200,000 Vietnamese Dong Ganh Buffet @ Hoi An Memories Land in Vietnam

I knew I was rushing for time when visiting Hoi An Memories Land in May 2025 as it was on our first night arriving at Danang and the attraction was closed on our last night in Hoi An! 

Therefore, it was decided we should have our dinner, also mom's first Vietnamese meal in Vietnam, within Hoi An Memories Land. I opted for something simple and with variety; a buffet it shall be! 

Setting was nice right; traditional with tables and stools made from bamboo. In good weather, the outdoor would be fine but if you are worried about the risk of rain, indoor seatings were available too.

At 200,000 Vietnamese dong, about S$10, per adult, I thought the variety was decent and I figured while not everything will be nice; some would be better than average. If worse come to worse, I just need the food to be edible.

Dishes available for your reference.

Live stations included banh xeo, banh mi, cao lau, bun cha, mi quang. I can't wait to try cao lau, which was a noodle specialty in Hoi An! I didn't try so far as I am not so much a noodle person, and if need be, would go with safe ones like bun cha. 

Not everything was included in the buffet; like the drink sections, where you can pay extra for beer, soft drinks, homemade drink. Put it in context, a local larue beer only cost 35,000; less than S$2, and this was in a tourist attraction! 

Another not-free item would be the ice cream. Thank god I am no longer of teenager age, where my tummy was a bottomless pit. Nowadays, if I want ice cream, it better be of top quality like Haagen Dazs! 

Let's start with the food review! In a nutshell, the food wasn't fantastic and you would be sorely disappointed if you associate the food here as authentically Vietnamese. I shall elaborate more shortly.

Banh mi was toasted well but tasted more like subway sandwich and banh xeo was so pathetic; I might as well be eating just the shell without the fillings. The one I made from the Hoi An Village Experience Cycling Day Tour was way way better. 

Buncha and Mi Quang; former was more like noodle soup with pieces of ham whereas the latter was the same topped with peanuts and chilli. Nothing impressionable.

Cao Lau, an udon lookalike with a rough texture and tasted like the noodles were dunked in a braised pork sauce. Maybe I am just biased again soupy noodles; preferring our local prawn noodle soup instea.

Fried wanton was not bad tasting although it would have tasted better with Kimball Thai chilli sauce. p.s. filling was negligible and I would be better off with fried wanton skin instead.

Seafood soup - well, you remember the fake shark's fins soup from night markets in Singapore? Same same and would have been the same if I could find the vinegar to add it in! 

A staff member suggested mixing the different desserts together and it was actually taste with the different layers of flavor from the bean paste, corn soup, red beans and coconut milk.

Small slice of steamed sweet potatoes.

Indonesian one was sweeter. 

Ending with fruits! Loving the guava which was soft and the chilli salt dip was a nice departure from our standard sour plum powder. Those mini apples were similar in taste to fresh dates. 

What's mom's verdict?

Edible; she prefers seafood. 

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Location

Within Hoi An Memories Land.

Hoi An, Vietnam

Pricing for Buffet

Adult - 200,000 Dong

White Rose Hoi An Spa - Premium Head Spa @ Vietnam

Experiencing head spa at Vietnam is said to be a must-do nowadays and even I couldn't resist searching for a reputable shop when I was in Hoi An!

Coincidentally, we found White Rose Hoi An Spa, just one shop away from White Rose Restaurant, latter of which was said to be the only authentic distributor of Hoi An's iconic dish; the white rose dumplings.

Not sure if it's under the same owner as White Rose Restaurant but it doesn't quite matter as the review score on Google Map was 4.8 from over 4,000 (yes, four thousand) reviewers! 

Process of my premium head spa that was said to take about 50 minutes, and cost 269,000 Vietnamese dong, only about S$13! Damn, I am so missing Vietnam right now! Maybe should plan for a short trip....

My comfy bed to prepare for the therapeutic session.

Started with the facial wash and a yogurt mask, and followed by hair wash (twice), conditioning and head, back and shoulder massage with placement of hot stones on the back and neck. Only feedback was that the masseur was a bit rough and comprehension of English was weak.

Highlight was definitely the waterfall scalp therapy; which was relaxing, and my mind wandered almost into a mindless state as the water streamed down my hair in a measured manner that methodically hit the acupoints of my scalp. 

Pity it ended too soon. Any longer and I might just drift into slumberland. 

