Hoi An

We got the bus to the ancient town of Hoi An which is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. It is a small town which is famous for its lanterns which cover the town. It is so pretty at night and you can light a candle and set it down on a water lantern, you make a wish and put it on the river that runs through the town (the lady then hooks it back in and sells it again ha, ha!). We walked around the town and took in some of the local temples and the museum. They have a craft centre here where they make all the souvenirs and the lanterns.

We went on a trip to a place called My Son which are temples built by the Champas who ruled Central Vietnam from c200AD to c1700AD until finally annexed by the Vietnamese in the 19th Century. The Vietnamese still don't know how the temples were built as they used a building technique of stacking bricks without using any visible kind of grout. The building suffered badly from bombing in the war but many of the structures still stand strong.

Hoi An was very pretty and famous for tailor made clothes, you could get anything you wanted and if you ever go here on holiday take an extra empty suitcase!! We found the shop owners quite full on and a bit of a pest which was a shame as we may have stayed a little longer if it wasn't for the constant hounding! Next stop another over night bus to Nha Trang!

Things we learned:

• Hoi an is famous for tailoring and you can get anything made

• The central town historical sites are shops...not historical sites.

• It rains a lot!

• There wasn't that much to learn..!