We flew with VietAir on Wednesday 30th for Hoi An. The flight lands in Da Nang, a then a taxi to Hoi An which is about 20 - 30 mins.

Our hotel is located at the end of the road on the river about 20 min walk into the old part of town - a little further out than what I was expecting, but a taxi ride only costs about 60 000 VD ($3.60) which is well worth it in the humid whether.

Walking around the markets - they are crazy busy, lots of food, cloths, leather products and lanterns every where, and stall holders trying to entice you to buy stuff from them. The place is more rustic than Saigon and it takes a little more effort to find some where to eat.

Robs main purchase for the holiday was a new pair of work shoes, so we found a shop to get some made. And a new purchase for the century - Rob made the decision to buy a new wallet!! a nice new leather one. His old one was 42 years old, so this one will out last him maybe.

The first night in Hoi An we booked a few tours - Friday 1st we are off to Ba Na hills, Sunday 3rd - My Son ancient temple, and Tuesday 5th we will see Hue and the Hai Van pass.

On Friday our trip to Ba Na hill was interesting - known as "Disney land of Vietnam. We stopped on the way to see some marble carving, amazingly intricate, the men do the main carving with grinders and chisels and the women do the polishing - because they have more patients is what the guide said :). the history of Bana Hills began as a hill station and resort made by the French in 1919. Ba Na was stumbled upon by a French captain named Debay who was looking for a suitable site to build a resort. After that, the colonial government invested heavily in the place, turning it into a top holiday destination, we were certainly the minority there, this place is loved by the Chinese and Vietnamese, It was a bit of fun. The cable car is meant to be one of the longest in the world! took 15 mins from one point to another, a couple of 4D pictures and a look around the place, with some nice gardens to see, a big Buddah and pargoda. The guide said it is about 90% new and 10% old. There is a alot of construction going on so a visit in 5 years it will be twice as big!

Sunday 3/9/23 we had an early start getting up at 5AM to catch a tour to the My Son Sancturary (pronounced Me Sun). This is a UNESCO heritage site of a Hindu temple constructed in the 4th to 14th century by the Champa people. Having huge religious significance with the Champa Kings. t some stage a King married a Vietnamese girl, and the empire was taken over, so the Champa people fled. There are only a couple of families remaining in the world with the Champa blood line. The original temple were built of wood but were distroyed by fire and in the 7th century rebuilt in stone. How they were built is not really known as there is no morta between the bricks, they sit flat on each other. The king also had a very big fascination with phelic symbols!

It took a great took a great deal of damage from the US bombers during the Vietnam war, and was distroyed leaving bomb craters, bullet holes in the walls.

Our guide "Van" was an interesting character himself. On the hour trip back to the Hotel he told us the whole history of the wars of Vietnam, from the French colonial, the Chinese, US & Cambodia. He said we are friends with US now as Vietnam need them as allies, and we still don't trust the Chinese. .As a 77 yr old man he was very proud to tell us he had been a guide for more than 20 yrs. In his young days in the early 1960's he studied English at School and Uni, and became an interpreter for the US army during the Vietnam war. His said this was a very smart move as it kept him away from the front line. However, it wasn't without peril, at the end of the war in 1976 with the capture of Saigon he was considered an enemy for his work with the US army and was put in a camp for 2 years, lost over 14kg in weight. When he was freed a US army personal invited him freedom in USA. He refused saying Vietnam is my home. He had not seen his wife for 2 years, when he walked up the path, a former of himself his wife ran inside and shut the door, as she thought he was a ghost and didn't believe he was alive.

Tuesday 5/9/23 we headed on a tour to Hue which took us through the Hai Van pass, which is approximately 21-kilometre long mountain pass on National Route 1 in Vietnam. It traverses a spur of the larger Annamite Range that juts into the South China Sea. Its name refers to the mists that rise from the sea, reducing visibility, which it certainly lived up to its name sake during our trip.

We had a quick stop at a village near a lake that had fishing and oyster growing industry, where the toilets were conveniently located at the back of pearl jewellery shops!

We arrives at the Imperial City which is a walled enclosure within the city of Huế, established as the capital of Vietnam between 1802 - 1833, Hue was the most important centre for political affairs and daily activities of cultural and religious activities under the Nguyen dynasty until 1945. The imperial city consists of 147 architectural structures, including the palaces that housed the Emperor's family, along with living quarters where his concubines and eunuchs lived and worked. There were also shrines, gardens, and villas. The walls have four gates with three arches - the Emperor always walked through the middle arch, men entered on the left and women on the right. Today it houses 10 tombs of the 13 Emperor's. 3 are not buried there as 2 died as "normal" people, and the 13th Emperor lived his life and died in France.

Our Guide had an amazing knowledge of the imperial history, and was clever at twisting the story to make us think about it.

During the French colonial period it mostly served as a ceremonial function area. After the end of the monarchy in 1945, it suffered heavy damage and neglect during the Indochina Wars through the 1980s.

The Citadel came under fire again in the early morning of January 31, 1968. As part of the force of the People's Army of Vietnam and Viet Cong soldiers launched a coordinated attack on Huế, seizing most of the city. During the initial phases of the "Battle of Huế", due to Huế's religious and cultural status, United States Army troops were ordered not to bomb or shell the city, for fear of destroying the historic structures; but as casualties mounted in house-to-house fighting, these restrictions were progressively lifted and the fighting caused substantial damage to the Imperial City.

The Imperial City was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 and is undergoing restoration.

The day finished with a climb up 120 steps to see the Emporer's shrine. All the Royal Tombs of the Nguyen Emperors were built, planned in accordance with the philosophy of Oriental Feng Shui with: Mountain - Rivers, Mountains in Front for Screen and on the Back for Reclining Throne, Dragon on the Left and Tiger on the Right for Holy Protection.

Then we headed back to Hoi An arriving at the Hotel just after 7PM. An amazing 12 hour day filled with history and memories.

Off to Hanoi tomorrow.