After a particularly long (and painful on the butt cheeks) drive, we pulled in to HộiAn as night fell. Hội An is particularly famous for its beautifully well-preserved old town – an eclectic mix of old faded yellow walls, trendy cafes, traditional architecture and temples dotted throughout the streets. Old colonial buildings blend into a sea of paper lanterns and bicycles.
I stopped at CoCo Box for a breakfast smoothie before wandering around the streets of the old town.
Another aspect of Hội An’s fame is the plethora of seamstresses and shops that will craft you a tailor made suit or dress. However, if you’re of a curvier frame, anticipate that they may attempt to charge you extra “because it takes more material, and you large”. Gee, thanks! Insulted by one too many seamstresses, I opted instead to spend my money on a silk scarf.
I explored colourful temples, passing song birds in cages hung up on the walls and trees full of bright pink flower blossoms
then darting in and out of “ancient houses” and walking across the iconic Japanese bridge that was originally constructed in around 1590.
After exploring the houses and bridge, I made my way down to the river, where boats and decorations floated on the surface.
The real magic though, happens at dusk when all the coloured lanterns in the town come to life
and people set off candles down the flowing water of the river.
If you can navigate the dense crowds and steer away from the tourist tack shops, you can find some beautiful corners of the old town to enjoy.
After all the walking around, I settled down to a delicious bowl of traditional (vegetarian) Cao Lau noodles, a regional dish popular in the Quảng Nam Province.
You can watch my Hội An vlog here.
The Gypsy Heart Travels 