Vietnam – Hue to Hoi An, 23 December 2004

I must be UNESCO world heritage site hopping, from Hue to Hoi An, whose historic town is marked as a UNESCO world heritage site.

I think I can safely declare Hoi An as my favourite place in Vietnam. Apart from being quaint, with many sidewalk cafes sometimes housed in old houses, it’s also relatively peaceful, with little hustling. People here are not so mercenary, and apart from these, I heard that there’s a nice beach within cycling distance. Accomodation here also often comes with in-house swimming polls, and that comes cheap starting at US 6 per night for a single room.

Although I don’t find the historic town very special, as it seems to be a simple Chinese town to me, I guess it’s unique in the Vietnamese context, as it doesn’t exist in other Vietnamese towns. The conservation work is great though, and their Museum of Trade Ceramics is neat and manageable.

One thing that strikes me is the number of tailors/clothes shops and cafes/restaurants in Hoi An. It’s almost as if these were the only two things that the people are involved in, not that I’m complaining, since I spent my evening sipping cocktails and chomping fries while reading my newly acquired, Vietnam-pirated Bridget Jone’s Diary. How outdated I can be with popular fiction.

However, my experience in Hoi An was marred by the 3 blackouts in the night, worsened by my inability to kill the greedy mosquito that left me with more than 10 itchy bites.