3/15/2008
After a leisurely breakfast of Pho and eggs, our guide picked us up at the hotel around 10:00. Our destination for the day was Hoi An, Vietnam, a UNESCO world heritage site. The place is centuries old and well preserved. It contains a mishmash of different cultures including Chinese, Japanese and more due to its importance as a trading port between the 15th and 19th centuries.
We walked around and admired the architecture. Chinese temples and old houses dominated the scene. The Japanese bridge is also a famous attraction—still the original wooden structure from the 14th century.
Our next adventure was a boat trip down river, past a bustling fish market full of people in bright colors and conical hats. On the river we could see how the Viet “boat people” live. We saw boats painted with slanted eyes, fisherman on carved out canoes with woven reed mat sun shades, women washing clothes in the mud colored water, and wooden shack-like houses. There are also flocks of white ducks that were free to roam where they please during the day, but always go back home at night. Unfortunately, you can also see that plastic bags are a global problem. They were in the trees everywhere along the river, probably trapped there after a period of flooding.
After our boat trip we visited a tailor who specialized in making silk clothing. We saw how silk works produced the silk, how it was spun into thread, and then woven into fabric. I ordered an ao dai, or a typical women’s outfit. While they were taking my order they offered me tea, which I should have refused. My stomach did flip flops the rest of the night and I was pretty sure the wanter to make the tea came out of the murky, brown canals of the city.
Next stop, Hanoi and Ha Long Bay…