Hoi An... Old World Charm

Helen and I arrived in Hoi An three days ago. We really didn't know what to expect as my main objective for visiting this town was to have some suits made. Hoi An is currently the hot spot for tailoring in Vietnam. But we will get into our tailoring adventure in another post.

Having just left a densely populated city like Hanoi, I think we both were looking forward to a change of pace. Boy, did we find it. We were picked up from Danang City where our taxi took about 30mins to drive us to Hoi An, which is further inland than Danang, but is still considered a coastal town. We pull up to our hotel/resort and were incredibly surprised to find this:

To be honest, I only booked this hotel (on hotels.com) because it had the most pictures posted versus other hotels in the area, and the bathroom pictures looked clean... VERY important! What we find of this resort is a major bonus... like a private beach! WHAT?? Where ARE we??

Not only were we greeted with a very professional and warm welcome from the front staff, we were immediately upgraded to a bungalow suite just off the pool. Did I mention the beach?

Yes, we were happily surprised and have been spending the days soaking in our digs, and the town. Within just three days, Helen and I have already developed a bit of a routine: wake up around 8am, have breakfast that includes Western and Vietnamese cuisine at the hotel, walk over to the beach and do a couple of hours of reading, then move along to the pool where we enjoy drinks and the occasional dip in the pool between chapters. All this before noon... yes, we have been very productive. After this ritual, we take the next shuttle into town and wander the streets of this beautiful and charming old town.

Hoi An has been largely untouched since it developed into a trading and commercial hub for Japanese and Chinese traders through the 19th and early 20th centuries. There is still much evidence of these cultural influences in the architecture and town infrastructure, including Chinese temples, Japanese burials, and a collection of shops and restaurants that still reflect foreign origins. And, through some glorious miracle, it remained intact through the wars of the 60s and 70s.

We wander the streets in the mid afternoon, just after the peak of the overhead sun to find some places that our new friend, Tu has told us about. These include eateries, and a particular tailor shop, owned by a friend who he has known since the shop owner was ten years old. I will write separate posts on the food and tailoring, so stay tuned.

Overall, we are both really enjoying the change of pace. Hoi An is not nearly as large, or as crowded as Hanoi, so we are able to really take out time and absorb the details of what life may have been like for local residents. Unfortunately, as authentic as the town may have remained, it is abundantly clear that Hoi An is a tourist attraction now, first and foremost. Many of the restaurants showcase Western foods first, and keep the local cuisine hidden in the back pages. The prices are relatively higher here in most places, again due to high tourist traffic.

Most evident of this "tourist syndrome" can be found in the market in the centre of town. Immediately upon entering, we were confronted by a strange lady asking all sorts of questions about where we are from and making small talk in broken english. I made the (yet another) mistake of answering her initial question... something that Helen DID NOT do... I did. After that, the lady followed us through the market, hounding us to visit her shop. I then realized, "Oh... THAT'S why Helen didn't answer her question!" Must follow her lead.

We finally shake this lady off, and manage to peek at a few things. The market is organized into sections. There is a kind of food court full of hawkers and delicious looking and smelling offerings. We make our way through all the medicine vendors, past all the vibrantly fresh produce and down a corridor that looks full of crafts and art. Next thing we know, guess who?! The lady who was hounding us earlier! She just shows up like a ninja and continues to hound us to visit her shop and buy things. Ugh... what a way to ruin an authentic experience... although, considering the state of the town now... it probably doesn't get more authentic than that.

Next, we find a banh mi stall that first enticed me on a particular episode of No Reservations. (I'll get into this sandwich later). While waiting for our sandwiches, Helen says to me, "I'm going to speak Chinese if anyone hounds us again. Maybe they won't be so persistent if they think we can't understand." On que, another lady steps to us and asks us where we are from! Learning from our earlier experience (yes, I do that sometimes!), I stay quiet. Helen pipes up and says something in Mandarin that I don't understand. The lady looks confused and walks away quietly.

Nicely done, Dear.