Hoi An

31st Aug - 1st Sept 2007

Japanese Bridge in Hoi An

Yesterday was an early rise for the full day tour of Hue. The morning was dedicated to visiting the ancient tombs of the kings of the Nguyen dynasty. The 3 tombs that we visited were Minh Mang, Tu Duc and Kiah Dinh. We also visited the incense and conical hat making villages. We then returned to Hue city centre for lunch. Met up with a couple from Brisbane, Australia and a couple from Denmark. After lunch we visited the Citadel and the old Imperial and forbidden cities where the royal family lived. We then visited the Heavenly, lady Pagoda then when on a dragon boat along the Perfume river.

Hue was once the royal capital city of Vietnam, but in 1945, the communists led by Ho Chi Minh took over and made Hanoi the capital city. The then royal family fled into exile to Paris.

Old Street of Hoi An (World Heritage Site)

In the evening, I wandered around the streets and shops and stopped off at the DMZ cafe again to have dinner and a few beers. This is a good place to hang out.

Today another early rise for the 4 hour trip to Hoi An. A bit of a false start at the beginning as we stopped in a side street waiting for a connecting bus to arrive from Hanoi. Waited there for about 40 minutes before we could any sense from the driver or guide as they didn't speak very much English. Eventually we were on the road to Hoi An and arrived around 1pm and checked into the hotel. Walked up to the old part of town and at a late lunch and then walked around the old streets of Hoi An which are now part of the World Heritage. Walked back to the hotel and decided to have a dip in the pool to cool off. Met up with a couple of Aussie girls and a couple from Israel and a chat around the pool while we sipped free cocktails from the bar.

Street and River in Hoi An

That's all for now. I am now going to get something to eat and then go to bed for another earlier rise tomorrow.

Cheers,

Duncan

Cham Ruins at My Son

Cham Ruins at My Son 2