Nestled in a lush green valley, this fourth century city is like a miniature Angkor Wat. The trip takes the better part of a day and can be arranged through any hotel. Anyone who enjoys shopping will have yet another reason to fall in love with little Hoi An. Scores of little shops here offer an astounding assortment of local handicraft items at bargain prices. A third of the population seem to be tailors and shirts can be made to order in a matter of hours for next to nothing.
Suits take a day.
At night, Le Loi Street is lined with glowing ricer paper lanterns in unusual shapes and vibrant colors. You can have them made overnight in an astounding array of sizes, shapes and colors. In a town filled with great places to eat, BoBo Cafe at 18 Le Loi Street is my pick as Hoi An's best. Located on one of Hoi An's most colorful little streets, the open-air dining room is attached to a home that has been in the same family for more than two hundred years. The nearby Mermaid Restaurant at 2 Tran Phu is also very good and worth trying.