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Cooking Class
Cooking classes are available everywhere throughout town, and you can always try your luck. We've gotten the best feedback about the classes at Cafe 96 and the ones at the Hai Scout Cafe. The ex-pat owner of the latter, Nick, has a second place up the river called The Redbridge -- his classes include a trip to the market to buy supplies, and a boat-ride to his place.
Accommodation on Cham Island
Viet Y: Cu Lao Cham Island. T: (051) 910 782, (0905) 662 025 . laochamsailing at gmail.com
This place is the brainchild of Ludivico, an Italian ex-pat who runs Cham Island Diving Center. He's built a solid, Vietnamese-style guesthouse in town next to his own residence -- it's an attractive little powder-blue building with a kitchen on the first floor and rooms and the second and third. The place can sleep up to eight people -- right now the rooms don't really have doors, just curtains, and there isn't a lot of privacy if you rent one floor and not the other. But it's an excellent place for groups and families, and Ludivico is planning to close rooms off and make them more private in the future. There are plenty of home-style, Vietnamese places to eat in town, but for a small fee, you can have your meals cooked for you, and you're free to go to market and buy your own supplies and cook for yourself if you like. We found a French family in the middle of what looked like an idyllic vacation when we visited here. Electricity cuts out at 22:00 you have to get by on candlelight until dawn. You'll find yourself falling into the 'early-to-be, early-to-rise' schedule of the village. Highly recommended. Rates are US$8 per person or $20 to rent an entire floor.
Cham Island Diving Centre: 98 Bach Dang, Hoi An. T: (051) 910 782. laochamsailing at gmail.com
Rainbow Divers: Hoi An. T: (0917) 239 433 , (0914) 224 102http://www.divevietnam.com
Song Hoi Tourist: 12 Hoang Van Thu, Hoi An. T: (0510) 861 332 , (0913) 779 189 .
Eco-tours
Karma Waters is a vegetarian restaurant just after the bridge on the right as you approach Cua Dai Beach from Hoi An. It's owned by a Vietnamese woman and her ex-pat husband -- and in addition to serving up delicious veggie fare, they are starting up an eco-tourism operation that well deserves some increased patronage.
Their Cham Island tours visit a more remote village on the big Island, include veggie meals prepared by locals, and optional home-stays. You can snorkel, hike, windsurf, kayak and sail around in a dingy while you're there. A traditional sailing boat is under construction to offer truly low-impact tours. They also offer excursions on the De Vong River (something no other company does), 60,000 VND per person per hour.
Karma Waters: 47 Cua Dai, Hoi An. T: (0510) 927 632 , (0905) 141 771 , F: (0510) 927 632 . http://www.karmawaters.com
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