Hoi an is acharming and picturesque riverside townlocated south of Danang. It is one of Vietnam’s most enchanting places with a real sense of history on its streets. It was a major international port many centuries ago and has wonderful architecture and homes that were built by wealthy merchants. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, it is now being carefully restored. The residents are rightfully proud of being a UNESCO site. The best thing to do in Hoi An is just walk around. There are no beggars (there are very few throughout Vietnam) and no touts. Just the month before there had been one of the worst floods of the last 25 years, yet you would not know anything had happened except for the water marks at 10 feet on the walls of buildings. The people of Hoi An are used to floods and just pack up and move to higher ground. When the water recedes, they set up shop again.
The town has more tailors than you can shake a stick at. I had three intricate linen shirts made in less than 24 hours. louise had a gorgeous silk cocktail skirt and jacket.
Hoi an is delightful. The weather could not have been more perfect when we were there. I would higly recommend visiting this wonderful place. Please enjoy my photographs of this beautiful place.
We were in Hoi An for Christmas Eve. We had dinner at a wonderful French/Vietnamese restaurant that is a joint venture between a French fellow and a Vietnamese. The name of the restaurant is “Tam Tam” There was a prix fix French dinner and it was beyond divine. Five courses: First: Mackerel and Foie Gras, Second: Duck breast salad, Third: Beef Bourguignon with native vegetables, Fourth: Goat cheese on toast points, Fifth: “Assorted Christmas cakes” You really need to try this restaurant when you are in Hoi An. We had lots of great wine and a simply superb evening. It was nice not to have rice and spring rolls for one night :-). It is on Nguyen Thai Hoc near the Japanese bridge.
Before you have dinner at Tam Tam, stop at a bar on the same side of the street a block towards Le Loi called “the lounge” It has big sofas in the front windows. You will see a sign that says “Happy Hour 4PM-12PM, 2 for 1 drinks.” Well now, that is my idea of a happy “hour”. They had the best Mojitos I have had since Havana and two drinks cost $3.00. Oh, yes, when the drinks came, they were packed to the top with ice. I eyed the ice and the waitress immediately said “we make the ice with bottled water, the town demands it” So, we decided to believe her and we were just fine. So, we ate lots of salads in Vietnam and had ice in our drinks and we were fine. I think that in places so dependent on tourists that they really try hard in Vietnam to keep visitors safe. Of course, we could have just been lucky. The waitress in the bar asked if we were from England or Australia. I told her we were from the US and she said she had an uncle in Washington DC. Everyone in Vietnam has a relative in the US. She had dropped out of high school, but spoke excellent English as do so many Vietnamese. Another young woman in the shop where I got the linen shirts said she was studying “American Culture” It was with trepidation that I asked her what exactly the course consisted of. I was relieved to find out that it was about government, states, and rivers. I had a terrible moment of thinking it would be about Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears.
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0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Posted by Patricia Pomerleau on Monday, February 25, 2008
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