Hoi An to Hue, Vietnam - 21 to 24 March

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We took a short hour’s domestic flight from Saigon to Danang and were lucky to have the emergency seats - so plenty of leg room. Located on the western bank of the Han River, Danang is Vietnam's fourth largest and main University City. Back in the days of the Vietnam War, Danang was referred to as the ‘Saigon of the North’ notable for its booming economy, fine restaurants, busy traffic and glittering shops but a little bit different now. We were not stopping in the city but transferring to Hoi An which is located about 30 km south of the city so we met up with a new driver for this part of our journey.



As soon as we left the city we could see the Marble Mountains looming in front of us, five mountainous outcrops of marble and limestone. In the early 19th century, King Gia Long, the founder of the Nguyen Dynasty, passed by and named the five mountains as Ngu Hanh Son. He also named each of them according to one of the five elements of the universe: Kim Son (metal of gold), Moc Son (wood), Thuy Son (water), Hoa Son (fire), and Tho Son (earth). According to Oriental philosophy, metal, wood, water, fire and earth are five elements that create the universe and five is a very important number in oriental mentality and life.



The area around the Marble Mountains is prominent for stone sculpture making and stone cutting crafts. Hundred of local families are still involved in the traditional practice of stone engraving with the premium marble offering quality and colors that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Worried about the state of the ‘mountains’ the government has now banned rock extraction in the area which has led to transportation of materials from other quarries. , The gift shops selling the finished products were crammed full of coloured marble gifts as well as household, garden and personal items but although tempted we thought that it might add somewhat to our weight restrictions........



A stairway of 156 steps led to the summit of Thuy Son, the only marble mountain accessible to visitors which allowed a wide panoramic view of the surrounding area and the other marble mountains. The Tam Thai Pagoda was perched on the side of this mountain. Although the original Tam Thai dates back to 1630, the current pagoda was rebuilt by Emperor Minh Mang in 1825 and majestically stood out on the mountain side.





We took the stairs all the way to the top, hard work particularly in the intense heat but worth every step. We must have lost a good few pounds just getting to the first stop. However if you cannot walk up the stairs, you can take an elevator up - a really ugly eyesore but great for people who would not be able to walk up all those stairs to see the caves, shrines and pagoda.



The caves were cool, with lovely breezes and a welcome retreat from the heat outside. A few of the caves were huge and beautiful with the sunlight streaming in from mossy ceiling openings, and incense smoke wafting about with many buddhas of all shapes and sizes looking down from the alcoves. We passed numerous grottoes as we climbed and many Hindu and Buddhist sanctuaries featuring statuary and relief depictions of religious scenes carved out of the marble. As you turned the corners of each cave there were many more hidden chambers and once you got to the Huyen Khong and looked down into the large cavern it was quite breathtaking. A huge cavern appeared down a short flight of stone steps, nearly circular in shape with a high ceiling like a giant stone cathedral. We continued on and finally we reached the top of the mountain and you could see the town spread out below, so worth the effort and at least all we had to do then was walk all the way back down............



We did finally make it and it was such a relief to be back in the air conditioned coach as we continued our journey towards Hoi An. Perhaps more than any other place in Vietnam, Hoi An retains the feel of centuries past and you could feel the ambience as soon as you arrive in the town. This was one of the main attractions of this trip for me as I have heard about it from many other travellers. Once known as Faifo, Hoi An was an influential port along the Silk Road. For over 500 years merchants from China, Japan, France and Portugal settled in the prosperous town resulting in a distinctive blend of culture, cuisine, religion and architecture. In 1999, the town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage listed site for having the most unique architecture in Southeast Asia.



We stopped for lunch by the river looking across to the old town. The restaurant was owned by an Australian who settled here many years ago and we had our first ‘international meal’ since arriving in Vietnam which made a nice change although we have been totally impressed with all the local foods that we have been having. After lunch we took a taxi into the old town and our hotel as coaches are unable to enter the narrow streets. As soon as we crossed the bridge it was like stepping back in time. Old faded yellow and cream houses draped in pink and red bougainvillea, shopfronts lit with the glow of multi-coloured silk lanterns and women in conical hats lifting baskets of fruit, herbs and unusual vegetables at every turn. Rows and rows of shops one on top of another, one street had hundreds of shoes, another displaying clothes on dummies spilling out onto the pavement. Life going on as it had done for centuries in this ‘picture postcard’ town.



The tourist trade is Hoi An's bread and butter, and just about every business in town was geared to it. Restaurants offered menus of local specialties along side large American breakfasts, tailors offered dresses and suits ‘made to measure’ in less than 24 hours. It was indeed very touristy but quaint too. You could easily spend a week here and not get bored, just sitting on a corner and watching life go by was not to be missed and we did this when we could. Our hotel was designed around a central swimming pool with balcony rooms looking inward and outward towards the town. We soon settled in before heading off with our guide to a local tailor that he had recommended. Yaly's was definitely a good quality shop with stacks of materials to choose from as well as samples of their products displayed on the ground floor. You could tell it was a well respected shop with the staff all extremely knowledgeable and happy to help you select materials and designs. They also had their own tailors working above and on the shop floor and one lady was sewing individual tiny pearls on to what looked like a beautiful wedding dress. I had taken a photocopy of a dress design that I wanted made as well as a pair of trousers and I was soon whisked away by an elegant lady called Elena to choose some material. She then proceeded to take many different measurements and finally a photograph on a computer before telling me to return at 3pm the next day for a fitting. Later that evening we walked out to a local restaurant to sample some more Vietnamese delights. The next morning Paul was not feeling to good so decided not to join the walking tour which was a pity but he said he would try and join us for lunch so our guide told him where we would be and gave him a map.



