Into Hoi An

Hoi An is a traditional trading port that has long had links with Japan and China and is very much on the tourist trail. It is not, however, on the Reunification Line so many visitors travel to Hoi An via a stop at Danang which is a far larger city and, in many ways as a trading port, a more modern interpretation of what Hoi An was. That does not necessarily make it a particularly visitable city and so I had not planned to spend much time there.

In actual fact, my original plan to use the train was altered in Hue and I found myself on the back of a motorbike with my luggage getting wet in the rain.

The journey on the train was said to be particularly scenic along parts of the track which I was disappointed to be missing but the motorbike rider had told me that he would take me along the route that allowed me to see it anyway. I believed him.

The watery nature of the air was to be combated by the waterproof nature of the coat I had wisely purchased the previous day and this cleverness made me feel smug for about 3 minutes. Then, I got wet. The jacket obviously did not cover my whole body and the water was no longer travelling vertically in relation to me so my bottom half, and especially the front, was getting a bit damp. This would be a bit uncomfortable and as we built up speed, also rather cold. Luckily, and cleverly, my guide had got us both new, solid, "riding" ponchos that were thicker and covered my legs making the journey much more comfortable.

Leaving Hue, the ride across the city was simple as roads were wide and had little early morning traffic but once we were out, the roads became much thinner and we had to be more careful about overtaking - and being overtaken.

We stopped a few times along the way for the sights and also just for a break, sitting on a motorbike is a particular type of seating.

Stopping for an early lunch, we went to a dodgy looking place that my "guide" knew along the road. I doubt there was any form of kickback and I didn't pay separately for it anyway but it was "authentic" in the way that so many people seem to love. It was quite nice to eat from metal plates a choose dishes from the front and have it slopped on the plate. That type of food is also quite quick and it was much better there than some kind of service station.

The other places we stopped on the way to Danang were fairly short breaks at a fishing village area, a beach and an area called Elephant Springs. The weather made this all a little bit less impressive but it was still a fun trip on the back of a moped. There was a longer break at the Marble Mountain temple area around Danang. This a true tourist spot so there was quite a bit to see. I went in alone as my guide just said that I could spend time there after getting the ticket. Inside, the greyness of the day was matched by the caves within which there were shrines. I was quite impressed by this but it is hard to get it captured well without a tripod. The "mountain" part of the name was due to the elevated nature of the complex which gave some views over Danang.

We arrived in Hoi An in good time but we found it a bit hard to actually locate my accommodation. I say "we", but I had found it online and knew where it was but my guide decided to look for himself rather than listen to me. Not too bad an option though as I got a bit more of an inadvertent tour of the area.

Hoi An's links to China and Japan lent it a cosmopolitan air that was different to other places (in the past) and the architecture of the town was heavily influenced by these other cultures,with the most famous landmark being the Japanese Bridge. A small covered bridge that was seen by many as the symbol of the city. The city has a central core near the river which was so integral to the growth as a merchant trading town. Hoi An took trading seriously but it is not so prevalent now and so it takes its tourism very seriously now. This central core is a world heritage site with all the relevant protections that go with it and recent changes have rendered this as more of a tourist-focused site than before. In order to enter the old town area, you pass a ticket office where you buy a ticket to enter and visit 5 sites from a list of 20 or 30. If you want to visit more, you buy more but it is not clear whether you are supposed to get tickets in order to just walk around. This ensures that the regional government will actually benefit in some way from the town's popularity and that they have the funds to keep it visitable. It does, however, make the town less of a town and more of a tourist attraction which is easily consumed. It is not a large amount of money but it gives the town a different air. The other main thing that Hoi An seems to be known for is tailoring, with many places to have dresses and suits made for very reasonable prices. This also extends to other leather accessories such as belts, bags and even shoes. This was not a particular draw for me but, even so, I heard about this from many people in Vietnam before visiting and was told it was best to get the clothing sorted as soon as possible so as to have time to enjoy the town. Walking around, these places were all over the place.

My accommodation, as a lot of it seemed to be in the area, was labelled as a "homestay" which made it a bit like a guesthouse rather than a hotel. Homestay suggests a different type of homeliness that is not really evident here although they do cook you breakfast. Although my guide had difficulty finding it, this was a well-located homestay near the night market and pretty close to the waterway and Japanese Bridge that give so much of the town's atmosphere.

Hoi An is a popular spot and had heard it mentioned a few times as on the itinerary of the people I'd spoken to, I wondered who I'd bump into but I had also semi-organised to meet up with my new friends^[1] A&E for a saunter around the town. They had arrived the day before me and so had a bit of a handle on the place and had already communicated to me that they really liked it. It would be nice to share a moment again.

^{1. They were friends on Facebook, that's friends, right?↩}