Food And Drink in Hoi An

Hoi An's table is short, local and specific. Cao lau is the signature: thick noodles with slices of pork, said to be made properly by only a few local families. Around it sit white rose dumplings, banh xeo, the small rice-flour pancakes, chicken rice, banh mi, and xi ma, a black sesame pudding. The vegetables come from villages such as Tra Que, two kilometres from the old town, and the seafood from the fishing village of Cam Thanh.

At the table the choice is between eating and cooking. The food walk takes three hours through the old town, tasting cao lau, roast pork, chicken rice, banh mi and banh xeo with Vietnamese coffee and herbal tea, in a group or privately. A private four-hour version goes by bicycle and ends with a sunset boat. Cooking classes take four to five and a half hours and differ by setting: market and basket boat in Cam Thanh, a farm at Tra Que, or a family house on a delta island, reached by boat in about 35 to 45 minutes. The island class takes at most twelve adults and has a vegetarian menu. The longer versions add the Hoi An market or a bicycle ride, for up to ten hours.

Practical. Vegetarian menus are available on request on most classes; mention allergies when you book. Several classes run twice a day, from 8:30 and from 13:00, and the morning one catches the market when it is busiest. Gratuities are not included. The grandmother's-house classes charge in full only if you cancel within two hours of the start; most others want a day's notice. April is the driest month, and from November to January a windbreaker helps on the water.