From Hanoi we took an over-night train to central Vietnam. We shared the compartment with a couple who were traveling across Asia on a three month tour. It was nice to hear about their adventures and swap stories.
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| Hue |
We got off the train in Hue and spent a delightful 24 hours in this up-and-coming town. We did a motorcycle tour of Hue and the surrounding area. It was truly a cultural experience being on the back of a motorcycle on the Vietnamese roads!
The highlights of Hue are the old citadel, which surrounds the
Imperial City. It is a sprawling area full of temples and houses and elephants and gardens. We were there over an hour, but it wasn't enough! Then we headed out of town and toured several tombs, the
Thien Mu Pagoda and a village where they make incense sticks.
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| Incense sticks |
In the evening we took a walk through the night market, along the Perfume River. You can get everything thing from fried fish to flip flops to keychains. There was something for everyone, and everyone was there! Young kids came up to us and asked to have their photo taken, teenagers played guitar and sang around a camp fire, grandmothers haggled over the price of a new shirt.
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| Hoi An |
From Hue we headed down to
Hoi An. I could write volumes about the loveliness that is Hoi An, and I'm sure others have. It is a picturesque town with a meandering river running through it and a beach only a bike ride away. It is a Unesco World Heritage Site. We spent four days here, but I could have easily filled four more!
There are two beaches to explore, there are nearly 500 tailors to visit and have yourself fitted out with some cool looking and well priced new dresses/skirt/suits/shirts/whatever you want, check out the old town with its many museums and temples, take a cooking class (I can recommend
Red Bridge), spend a few hours at
Reaching Out where you will be inspired by the women and men who work with this charity, eat some of the most mouth-watering food available in the world.
Hoi An was, in a nutshell, everything I had wanted Vietnam to be. It was peaceful and intelligent and caring and bright and fun and open and delicious and friendly and sunny....Looking at the photos I think "Wish I was here".
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| Tomb of Khai Dinh, Hue |
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| Thien Mu Pagoda |
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| Lanterns, Hoi An |
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| Son Cafe, Hoi An |
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| Hoi An |
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