Vietnamese Countryside Tour & Vietnamese Meal at Tra Que Herb Village Water Wheel Hoi An, Vietnam

We've thoroughly enjoyed spending most of our days exploring Ancient Hoi An; however, when we had a chance to bike out to the Vietnamese countryside to visit Tra Que Village for dinner at restaurant noted for its water wheel, we couldn't pass on the opportunity. One of the main highlights of being based in Hoi An are all of the nearby attractions and places worth visiting, such as farmland, small communities and several beaches. Tra Que is a quaint little village situated only 2 kilometers from the Ancient part of Hoi An city. It is famed for producing rich soil praised for its abilities to grow fresh herbs. Many tourists end up staying overnight in this village to experience the lifestyle of a rural farming community.

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Given that it was a decent distance from our guest house, we decided to hop on our bicycles and head over to the community before sunset. As we pedaled along, we noticed the transition from commercial areas to farmland was very abrupt and we marveled at the Vietnamese farmers wearing conical hats tending their crops. Finally, after getting lost a few times, we pulled up to Tra Que Herb Village Water Wheel restaurant.

Walking down a path that was in between crops we eventually approached the large water wheel noticing its rustic charms.

Before we sat down to eat traditional Vietnamese cuisine we had the opportunity to actually operate the large water wheel by climbing up a set of stairs, sitting down and pedaling with our feet. It was such a thrill getting to actually set the behemoth rustic wheel in motion.

The meal itself featured some of our favorite dishes including Vietnamese country pancakes and papaya salad along with a new dish we'd never tried before - three friends.

The service was excellent as our hosts we both gracious and ever welcoming. We kicked ourselves for not coming here sooner because we certainly would have frequented this restaurant on more than one occasion.

The meal itself was a knockout; it was literally the best food we've had since arriving in Vietnam.

What made the dishes so appealing were the fresh ingredients being used from the farm along with excellent cooking technique which included very scant use of cooking oil.

Every bite was packed with an explosion of flavors and we appreciated that all of the ingredients were fresh from the organic garden. This is how food ought to prepared everywhere.

After finishing the generous portions offered to us, we bicycled back into Hoi An while experiencing a gorgeous sunset. Overall, this was an experience we'll never forget and if we're back in Hoi An again we plan on making it a part of our daily routine. Thus, we highly recommend you check out the countryside area of Tra Que:

Chúng tôi đã rất thích triệt để dành phần lớn ngày của chúng tôi khám phá cổ Hội An, tuy nhiên, khi chúng tôi đã có một cơ hội để chiếc xe đạp ra về nông thôn Việt Nam thăm Trà Quế Làng ăn tối tại nhà hàng nổi tiếng với bánh xe nước của nó, chúng ta có thể không vượt qua trên cơ hội.

Một trong những điểm nổi bật chính được đặt tại Hội An là tất cả những điểm thu hút gần đó và những nơi giá trị tham quan, chẳng hạn như đất nông nghiệp, các cộng đồng nhỏ và một số bãi biển. Trà Quế là một ngôi làng nhỏ cổ kính nằm chỉ 2 km từ phần cổ Hội An. Nó nổi tiếng với sản xuất đất giàu khen ngợi cho khả năng của mình để phát triển các loại thảo mộc tươi. Nhiều khách du lịch kết thúc ở lại qua đêm trong làng này để trải nghiệm lối sống của một cộng đồng nông nghiệp nông thôn.

This is part of our Travel in Vietnam series. We're making a series of videos showcasing Vietnamese culture, Vietnamese arts, Vietnamese foods, Vietnamese religion and Vietnamese people.

All photos and video taken by Samuel Jeffery (Nomadic Samuel) and Audrey Bergner (That Backpacker).

This video features the song 'by Kevin Macleod available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Commercial license.

[samuelandaudrey]

Thank you! We more than enjoyed it; hope we can go back again soon.

[samuelandaudrey]

The food has been amazing everywhere we've gone! You'll be in foodie heaven.

[samuelandaudrey]

Thanks Maria! I finally took the blue dress for a spin around town. ;)

[hkhou]

great video. I am surprise to see you guys enjoying viet herbs.

[samuelandaudrey]

I agree with you! We miss Vietnamese food now that we're in Thailand :(

[samuelandaudrey]

Thanks Tim! It's actually not too crazy of a bike ride out there. If this was near Saigon or Hanoi it would have been another story though ;)

[Tloc]

how many southeast asian countries have you guys been to? which was your favorite food wise?

[beatrizdoan]

ban xeo or "country pancake" is my favorite viet dish next to pho ga VIETNAMESE FOR THE WIN

[guardiandemonx]

u should travel all the way to the north, food in the north is different than in the south probably different culture i guess

[samuelandaudrey]

These were really nice and fluffy. Every restaurant seems to make them a little different, but I must say, I really enjoyed these. :)

[TAITAN]

I can't believe this video is 10 years old.
I remember this video when I was a boy, 10 years later, i'm operating this restaurant along with my parents. On behalf of my parents and our team, i would like to thank you guys alot for visted and I hope that one day you will come back here to continue experience new interesting things. We will always welcome and happy to serving you again.
Wishing you both health and happiness in life.

[samuelandaudrey]

Thank you. :) We also ate banh xeo when we were in the south. They were very tasty there too. :)

[samuelandaudrey]

Haha, thanks. I think Sam brings in the wacky element... ;)

[danangcuisine]

I was there last month, did the same thing and ate the same dishes at the same resto! Its a waste that you didnt come to Danang, we have amazing banh xeo with a unique sauce!

[nononohellnowhatcomeonohno]

I like my Vietnamese crapes crunchy and with lots of herbs

[samuelandaudrey]

I've been to most countries in SE Asia (aside from the Philippines and Myanmar) whereas Audrey has been to Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia. I think my favorites are Thai, Malaysian and Vietnamese.

[samuelandaudrey]

That's so cool that you also ate there! Wasn't the food amazing?! Unfortunately we didn't have time for Danang this time around. We covered 7 different places in Vietnam this month and even that felt a bit rushed.

[itsmylifeBrendan]

You guys are hillarious together on film because your onscreen personalities are opposite. I love it.

[samuelandaudrey]

Glad you enjoyed it! It's a great little place to visit. Peaceful setting with delicious food. :)

[Adventurestrong]

Really nice. How was the bike ride out there? I've heard Vietnamese drivers are kinda crazy.