Travel to Hoi An and Danang: Trying 4 different Vietnamese noodle dishes

We enjoyed our Danang food tour with Lena T. so much that we invited her back the next day to hang out in Hoi An. We rented motorbikes again and rode all the way from Danang to Hoi An, which was about a 45-minute drive—not bad, except that your back and butt will hurt by the end.I had a lot of expectations for Hoi An since I’ve had two friends tell me on separate occasions that it was their favorite town in Vietnam. My pops described the old town, which is lit by lanterns at night, as beautiful and quaint. But we weren’t planning to spend the night, so the only Hoi An we experienced was sans lanterns.We strolled the ancient town (which requires an entrance fee) between rows of imperial yellow French colonial buildings. While the centuries-old structures were well kept, they now housed westernized coffeeshops and souvenir stores, turning the UNESCO protected site into a major tourist trap.We did, however, get to try some special local dishes originating in Hoi An, like cao lau and mi Quang.That evening, back in Danang, we met Summer of Danang Cuisine and her husband, Leon. They took us to two amazing noodle shops: one for bun bo—one of my favorite noodle soups ever—and then a second for bum mam tom, a pungent yet umami-packed noodle dish. (I’ll write more about these two noodle shops later.)Summer’s Danang Cuisine food tours are quite well-known; she’s been featured on Serious Eats, and big-time chefs from all over the world have taken her tours. I’m lucky to have gotten a personal tour with Summer and her hubs. Thanks so much for the generous hospitality, which I’ve delightfully found to be an integral part of Vietnamese culture.If you’re thinking of going to Danang and/or Hoi An, check out Danang Cuisine for some gastronomical tips!