We drove from Hue to Hoi An, a 3.5 hour drive up and over the mountains, largely jungle looking except for intermittent towns. We all looked at that green and couldn’t imagine being 18 and dropped into this area to fight – knowing nothing. We drove through Danang on our way to Hoi An and will come back here to fly to Saigon.
We crossed an amazing dragon bridge in Danang, the head is decorative, but the back is all structural and it’s designed to spew fire and water as part of a show on Saturdays and Sundays. This bridge was built both to welcome, to give a sign of luck and strength and to withstand typhoons. There can be 8 typhoons a year in Danang – from October to December mostly – and it takes a toll, However, in the last 3 years, no typhoons have hit. Instead, because of climate change, now the typhoons are moving to the north. In the last years, they’ve wiped out northern villages because the buildings weren’t designed to withstand the storms.
Danang is a pretty city, 5th largest in Vietnam, and modern because of how much was destroyed during the Vietnam War. It was in the midst of the DMZ. We drove along Danang Beach, which was called China Beach by the Americans because of all the pieces of Chinese pottery they found on the beach. Danang has grown steadily and there were a lot of big and gorgeous buildings/hotels, restaurants along the beach.
The next time I opened my book, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, she was on China Beach in ‘86, first visit back from the States. She described it as shacks lining the beach, some still with GI writing on pieces of the walls. Most people wore black pajamas,but with western wear starting to get mixed in, and there was a peasant market on the street across from the beach. There was not a remnant of that scene now, almost 40 years later.
Our guide said that this city is a common spot for Korean visitors. They liked that it was a newly built city, very clean and Danang advertises to the Koreans – there are now 10 flights a day between Korea and Danang.
We drove straight to the old city of Hoi An and first had lunch at a well-known bánh mì, or sandwich, shop. It was a classic little store front business until Anthony Bourdain visited. The owner has now built this shop as well as two others. We walked into a large 2 story shop filled with people and the bánh mì were really good. I think it’s mostly because of the great French bread rolls. The first time we had them in Hanoi, we decided it was a mystery interior and just ate them. You can see Anthony Bourdain’s photo proudly displayed.
We then started exploring the old town of Hoi An. Hoi A was a trading post in the 2nd century and was an economic hub during the Cham Dynasties (7th–10th centuries). In the 16th century Hoi A became a major international trading center. It was a center for the spice trade and a settling point for Chinese merchants and soldiers. In the 18th century, the town was a top travel destination for Chinese and Japanese merchants. In the 1800’s many of the buildings were renovated with traditional methods. It’s now an UNESCO site. And filled with tourists. Every storefront targets tourists and only the pagodas are still used, though again, filled with tourists. And, yes, we were joining the throng!
During typhoons and storms, the river floods and the stores are inundated. When Kylie was here, it was raining a ton and she said the river flooded and all the shops had water in them, but the store owners were matter of fact. They raised everything up to higher shelves and when the water went back down, they cleaned and the lowered all the goods.
There are temples throughout the town, mixed in with all the colors and shops, you could walk by and not even see one. As noted above, this was a Chinese center and still reflected this in the temples. This temple was notable. Quan Cong Temple, 1653, constructed as a place of worship dedicated to Quan Van Truong. “He was the famous general with talent, steadfast spirit, bravery, righteousness and virtues of an honorable man, living in the period of ‘Three Warring Kingdoms’ ruled by Han Dynasty, China.
The cones of incense above were amazing, each one burning very slowly and sending up the prayers and blessings that are written inside for as long as they’re burning. Scott was fascinated and bought a large one for Hakubai, hoping that the flattened cone will loosen when the box is opened.
Again – the details. In this case for the roof tiles
And the kids – we could have taken a gazillion photos of children all over, but were trying to be respectful, so didn’t get that many shots.
For us, the weather was perfect. A little cool, misty and we were able to walk and explore. We knew that this town was famous for hand tailoring any kind of clothes you might want in a very short period. I wanted to see a store, but Pat had already planned to have 2 linen shirts made. So we walked, took photos – so photogenic – and then stopped at the store. And it was THE store according to our guide. We liked the whole experience of being in the store, looking at patterns and fabrics and all but Scott ended up buying something. Fun and funny exploring the options.
The manager gave us a tour, talking about how they started, the first one and set up a training school to make sure the clothes were made perfectly. A customer chooses a pattern and a fabric, then comes back the next day for a fitting and then picks up the piece (or it’s delivered to the hotel) the next day. It can be finished in one or two days. Each tailer takes one item at a time, then a finisher makes sure all pieces are perfect, clipping strings, etc., then ironed and handed over.
We left and walked across the bridge to the new side of town and waited while Scott and our guide found a restaurant and reserved a table for the next day to watch the river of lanterns. River of light? Can’t remember, but it’s beautiful.
While we were waiting a small woman came up behind Pat and suddenly dropped her baskets on his shoulder, completely surprising him. Luckily, he’s strong because it was heavy! We were all cracking up – she put her hat on his head and then agreed to stand next to him, still laughing.
We then went to our hotel and our jaws dropped. It was so beautiful. Very simple clean lines, many pools, restaurants and we were very pleased that one of our days was going to be free to just hang out.
We stayed in for dinner and just enjoyed the scenery.
Reb's Walks! 