Hoi An is a picuresque riverside town that is very close to the coast and the South China Sea, nestled about halfway up the coast of Vietnam. It was a real surprise to us as the pace of life is much slower than everywhere else we have visited in Vietnam so far and for the first time the bicycles outnumbered the mopeds - much safer for crossing the road! There is even a pedestrianised area in the centre of the historic old town which is the first one we have seen in Asia. In the 17th to 19th centuries it was a major international port and an important port of call for Dutch, Portugese, Chinese & Japanese trading vessels in the area. Now that has given way to the miriad of small fishing boats that ply the river Son each day. The Old Town is now a Unesco World Heritage site as there are many old temples and wooden buildings, many centuries old, that are of historical and cultural importance. Many of them reflect the different nationalities and cultures that have settled here over time and there is certainly a different feel to the architecture with a significant Chinese influence. There are many pagodas, meeeting halls and historic bridges in the town and we visited many of them. The Japanese Covered bridge is one of the most famous and it even contains a small temple within the bridge. The town authorities have even imposed strict development criteria which mean that new buildings have not detracted from the general ambience of the town - very wise, though it is a shame that other Asian towns have not followed suit. However there are many new hotels here as tourism is beginningto take off and as with everywhere in Vietnam, we have enjoyed high quality hotels. We have whiled way our time wandering through the quiet streets, admiring the architecture, wandering the markets and enjoying the plethera of good restaurants, particularly on the riverfront. Many of the restaurants are housed on old buildings and enjoy good views. One of the key things Hoi An is known for is its tailoring trade. There are small weaving mills clattering away in the quiet side streets and also shops everywhere, offering to make you a suit for $30 in 24 hours. We were constantly hassled by people asking us to go in to their store "just for 1 minute". You know as well as we do that once they get you in there they will do anything to stop you leaving - so we took the wise course of action and just didn't browse around too much. However, we did get some replacement clothes made for travelling with, as our others can just about stand up on their own! Handmade shorts, T-Shirts, blouses and shirts set us back only around US$40 for the lot!. The tailors are more than willing to bring them to your hotel for a fitting and any alterations are done within the hour. This is the kind of service we like!! There seems to be no let up in the temperate - 30 degrees by 9am - and the humidity has you dripping throughout the day as it reacghes nearly 40 in the afternoon. We know that the weather hasn't done a great impression of a summer in the UK, but we really are looking forward to a little respite soon and hope for a good UK summer in the mid 20's. Next stop on the tour through Vietnam is Hue.