Hoi An

Hoi An is a town near the coast in Central Vietnam.  It has been called the “Venice of Vietnam” for its waterways crisscrossing the city and it is known for its old town centre which is a buzzing tourist destination. 

We spent five days at an air BnB a bit out of the old town down a dirt path in the heart of a residential neighborhood.  Coming and going from the house we would pass neighborhood schools that buzzed with children playing in the schoolyard, small corner shops and properties that were undergoing construction in a home-grown way with hand hewn tools, piles of bricks and dirt shoveled by one or two workers.  We noticed that it was often women that did a lot of heavy labour throughout Vietnam.

Walking into town

We rode around the town on bikes.
Unfortunately no helmets were included.

Elementary aged school kids buying a snack from a food vendor, through the school gates.  There were a few different food carts for the kids to choose from.  The school directly across the lane was middle school and those kids just walked right out into the road to choose their food.
I thought of the panic principals and teachers back home would experience if our schoolkids bought food from a vendor on the sidewalk during school hours.  

School pickup at the end of the day.  Parents and grandparents milling around waiting for the kids.  Not that different from back home, except they are all on motorbikes.

Dump Truck

A construction site in our neighborhood.

Hoi An old town is a hive of activity known for its paper lantern festivals, tailors who will make custom clothing, and handicrafts.  The neighborhoods are decorated with paper lanterns strung across the streets. In the evenings the river front has many boats lit up with lights taking tourists for a ride down the waterway.  There are craft shops, clothing shops and galleries mixed in with restaurants and cafes.  Interspersed among these tourist destinations are market stalls selling veggies and fruit and the ever present food stalls scattered along the sidewalks with the ubiquitous plastic chairs and metal tables for catching a quick bite.  Despite the swarms of tourists at all hours of the day Hoi An maintains it charm.

Riding through town.

Exuberant flowers abound.

Walking through the market

Silk Loom in one of the many silk shops.

Taking a boat ride across the river.

Since we had a bit longer in one spot we took advantage of some local craft activities.  One afternoon Leo and I and the kids hopped on bikes and cycled our way to the outskirts of town to a bamboo workshop.  The owner is a man who worked as an electrical engineer but a couple of years ago decided to turn his hobby into his career.  He now has a large bamboo workshop behind his house and hosts workshops.  We were all able to choose a project and spent an engaged 4 hours learning to work with bamboo.

Another morning we walked to the other end of town and spent a few hours learning how to make paper lanterns.  At the workshop we learned from the siblings who ran the shop how to bend the bamboo stays, stretch the fabric and glue it together.  Again we were all fully engaged and enjoyed learning a new (and unique skill) as well as proud of our finished products.

Leo and Solaz spent an evening at a leather working workshop and returned home with handmade wallets.  Solaz gave me his carefully crafted wallet as an early birthday present. Cue heart melt here.

The food in Hoi An was, as elsewhere in Vietnam, delicious. We had a noodle dish that originated in central Vietnam called Mi Quang and the Hoi An specialty of Cau Lao noodles.  We enjoyed BBQ skewers and Banh Mi, a Vietnamese sandwich. Hoi An is also where we reached the saturation point for unfamiliar foods and started to search out more familiar tastes.  We stumbled upon a Greek restaurant run by a man from Crete and thoroughly enjoyed our souvlaki and the hospitality with free drinks and a warm welcome.  We were amazed at how small the world really is when Leo commented to the owner, Christos, that his souvlaki reminded him of the Plaka in Athens.  Christos agreed, then referenced our very favorite souvlaki joint, Thenasis.  This is the same place my brother once jumped onto a subway from the airport to take a detour into Athens just to bring us some souvlaki!  Turns out Christos has done the same thing! What are the chances of all the souvlaki joints in Athens?

I didn't think to snap any pictures of our unique Hoi An meals,
but we did get a picture of the ever present and delicious Pho.

Throughout Vietnam there are massage shops offering foot massages for just a few pennies.  After passing countless such shops we finally stopped during a walk home from dinner.  My parents and I sat in comfy chairs while Luna and V looked on.  And then we waited.  It took a few minutes to figure out what was happening.  The young woman who had waved us in to her salon had to call workers to come and work.  In quick succession three woman arrived on scooters and quickly got to work soaking our feet.  The highlight was actually the theatrical reaction that the boss lady had when she walked in on the scene and got a glimpse of V.  She literally did a double take and couldn’t keep her hands off his cheeks.  He has been a hit with the locals in central Vietnam.  We think it is his big eyes and long lashes or pink cheeks. He is not a kid who particularly likes attention but he has been a good sport with all the pats and squeezes.  As the rest of us know, even the older two kids, it doesn’t last long or, as Luna says “at this point I’m chopped liver.” 

After a brief foray to the city of Hue we returned to Hoi An for the final few days in Vietnam.  For this part we stayed on the beach for a change of scene.  We were all pleasantly surprised by how lovely the beach was.  It was clean and low key and the water was warm with waves the perfect size for playing in. We had heard mixed reviews about the beach but our experience surpassed expectations. It was an especially nice stop as we celebrated Luna and my birthday there.  The day was charmed with cards and gifts carried from home by Yia Yia and Papou, a delicious stop at a French bakery for a birthday treat, an afternoon at the beach and a nice dinner all together.  A perfect birthday while far from home.