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Food in Hoi An is, even by high Vietnamese standards, cheap and
tasty. In addition to the usual suspects, there are three dishes
that Hoi An is particularly famous for:
* Cao lau, a dish of rice noodles which are not quite as
slippery as pho and a bit closer in texture to pasta. The secret
is the water used to make it, and authentic cao lau uses only
water from a special well in the city. The noodles are topped
with slices of roast pork, dough fritters, and this being
Vietnam, lots of fresh herbs and veggies.
* White rose (banh bao vac), a type of shrimp dumpling made from
translucent white dough bunched up to look like a rose.
* Wantan dumplings, essentially the same as the Chinese kind,
served up in soup or deep-fried.
If you are really very adventurous, you can walk to the Central
Market, and have a local breakfast. Seating on stools, eating a
bowl of Cao Lau with wooden chopsticks, and sipping the ice cold
"White Coffee with vinamilk" is an adventure. Beware though,
prices will vary atrociously, as shopkeepers swarm over you to
sell you things, or even shove plates of food before you. Just
keep declining politely and return the food if you don't fancy
it. Keep small denominations of dong with you, as you probably
won't get change if you give them US$. Also, confirm the prices
before you partake of the food. Prices range from about
10.000-15000 dong for a bowl of noodles, and 5000-7000 dong for
a coffee. The baguette is a nice snack, and should not cost more
than 10000 dong. You can point and say no to the vegetables and
chilli that they will add. A recommended way to order is to just
say "Everything" and say "no" to the chilli. Mineral water is
around 10000 dong for a big 1.5L bottle.
Walking along the river at night, you will find a lot of pubs.
Beer is around 30000 dong. Cocktails are around 20000-50000
dong. There are some bar foods available, such as fried prawn
crackers for around 15000 dong a plate. Just walk into any pub
and have a seat. |
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