Hoi An

Hoi An is a town of Vietnamese heritage. It was orginally know as Faifo, set on the Thu Bon River it was an international trading port since the 17th century. It has lots of narrow roads lanes and many ancient buildings depicting arctectural influences of Chinese, Japanese, and European. It also served as local medical destination since the 18th century where they began some of the early practices of taking vital signs and other practices that we would consider "western" and incorporated them with traditional herbal remidies.

The old town section of Hoi An has been designated a UNESCO world heritage site. Anyway enough of the history lesson. The town is beautiful and a stop not to be missed on a tour of Vietnam. Yesterday I toured many of the ancient houses, cultural museums and some of the local art and craft making centers. All of the older buildings have been beautifully preserved especially considering the get annual floods that can get as high as two meters, necessitating a boat to get around town. The heritage museum I found to be the most interesting - which talked about the history of the people of Hoi An the migration to the valley and the various stages of their economic development - from a small farming community to a large trade center.

I was unable to find an evening cooking class that was making anything different than spring rolls and fried fish, the morning class seemed to be a bit better. Hopefully, I will find a place in Hanoi.

Finally Hoi An is also known for their tailoring, there are probably one hundred tailor shops scattered throughout the city. The tailors will make anything from a traditional Vietnamese outfit to a three piece suit.

This was a really nice town for a change of pace from HCMC. There were less motorbikes and most people walked. I found the best Vietnamese restaraunt so far and was able to relax enjoy a few drinks and watch the sunset.

Well I am off this morning to Hue the old political capital of Vietnam which is a few hours a way - with a brief stop in Marble Mountain when it is light this time. I should be flying to Hanoi tonight to finish up my last few days in Vietnam then on to Laos.