However beautiful Hoi An is during the day, at night-time it really is like the most bewitching film-set on earth. And the best way to get around it is on bicycles. Our hotel has racks of them lined up in the entrance drive, so each night we unlock a couple and venture off into the Old Town to visit restaurants and cycle the streets, taking in the pretty lanterns that light up the bridges, boats, balconies and buildings.

After the fantastic meal at Highway 4 on our first night, we have high expectations for the standard of food and our subsequent meals don’t disappoint. Apparently there are almost 3000 cafes, food stalls and restaurants in Hoi An so we’re spoilt for choice, but we settle on three restaurants for successive evenings, each with great views for people watching.

The first is a gorgeous spot called Cargo, where we sit on the main pedestrianised street eating smoked, spiced aubergine and crispy tofu whilst chatting to an Italian couple at the table next to us. The following night we cycle along the riverfront and choose Rice Drum Restaurant, where we drink super-strength cocktails by the water, costing just £1.50, whilst munching on delicious spring rolls, veggie pancakes and stir fry noodles for £2.50 a head. An absolute bargain and a fantastic meal to boot.

On our final night we decide to push the boat out and go to one of the most high-end restaurants in Hoi An, the very posh Green Mango. It’s a gorgeous and opulent restaurant of dark woods and beamed ceilings, beautiful art and fabulous food, where we’re seated on a balcony watching the tourists pass by below us. The food is heavenly, including the local delicacy of white rose dumplings, but we forget that people eat early in Vietnam and so are the last to leave having lingered over our meal, not wishing the evening to end.

As well as cycling to various restaurants we also use the bikes to explore the back streets across the river, weaving through markets piled high with street food and trinkets, buying our very own beautiful lantern to transport home, and discovering hidden bars and alleys well off the tourist trail. It’s a wonderful way to experience this most charming of towns, but there’s more to our stay in Hoi An than shopping and eating as two very different day trips prove.