Hoi An – Ancient City of Lanterns in Vietnam

Hoi An – lanterns, charm and peaceful rivers. An ancient Japanese bridge.  Tiled roofs in intricate layers.  According to UNESCO’s website, “ Hoi An Ancient Town is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site.”

What that means is Hoi An is a lovely,  beautiful, charming, ancient time capsule of a town with gorgeous golden-hued stucco walls, more lanterns than you will probably ever see in one place, and delicious restaurants around every corner. Located along the banks of the Thu Bon River, this town is a must see.  I planned to spend 5 days here, and was happy to do so.

Alysha and I traveled by bus from Dalat to Hoi An (only a 5-hour ride this time!) and I checked in to my 3-bed dorm at Tribee Cham Hostel.  Morgan had recommended this place and she was spot on.   The hostel was in a perfectly situated neighborhood just a 7 minute walk to the main river and a 20-minute bike ride to An Bang, the local beach.  Alysha stayed a bit on the fringe of town and we tended to meet at my hostel for our days adventures.

Custom made clothes and shoes are the draw in this town.  With hundreds of shops set up to provide made-to-order suits, dresses, coats, blouses and even bathing suits it would behoove you to do some research before committing to a tailor.   I didn’t have anything made but Alysha did, and spent a fair amount of time going for 2nd and 3rd fittings until everything was perfect.

We were lucky enough to be in Hoi An for the Lunar Lantern Festival which is held on the full moon and the half moon each month.  That evening, there was a spectacular Super Blue Blood full moon happening somewhere in the ether above us,  but the sky was overcast and we were unable to see it.  However, the glowing lights from the multitude of lanterns, coupled with the warm lights of the hundreds of votive candles floating in the river in paper lotus flower holders was enough to light up the town.

We strolled along the banks of the river, and after paying a few dollars to a woman, we stepped into her boat for a slow cruise down the water.  We bought a couple of votive candles set in paper lotus flower holders from an ancient local, made a wish, and released the lotus flower into the river to float away and make our wish come true.

One nice surprise was that Mags and Liam Gilligan, cousins from Ahakista, Ireland were in town.  I had stayed with them after the Kerry Way hike last fall, and they are so enjoyable to be around!  They were staying at the beach, An Bang, with some friends from Ireland.  We met one afternoon and enjoyed catching up before going out for dinner with the other couple, Pierce and Noreen.  Here are some pix from our evening:

I signed up for a cooking class with Bay Mau Eco Cooking School through the hostel and had a really wonderful time!  There was a small group of us from the hostel and we headed to the market to buy some of the ingredients for the dishes we would make, then boarded a boat to reach the cooking school across the river. When we got close to the dock, we hopped into the traditional Hoi An round basket fishing boats with local fishermen, who made us hats, rings, bracelets and custom sunglasses out of bamboo and palms before we started cooking.

We created spring rolls, pho, a stir fried dish, and a pancake made of rice flour and turmeric. Everything was so fresh, delicious and easier to make than you’d think. I must say, I did a bang up job on the spring rolls – #dontbejealousnow.

Another afternoon, lunch at Nu Eatery.  Probably the best meal I’ve had in Vietnam so far!  So delicious and flavorful.  Make sure you stop at Nu when you are in Hoi An.  And one more amazing Ifood stop — at the hearing-impaired tea house called Reaching Out, for a beautifully arranged tea served in intricate gold lotus flower glasses and homemade cookies. I loved the little blocks of text you could set on your table for information and help –

And one of my very most favorite things in Hoi An — a visit to a world-renowned French photographer, Rehahn’s gallery/museum, with displays of photos, costumes and relics from the many indigenous tribes of Vietnam that he has visited, befriended and captured on film.  This was a very moving display – don’t miss this free gallery when you are in Hoi An. Take the time to find this gem of a place and immerse yourself in the many masterpieces capturing the soul and essence of the Vietnamese hill people as the haunting music plays.  This artist has won National Geo, Condé Nast and many other prestigious photography awards worldwide.

Alysha and I rented bikes for the ridiculous price of 20 dong (88c) for the day, and pedaled across the bridge to see An Bang Beach.  It was cold and windy, so we just strolled along taking pictures and enjoying the sound and smell of the sea as it crashed into the sand.  Never a bad day at the beach, cold or not!  (These are the round fishing basket boats, below, and the water buffalo we passed on the bridge as we biked across from town.)

                

 

And now for some more beautiful pictures of Hoi An, mostly lanterns and 100% charming!

Ahh.  Such a beautiful, peaceful, gorgeous town Hoi An.  I will miss you!  But onward to Danang and then to Hue, the Imperial City.

See you there —

 

So much of who we are is where we have been.    – W. Langewiesche