"Lantern Shop, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. Hoi An is one of my favorite travel destinations in all of Asia. Sure, it's undeniably touristy, but it's also quite laid back and relaxed - nothing like other South East Asia tourist hotspots like Chiang Mai, for instance. Hoi An has a wonderful beach, gorgeous old town (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and some of the best food on the planet - surely well known to AFAR readers by now. Hoi An is also a great place for shopping. Of particular interest here are tailored suits and dresses, but the city also has a neat little cottage industry of lantern makers. There are quite a few scattered throughout the city, with some of the best being found on the southern side of the river. That's where I came across this atmospheric little shop. If I ever have a hipster wedding, I'll be buying my lanterns in Hoi An. Prices are, as all things in Vietnam, wildly negotiable."

"Lunch Break in Hoian I used to call Hoi An "The Venice of Vietnam " as its narrow streets and colorful houses remind me of Venice . The city is well-known for its lanterns. Highly recommended to stop by for few days, here in the center of Vietnam ."

"Heads up in Hoi An Markets throughout the world yield beautiful travel photos of meats and produce arrayed in dazzling patterns of eye-popping color. The market in Hoi An, Vietnam , is no different--in parts. But this fish monger was hard at work cutting up the day's catch, reminding us that this is really all about putting fresh food on the plate."

"Bike, Boat, and BBQ Hoi An Hoi An is a shopping town - but what if you aren't a shopper? Want to get away from all of the aggressive vendors in Hoi An -then ride away into the countryside of Cam Thanh villages! My niece and I loved Hoi An but were ready to get out into the country and open space - and most importantly we wanted to see how the locals lived. Our guide Thinh led us through the back roads outside of Hoi An to see various farming techniques, villages, and show us what rural life was like. After about an 90 minutes of biking, we rode to riverbank and put our bikes on a little boat to be whisked away to see another part of life that is important in Hoi An - the river life. We stopped at an island and Thinh and the boat driver made a supurb BBQ as we watched the sun set. The afternoon gave us a chance to see a different side to the heavily touristed but lovely town of Hoi An!"

"Vietnamese fishing Two Vietnamese fisherman pulling in their fishing net. By Cathy Sroka"

"Tee Off on Lush Links The strip of coastline between Hoi An and Danang has developed into a real draw for golfers. The first layout to appear in the area was the Montgomerie Links, a lush, American-style design masterminded by Scottish Ryder Cup star Colin Montgomerie. Joining it in 2010 was Danang Golf Club, the work of Australian legend and world-renowned course designer Greg Norman. Both courses have done much to establish the area as a golf destination in its own right. Danang Golf Club is the more spectacular of the two, with holes such as the 16th—a short par-3 played towards China Beach—as attractive as they are exacting. Since then another two fine courses have opened. At Lang Co, Nick Faldo has created a masterpiece while fellow Englishman Luke Donald is the brains behind the newest layout in the area, Ba Na Hills."