Vietnam - Hoi An

18th - 23rd January 2016

Internal flights in Vietnam can be picked up cheaply with a return flight to Da Nang only costing just over £50rtn including checked baggage and seat assignment.  The hour flight bounced past the cumulonimbus before emerging into the coastal town of Da Nang.


The weather was different here on arrival, mostly overcast and a lot cooler, but still pleasant enough as we made our way to the resort through Da Nang city passing by the financial district and a couple of impressively illuminated bridges.  The city was evidently much more modern and vibrant than I had expected.

Checking into the Muca Spa Resort (£20pppn), we were both impressed by the quiet location, and just how well managed the hotel was.  Hardly an authentic Vietnamese experience, but they did offer a variety of massages, and a decent Vietnamese menu selection in the restaurant area set on an extended stilted area under ambient lighting and typically mood enhancing music.

The hotel was particularly accommodating in that bikes were available for hire free of charge for the 4.5km cycle into town along the main road that passed along the paddy fields before disappearing into the melee of the town.


Wandering through on the first day, it was evident that this was a real market town, stalls narrowing the streets garnished with fresh produce with a complete range of foods from herbs and vegetables, to fresh fish and live chickens.







Aware that Hoi An is prodigously touristic, there was a palpable feel of village life here, where markets line up alongside the river where locals would commute across to the Cua Dai peninsular.



The historic centre is closed to traffic for the majority of the day, but is packed with tourists visiting the many temples, museums, and cultural living quarters the combination of which have declared Hoi An as a UNESCO World Heritage site.




There are many influences that have carved out a deep cultural heritage making this area an really interesting place to visit.



The evening hours have a completely different feel.  Restaurants begin to bustle as do the bars infested with tourists making the most of the cheap beer and great food.  The stalls continue to ply their trade with the technicoloured lanterns illuminating thoroughfares as passersby enjoy the ambience of a vibrant carnivalesque Viet-scape,




Comments

  1. fantastic, I had no idea that you had been away. Off to read the older posts too!

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  2. Hey Jono! Sorry for the late reply. Yes was an amazing trip which I totally recommend. If you fly with Vietnam Airlines, you'll also get your fill of Dreamliners too :-) Thanks for your comments. Would be great to catch up sometime.

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