at any time of the day!

    Reply
  13. Lisa (@raisingxplorers)

    July 2, 2013 at 11:37 pm

    Oh, this brought back beautiful memories of a month spent in Vietnam 10 years ago. About to embark on our first backpacking adventure with kids… Malaysia here we come!

    Reply
    • Jan

      July 3, 2013 at 9:49 am

      World travel with children was not really an option when our kids were younger. Air travel becoming cheaper has thankfully opened that door. We have seen lots of families on the road and they love it. Hope your time in Malaysia is exciting 🙂

      Reply
  14. Cathy Sweeney

    July 3, 2013 at 2:22 am

    Great bike tour! Would love to do this. The boats are amazing — and to think that the skills to make them have been past down generation to generation. Interesting post!

    Reply
    • Jan

      July 3, 2013 at 9:42 am

      We always love a bike tour, and this one especially 🙂

      Reply
  15. Freya Renders, Holiday Nomad

    July 7, 2013 at 5:38 am

    Would love to take the bike tour too, should I have the chance to go there. You make it sound so fun. Plus, I would love to be on that fishing basket!!!

    Reply
    • Jan

      July 7, 2013 at 10:04 am

      It was fun Freya. Ask for Lan as your guide if you go, she was great.

      Reply
  16. atastefortravel

    September 9, 2014 at 1:48 am

    A really interesting post. I spent 30 days in Vietnam solo about 10 years ago and enjoyed many peaceful days cycling the back roads of Hoi An. Such beautiful beaches and friendly welcoming people.

    Reply

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