Hoi An Tour Recap

Last week we hosted 6 guests for their very first trip to Vietnam.

The week went better than we could have imagined. We enjoyed it so much that we’re going to do this again in the near future (more on this later).

Our goals for this trip were:

to help orient our guests to traveling in Vietnam and SE Asia
to promote cross cultural exchange through intentional activities
to encourage our style of slow, intentional travel
to find out if we would enjoy leading these types of tours

Hoi An Vietnam Tour Intentional Travelers - Old Town with boats and lanterns — Hoi An’s well-preserved Old-Town, a Unesco World Heritage site

Intentional From the Beginning

We knew from the start that we wanted this trip to be different than conventional tours — one that matched our values and beliefs about travel. We were selective about who would come on this trip. Participants had to apply and we connected with each traveler through video chat before they even submitted a deposit, to make sure it was a good fit for both parties.

For a while we’d talked about leading a trip where we would share our vision for responsible, conscious travel. A way to have a positive impact on the host country and people in an industry where money is usually the central focus. Our focus is on cross-cultural exchange, learning, and discovery. We wanted to connect our guests with local, host country nationals, who would share about their country from their own experiences. Our role is to be connectors.

It was imperative that we found people who wanted to experience Vietnam in this intentional way. Not to just be consumers. Not to come as vacationers. We wanted participants that wanted to learn and that would come with open hearts and minds. It would mean stretching and getting out of their comfort zones, trying new food and different activities. We were so thankful for this group of participants.

Here’s a quick video of their week in Hoi An, Vietnam:

From Foreign to Familiar

Though every single participant had traveled internationally before, this was their first experience in Vietnam.

For the first two days, we encouraged our group to resist the urge to see everything as quickly as possible. We asked participants to put away their cameras for a while and to approach the new experience as observers. We focused on helpful travel information like how to get around town, how to cross a street (which is really important in any city in Vietnam), and what important cultural norms to be aware of.

Vietnamese Language Class. — Our language instructor taught the group some helpful phrases while also sharing the complexity of the Vietnamese alphabet and pronunciation

Hoi An, Vietnam market — The morning market rush. A great experience but it can also be overwhelming at first.

Hoi An Homestay - Cooking-Dinner — The group got to bbq Vietnamese style with a host family.

Hoi An Tour - Dinner with host family — Dinner with a host family. Mr. Ty (our host) taught the group how to count in Vietnamese.

Exploring a New World

Though there’s a lot to see and do in the city of Hoi An, it was important to take our group outside of the touristy areas. The group took part in several activities, including an epic motorbike tour through the countryside visiting several different villages, a cooking class and market tour with a local family, and a visit to the whimsical Marble Mountains.

Motorbike Tour, Hoi An Vietnam Tour — Our group heading out of town, each with a local driver.

Rice paddies at the countryside in central Vietnam — The beautiful countryside of central Vietnam. A view during one of our rest stops.

Waterfall in Hoi An Vietnam — One of the stops on the motorbike tour included hiking to a beautiful waterfall.

Ladies of the sleeping mat village shows how to weave mats — The ladies of the sleeping mat village showed our group how they weave mats one strip at a time. Local people use these instead of mattresses.

Ancestral home in Hoi An Vietnam — The final stop of the day was a visit to Mr. Ty’s ancestral home, which has been in his family for many, many generations.

Local market in Hoi An, Vietnam — Host, My, took the group to the local market to shop for lunch ingredients and also pointed out some helpful things for the group to know.

Cooking class - Hoi An Vietnam — After the market, the group got to work in My’s kitchen to prepare lunch.

Marble Mountain, Hoi An, Vietnam — Visiting the Marble Mountain area.

Choose Your Own Adventure

As the week progressed, the group had more free time to explore Hoi An on their own. While the first part of the tour was focused on orientation and scheduled activities, the last part was allowed the group to use their new knowledge and skills. Highlights included discovering more of the area by bicycle, getting relaxing massages, bargaining with local vendors, ordering custom clothing from local tailors, and of course, eating amazing Vietnamese food.

Tailor shops - Hoi An, Vietnam — Hoi An is famous for their tailors so some of our group got custom clothes made including new suits, linen shirts, and a copy of a favorite romper.

Verdant Space noodles lunch - Hoi An, Vietnam — One of the most fun group activities was trying local dishes only found in this region. The food in this area is so good!

White rose and lemongrass BBQ pork at a restaurant in Hoi An, Vietnam

Lanterns at Ancient Town, Hoi An, Vietnam — Exploring Ancient Town at night with its beautiful lanterns.

Lanterns at the river during Lantern Festival at Ancient Town, Hoi An, Vietnam — The group enjoyed seeing the Lantern Festival were floating lanterns are offered with a wish.

We’re incredibly grateful for this amazing first group. It was neat to see the way the embraced each experience and the way they connected to our Vietnamese friends. Each day we kept giving thanks as the experience confirmed what we always hoped: for people from around the world to meet, learn, and appreciate one another.

Join us for our next trip!

We’ve been up front about this being a “test trip” to see if it was something we wanted to do again in the future. After an incredible week, it was obvious to us both that we wanted to do this again. So if you’ve been thinking about visiting Vietnam and wanting to join us for a future trip, start planning and save these dates.

Most likely, we will host visitors January through mid April of 2021.

Here’s the tentative plan of what we’ll be offering (subject to change):

Small group “un-tours”: One week in Hoi An, maximum of 6 guests vetted by Intentional Travelers. Orientation to Vietnamese culture and travel with local food, sightseeing, and day trips pre-planned as well as some free time. Best for first-time visitors to Vietnam.
Custom “un-tours”: A customized, hosted Hoi An experience designed for your family or group of friends. Based off of our one-week small group itinerary, with adjustments for your preferred activity level, budget, and interests.
Hoi An orientations: A one, or two-day orientation to Hoi An and Vietnamese culture. Includes meals and guides. Best for people wanting to schedule most of their own itinerary.
Custom itinerary consultation: We’ll help you choose and book the best accommodations, activities, and restaurants for your trip based on your budget and interests. Can be combined with our Hoi An orientation, for travelers who don’t want a hosted experience for their whole visit.

Join us in Vietnam in 2021!

For further reading:

– A Budget Guide to Hoi An

– What to See and Do in Hue

– Motorbike Tour from Hue to Hoi An

– A Budget Guide to Ninh Binh

– Things to Do in Hanoi

– Things to Do in Mai Chau