Hoi An

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Hoi An

Hoi An (Hội An) is a beautiful city in Vietnam, just south of Da Nang. The Old Town of Hoi An is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hoi An, once known as Faifo, was a major international port in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the foreign influences are discernible to this day. While the serious shipping business has long since moved to Da Nang, the heart of the city is still the Old Town, full of winding lanes and Chinese-styled shophouses, which is particularly atmospheric in the evening as the sun goes down. While almost all shops now cater to the tourist trade, the area has been largely preserved as is, which is unusual in Vietnam, and renovation has proceeded slowly and carefully - it's mercifully absent of towering concrete blocks and karaoke parlors. The centre of Hoi An is very small and pedestrianised, so you will be walking around most of the time. Unfortunately, motorbikes have not been banned from the center, so keep an eye out for motorized kamikazes, even in the most narrow alleys.Made-to-measure shirts, blouses, dresses, suits etc. are on offer from the renowned tailors of Hoi An. When last counted in 2002, there were 140 shops in the city, and the number is now well over 400. It's one of the few places in Vietnam where the motorbike taxi drivers look positively sedate by comparison.


Was sad to leave Hanoi, my first Vitnamese city - but onwards and upwards I booked a train ticket to Danang (One hour north of Hoi An and the nearest train station.) It's a 17 hour train journey, which I was semi-dreading, but as soon as I boarded I met my lovely çell mates''for the duration - a lovely Dutch couple who spoke perfect English and we chatted away quite happily and got on really well." The train hit a lorry about 40 minutes into the trip (no-one seriously hurt but made an awful sound!) which held us up a bit more...but the journey went amazingly quickly (yay for anti nausea pills that conk me out! I zonked for 9 hours!) and it was nice that Michelle (Dutch dude) was asleep next to the door and tied a cord to his hand so no-one could get in so felt very safe just crashing out!!

Hoi An is beautiful. Neon lights are banned here so the streets are lit with lanterns and fairy lights. LOVED it...


Things I will remember:

* Cockroaches. Huge ones. They come out of the holes in the pavement and scuttle right in front of you. EEEeek.
* Having lunch in a restuarant with some cats justr walking about (very laid back attitude to health & safety here!!). Went to go to the loo but walked into the Grandmothers bedroom instead (all very much a family affair here..)
* Asking to try a t-shirt on in a shop so the lady shows me out back where her husband is asleep in bed and she just holds a towel so he can't see my half naked if he wakes up.
* Getting clothes made!!! It's addictive!!! Got 5 dresses and 2 tops - all of which are now somewhere on their way to England (hopefully!!)
* Going to the beach club - my first taster of 'buckets''...oh my god, was I ill the next day. Urgh. Malaria tablets + hangover = BAD TIMES.
* Meeting the lovely Natalie (she was sharing my hostel dorm) and we ended up travelling together for the next week. She's brilliant.
* Lanterns, lanterns, lanterns!
*The beautiful beach. White sand, blue skies. Sigh.

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Photos

On the train...
My 'room'for the night...