After a wonderful day in Halong Bay, we woke up the next morning ready for our next adventure. Our guide, Mrs. Phuong, was originally from Halong Bay and she knew all of the most picturesque places. She took us to a fishing pier that was truly amazing. We saw beautiful displays of vegetables and marveled as fisherman brought in piles and piles of creepy, wiggling fish. There were all sorts of fish, some we’ve seen before and others we hadn’t. There were long silvery fish and short pink ones. And most of them were still moving.
And soon, so were we. We drove back to Hanoi and boarded a plane for Da Nang, the airport located about a 40 minute drive from Hoi An. I have written about Hoi An before here. It is a very beautiful city and it is a wonderful place to relax. There are a number of beautiful resort hotels.
Hoi An has a rich international tradition evidenced by the Chinese and Japanese structures that still grace the city. I was fascinated by the Chinese assembly halls. When the Chinese came to live in Hoi An, they were, in a sense, not unlike my relatives when they arrived in the US as immigrants. My relatives and other Jewish immigrants of that era were able to make it economically with the help of their “landsmen,” people who came from the same area of eastern Europe that they did. Here in Hoi An, people coming from each province of China had their own meeting hall and there they would network, talk of home, and help each other. Here is the Fujian Meeting Hall.
Fujian Meeting Hall
Of course the big attraction in Hoi An is the Japanese Bridge, probably the only bridge that has a temple built into it. It is a footbridge and off to one side in the middle of the bridge is a room where people can pray. Here is the bridge from a distance.
The Japanese Bridge
Hoi An is the place where many tourists have clothing made to order for themselves. They have exquisite silks that they make into ao dais and other types of clothing, but let’s see what the locals wear in Hoi An.
Rodger in a sporty topper
Thelma and Louise like to dress alike, but no one mistakes them for twins
Seriously, even the pets dress to go downtown.
And while in Hoi An, we saw a wonderful folklore show and some of the lovely silk lamps that the city is famous for!
Silk lamps in Hoi An
But soon, through the rain and the fog we made way
Climbing up Hai Van pass to the city of Hue!
Next: Artistry in food and a wet visit to a Forbidden City
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