Why would we want to move again? Well, if I’m honest, Da Nang is a beautiful city with an amazing beach. But it can also be quite busy and the traffic makes it noisy, which led us to seek a quieter small-town life.
That’s when we discovered Hoi An, just a 40-minute drive from Da Nang. After spending a night there, we were captivated and decided to make it our home for a whole month.
How did we find where to stay in Hoi An?
Finding the perfect place to stay in Hoi An was an adventure in itself. We had explored some options online and even reached out to a friend who lived there. While the apartments near the beach lacked certain amenities like a kitchenette and a good table, we found a great place closer to the Ancient Town. It became our cozy home for the entire month.
Our hosts were a Vietnamese family who spoke very little English, but they welcomed us with open arms and warm hospitality. Check out the room we had in the video above! What surprised us the most was that they didn’t even ask for a deposit, which is a common practice when renting monthly in Vietnam.
Of course, like any journey, there were bumps along the way. We soon discovered that there was a daycare/kindergarten right next to our accommodation. This meant waking up to loud music and the joyful sounds of energetic children almost every morning, starting at 7 AM. Fortunately, the noise would subside by 9 or 10 AM.
How was the weather in Hoi An May-June?
If you want to see the positive side of staying in Hoi An, watch the video above.
As to the negatives…
The weather during our stay was typically around 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), and the humidity was off the charts. We also experienced frequent evening showers, despite it being the dry season in Hoi An. The combination of heat and humidity often made it challenging to venture outside, which may come as a disappointment to those who envision a different picture of being a digital nomad in Southeast Asia.
Nevertheless, Hoi An and Da Nang have their own unique advantages compared to cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh. Being close to the seaside means we enjoyed cleaner air and had easy access to beautiful beaches.
After taking a two-month break from YouTube, we recorded a new video (filmed in the hall of our apartment) and felt a bit rusty.
I know many YouTubers film in 1 day, edit on the second and publish on 3rd. My schedule is planning/script 1 day, film main footage 1-2 days (plus filming b-roll videos all the time), audio overvoice 1-2 days, edit audio and footage 2-3 days. Did you get bored yet?
Yep, while “traveling and documenting our journey on YouTube” might seem like a fun thing to do for many people, it’s actually a full-time job on top of being your own travel agent and planning trips all the time. There are still many fun days, and you get to see amazing places and have unique experiences. But you still have responsibilities and have to stay organized. You are never in a “holiday mode”, like you would be on an actual holiday.
Hoi An Vietnam Beaches
Speaking of actual holidays, at the end of our 30 days in Hoi An we went for a 3-day holiday on the beach. And life in that neighborhood of Hoi An (An Bang Beach) is quite different from Ancient Town. Holiday vibes only! The sea was perfect, beaches clean, a couple of beach bars had DJs and even a fire show one evening.
Summer is the best time to enjoy the beaches in Vietnam, so we decided not to miss our chance to do so. I would even say that beaches in Hoi An during high season are more enjoyable than beaches in Da Nang. Less crowded, more quiet and overall more relaxing.
What’s Next
We are still staying in Vietnam for the coming months and you can follow me on Instagram @meloolga to see where we are right now.
And if you’re boycotting social media, but want updates, I have a newsletter too (no spam).
