Hoi An

Hoi An was our next stop. It’s on the coast near Da Nang and about an hour’s plane ride from Hanoi. The drive from the airport to the hotel showed us a very long sandy beach with an enormous amount of building going on for resort hotels and apartments. Some efforts seem to be proceeding well, but others have clearly run out of money, as the half-built structures attest.

It is still quite cool here, about 15 degrees with a fairly stiff breeze. We have our own villa again that looks out onto the beach. It would be idyllic if the weather was warmer - since we have been here, a red flag has been flying on the beach showing that it is unsafe to swim. There are three pools in the complex - two are unheated, but one feels like bath water - the thought of undressing in the frigid air, does put you off wanting to take a dip! Our villa is quite large with two seating areas and a bed placed in the centre of the room. There is also a large soaking tub by one of the seating areas! We also have a his and her’s dressing area, two sinks and a separate shower, plus an outdoor shower in a private courtyard - not too shabby at all!

We went into the town of Hoi An today which is a world heritage site. It’s a nice little tourist town beside a river. There are some old parts such as a Japanese bridge which dates from 1780, a house that has been in the same family for about 300 years. The ladies of the house do amazing embroidery and we were persuaded to buy a tablecloth and napkins - such pushovers! Otherwise there are lots of tourist shops, some nice restaurants, a big market and a number of places where you can get a suit made in 24 hours. Along the river there are lots of boats offering cruises along the waterfront.

The New Year here falls on Feb 16 this year, so we have seen lots of preparations taking place - lanterns being hung, street lights and flags etc. Beside the roads we have seen lots of places selling peach blossom trees, yellow chrysanthemums, kumquat trees and trees bearing very large grapefruit. We think these are all to do with the festival in some way.Read more