Hoian

We left Hanoi this morning to fly to Da Nang and then a transfer to Hoian. First impressions are not that favourable. I thought this was going to be a cute little country town but after leaving the airport there was no country side to see at all before we arrived at the hotel.

The receptionist gave us such a long list of activities we could do in Hoian it made our heads spin. We just want to light a lantern and look at the old building.

Went looking for some lunch after check in and found Bahn Mi, just a little cafe but packed with people of all ages. Bread and I are not really friends anymore but I tried one and it was delicious and I can see why it’s the perfect lunch although I did pay for it later.

After a rest in the hottest part of the day we headed off again to look at the river, got bombarded with lantern boat sellers before we even stepped on the walkway. It was exhausting. Finally we sat down to have a couple of drinks near the river after Graham told one of the boatmen we’d come over after a drink. He didn’t take his eyes off us the whole time.

It was a bit kitschy, but a nice little 20 minute ride down the river, we lit a lantern and floated them off, mine took three goes to stay lit. It’s quite here at the moment apparently, can’t imagine what’s it like when it’s busy.

There is a big French influence in Vietnam so we decided to try a French restaurant someone recommended to us. It’s a short grab ride away and was fabulous surprise.Läs mer