FIRST, THE FACTS!
Some of you know that Hoi An, Vietnam has a special place in the hearts of Michelle and I. Today I’m going to do my best in this blog to explain what it is about this small city that has endeared it to us so much and made it quite possibly our favorite place to visit in the the whole world!
First, let me give you the facts about Hoi An that drives most tourists to come here.
- In 1999, “UNESCO” listed the city of Hoi An as a cultural heritage site and was included in the “World Heritage List“. What is the “World Heritage List” and why is it important? Well, “World Heritage” is the designation for places on Earth that are of outstanding universal value to humanity. As such, these unique places have been inscribed on the World Heritage List to be protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy! A few examples of places on this list are, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Taj Mahal in India, the Grand Canyon in the USA, and since 1999, Hoi An, Vietnam! So to be placed on this list immediately gives that location notoriety as somewhere special to visit, experience, and appreciate. A lot of people come here each year simply because Hoi An’s on this list!
- Hoi An’s history is what makes it special, and its well preserved buildings is what brings that history to life. Throughout Hoi An’s Ancient town which sits along the Thu Bon River, over 1100 timber frame buildings can be seen that date back to the 1700’s. There is also an 18th century Japanese wooden covered bridge with a pagoda on it that is currently being restored. It’s recently been dismantled piece by piece and will be restored and reassembled in the very near future. We’ve seen this bridge the last two times we were here, but were surprised this time when we realized that this restoration is taking place. Here is a picture of what it looked like until recently.
- At one time from the late 1500s to the end of the 1700s, Hoi An was the most important trade port in the South China Sea! During this period, it was a vital hub for commerce, connecting European merchants with their Asian counterparts. Traders from China, Japan, and Portugal left their indelible marks on the town throughout a diverse array of architectural patterns that are still visible to this day. (In the early 1800s, Da Nang, a city roughly 30 kilometers to the north of Hoi An took over as the trade port capital in Vietnam)
- Another event that brings tourists to Hoi An is the “Lantern Festival”, a renowned cultural even in Hoi An. This vibrant and enchanting festival is held on the 14th day of each lunar month when the moon is at its brightest and is a celebration of light, color and tradition. During the festival, a stunning display of thousands of lanterns illuminate the ancient town and the serene Thu Bon River. As the sun sets, the town’s streets come alive with the soft glow of lanterns. One of the highlights is the ritual of releasing floating lanterns on the Thu Bon River, symbolizing the sending away of worries and bad luck, and welcoming good fortune! To be honest, the official festival is held on the 14th day of each lunar month, but because of all the tourists, this event seems to me to have become somewhat of a nightly event. I could spend a lot of this blog trying to describe how truly beautiful it is. But I think a few pictures will do a better job of illustrating my point…
- Another reason tourists flock to Hoi An is because of the myriad of tailor shops, leather goods and shoe stores. Vietnamese craftsmen and women will tailor make any type of clothing you might desire, and will do it for a very affordable price! They also make leather bags, jackets and shoes that are made especially for you! This week Michelle and I both had leather bags for traveling, 2 sets of sandals, and 2 pairs of shorts made at a fraction of what it would have cost back in the USA. It’s also very quick! If you order it today, in most cases they will have it ready for you in a day or two. Prices are negotiable and the storekeepers expect a little bit of haggling so they will at first quote a higher price, but will often come down quite a bit depending on your mastery of the bargaining process. (Some tourists are masters of bargaining and the haggling will go on for quite a while, sometimes ending with either the tourist walking away because the price didn’t come down low enough, or the store owner will accept the lower price and the transaction will proceed. I have to admit that I don’t normally push it that far. I offer a price that I’m comfortable paying, most of the time just a little lower than what the store owner wanted. If I get it for that price, I’m happy even though I know someone else probably could have gotten it cheaper). I figure life is too short and I’m still getting a very good deal!
- Lastly, the cost of living here is very inexpensive for everything! A 90 minute hot stone massage will set you back about $15.00 USD. An iced black coffee costs $0.69 USD. A beer at a restaurant with a nice view along the river will cost a little over $1.00 USD. Michelle and I are on a budget, but we don’t deny ourselves anything while we are in Vietnam and we find that we simply can’t spend all of the money that’s in our budget envelopes. At the end of the month, there is always money left over! We’ve eaten out, or had food delivered every meal during our stay here (it’s cheaper to eat out or have it delivered than it is to cook at home) and yet we still have money not spent at the end of the month. A nice hotel will cost a little over $32.00 USD per night. Our SIM card for our cell phone plan costs us $6.00 USD per month and that includes 1GB per day of data. In Vietnam, it’s easy to live like royalty for Westerners without coming anywhere near breaking the bank.
