Vietnam > The trading town of Hoi An

I have breakfast early in the large breakfast hall. To my surprise, there is hardly any space left. Apparently, all the tour groups leave exactly at seven o’clock. Today we have the beautiful coastal route from Hué to Danang on the program—a route with several mountain passes offering stunning views of the sea and lagoons. But… that all depends on the weather.

Vietnam - A fishing boat on the Perfume River near Hue

It is cloudy and mostly misty, though fortunately it is dry. We leave Hué on Highway 1. Due to the misty weather, there is not much to see of the view. The humidity is incredibly high. Everything feels a bit damp. When I occasionally wipe the fogged-up windows, I can see the sea and notice that we are slowly climbing into the mountains. Unfortunately, there is not much to see. At a resort, we stop for coffee. By now, it has started to rain. The thatched roofs over the terrace cannot withstand the water and begin to leak. We quickly “escape” inside. The beautiful beach looks desolate. With this weather, it does not make sense to drive the mountain pass—the view is too limited. Therefore, we decide to take the six-kilometer-long tunnel through the mountain toward Danang. After that, it is still 35 kilometers to Hoi An. When we enter Hoi An, it is dry. First, we visit a handicraft workshop where silk is produced and processed. It is interesting to see how silk is made, but the emphasis is always clearly on sales. Outside, in front of the door, we wait until everyone has finished shopping. Around half past twelve, we arrive at the hotel. Hoi An is an old trading town where many colonial powers established their own quarters with their characteristic architectural styles.

Vietnam - A simple fishing boat

After the river silted up, Hoi An became less popular as a port. Many houses were damaged during wars between different colonial powers. The town center is small and authentic. Walking through Hoi An, I imagine myself back in the old VOC days, though I have to mentally remove all the other tourists from the scene. Many of the old houses are now occupied by tailors. In Hoi An, you can have ready-made clothing made cheaply, often within 24 hours. In the afternoon, we walk to the old harbor. It is dry, but many puddles remain on the streets. At one of the small restaurants, we have a tuna sandwich (very tasty!), and for the rest of the afternoon, we wander through the streets with shops. We visit the local market and have a beer on a terrace. We end the day with dinner on a rooftop terrace of a restaurant by the harbor.