Day 7 Hoi An


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Asia » Vietnam » South Central Coast » Quảng Nam » Hoi An
October 4th 2009
Published: October 23rd 2009
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Hoi An in the morning and the Japanese BridgeHoi An in the morning and the Japanese BridgeHoi An in the morning and the Japanese Bridge

We were staying across the river
We make a rush out in the morning to catch all the sights. Quick breakfast at the patisserie with croissants and chocolate croissants - great bakery stuff again. We walk up to the Japanese Bridge and the Assembly of Phu Kien. We need to get the combined tickets for the old city which is available at street corners. 75 dongs for 5 places with an 'intangible culture' option. We clutch our maps and make way to the nearest sight - but on our way find ourselves in a quite and beautiful pagoda. The forecourt is full of interesting bonsais and a real peace surrounds the place. We go out and walk into the Phu Kien assembly, built in the 1700s. The huge concentric conical spiralling incense sticks are mind blowing. The assembly, dedicated to the female Buddha or the guardian goddess of the sailors is hung with tens of such incense sticks sent from all parts of south asia - we see ones from Bangkok and Singapore. The wooden structures are interesting, with their jointed rafters in elaborate carvings. The Yin Yang tiles are coated in green ceramic. The regular houses have these tiles in regular terracotta colours.

From there we make our way to the History and culture museum housed in an interesting old house opening into from a courtyard. It gives a basic sketch of the history of this ancient port city, which seems to have maintained relations with most part of the trade route world including south India (we are sure this is Muziris). The common cultural influences - in the burial chambers and the terracotta potteries are evident of trade relations with India. From the museum we walk in through the connecting courtyard into the Quan Quon temple - intriguing little centre court with a garden give the entire space an ambience.

We explore some of the old houses - the museum of trade ceramics in housed in one of the earliest restored houses. It seems that a Japanese conservation team has taken a major interest in the conservation process over here prior to it being declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. Quaint three sided house with a one sided courtyard providing most of the light and ventilation. The houses open out from the streets into a front structure which connects to a living room structure. The courtyard seperates the living room area from the women's area and upstairs which are the private living quarters for the family. The architecture here is restrained and heavy yet, beautifully proportioned to create an elegance in its structure. This museum also house an exhibition of the different typologies of houses in Hoi An - from the old wooden simple structures, to the double storeyed ones with balconies to the more colonial looking ones with more solid brick facades. The courtyard is quite a common feature.

Tan Ky house is an excellent example of the mix of different cultures. Chinese, japanese and Vietnamese. The house is elaborately done in wood and gilt, fronting the river on one side and the street on the other. Belonging to one trading family for seven generations, with a name which means prosperity, the house is a unique typology in itself. From there we find ourselves in the handicrafts workshop, where people make woodcarvings and lanterns, weave the palm leaf hats and the grass reeds mats. Also there is our intangible culture option - a folk music show. Though mediocre and obviously touristy - the show peaks my interest in the performing arts of the place. The music instruments are interesting - single string and 36 strings, a combination of drums. The dancers and singers put up a if untalented, yet valiant and happy effort to please. There are a few folksy dances and one small piece of classical theatre. The fans and the pitchers make a nice show of the whole thing. I want to find a good performing arts show - something that the locals go to.

Near this is the market central, and we dive into it to find the place where locals shp and eat. Though infiltered with shops turning touristy, you can haggle a lot with these women to squeeze out a bargain. I am saying impossible prices of 1/3 or ¼ the quoted price, and people are still willing to sell. Options of good chopsticks emerge - we want a nice set for ourselves. We are ushered into deeper and deeper parts of the market - into the highlands of the tailoring haven - a whole warehouse piled up with clothes and tailors. Next to it are the places where the locals eat sitting on small stools - Cau Lau and Com Ga arrayed in great display. This is what we have missed till now.

Trying to order a dress is an interesting exercise - leafing through catalogues to find the correct style and rummaging through piles of materials to find the right cloth. I settle on two dresses - one in cotton for 800 rupees and the other in vietnamese silk for 1250 rupees. We will get it the next day morning.

By today we have found different options for food and beer. There are huge drinks only places which sell everything from coffee and tea to beers and they are cheap. Like 8 dongs a beer. We are loving the ice coffee with condensed milk. And we have found a few more options to dine - Hotpot or Lau places which also sell excellent grilled pork. We dine happily in one such small place, and as we head off back to the hotel, with the same colourfully lit streets, a good pastry from that wonderful pattisserie seems a very good idea to end the day.



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The mindbowing concentric incense sticksThe mindbowing concentric incense sticks
The mindbowing concentric incense sticks

Some of them came all the way from Bangkok, Hongkong...they were fantastic


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