NOW, THE FEELINGS!
Hoi An, Vietnam is one place that it’s almost impossible for me to come up with anything negative about! The people are by far the sweetest, most genuinely nice, and friendliest in the world in our opinion. Let me give you an example…
In the picture above, I am standing next to one of our friends here in Hoi An. The young lady next to me is named Trang Huyen (she tells us to call her Huyen, pronounced “Wynn”), and she and her family own the local shop that we go to most days to buy our necessities like milk, water and toiletries. Huyen has 2 daughters and she lives with her husband, and her parents at the same location where her store is. We met her last year and got to know her well. She always greets us with a smile and has tried her best to teach me a few Vietnamese words, although I’m not a very good student! Anyway, about a week after Michelle and I arrived in Hoi An, Michelle came down with a cold and wasn’t able to go to the gym with me one day. As I was walking to the gym, I passed by Huyen’s store and she asked me why my wife wasn’t with me. When I told her that Michelle was sick and was back at the hotel, she seemed very concerned and told me that she hopes Michelle will feel better soon. (I thought it was very nice that she thought enough to say that!) After finishing at the gym and walking home, I passed by Huyen’s store again. She came to the front and asked me to come in. I thought she might just want to talk for a minute, but immediately she picked up a box of ginger tea and handed it to me. She told me that the tea would help Michelle to feel better! I was a little embarrassed because I didn’t have any money with me, so I told her that my money was back at the hotel She said, “Don’t worry. I give it to you!”. Then she asked me if Michelle and I had actual ginger root back at the hotel. I told her that we didn’t, so she asked her mother to cut me some and then gave it to me. She explained that I should cut the ginger up and add it to the tea!
I was so touched by this because I know that Huyen and her family are not that well off financially, yet she cared enough about us that she gave us a box of tea simply because she wanted to help us! A day or two later, I bought a few items at her store and gave her a little more money than what she charged me, and told her to keep the change. She wouldn’t accept it! She said, “No, I don’t want you to do that. I give you change!” In other words, she wanted the tea she had given us to be a gift from her, and not for us to pay her back for it. Huyen is always friendly to us and we see her most days when we walk by her store. She is always smiling and friendly and is genuinely a very nice person.
And she is just one of many nice people in Hoi An!
Several times, while here in Hoi An, we’ve had Vietnamese people come up to us when it looked like we were lost or needed help. They’ve offered to help translate for us if we were having difficulties communicating with the locals. (This is a very rare problem but has happened once or twice). They’ve also walked up to us and asked us if we needed help with directions if we were stopped looking at google maps trying to figure out which way to go! They are always so nice and friendly. It’s very hard to be in a bad mood here because the Vietnamese people are just so darn nice!
The name “Hoi An” translates as “peaceful meeting place” from Sino-Vietnamese, and I don’t think it could have been named any better! The town is peaceful and laid back. Coffee shops, restaurants, massage spas, clothing and leather stores, and mom and pop convenience stores line the streets of Hoi An. In the Ancient part of the city which is found along the Thu Bon river and is the most “touristy” part of the city, restaurants and bars and coffee shops (along with souvenier stores and night markets) line the riverfront. Here you can pay for a boat tour along the river, get driven around on a “Cyclo”, or hang out and just “people watch”.
The surrounding area of Hoi An is also peaceful (to include the gym that Michelle and I have been going to!)
Oh, and did I mention there is also a peaceful beach within a short 10 minute bicycle ride? It’s called An Bang Beach.
What is it about Hoi An for me that makes it special? That list is long! The people – the sights – the sounds – the smells – the activity – the peacefulness – the motor scooters everywhere – the children that we hear say “HELLO!” to us as we walk down their street! All of this makes it a special place and has endeared it to our hearts! But mostly it’s the people! The Vietnamese people here make it special.
I hope they never change!
Have a great day everyone and safe travels!
We are related but is our favourite place in the world too Randy 😃♥️. Love mum and dad.
Thanks Dad! 🙂