Heavenly Hoi An

The descent into Da Nang airport is one of the most beautiful I have seen in a while. The islands surrounding the coast appeared through the clouds before blending in to the blue hues of twilight. A 75 minute flight took me from Hanoi to Da Nang, 600km to the south. Travelling by air makes the huge scale of Vietnam easily manageable in a short time. I couldn’t believe how different the landscape and weather was compared to Northern Vietnam. Da Nang looked like a beautiful coastal city but unfortunately I didn’t have enough time to explore because I was headed to Hoi An. Vietnam is the only place I have ever visited where I have left with a bigger list of places to visit in a country than when I first arrived.

It was dark when I arrived in Hoi An but I was amazed to see how colonial the town is. Memories of Malacca came to my mind when I saw all of the colourful buildings and European influences. Travelling always makes me feel really tired so I enjoyed the view of Hoi An from my balcony before having an early night.

The next morning I was woken up at sunrise by a beautiful duet from some local roosters. For once I didn’t mind because the sun was already beating down, so I decided to get up early to try and beat up some of the heat. It surprised me how different the climate was compared to Hanoi but I loved how relaxed and quiet the town felt. I began by heading into the old town of Hoi An, the town is really flat and is perfect for exploring on foot or bicycle. I began by visiting a silk factory and saw many tiny silkworms wriggling away on a banana leaf, and many more doing a hide in a cocoon. I normally avoid these places because it brings out my inner vegan activist, but I was pleased to see the workers allow the silkworms to naturally go through their life cycle and create the next generation. The silk is made into beautiful clothes and lanterns which I loved seeing but sadly nothing fit in my backpack, so I left the pleasant air-conditioning for the heat and humidity.

Each street in Hoi An feels old and romantic, like Venice; I think it’s the combination of colourful houses, lanterns and canals. Yellow buildings are coloured with splashes of Bougainvillea (the most delicious variety of flowers). I was really sceptical about visiting because both Instagram and some well travelled human friends had told me how nice Hoi An was, so I set myself up to be disappointed. I visited early morning and found the streets to be quiet and scenic, watching the locals cycle by with their shopping was an incredible sight.

Sadly, the Japanese covered bridge was under construction when I visited, but I was still able to see part of it through the scaffolding. I was really sad to miss out on seeing the bridge in full but I am glad they are working on it for others to enjoy in the future. Sadly, the construction area is filled with beggars and people selling tourist tat. This was my only negative experience in the area because they kept making a beeline to touch my photographer. No bag grabbing or attempts at pickpocketing occurred, but it made both of us feel really uncomfortable.

Escaping the crowds of sellers, who only seem to congregate around the Japanese bridge and An Hoi bridge, I headed up a narrow street with the aim of escaping the heat. I stumbled into one of Hoi An’s ancient heritage buildings. The old house of Tan Ky is free to visit and the ground floor is a museum which floods each year if the water levels in the river rise too high. The family still live on the second floor of the building, which is absolutely tiny. Chinese influences on the building style are scattered throughout the building. Sadly, half of the building is filled with a gift shop, but the markings on the back wall are a stark reminder of how dangerous water can be.

My next stop was the museum of trade ceramics which had the most beautiful courtyard in the middle of the building. The ceramics weren’t particularly exciting but the balcony on the first floor provided a beautiful view along a street filled with colourful lanterns.

The final stop of my morning adventure through the town was Hoi Quan Phuoc Kien, the most beautiful place I visited in Vietnam. I walked through a huge, ornate gate into the ancient Chinese temple dedicated to the goddess of the Sea. Chinese temples are always so colourful and relaxing, I just love watching the insence spirals floating in the wind. Two dragons were standing in a pond, guarding the colourful koi who were swimming in the shade. I spent a while enjoying the peace after a busy morning of exploring.

It was 40 degrees and getting hotter, so I decided to spend the remainder of the afternoon hiding in the cool of the hotel swimming pool (I will be reviewing the hotel in a separate post). As the day turned into evening, the heat didn’t disappear but it was better for walking around in. I was so excited to go and see the lanterns all lit up, especially the ones which float along the river. I jumped in a tuktuk to head into the centre of the old town, so I could get as close to the river as possible. The Riverside had hundreds of boats waiting to collect passengers, and I would be one of the passengers.

The wooden, old boat took me along the river towards the island where the memories show is held. The lanterns lit up the houses lining the Riverside but I was sad to see very few lanterns in the water, like on the photos I had seen. However, it was nice to get away from the crowded area surrounding An Hoi bridge.

The boat came to a stop near a beautiful rainbow bridge and the captain started to light some small lanterns. Floating the lanterns on the river was a lot harder than it looks (short arm problems). It made me chuckle when I found out I needed to use a giant soup spoon to get the lantern into the water. Childish giggling aside, it was a really beautiful moment watching my lantern float off along the river. I made a wish as I watched the lantern float off (hopefully it will come true one day). My photographer’s wish came true and we were treated to cake on the boat as it was someone’s birthday.

Back on dry land, I couldn’t wait to head off into town to see the lanterns in the streets and balconies. They were floating gracefully in the wind. Personally my favourite lanterns were hidden in the smaller back streets.

Ah Hoi bridge is well worth visiting but it is very, very busy to the point where I ended up having a game of limbo under the selfie sticks to get to the other side. The river around this bridge was filled with canoes and lanterns, which were beautiful but I preferred seeing the small lanterns released from the boat.

I decided that the night marked and busier areas weren’t for me. Though I was glad to visit, this is where you find the lantern backdrop for the instagram photos (100,000 Vietnamese dong or £3.25). Instead I limbo-ed my way back to the old town and spent the rest of my evening hopelessly lost in some beautiful streets.

I love how the streets are closed on an evening, so it’s a lot more pedestrian friendly (minus the motorbikes). The night was getting late and I spotted a few lizards chasing giant cockroaches up a wall. At this point I decided it was time to head back to my hotel with another tuktuk ride.

My photographer and I don’t really feel like we scratched the surface of Hoi An but we were given the opportunity to head up into the mountains, an offer we couldn’t refuse. Hoi An and Da Nang are areas we would love to return to in the future and explore some more.

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