Eating my way through Hoi An for $10 a day

Hoi An’s old town is beautiful and busy, and the restaurants along the river charge accordingly. But walk one street back and you are eating some of the best food in Vietnam for a dollar or two a plate.

Start with banh mi. Everyone has a favourite stall; ours was Madam Khanh’s, loaded with pâté and herbs. For lunch, have cao lau, the town’s own noodle dish, made with water from one particular old well (so they say). In the evening, the Central Market has plastic stools, grilled pork and cold beer.

A food day on $10

Banh mi breakfast 30,000 dong. Cao lau lunch 40,000. White rose dumplings and a coffee 60,000. Street barbecue and two beers 100,000. A cooking class, if you want one, is about $25 extra and includes a trip to the market.