Hoi An, AKA Vietnamland

After feeling as though we were chewed up and spit out by Hanoi, Amanda and I hit the overnight train from Hanoi to Danang (a story for another time). From Danang, we went straight to Hoi An for an authentic old Vietnam experience.

Hoi An is an old town in the middle of the country, a preserved slice of older times as certified by UNESCO in 1999. This beautiful town on the Thu Bon River has been a harbor town since about the 1st century. Food is abundant, delicious, and very inexpensive. The beach is about 5 kilometers away. The old tailoring industry remains strong and has a central place in the current economy of the town. It feels like there are more artisans practicing their arts than homes where people live. In the old town, there are no cars, only pedestrians, bikes, and the occasional motorbike.

Pristinely preserved town that is affordable, full of good food, not choked by traffic, near the beach, where do I sign up, right? Well me and just about every English-speaking person within a 6 hour radius. The stunning beauty of Hoi An is almost as stunningly counterbalanced by how many Australian, European, and American tourists are here. So much so that it practically feels like we are at the hypothetical Vietnam section of Epcot Center. Is this place even real?

When we decided to travel to Vietnam, we definitely had a bit of a romanticized notion of our experience. Here in Hoi An, our expectations have been skewed a bit. We've certainly enjoyed the food, sights, sounds, and have done our part in contributing to the local economy. While we may be half a world away from home, here in Hoi An it doesn't seem like we are much farther out than a Vietnamese version of Leavenworth, WA.

With that said, we've still had what we consider a modern-day authentic Hoi An experience, and we've liked it.

One of the common Hoi An activities is taking a cooking class. Here, Amanda shows off the fresh roll she made with fresh, handmade rice paper. It was as delicious as it looks.

About 30 km outside of Hoi An lies My Son, the ruins of monumental architecture from the Champa people. It was built from the 4th to 13th centuries. The brick structures are exceptionally well made and those studying the ruins have yet to figure out exactly how it was all done without mortar.

The old part of town has some preserved old buildings, ranging from homes to gathering halls to workshops to temples. Here Amanda looks at the gate of one of the temples. At one of old homes we visited, they gave us the hard sell on the family's hand embroidered tablecloths, napkins, silk paintings, and other more common touristy schlock.

I couldn't help myself so I purchased a custom-made jacket. Here I am trying it on with the woman who helped me out, surreptitiously named 'Natasha'.

About 4 or 5 km from Hoi An (the maps couldn't reach a consensus on that one) is the Cua Dai Beach. On the one sunny day, we biked over there and hung out for half a day. It wasn't the most amazing beach but it was nice to be warm for the first time in Vietnam.

Next we're off to Dalat, a mountain town in the south-central highlands.