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Published: August 5th 2013
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Before we came to Vietnam for the first time two years ago everyone told us that we must visit Hoi An. It is famous for the number of tailors lining its streets but we had neither the time nor the inclination to get suits or shirts made. It is quite difficult looking after such items when your rucksack is continually being thrown on and off buses.
We had found what looked like a good deal at the Pho Hoi Riverside Resort. It would have been just a shirt walk from where the bus dropped us off if only the map at the bus station had been accurate. Instead we walked halfway around town and through the fresh produce market before finally crossing the bridge and checking in. The hotel was nice enough and had a pleasant colonial feel to it but there were problems. The WiFi in the room didn't work despite the router being right outside our door. Complaints at reception led to smiles, giggles and lame excuses such as "it is slow in the evening" despite our protestations that the modern was not connected to the Internet. Another guest told us that it had been this way for
six days so we complained to Agoda. The next day the modem was removed from the corridor! The attitude of the staff was appalling and their level of English was embarrassing for such an establishment if they want to attract foreign tourists. Fortunately the swimming pool was nice, although we did have to walk along the main road avoiding offers of motorbike hire just to get there. We had the same problems getting to breakfast.
The town itself was really nice and we enjoyed exploring the narrow streets and numerous temples and old buildings. It was particularly beautiful at night, especially for a couple of hours when the historic centre became a pedestrian zone. It was nice to see all the lantern sellers, particularly those which are lowered onto the river and float away. We're not convinced it is exactly environmentally friendly though and there did seem to be some exploitation of the very young and very old going on.
One island over the picturesque bridge (brightly illuminated during pedestrian times) has been designated an entertainment zone. Their happy hour prices may well have been attractive but the fact that we could hear their music booming out half
a mile away stopped us from considering venturing into any of the bars. We don't really feel that we missed out though. Noise is a very Vietnamese factor and even the most sedate bar will sometimes crank up the volume to ridiculous levels for a favourite song. Still, at least the wedding in the hotel had finished. That probably exceeded even Tunisian weddings for volume and awful singing but at least it was done and dusted by 10pm. In Tunisia they can continue into the wee hours!!
From Hoi An you can rent a bicycle and explore the countryside, perhaps even go out to the beaches which are supposedly beautiful and uncrowded. Sadly we had a 5 hour journey ahead of us on a bus to Nha Trang. Onwards and Southwards we went.
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