Our tour started on one of the bridges that cross the river with just a narrow single track pavement. We crossed the bridge walking though the traditional Hoi An Market - many vendors were plying their trade with the smell of fish strong in the air which had just been unloaded from the boats on the river bank hours earlier. However your senses were soon overtaken by a multitude of sights and aromas wafting all around you. Many traders were dealing with customers squatting on the floor with their goods spread out on the pavements in front of them and some were even on the narrow road with people walking and scooters just missing their goods..........



After a while we continued along the narrow and ancient streets of this charming town and stopped to visit one of Hoi An's oldest homes, built over 200 years ago and still occupied by the descendants of the merchant family that originally built it. A young girl, the seventh generation family member gave us green tea (not me) whilst we sat inside her home with her family watching from the kitchen, we then wandered around her home and chatted to the family. In the kitchen a grandfather was holding his grandchild (or maybe great grandchild) and kept saying how beautiful he was, he was so proud of his grandson the joy shining in his eyes. On the wall was photographs of the family and one of the original owner of the house who had come from China. It is local belief that the ancient houses in Hoi An have a soul, which is displayed on the house as an eye, formed from the Chinese yin-yang symbol and they also believe that newly built houses are blind, since they do not have eyes.



A little further down the lane was the Quan Cong Chinese Temple. The Chinese revered and worshipped Quan Cong, a general who was held in high regard for his values of loyalty and integrity. In 1653, the large Chinese community in Hoi An city built a temple dedicated to their esteemed general and his paper mache statue was inside behind an altar. We left our guide and walked around and I wandered across the Japanese Covered Bridge which was first constructed in 1590s by the Japanese so they could be linked with the Chinese across the river. This is a much photographed bridge and when I arrived it was mobbed with people milling across to the shops on the other side. I made sure that I got my bearings as I did not want to get lost as I had to meet up with our guide so that he could take us to our lunch stop. The entrance to the bridge was guarded by monkeys on one side and dogs on the other, once you managed to get through it was much quieter on the other side. I wandered along for a while before making my way back relieved that I did not get lost and that I was not late, as I did not have a watch. By now it was lunch time and we headed for a local restaurant, Paul had not arrived so I assumed he was still feeling poorly. However just as we sat down he arrived, apparently he had been waiting at another restaurant but had seen a couple on our tour who told him that it was the wrong one. Our guide had shown him the wrong restaurant on the map - there being two with the same name apart from one letter different.....so it was lucky he had spotted the other couple or he would have had a long wait. He was feeling much better which was just as well....



After lunch we wandered around the town and started chatting to four teenagers who were from Saigon on holiday, they were interested to know what we thought of their country and were pleased we liked it. A young girl approached me and asked me if I wanted a manicure or she said she could do ‘threading’ for me, very cheap - I think I decided to give that a miss particularly as she wanted to do it on the pavement!!



In the afternoon I returned to the tailors to try on my new clothes and I was very pleased indeed. Elena made some slight amendments (took them in!) and said that she would send the finished clothes to our hotel later than day. Sure enough that evening they arrived and were made excellently and fitted perfectly - you'd never get that quick and perfect service in many places. Others in our group were also delighted with their purchases and one lady even had a pair of shoes made to measure which again were a perfect fit.



It was sad to leave this lovely town and I would have liked to have stayed much longer. We joined our coach on the other side of the bridge and headed back to Danang where we stopped for a view of China Beach. This is where the American Marines had a huge R&R base during the 1960s and 1970s during the Vietnam War. Many large fishing vessels bobbed around on the sea and small round bamboo boats were stacked up on the sand. These were used as tenders to get to the main boats, although they looked a little unsteady they were very finely made.



We continued north towards Hue taking us over the scenic Hai Van Pass, passing the fishing village of Lang Co, as we enjoy panoramic views of the central coastline. Hue was the imperial capital of Vietnam from 1802-1945, when the last emperor abdicated the throne, yet even today it is still regarded as the seat of Vietnam's culture and religion. The Imperial Citadel, which dominates the city, was modeled on China's Forbidden City. The city boasts many significant pagodas and temples, as well as the grand tombs of the Nguyen Emperors.





Later we visited the UNESCO World Heritage listed Royal Tomb of Minh Mang. Emperor Minh Mang reigned in the Nguyen Dynasty, the last of the Vietnamese dynasties, from 1820-1840. The construction of his tomb was completed after his death and is said to have taken approximately 10,000 workers to complete. The complex comprises of almost 40 monuments and is surrounded by gardens and pools, making it one of the more beautiful tombs. We also visited the Imperial Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City, which was built only for the Imperial family, concubines and eunuchs. This is still being restored many years after the destruction caused by street fighting and bombing during the Vietnam war. As we left the site we hopped on a cyclo (three wheel cart) to take us to a restaurant for lunch.



We continue by road to Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue's oldest and most beautiful pagoda, built on a hillock overlooking the Perfume River. It is outside this pagoda that a car, driven by a monk called Thich Quang Duc, sits as a reminder of a change in the regime, which was made after the Vietnamese Buddhist crisis. Thich Quang Duc committed self immolation in 1963 to protest against the government and in turn unwittingly produced one of the most enduring press photographs of the 20th Century. We walked around the pagoda which had views out to the river before boarding a dragon boat and took a cruise along the Perfume River. There was not much to see apart from a few water buffalo on the river bank and then we headed back to our hotel for an early night. Tomorrow we catch a flight north to Hanoi - see you there.

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