Monday, July 7, 2008

A Short Getaway to Central Vietnam - Hoi An

Last week, I took a short trip to Central Vietnam to M, who was there on a business trip. We stayed in Danang for 3 days and 2 nights, and made a short trip to Hoi An. I was pretty excited as this was the first time I was going to Danang, known for the beauty of its beaches.

We took a short flight to Danang (1 hour) via Vietnam Airlines and arrived at Danang International Airport close to noon. After checking into our hotel, we headed to a nearby restaurant for lunch. There, we met M's colleagues and guests from HCM City. Lunch was a sumptuous meal with seafood and lots of local dishes. After lunch, we headed back to the hotel for a short rest before making a trip down to Hoi An, a famous old town.

Our hotel room

The view from our balcony

Look at the beach!

Our resort just next to the beach!

The swimming pool facing the entrance.. Cooling!

Hoi An used to be a busy port for trade between the Champa people and Chinese, Japanese and Dutch before the bigger Danang port became popular. It is now declared a UNESCO Heritage Site and known for its cheap tailor shops as well as unique handicrafts stalls.

We were given a short tour by an English-speaking guide around Hoi An, who brought us to the famous Japanese bridge, a large Hokkien temple and a local house. According to the guide, Hoi An used to be inhabited by a large number of Japanese. The bridge is famous because it linked the Japanese settlement area with the French, Chinese and Vietnamese settlement area.

Our journey began after crossing the famous bridge

A view from the bridge

The other end of the bridge

The Chinese temple

A corner of the temple

Swirling incense

The mini Great Wall of China in the temple

The temple worships 妈祖 so this explains the boat

A monument to commemorate a Polish architect
He foresaw that land in Hoi An will become increasingly expensive.. and it is true!

Then, we were given an hour to roam around and enjoy the scenery around Hoi An before dinner commenced. M, Ch and I took the chance to explore some of the smaller, interesting shops around. We also went through their market which was still vibrant close to evening. I enjoyed the tour very very much. Unlike Hanoi, Hoi An was much more peaceful and quiet. Walking along the street was safe with few motorbikes and it was not very crowded.

The bustling street scenes and an interesting looking carriage...

Top left: A Blue Dragon restaurant! A non-profit organisation in Hanoi
Top right: The local market bustling in the evening
Bottom left: Yes, this is a boat..
Bottom right: It's a form of transport in Hoi An.

We also went through their market which was still vibrant close to evening. I enjoyed the tour very very much. Unlike Hanoi, Hoi An was much more peaceful and quiet. Walking along the street was safe with few motorbikes and it was not very crowded.

After the tour, we went for dinner on board a ship. Dinner was good and overwhelming (as usual). It ended early at around 8.30pm before we headed back to our hotel to rest and zzzzzzzz. I was quite tired by then and had an early night, unlike some of M's colleagues who went for sauna, massages and drinks! Am I getting old or what? :p

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