9/19/10 - 9/21/10 (hue)

Hue – Hoi An

Our friend, Ross, had given us an itinerary of highlights to see while in Vietnam and one of them was the drive from Hue to Danang called the Hai Van Pass. We took his advice  and hired a car and driver to take us down to Hoi An. Our first stop was Lang Co Beach with white sand and crystal clear water. Regrettably we didn’t have our bathing suits on but dipped our feet in the cool ocean water. Next we drove along the pass with views of the mountain on one side and the South China Sea on the other. It was a pretty drive and parts of it reminded us California. Our last stop before Hoi An was supposed to be the marble mountains but we were feeling tired and hot and decided to head straight toward Hoi An. Along the way we passed Danang, the third largest city in Vietnam. It was a weird stretch of the road as there were tons of half built resorts along the ocean. One property was about thirty percent built and had a for sale sign on it. I guess Danang also felt the economic crunch.

We arrived at Hoang Trinh Hotel in Hoi An and were warmly greeted by the staff. Over the last three days the staff took extremely good care of us. Everyone knew what room we stayed in, what we did each day, and when we were leaving. Each time we returned to the hotel the staff greeted us with the warmest smiles. At first we were a bit thrown off by their attentiveness but then realized they were an extremely efficient and friendly team. They cleaned our room while we were having breakfast and in the afternoon they offered yogurt as a snack. Their breakfast selection was also amazing with a full plate of fruit each morning. Upon our departure they gave each of us a little souvenir and waved from the hotel as we got into the car. Overall in terms of hospitality it was one of the nicest places we have stayed at during our travels and highly recommend it to anyone.

Our lovely stay at the hotel complimented the quaint town of Hoi An. The town reminded me a lot of Luang Prabang with its old French buildings and a river running through it. Open-air restaurants line both sides of the river and shops. It is estimated that there are more than 300 tailors in Hoi An and you can give them a picture of any outfit and they can replicate it. We wished we had been more on our game and visited a tailor to make Jon a tux since it is much more reasonably priced here. This is also an area where cars and motorbikes are not allowed which makes for a pleasant stroll since you aren’t worried about being run over by vehicles, though you still have to watch out for bicyclists. 

On our second day we rented a bike and rode to the beach. On our first day we didn’t plan very well as we didn’t bring towels or bathing suits. We were just planning on riding out to the beach to check it out. But it was so hot that we decided to relax on lounge chairs enjoying the peacefulness at Cua Dai Beach. Later that night we walked around town checking out the shops. It was the day before the full moon festival so there were lion dances all over town. There were young group of boys rolling around town with a drum and lion outfits getting money donations from shop owners and tourists. The older boys had more elaborate outfits with neon lights and one group even had a bamboo stick for the lion to climb up on. It was quite a spectacle as the performances drew large crowds and caused many traffic jams. What was also really pretty were the laterns on the rooftop of each of the shops. The laterns gave the area a historic sentimental feel.

The next day Jon woke up early in the morning to join a photo shoot walking tour. The tour was led by a French photographer who has lived in Hoi An for three years. They visited fishing villages just as the sun was rising and the fishermen were getting going for the day. He also went to a fish sauce factory, which probably doesn’t make anyone a fan of the sauce seeing how it’s made. The French photographer recommended a more secluded beach called An Bang Beach. This time we were much more prepared and enjoyed an afternoon at the beach. Jon tried to take a nap but the winds were howling so loudly that he had to wear his headphones. We returned to our hotel to get ready for the festival. We weren’t quite sure what happens at the festival but envisioned big celebrations and lion dances. We arrived at a place for dinner that had a balcony so we could see the festivities along the river. Towards the end of dinner all the shops turned off their front lights and all the street lights were turned off. We were sure the festivities would start soon but nothing happened. After dinner we sat along the river waiting as more and more people filtered onto the streets. We were sure then something was going to happen but nothing did. At 9pm we decided there weren’t going to be any fireworks or big celebrations. The festivity was turning off the lights so people could enjoy the full moon.

We decided to head back to our hotel. On our way back to the hotel there was a huge traffic jam. Apparently the celebration was happening there as a lion troop was in the middle of an intersection for a brief performance. Everyone was stuck in place. We hopped over motorbikes to get back to our place. It was the most congested scene we had ever seen. As we arrived at our hotel the staff was waiting at the door to make sure the guests arrived home safely.