Currently, there are three UNESCO sites in around Central Vietnam: Hoi An old town, My Son and Hue. Hoi An old town is around 40 minute drive from Da Nang International Airport, there are also a lot of resorts in the area and has been a popular destination for people who want more of Vietnam but had visited the north and the south. If you want a combination of culture, history and nature, Central has that variety.

Hoi An ancient town is well-preserved town reflecting a fusion of indigenous and foreign cultures: Chinese, Japanese and European. Last September the hubby and I stayed in Hoi An for 3 nights and we have spent 1 day in the area.

For one, there are a lot of art galleries in the old town, where you can buy paintings, crafts, art stamps, you name it!

We stayed in Victoria during our short trip to Hoi An, Vietnam. This is a four star hotel located around ten minutes by drive to the Hoi An old town, a UNESCO site. Victoria is a known name in Vietnam as it also owns several hotels all over the country including the one in Sapa, located north Vietnam and where they also operate an overnight train.

When you visit Central Vietnam, a recommended hotel will be the one near the Old Town and at the same time located in front of the sea. Victoria has both qualities, however although located in the coastal area, it does not have any beach (it only has a tiny portion, but it really does not count). It used to have a beach, but after the flooding from the recent years, water just comes up and unless it's low tide, you won't usually see a beach. The Da Nang area is a much better location for beach resorts and is located around 20 - 30 minutes from the old town.




What I like about Victoria is that although I do agree that it needs refurbishment, it has its own charm, the local Vietnam taste. It is also affordable and the staff are very hospitable, always greeting you with a smile. They do have a nice pool overlooking the sea which is very relaxing.

FOOD
There are plenty of choices for breakfast and it definitely does not disappoint. Pancakes, bread, eggs, pho, congee, fruits, Vietnamese coffee, you name it! I also had the opportunity to try a special seafood dinner evening with Vietnamese dancers and a Filipino singer. It was great!






ROOMS
We have been upgraded from standard to a Sea View Deluxe room which comes with a balcony. When you entered the glass door, a king bed awaits you, there's a sitting area, a bath tub and an outdoor shower. The room was clean, although there was a sign that geckos roamed the area, which is unavoidable, still acceptable. There were a lot of flies in the evening so we needed to keep the door shut. The air-condition was a bit weak but we didn't bother (or rather we keep on forgetting) to inform the staff.









SPA
The spa was good. There was a 10% discount so we tried the 60 mins. massage. Relaxing!

AMBIANCE
I love the ambiance of the hotel. It's not very luxurious, but you can definitely feel the genuine hospitality in all other ways.


TOTAL RATING
I am rating the hotel a 4 star out of 5. There are a lot to improve, but the foundation and the most important things are already present at this resort. The hotel offers free shuttle to and from the old town which I found very helpful (a lot of resort do this). It's good value for money and I would definitely recommend this hotel.

We saw boats in the shore like the above. Fishing is one of the main industry in Vietnam with its long coast.

We first took the basket shaped boat from the shore to a much bigger boat. They said 10 people can fit in inside. Men, the captain even danced in the tune of Gangnam Style while we were in the boat.

We were transferred to a much bigger and comfortable boat later on.

The bigger boat is motorized.

In the bigger boat, we met our captain "also known as Captain Cook" and another staff. Both could not speak in English so our guide will be the one to translate for us.

Thumbs up for this tour!

Along the way, we passed by a boat where there were two fisherman, a husband and wife. They showed us and thought us how to fish. My husband tried and he got a few, while I can't have any luck throwing the net properly. The wife does the navigation, she was the captain of the boat, while the husband does the fishing. And all I can say is what a great team work! Sure, I came from the Philippines where fishing is also an industry, however this tour gave me a good insight that fishing is a real hard work.


We then went to Palm Paradise using the smaller boat, we were gently rowed to see the many palms under water. We were told that the palm paradise were used by Vietnamese soldiers, this is where they hid from the Americans during the World War II in the daytime, and in the evening they would attack and make their opponent weaker by stealing their firearms.

We were then transferred to a smaller village and see the local fisherman's home.

They got fat hens!

And once again, we were taught how to pull the fishing nets using the above heavy pulley. Unfortunately, we were not very successful fishermen, we only managed to catch two small fishes (and a tiny shrimp). What a shame!

The tour finished at around 12 pm and it was the time for us to rest and relax. Captain Cook cooked us a full and delicious Vietnamese meal.

We think it has been a productive day!

I love how they ran their tours which started year 2005. When you visit Hoi An, make sure to include Fisherman tour in your itinerary. It was one of the highlight, an educational adventure for the two of us.