Once out of the homestay, I looked for some food and made my way, kind of slowly, to a market that was located in the old town area where I saw a sign for the "best sandwich in the world" - this, I thought, was a pretty bold claim[1] and I wondered whether to test it as I continued to walk around. I didn't wonder very hard and I didn't wander very far before I returned. As it was late afternoon, this market stall did not have the full menu but they had the chicken needed to make what I wanted.
The shop, Banh Mi Phuong, sold the Vietnamese sandwiches called banh mi. Essentially, these draw on the colonial period as they are simply French-style baguettes with fillings that have usually a Vietnamese twist. One of the more basic ones is with pate, and so seems pretty French to me, but the extra salad and condiments have a Vietnamese taste. And what made these the best? A famous chef, Anthony Bourdain, had apparently come here for a TV programme on street food and loved it so much that he stated this which was obviously a great bit of marketing that would stick. Maybe more famously, the same chef took Barack Obama, then the serving US president, to a street food place for some beer and food in Hanoi (?) which caused something of a tourist boom for that shop. Anyway, as it was a market stall, these sandwiches were not expensive and ran to about £2 with a drink so well worth a go. I'm not sure I can agree with the hyperbole but it was still a very pleasant taste and one I could recommend. I do rather like banh mi so I would have looked for something similar in any case.
I met A&E in the very busiest part of the town (the bridge) which is not the wisest way of setting up a meeting. As it happens I saw them before they saw me (something that always gives me a sense of achievement) and approached. They had some souvenir shopping to do still so I joined them as they went back to some shops to buy some fancy tea and a kids mobile. I asked them if they had seen any of the others from Halong Bay as the tourist trail is a long and narrow one here. They hadn't but as we sampled some tea, a trio of fellow Halong Bayers did walk past. It felt a bit awkward as I didn't feel like either group necessarily wanted to go as a six but it was still nice to say hello, and then bye. As in Hanoi, I felt a pang of anxiety about how I could extricate myself but, as in Hanoi, it was not necessary in the end. Never back yourself into a corner, always know your exit routes.
It was really nice to see A&E again and I felt comfortable with them both in a way that usually takes some time - it was probably the brexit question that did that. After that, I know I am not needing to hold back quite as much. We went to a restaurant (Morning Glory) of their choosing[2] that they had actually been to the night before. I'm not generally a fan of going to places twice but I was only going the once so it makes no odds. And the food was great, so definitely a nice shared moment or two. After dinner, we had a bit of a walk around the city which was lit up in a beguiling way - Hoi An being known for its lanterns. We then made our way to the other side of the bridge to a night market where both A&E decided that they wanted lamps, presumably giddy with the joy of lanterns in the night. They were quite large lamps and would probably not fit in their luggage but what use is logic on holiday? As they flitted between a number of very similar (to my untrained eye) looking lampshades as the closing time neared, the owner tried what he could. He looked exasperated and I found this hilarious. The bartering started as the owner went through the fact that the plugs needed to be changed for France. Eventually, a sale was made and I asked, innocently, how the lampshade would actually be transported home. This, was not necessarily the kind of thing you think about when on a "bartering on holiday "high… A similar situation happened for some bags at the market and, I have to say, it was rather fun. After a few drinks at a local bar, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. It was a pretty fun night for me, not what I was expecting, but I'd found myself in the uncommon situation of enjoying[3] being in the company of others.
The next day, I had a full day in Hoi An but a pretty early start the day after so I thought that I should get out there to see the city. The old town is not huge but feels completely different during daytime hours. I have to say that I didn't find a huge amount to do in Hoi An but did enjoy a little sightseeing before a boat ride. The boat ride was quite short and slow but killed a bit of time. I also indulged in a massage before a meal at Streets. This is a social enterprise restaurant where staff are trained in hospitality after being given opportunity from the streets. The food was good and the story made no difference to the taste but was a nice feeling nonetheless. It was a fairly "empty" but relaxed day.
