Whereas Da Nang is the focus point of central Nam, a couple of hours
further south will take you not only to the our son ruins from the Cham
Empire, but also the ancient town of Hoi An. It is a major stop on the
itinerary for every backpacker as they adventure through South East Asia
– and it’s not hard to see why.
When we first arrived in Vietnam, it took a long time to fully
appreciate the people and the culture. It was never on the radar for us
first wave of nations to backpack, but as we began getting more and more
used to the region, We realised that we couldn’t put off flying to Vietnam
any longer, and we got our visa sorted and finally made it to Hanoi.
Soon, We had made our way south to the central parts of the country. Da
Nang was disappointing. Hue was incredible (one of the best places We’ve
visited). Hoi An was the last of these major cities in central Nam that we
got it, and we wondered how it would rank alongside the other two.
As it turned out, we really enjoyed my stay in Hoi An, and we wish we could
have spent longer there. There were times when it didn’t really feel
like Vietnam at all. Some people say Hoi An is a little too “fake”; that
is designed like a theme park to impress tourists. However, we thought
the opposite: it was a great town to check out in close proximity the
Vietnamese people going about their everyday business. There was great
food, great people, lovely architecture (oh the architecture!), and all
that was missing was a few tourist attractions to keep me occupied –
which is kind of ironic when you think of the criticism Hoi An gets for
being “touristy”!
Rather than walking around a huge theme park, at times we thought we was
in Mexico or Peru, what with the brightly coloured façades of the
buildings and rustic look of the bars and cafés. Of course, you’re going
to notice lanterns in Hoi An (lanterns are one of the trademarks of the
city), but also here you are beside the water and it was nice to take a
river cruise on a small junk boat. Unlike some of the junk boats at
Halong Bay up north, these boats looked much more traditional. It was as
if we where sailing out to sea with a couple of local fishermen in their
trawlers!
Overall, we would come back to Hoi An in an instant. The sights, sounds,
and smells still stick with me now, some weeks since returning. It could
possibly be that Hoi An, like no other place in the country, typifies
Vietnamese culture, and if you can find some cheap accommodation it must
be great to spend a while here and just immerse yourself in the daily
goings-on – that’s what we’ll be doing next time!
*****
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