Hoi An, Say What You See - 8

 Morning delivered another beautiful day, and a 3-hour coach drive south to Hoi An via the city of Da Nang.  It seemed strange to see all the shop signage and road signs in Roman Letters, but that is what Vietnam has adopted.  They were ruled for nearly a thousand years by the Chinese, who forced them to use Chinese characters for their written language.  This made expressing themselves in written form very complex.  When they gained independence from the Chinese, a missionary came through Vietnam trying to sell Christianity, but had much better luck introducing a phonetic alphabet that could easily be used to express Vietnamese words in written form.  It's an amazing world, isn't it?

Our journey south followed roads with the sea to our left and heavily forested hills to our right, which we were informed was the Ho Chi Minh Trail.  This is the footpath used by the
Vietnamese liberation forces to move people and supplies south to the front line in the war with the USA.  I was corrected by our guide, who advised me that the puppet government in the south, fighting against the North, coined the phrase Viet Kong, meaning Vietnamese Communist, a term never used by “True Vietnamese”.  It is evident from some of our guide sessions that they are a friendly people, but fiercely independent and proud of who they are and what they have achieved.  Their biggest threat? Interestingly, they see this as the Chinese, which is why their law prevents only a Vietnamese national from owning land.  

History lesson over, but this trip is full of insights from a very different perspective, which is wonderful and gets me to reflect carefully on my Eurocentric education or is that indoctrination? Hmm!  Anyway, nice lunch stop with a sea view offering poles protruding above the waterline in every direction, these are used to cultivate oysters.  Our journey only offered a glimpse of Da Nang because Julie and I fell asleep and missed the coastline littered with modern high-rise buildings.  Worth mentioning, new buildings everywhere, as the free market is rapidly creating a middle class with money to spend on waterfront property.  This is provided by two companies, Sun and Vin, with Mr Vin also providing a multitude of other products and services, including cars, both petrol and electric.  Watch this space for a Vin coming to a town near you.

Our hotel was described as the best available near the city centre.  This is important because in Hoi An, petrol and diesel cars can't drive beyond a certain point towards the city centre.  The main choices are an electric golf buggy, taxis, or you can use the Grab app to book a seat on the back of a scooter.  No thanks!  We had some issues with our hotel, but it was within walking distance of the Hoi An waterfront, which more than made up for my head injury.  Oh, did I not mention that?  Our toilet and shower are next to each other and share a sliding door.  While waiting for the shower to warm up, Julie left the toilet and slid the door into the side of my head.  Dangerous design if you ask me.

If you only visit one city in Vietnam, this is the one. We love it here.  The core of the city runs along either side of a river, and the last few blocks are for pedestrians only.  To be warned, most scooter riders think they are pedestrians, which can catch you unawares.  Of all the cities, this is the one for shopping as it is home to the factories that produce clothes for the world.  First tour on arrival was to a business that can make any suit or dress for you overnight, a service quite a few of our travelling companions made use of.  The traders are friendly, and when you say no thanks, they leave you alone with a smile, not pushy at all.  After our sundown welcome drinks and go home food (god the canapés were awful) at the hotel, we headed deeper into the city as darkness fell.  We were eventually confronted with the river illuminated like a Christmas tree.  Hundreds of boats providing rides for tourists, each illuminated with colourful lanterns, are stunning.

The next morning, we had a walking tour, exploring a mixture of temples, gardens and bridges hidden amongst the restaurants and shops.  The stories behind the different dragon sculptures are always interesting and evidence of the Chinese influence on Vietnamese culture.  What was also evident was that Hoi An is two cities as it feels so different in daylight than it does after dark, but very safe to wander around, even the tiniest, darkest back streets and alleys.

Included in this stay was a massage on both our full days, which we made full use of.  It was nice to have the tour through the streets, which gave us confidence to roam on our own and then return to a full body massage to flush away the aches and pains of the day.  My massage was provided by a lady who was at most 3 feet tall, if that, but she had fingers stronger than a stone mason.  Painful at times, but nice.

The highlight of our trip was the cycling, farming, and fishing tour, although putting Julie on another bike through the streets of Hoi An did have me a little worried.  Difficult to believe that within a few blocks we were in open countryside surrounded by paddy fields with water levels managed by sluice gates dotted across the landscape.  We also cycled past farmers wandering past with their water buffalo, and it felt like we had slipped back 100 years.  

The first farm we visited had received a UNESCO award as it was totally organic and had created opportunities for school children and tourists alike to learn how to work in harmony with the land.  One example was their water tanks used for irrigation were filled with fish who enjoyed feeding on insects that ventured near the water and mosquito eggs, which are laid on still fresh water.  We were encouraged to try their methods of watering, tilling, and planting.  Fun and educational.

From farming to fishing, we left our bikes and boarded a boat to explore a fishing village, which was the home of our guide Viet.  Great young man who spoke better English than I and explained the life of the fishing communities on the banks, which had been his home and life until he decided not to follow in the family business.  When his brother made the same decision, his father sold the boat and nets to his neighbour, and the family tradition was no more.

Another educational and fun experience with demonstrations by locals who then offered us the chance to try, with limited to no success.

From nets to boats, which were more like giant round bowls.  The French decided to tax boats so the ingenious Vietnamese decided to make their boats round, not classed as boats by the French definition and therefore exempt.  First was a demonstration of how fast they could spin these little boats with two guests on board.  Then a trip into the jungle that offered narrow channels, which were developed by the Vietnamese army to lure American troops into areas where they could be ambushed.  Nothing so worrying for us, just the occasional palm-like tree frond used by the crew member of every round boat to make a sculpture.

The trip provided by Jack Tran Tours ended in a sumptuous meal cooked onboard and then a traditional dance.  Learned loads while having so much fun and would definitely recommend this tour when you come to Hoi An. 

Our day ended with another night walk by the river, enjoying the friendly atmosphere and picking up a few bargains.  A city to saviour and enjoy and a place that will be one of my highlights from this trip.

Today’s music clip reflects how we felt when the crew took us for a spin in the round boats: https://youtu.be/PGNiXGX2nLU?si=AZCn6Mmgt-xkYk33