Hoi An: Timeless Charm and Traditional Crafts

Nestled in central Vietnam, Hoi An is more than a destination, it is a feeling: a rare place where time trickles on, and history feels alive in each step, scent, and craft. A UNESCO World Heritage site, Hoi An is a living museum of architecture, tradition, and artisan skill.

This article will walk you through the charm of Hoi An, down to its relationship with traditional crafts, beginning with a railway romance through the Hai Van Pass and ending in the golden hue of lantern-lit streets. In between, the subtle elegance of SJourney, Vietnam’s most refined luxury train, adds a soft, flowing rhythm to your experiences, bridging destinations while keeping the soul of travel alive.

1. Morning: Scenic Delights and Railway Romance

Initiate your sojourn in the stillness of dawn, while the city stirs gently underneath a fine mist. Onboard the graceful SJourney, you are engulfed in eternal charm: an exquisitely appointed cabin showcasing the fine craftsmanship of Indochine design, an homage to luxury, albeit with a confident restraint.

A gourmet breakfast unfolds against the backdrop of the train gliding down the scenic Hai Van Pass: fresh tropical fruits, warm pastries, and a pot of fragrant tea. Outside your window, emerald mountains spilling into the sea are painted in soft hues of morning light, casting shimmering rays across the East Sea. The fairy-tale scenery floats by, with silent reminiscences rolling in and out of your consciousness; it is an utterly poetic and unforgettable transition.

Here, as the train slows to an easy pace, one appreciates that life has its work cut out for it. You are greeted by green rice fields, lotus ponds still in bloom, and rare water buffalo grazing unperturbed under the canvas of the pale blue sky. The tempo slows down, the senses slowly unwind. And enter literally the most simple yet perfect of welcomes: a cup of fresh Vietnamese coffee, dark and rich, full of aroma, slowly savored as you ease into the quiet, unhurried rhythm of Hoi An.

2. Exploring Rural Heritage: Cam Kim and Traditional Crafts

For your next outing is a jeep excursion into the heart of Hoi An’s countryside. The wind kisses your cheeks as you cross rustic bridges, wandering through sleepy villages on your way to Cam Kim Island, a place where tradition is not preserved in museums but practiced daily in homes and workshops.

You will see the ancient art of coffee roasting, with locals teaching you how they get such deep aroma and bold flavour just from simple beans. The smell is all around as your host reveals secrets about the perfect cup of coffee.

It takes you through ancestral houses where wooden beams and red roof tiles narrate tales of bygone generations. Visit a boat-building workshop where artisans meticulously carve curves into a wooden hull by hand: a practice that informed generations of seafaring folk.

Nearby, women ply their trade weaving delicate bamboo baskets; each achievement is a silent victory of patience, and precision. More so than souvenirs, such artifacts embody living vestiges of Vietnamese culture, shaped through time, necessity, and pride.

3. Tra Nhieu Village: Bamboo Boats and Water Coconuts

You then frolic on sleek canals in conventional bamboo basket boats and slide through the water coconut forests of Tra Nhieu village. This unique ecosystem that is verdant and serene but sways back and forth-for a moment pausing stillness and reflection.

Real engagement with nature. At the same time, as the boatman hums one of the local folkloristic songs, rustling palms create a soothing kind of melody of their own. This journey is not by distance but immersion, a rare opportunity to feel the landscape rather than see it.

Lunch is at an organic farm where vegetables are picked fresh from the garden and cooked with care. On the plates are seasonal, simple but richly flavored dishes-fresh herbs, grilled river fish, and varied local specialties that celebrate the bounty of this fertile earth.

4. Afternoon: The Heart of Ancient Hoi An Unveiled

As reflected by the sun’s setting in the sky, this exploration has now gone to Hoi An Ancient Town, where centuries of history open up and whisper away quietly in grace.

Start from Hoi An Market itself, where hue and aroma create a wonderful welcome. Local traders here sell everything from hand-dyed silks to spices, dried fruits, and traditional lanterns. This is more than just a market; it is a living theatre of daily life.

Into the Old District to see the Phuc Kien Assembly Hall, which is a dazzling structure with ornate carvings adorned with mythical dragon statues. Enter, and you find themselves in the midst of ancestral altars, lovingly cared for by families who are still active in the traditions practiced for centuries.

Continue on the adventure into the lives of the Hoi An merchants of old by visiting either the Phung Hung or Tan Ky Ancient House. These ancient homes of several centuries made of precious wood and filled with Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese influences tell the tale of a trading town that once linked the continents.

In the farthest edge of the Old Town is the Japanese Covered Bridge, a silent but powerful symbol of Hoi An’s multicultural past. Constructed in the early 17th century, the bridge once linked the Japanese and Chinese quarters, now standing as a graceful reminiscence into a time when cultures met not in conflict, but in commerce and cooperation.

5. Evening: Culinary Farewell and Railway Elegance

Your cabin awaits, soft lit with the soothing scent of lemongrass that draws you back to the cool embrace of SJourney as the lanterns begin to glow and spill golden light over the river.

Dinner celebrates what you’ve been doing all evening-a few mouth-watering carefully-prepared yet elegantly-served Vietnamese and international dishes, such as pan-seared duck with ginger glaze, saffron-infused rice, and a delicate coconut mousse, all while enjoying a view of the countryside flowing past outside your window.

6. Hoi An – A Journey into Living Heritage

Hoi An is more than a historical town. It is a place where tradition continues to breathe, where craftsmanship is practiced daily with quiet devotion, and where every street carries a gentle sense of harmony. It does not seek to impress. Instead, it invites you to pause and reflect.

By choosing this journey, whether it unfolds by train, by boat, or on foot, you are not simply visiting Hoi An. You are stepping into its rhythm, honouring its heritage, and allowing its story to become a part of your own.

SJourney remains a quiet presence throughout. With its graceful sense of luxury, it allows each moment in Hoi An to shine more clearly. It links each experience with calm elegance, turning travel from movement into meaning, and every pause into a memory worth keeping