Hoi An 4/5 - 5/5

We’ve spent the last couple of days in Hoi An which has been a real highlight of our time here in Vietnam. We arrived in the afternoon of the 4th after catching the train from Nha Trang, we had our own sleeper which was so much more comfortable than the bus, we didn’t have to share with anyone so Kirsten got a bit of sleep (we had to be at the station just after 5am) and I got to listen to my iPod or read without the lurching of crazed bus drivers or incessant beeping. Nice. We went out that night to have a look around the town a bit and have dinner. We got our bearings reasonably quickly as the old quarter (where most of the fantastic traditional and French style houses and shops are) covers a small area bordered by the river so it’s a good navigational point. We had a pretty early night after a brief walk around but set out reasonably early the next day on a couple of bicycles. The countryside is pretty flat here so it lends itself to a gentle ride around, we are about a kilometre or so out of the main town so it’s a short ride into town. Also makes it a bit quieter apart from a pair of roosters who like to fire up from about 4.30am. We wanted to get a couple of items of clothing made as that is what Hoi An is mostly famous for so we headed along to a tailors just near the cloth market as recommended in our guide book (thanks Sally!). We got measured up for a couple of items and were advised they would be ready the next day. As the measuring was finishing, we were asked if we wanted to check out some shoes at the place next door so we ended up being measured for shoes as well. The people were lovely and we were quoted some pretty cheap prices so it’s well worth it. We had a good look around the old quarter, there’s a lot to see. We visited The House of Tan Ky, one of the oldest original houses in Hoi An, where many successive generations of the same family have lived. There are marks on the wall to indicate where flood waters have come through (it is right by the river) and some of the marks are as tall, if not taller than me. Our guide told us that the owners move all the furniture (some amazing period pieces) and artwork upstairs while the flood waters come through the house. We also visited Reaching Out - Hoa Nhap Handicrafts, a kind of community based workshop for local artisans with disabilities. We found a couple of nice things there (thanks for the tip Sarah!). We also checked out the Japanese covered bridge and and the Cantonese Assembly Hall which has some fantastic Koi Carp, Dragon and Goat sculptures out the back (not all together, that would be weird). We had dinner in town (great food here - wonton soup, shrimp & rice noodles) before riding back to the hotel.