I'd looked into travelling to Ho Chi Minh City via train or bus but it wasn't particularly effective in the use of time so I decided, and I definitely saw this as a failure of my part, to take a flight to Saigon. To bring some element of efficiency to that, I went for a very early flight so I decided to get an early night and wake up to watch the football[4] and get my stuff sorted then.
The bus to the airport was booked like a cab and there was nobody else on there so it was quite comfortable - the only issue being waiting for it in the pitch black with no indication that it would come as advertised. All part of the fun… And so I found myself on the first plane to Saigon[5].
CLICK FOR HOI AN PHOTO ALBUM
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1. There used to be, maybe still are, a couple of kebab shops near Archway station that I thought quite funny. One was called the best kebab in the world and the other was the best in the universe. To be fair, when drunk, I bet loads of people agreed.↩
2. I am fairly unfussy and am happy to let others choose which is, thinking about it, quite an odd point from someone that travels alone. It might be a break from choice, absolving myself of responsibility for a moment.↩
3. My ever-wise manager at work had told me, after suggesting Vietnam as a destination, that sometimes the location isn't as important as it is often the people that you meet along the way that make the trip. I remember at the time thinking that spending time with people that I did not know (or that I did know…) was not exactly what I had in mind.↩
4. This ended up being a very good choice as I watched a highly entertaining draw between Liverpool and Arsenal that finished up 3 all. And even that scoreline doesn't do justice to the fun of the game.↩
5. Always nice to be a little obtuse. The "last chopper out of Saigon" is an oft-used phrase to describe highly packed, tense groups of people.↩
I met A&E in the very busiest part of the town (the bridge) which is not the wisest way of setting up a meeting. As it happens I saw them before they saw me (something that always gives me a sense of achievement) and approached. They had some souvenir shopping to do still so I joined them as they went back to some shops to buy some fancy tea and a kids mobile. I asked them if they had seen any of the others from Halong Bay as the tourist trail is a long and narrow one here. They hadn't but as we sampled some tea, a trio of fellow Halong Bayers did walk past. It felt a bit awkward as I didn't feel like either group necessarily wanted to go as a six but it was still nice to say hello, and then bye. As in Hanoi, I felt a pang of anxiety about how I could extricate myself but, as in Hanoi, it was not necessary in the end. Never back yourself into a corner, always know your exit routes.
I'd looked into travelling to Ho Chi Minh City via train or bus but it wasn't particularly effective in the use of time so I decided, and I definitely saw this as a failure of my part, to take a flight to Saigon. To bring some element of efficiency to that, I went for a very early flight so I decided to get an early night and wake up to watch the football[4] and get my stuff sorted then.
The bus to the airport was booked like a cab and there was nobody else on there so it was quite comfortable - the only issue being waiting for it in the pitch black with no indication that it would come as advertised. All part of the fun… And so I found myself on the first plane to Saigon[5].
CLICK FOR HOI AN PHOTO ALBUM
-----
1. There used to be, maybe still are, a couple of kebab shops near Archway station that I thought quite funny. One was called the best kebab in the world and the other was the best in the universe. To be fair, when drunk, I bet loads of people agreed.↩
2. I am fairly unfussy and am happy to let others choose which is, thinking about it, quite an odd point from someone that travels alone. It might be a break from choice, absolving myself of responsibility for a moment.↩
3. My ever-wise manager at work had told me, after suggesting Vietnam as a destination, that sometimes the location isn't as important as it is often the people that you meet along the way that make the trip. I remember at the time thinking that spending time with people that I did not know (or that I did know…) was not exactly what I had in mind.↩
4. This ended up being a very good choice as I watched a highly entertaining draw between Liverpool and Arsenal that finished up 3 all. And even that scoreline doesn't do justice to the fun of the game.↩
5. Always nice to be a little obtuse. The "last chopper out of Saigon" is an oft-used phrase to describe highly packed, tense groups of people.↩
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