Anderson
March 3, 2023
” Written by Khanh – The owner and guide of Mate Hoi An tours”
Hoi An is a famous old city in the central coast of Vietnam. There are many places to visit and things to do here. People often like the old city where there are temples, old houses,… and if you are shopaholic, there are lots of tailors, souvenir shops,… and if you are foodies, there will be several good restaurants, street food stalls waiting for you. Near Hoi An, there are also a lot of other important tourist attractions such as the Marble Mountains, My Son Sanctuary,… those can guarantee that you can never get bored when travelling to Hoi An. However, there is a thing that you may not hear about or at least it is not too popular for people to mention in their plans: catching the Hoi An sunrise and visiting the early fish market.
One of the earliest places to start with in the morning is the corn market. The market is said to be more than 50 years old. The main products here are mussels, vegetables, and corn. In the past, the most popular things people sold here was corn. That is a the reason why local people call it the ” Corn market”. The Market is located near Cam Nam bridge of Hoi An. It also connects with Hoi An central market via a small road.
The market is open at 1 am and closed at 5 am. Most of the buyers and sellers here are women. Men take their wives to the market and wait for them at the coffee shop nearby. The coffee shop will also be closed at 5 am. You can see only middle-aged and old people, because it is too early for the young one. They say only the old can have enough patient to be here that early.
The buyers also come here to buy fresh sea food and vegetables, because they believe that things are fresher when they are harvested in the early morning.
if you come here, you can walk through each stalls and see how they are selling and buying and do not forget to take a walk to Cam Nam bridge. From there you will see Hoi An city on the sunrise.
Follow this map to find Cam Nam bridge market. The market is available from 1 am to 5 am:
The next thing you need to do in the Hoi An early morning is catching the sunrise from a boat ride on Thu Bon river. From Cam Nam bridge market, you can walk to the river bank to take a boat ride. The boat will take you to Cua Dai estuary where you can see the sunup most clearly.
Thu Bon river is about 200 km long, but from Hoi An to the sea, the river runs only 6 km. This is a perfect for a morning boat ride. Along the river, we can see many fishing activities as fishermen use a lot of methods to catch fish. The river is busier than we may think. Many fishing boats will return home after a night catch.
In the morning, Thu Bon river is very calm, which is ideal for a nice cruise. The fog covering the water makes it more stunning. The boat driver will go slowly so that you can catch the best moments of the day.
The sun often rises up at 5.45 in the summer, but it can change in the winter. Despite the cold in the winter, it will definitely worth getting up early to see this, because it is simply beautiful. Together with sunrise, you will be able to see lots of morning activities of the local people, which is rarely seen during the the day time.
You may wonder: ” where will the fish go after the morning and night catch?”. To have the clear answer, you should definitely visit Duy Hai fish market. The fish market is situated right in the estuary of Cua Dai where Thu Bon river meets the sea. Thanks to its perfect location, many fishing boats will arrive here after a night catch. The fish market is not only a place to sell and buy fish but also a stopover for the fishermen to take a break after a hardworking night.
When fishing boats return home after a night catch, many women are waiting for them at the market. They are waiting to buy the fish and bring them to other markets, seafood restaurants in Da Nang and Hoi An. Sea food is very cheap here, because it comes straight from the boats, and of course there will be no bargaining. The women will try to get as much fish as they can so that they can get enough for other markets, so there will be a lot of noise from the talking. The fishermen will take a break before heading home to prepare for the next catch. In the market, there are also coffee shops, local food stalls tor serve the people.
You can see many types of fish that Duy Hai fish market offers: Anchovy, tuna, mackerel,… The women will sort them out. The big ones will be sold to sea food restaurants or markets in the city. The small ones will be used to make fish sauce or fish paste. The medium ones are sold to factories to make dry fish.
Catching sunrise from Hoi An rice field is also a thing that you should not miss. Hoi An is very famous for its endless rice field. It is very green and atmospheric. It will be great if you come here in the morning and enjoy the nice breeze, watch buffalos grazing grass on the paddies.
Tra Que is a 400 year old village where farmers grow organic vegetables and herbs. There are 40 herbs and vegetables grown here. For 400 years, the local farmers have been using the only source of fertilizer which is the river weed from the river nearby. There are 40 types of herbs and vegetables grown in the village such as basil, mint, lettuce, mustard, spring onions,…
The farmers work very early. In the morning they get up before sunrise to avoid the summer heat since it can get above 40 degrees in the Summer. Middlemen will come to choose and buy the vegetables. They will be taken to markets, super markets, restaurants around Hoi An and Da Nang.
The village is a great place to start the day. The beauty of its is enhanced under the morning sunshine.
The best months to catch the Hoi An sunrise is from March to September. Those are the dry season in Hoi An. The sun often comes out at 5.30 am. To see all the places mentioned above, you should start at 4.30 am.
You can get to those places by any vehicles available, but to have the best experience, you should include the boat ride in your plan.
If you want to enjoy every minute of Hoi An sunrise and fish market without planning it yourself, let Mate Hoi An tours help you. We have the tour of Hoi An sunrise and fish market with special offers now.
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