Hoi An is a quaint town, just few minutes south of Danang. The streets are lined with rustic houses, small galleries, markets, cafes, and restaurants. It’s also a wonderful place to experience local cuisine and get fitted at one of the town’s countless tailor shops for custom-made clothing. Despite the increase in tourism, Hoi An seems to have retained its ageless charm. Most of all, I love how everything moves at a slower pace in Central Vietnam.

Standing next to a lovely old house. I’ve been working on a summer tan!

Cao lau, a Hoi An specialty noodle dish, is a bowl of thick noodles topped with slices of stewed pork, vegetables, bean sprouts, herbs, and crispy fried dough. They say the water used to make the noodles must be drawn from the town’s historic Ba Le Well.

Hoi An style fried wontons topped with shrimp.

Cold Biere Larue and tangy papaya salad with crispy rice crackers.

Nearby the water on Hoang Dieu Street is Banh Mi Phuong, prominently featured on Anthony Bourdaine’s show.

Heaps of freshly baked baguette.

The sandwich-making station with all sorts of toppings and sauces.

The Anthony Bourdain segment with Ms. Phuong in action.

Here’s my sandwich with everything on it. This much deliciousness for only a dollar? I wanted to pack a dozen with me to go.

And of course, we stopped by a small juice stand for Taurin’s daily avocado shake.

Bale Well Restaurant (45-51 Tran Hung Dao St) is our absolute favorite place to grab food in Hoi An. They don’t have a menu, but it’s more or less, an all-you-can-eat Hoi An local food for less than $5. After the owner warmly welcomed us, we were literally fed until we were completely stuffed. Also, I’m convinced that the best cooks in Vietnam wear their PJs.

The usual spread: savory shrimp pancake (banh xeo), fried spring rolls (ram cuon), grilled pork (thit nuong), herbs, pickled veggies, rice paper, dipping sauces, and beers.

I like to carefully build these giant spring rolls.

Hoi An is a popular place for getting custom-made clothing and brimming with mishmash of good and bad tailor shops. Thanks to my friend Austin’s recommendation, I had a wonderful experience at Peace Tailor Shop (89A Tran Hung Dao St). It was really fun picking out the fabric, buttons, lace trims, and working out the details, and of course getting measured and fitted. I was a bit nervous, but both of my dresses turned out just as I had imagined and I didn’t have to break the bank.

And here is one of my dresses: my custom-made yellow dress with peter pan collars! It’s a bit wrinkled now because I crammed it inside my suitcase, but I’ll take a better photo of me wearing it soon.