Shampoo and conditioner used for my spa. Brand for the shampoo was funny as bo ket literally meant toothless in my hokkien dialect! 

Brought to this room with multiple "thrones" that had a standing mirror in front of each of them. The final stage of my premium head spa process. 

The blowing and drying! At this point, it was about 45 minutes and I doubt I would need five minutes to blow dry my short hair! So what was my verdict? My hair definitely felt light, smooth and fluffy, without the oily stickiness typical of our humid climate! 

Ending my head spa with complimentary glass of cold lemongrass drink and icy slices of watermelon; a perfect ending given the hot summer in Hoi An.

My mom had a 60-minute foot massage that she couldn't remember much from as she was literally sleeping when I walked out. p.s. showing her expression without blurring would result in a news story of a good mom murdering her filial son. 

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Address

529 Đ. Hai Bà Trưng, 

Phường Cẩm Phổ, Hội An, 

Quảng Nam 51000, Vietnam

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Premium Head Spa - 269,000 Dong

Em's House Homestay - Deluxe Triple Room @ Hoi An in Vietnam

I was at a crossroads when it came to choosing accommodation at Hoi An. On one hand, I really enjoyed my stay at La Charm Hoi An Hotel & Spa back in March 2024. On the other hand, I would like to experience a new accommodation, and blog about it too! 

Eventually, I decided on Em's House Homestay for three primary reasons; it's at the immediate perimeter of the old town, there's an option for a 3-bedder (not foldable bed), and the rate was less than S$100 a night. 

The word "homestay" was my concern as it gave the AirBNB vibes, which I am hesitant with although photographs and reviewers seemed to be more "hotel"-like. Reception was simple with a lift at the side to bring us to the upper levels. 

A water ionizer machine next to the reception for you to fill up your bottles with alkaline, ionized water; safe to be healthier for the body, although I am not that strong of a believer, preferring distilled water generally.  

Deluxe Triple Room

If i recall, this should be room 04 on the third floor, and it came with one single bed and a double bed. Size was alright, even though I prefer a proper wardrobe as an open one can look very messy.

Amenities at one glance; including a rare air purifier! 

Mom made full use of the iron in the room.

Ironing board can be requested at no charge.

Balcony area, which we didn't use much at all, except to air and dry my jogging shorts and sleeveless tee. In actual fact, balcony is not much of a requirement for me when I travel.

And even less so when it wasn't a high floor and the scenery in front of me didn't excite. Otherwise, I would have a a lot more photographs and videos, especially if the balcony faces the east / west for time-lapse videos of sunrise and sunset.

We were granted views of the swimming pool though.

Washroom in this deluxe triple room was luxuriously big in my opinion; with a separate rainfall shower and even a bathtub! What I love most was that the wet flooring dried up ridiculously fast! 

Imagine my surprise to find a toilet roll with no hole in the middle! Is that the norm in Vietnam? Some people would likely comment it's not hygienic to leave the toilet roll on the table although I think this would result in less wastage, and you are in fact getting more paper per roll.

Evacuation route for the room; only one escape path for us! 

Guess we can still jump into the pool as a last resort.

Miscellaneous

There wasn't a gym in Em's House and I am happy to jog at the great outdoors in the morning, when the ancient town had yet to welcome its usual influx of day tourists.

The swimming pool was there in plain sight on the ground level; we did bring our swimming trunks and swimming goggles but there's no urge to swim. Maybe also because it's super close to the in-house cafe, where many pairs of eyes would be looking at us.

Breakfast wasn't provided as part of our stay but the inhouse cafe, River Square by Em's House, commanded a perfect review score on Google Maps! Therefore, we decided to have breakfast there on our last day. Click here for the review. 

Bicycles were available for complimentary usage.

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How was our stay? Air-conditioning was good, pillows were too soft, the "hotel" seemed to be a bit on the quiet side with not many guests (can be good / bad). We also encountered two power trips in our two-night stay. In comparison, La Charm Hoi An Hotel & Spa was a lot better; albeit a bit further away at about 300 meters away. 

Address

10/1 Đường Cao Hồng Lãnh, 

Phường Minh An, Hội An, 

Quảng Nam, Vietnam

Map

As above.

Website

https://emshousehomestay.top/

Pricing

Deluxe Triple Room - S$86 a night

(Booked via Booking.com)