We spent two and a half days in Hoi An, a small south Vietnamese town on the coast that was known as a trading center in the 16th and 17th centuries and today is very popular tourist and backpacking destination. After waking up at the crack of dawn on Friday morning, we made our way out of Singapore (with overweight luggage in hand) and arrived in Danang in South Vietnam. Danang is the third largest city in Vietnam with a population of approximately 1 million people. It has a reputation for being much more peaceful than the bigger and more bustling cities in Vietnam. On the 30 minute bus ride from Danang to Hoi An, we stopped at China Beach, the well known spot where the first U.S. combat troops arrived in Vietnam to defend the American air base at Danang.
We are staying in a resort on the beach right outside of the old part of town. It is an amazing resort (thank you Travel MBA) but right outside its gates and luscious green manicured lawns, palm trees, and beautiful buildings there is a great deal of poverty. It’s unsettling to be staying in this resort where everything is handed to me on a silver platter when I just have to look across the street and see a family living in a rundown shack. As Americans, much of how are we defined is by the physical objects we own and we dwell on what we don’t have in our possession. Our materialism consumes our lives. We let it influence our behavior towards our family, friends, and how we think about our accomplishments and ourselves. In only a short glimpse into life in Hoi An, I am astounded and inspired by the joy and warmth that emanates from the people here. Despite their lack of material possessions they are happy people. They laugh, they hug (maybe it’s because I’m buying the entire town?), and they play with each other. It’s an incredible sight to see. I had a conversation with one of the taxi drivers about moving to the U.S. where some of his family moved to a while back. He said he knows there is a lot of opportunity there but he doesn’t want to leave Hoi An. It’s his home and he is happy there. I told him Americans think the grass is always greener on the other side and then ensued a conversation about what that means. That was an interesting saying to have to explain given the language barrier. I think I passed the test because he eventually nodded and smiled.
After resting a bit on the first day, we headed in to the town to walk around. The first thing I really noticed about the town is the crazy traffic as people on motorbikes, regular bikes and cars zipped past me. We were told it’s going to be much worse in Ho Chi Minh. The second thing I noticed is that all of the women and some of the men on the bikes wear facemasks. Our tour guide told us the people wear masks to protect themselves from inhaling the polluted air and to protect their skin from the strong sun in this part of the world. At first, I couldn’t really smell anything different in the air but after a few hours I did notice that the air was dustier and smokier, probably from all of the vehicles.
The town itself is a mix of ancient and modern, with dilapidated buildings and houses right next to renovated buildings that have been turned into restaurants, hotels, art galleries, and shops. Most buildings are built in French architectural, painted different crazy colors. We walked around and Marla, Jonathan, Matt and I sat in a café overlooking the street for lunch. We wanted to get away from the group a little since it can definitely be stifling. In the late afternoon, we returned to the hotel to rest and get ready for dinner. Dinner was at Brother’s Café, a huge restaurant that was completely deserted when we went. They had a set menu for us, which I thoroughly enjoyed with a glass of wine. The evening was easy going and we headed back to the hotel to call it an early night (we woke up at 4:30am).
Day 2 Hoi An, Vietnam
Karen and I woke up at 6am on our second day in Hoi An. I’m not so great with the jetlag. The hotel has an amazing buffet with a mix of Western and Asian foods. I didn’t come on this trip to eat the same food I eat at home so I ate the traditional breakfast food of Vietnam, Pho, which is chicken/beef/seafood broth with meat, noodles, and some vegetables. It’s a very simple meal but extremely satisfying. I used to eat it a lot in college at Pho places near campus and I don’t think I’ve eaten it since.
After breakfast, a group of us took a taxi into town to for a Vietnamese cooking class at a restaurant called High Café. We instantly bonded with the chef who was hysterical and kept making lewd comments. He told us that a few weeks ago, Elliot Spitzer was there with his family and he gave him a cooking lesson. That kind of opened the door for more lewd jokes from all of us. In general, there were plenty of dirty mouths to go around.
Each of us had a chance to help him cook one dish – Spring Rolls, Squid Salad and Grilled Fish in Banana Leaves. Then we got to eat everything we made plus some other dishes he cooked up for us. My favorite was the squid salad (this is the one I helped with) so I hope I can make it back in Durham. Let’s hope squid isn’t expensive. There was this all in one utensil for grating, cutting and shredding veggies that was awesome so a bunch of us bought them in the market in town later for around $1. As my friend Lisa would say, Ah-mazing (I love you Lisa).
After lunch we walked to the central market in Hoi An. The central market is the big market there where the locals buy all of their produce and then there are also stalls for the tourists with t-shirts, jewelry and other trinkets. I bought 6 pashmina scarves for $20 total, cheap earrings, and little bowls that I can use for laying out cooking ingredients. I’ve been looking for those bowls in the U.S. but I can never bring myself to pay for them since I think I’m being ripped off at Target.
Hoi An has a ridiculous quantity of tailoring shops and is known for being a place where tourists come and get clothes made for them, tailored for their body. It’s amazing. You walk in to a place and either tell them what you want from looking in a fashion magazine or one of their already completed pieces or you can bring in a piece of clothing you own for them to copy. Then you pick out the fabric you want from the hundreds they have, get measured and show up that afternoon or the next day to pick up your clothes. The prices are absurdly cheap. I paid $15 each for two pairs of linen pants made specifically according to my measurements. A few people have had suits made for around $100 that they would buy in the U.S. for hundreds more than that. Almost everyone in the group has had clothes made for them and some have bought a whole new wardrobe.
Towards the end of the day, Faheem, Hallie, Lauren and I sat in a coffeehouse overlooking street and had beers and Vietnamese coffee. The coffee here is wonderful and now that I think about it I should have bought some beans to take back with me. I ordered mine with condensed milk, which sweetens it and makes it milky all in one. Genius!
After our day in town, we went for walk on the beach as the tide was coming in. I wish I lived near a beach. But the pool at my apartment complex will have to do for now. That evening we went in to town again for dinner and then went to pick up our clothes at the tailors. Another chill night at the resort…
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