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Hoi An

·474 words·3 mins

On February 29th I took the bus from Ha Noi to Hoi An. The bus usually takes 17 hours for that distance, but unfortunately during the night the vehicle happened to have a severe tire damage. It took the driver six hours to get the reparation done.

In Hoi An I stayed at a home stay family. I made this choice after considering two major points. First: it could provide me more insight into Vietnamese culture. And second: it is also cheaper than a hotel. As it turned out I have the same comfort as in a hotel (single room with own bathroom) and the family indeed is very nice.

Hoi An is famous in Vietnam for several interesting places. First of all, the city used to be a trading point from the 16th century until today. Consequently the city has a very beautiful old quarter with a lot of buildings made by Chinese, Japanese and Cantonese merchants. Among these merchants several tailors settled down in Hoi An as well. The handcrafted clothes have a good reputation in Vietnam.

The pleasing scenery started attracting many tourists in the end of the 1990’s. But the tourists do not only fancy the town itself, they also enjoy relaxing at the beaches. The growing economy in the tourism sector convinced a lot of companies to invest into hotels. As a result several luxury hotels have been build and the number is still increasing.

Another interesting place is My Son. It is an abandoned cluster of Hindu temples. The Cham people started constructing this settlement in the 4th century. It was an important sanctuary for pilgrims until the Cham people lost their territory in the 14th century. During the years it became forgotten among the Vietnamese people until it got discovered by the French in 1898.

I added a selection of my pictures below.

Local people at the Beach practising physical exercises in the early morning.
Local people at the Beach practising physical exercises in the early morning.

The beach of Hoi An at noon.
The beach of Hoi An at noon.

The beach of Hoi An at Noon II
The beach of Hoi An at Noon II

Water buffaloes cooling down in the river.
Water buffaloes cooling down in the river.

The fringe streets of Hoi An.
The fringe streets of Hoi An.

A local cemetery outside Hoi An
A local cemetery outside Hoi An

Sunrise at Hoi An beach.
Sunrise at Hoi An beach.

A primary school close to the centre of Hoi An.
A primary school close to the centre of Hoi An.

The central market in Hoi An.
The central market in Hoi An.

The Japanese Bridge in the old quarter.
The Japanese Bridge in the old quarter.

Inside the Japanese Bridge two monkey statues at the left hand and right hand can be found.
Inside the Japanese Bridge two monkey statues at the left hand and right hand can be found.

Inside the Japanese Bridge.
Inside the Japanese Bridge.

A narrow side street in the old quarter of Hoi An.
A narrow side street in the old quarter of Hoi An.

Lanterns decorating the old quarter of Hoi An.
Lanterns decorating the old quarter of Hoi An.

A man resting in front of his shop.
A man resting in front of his shop.

An ancient building in My Son.
An ancient building in My Son.

A wall of an ancient building in My Son.
A wall of an ancient building in My Son.

The interior compound of My Son.
The interior compound of My Son.

A temple in My Son. The Cham people built temples without windows.
A temple in My Son. The Cham people built temples without windows.

The roof of an ancient building in My Son.
The roof of an ancient building in My Son.

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