Hoi An

We flew from Nha Trang up to Danang on Wednesday (9 September).This took an hour and then we took a taxi down to the UNESCO World Heritage listed town of Hoi An.Several friends have told us how this is their favourite part of Vietnam and now we know why.It is a small town of some 80,000 people and its central area is closed to cars.Restaurants, bars and shops (including some 500 tailors!) are housed in buildings dating back to the early 19th century, with Asian and European influences.It truly is a fascinating place.

Well it is now Sunday (13 September) and we are just waiting to be picked up from our hotel for the drive back up to Danang and our train ride to Hue which is 2 ½ hours north.

We have really enjoyed our stay in Hoi An and have been checking out accommodation to come back here next year for a longer visit.We spent our time eating and drinking in the local cafes and restaurants, chatting to the friendly locals, walking the streets of the old town and visiting some of the heritage buildings.

We did a tour to Son My which is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and the ruins of a Cham Temple.It is situated 55kms west of Hoi An so we went up by bus and returned by boat (unfortunately the scenery was nowhere near that of the Mekong) with a compulsory tour stop at a local woodcarving village on its own island.The tour guide was extremely happy as of course there is always a gullible tourist who is willing to part with his money - in this case, a particular Aussie who purchased a 3 metre high Buddha!! Of course, it will be just what he wanted when he gets it home, especially when he has to get it through Border Patrol at customs!!

Son My was interesting but many of the towers were badly destroyed by the American War. The site dates back to the 4th century and is set in a lush green valley with streams running through and many coffee plantations nearby.Unfortunately on our visit, the weather was around 35C with 85% humidity - this was by far the hottest day of our trip and we had to admit that it was extremely hard to stay motivated and really appreciate our surroundings.