Hội An

Each of our spots is doing around the same revenue, which is amazing.

We got six locations, six different clientele, but each is about the same revenue, except that Hoi An, the historic Hoi An, that revenue can really peak.

during the summer months, and it can get double the revenue of our other locations because of tourism.

And I reckon I've

been to 304 and Hoi An's definitely my favorite.

It's such a lovely spot.

I call it Indiana Jones and the Temple of Beer because it's like this, you know, it's an 18th century trading house.

And what tends to happen when a country first opens to tourism is that tourism is focused on a few key areas.

In Vietnam, industry insiders call it the 5H because you have Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City.

all five places that begin with h and for a long time those were the main places that people would go and those were the places that developed the infrastructure for tourism then secondary destinations started to emerge so we're talking about sapa in the north or dalat in the south and then danang in the center which is a major city but wasn't really a touristic city until more recently And I would say that the years following COVID, these additional destinations started to emerge as popular places to go.

And they have been supercharged by social media, for better or for worse.

And that's where the dishes would get a lot of their flavor.

So they would just boil down the meat that they have to just like a small kind of sauce that would feed as many people as possible.

As you move down to Hoi An, I would say the dish to try is Kao Lou, which is a really interesting dish historically because Hoi An is an old trading port.

It's been a trading port or it was a trading port for hundreds of years.

And when you match that energy, the rewards are absolutely limitless.

And it was so fun to see over the first couple of days the group transform into matching that energy, especially as we travel down the country through Hoi An and Hue and finally arriving in Ho Chi Minh City.

And perhaps nowhere is that energy more deliciously apparent than in the food.

It's something Andrew's late friend, Anthony Bourdain, understood deeply, and that Andrew has come to understand himself.

The good thing is you can start at Ho Chi Minh, which is a main city.

You can travel all the way up the coast to Hoi An and then fly home from there.

So you can do it.

It's honestly so much bigger than people give it credit for.

It starts tonight at 8 p.m.

The comedian and musician explores the people, culture and landscapes of Vietnam, beginning in the historic trading port of Hoi An.

Along the way, he discovers local food, explores mountain communities and encounters the characters and cultures that make Vietnam one of Asia's most fascinating destinations.

Then on BBC Lifestyle, Channel 174, fans of the great British Bake Off can try out the Great American Baking Show.

I can't promise it's original to you.

But I was in Hoi An in Vietnam.

I'm going to lose this one.

Hoi An is one of the only beautiful places that I found.

You know, like Hue and Hoi An.

A lot of things were really ripped up in that war.

And there is an unbelievable...

Okay.

I was like, "I can't eat anymore, Tom," and he was like, "Yes, you can." Um, but Hue was, like, this huge surprise, the history, right? And then, um, you know, just, like, oh my gosh, it was a really fascinating place.

I had never been before, so obviously Hoi An with the lanterns and the thing, I mean, it's, it's more touristy, but it wasn't super touristy back then, but-

Mm

... you know, definitely on the radar.

Lars kept going.

He told a long story about a friend who got a tattoo in Hanoi that was supposed to say courage and didn't, and then another one about a girl in Hoi An.

The rain came down harder through dinner, so hard on the tin that we gave up talking over it and just ate.

Lars shouted the end of his story anyway, and Duong, behind him, refilled the jug and said nothing.