Hoi An - old town
Trip Start
Feb 17, 2007
1
27
57
Trip End
Sep 06, 2008
Hoi An,
Vietnam
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Welcome to one of my favorite towns in all of Asia. In spite of its small size, about 60,000 people, I have more friends here than anywhere else in Asia.
Hoi An started about 300 years ago. It was an important trading link between East and West. It is located in central Vietnam, about halfway down the coast from Hanoi to Saigon. First, Chinese merchants started setting up stops. Then Japanese, Portugese, Dutch and more followed. Each ethnic group developed its own little community within the town.
Hoi An was built on the Thu Bon River, just 5 kilometers inland from the mouth of the Eastern
Sea. Most people know it as the South China Sea. But Vietnam wants to be recognized separately from China. Either way, the location provided safety from the typhoons that hit the coast every fall.
Another natural 'disaster' happened instead. The river silted up and changed direction. There was no more access for boats from the Eastern Sea. So Hoi An became a ghost town.
One of my Vietnamese friends in America was born in Hoi An, but grew up in a big town 30 kilometers away. I couldn't understand why she would possibly move away. Now I do - "no way to make a living."
Then, yet another interesting development. The war. Rough estimates are that one third of the
country was bombed. Towards the end of the war, even sites that had little or no military value were damaged. Hoi An would likely have been a target, except that it was vacant. So the Thu Bon River's change of direction actually helped save the town.
When the country gained peace and stability, the government changed the river back to its original course. People returned and trade resumed. It is now one of the favorite spots for tourists. I met a group from another tour company who had a three week holiday - all in Hoi An.
Today, Hoi is best known for shopping. Specifically hand-tailored clothes. They are better to buy here than anywhere else in the country. The prices are low because the central region of Vietnam is less economically developed. And the time turnaround is fast - usually the next day. Workers in the rural areas don't have as much to occupy themselves as their counterparts in the big cities. So, in Hoi An tailors and seamstresses are happy to start work in the evening and continue until the garments are finished.
But Hoi An appeals to even the non-shoppers. I like to call Hoi An an outdoor museum. It is
one of the best places to wander in the whole country. Architecturally, it is diverse and well-preserved. Some of the most popular postcard scenes depict Hoi An: Chinese assembly halls, a Japanese covered bridge and traditional Vietnamese homes. Vietnamese architecture uses dark wood and frequently incorporates 3 horizontal beams and 5 vertical beams. 5 for each of the elements (metal, wood, earth, water & fire) and 3 for life (heaven, human & earth).
Hoi An also has one of the best local markets in Vietnam. I like to take my groups there when it's the busiest - 6AM in the morning. That's when locals come to buy their food for the day. Getting up that early isn't what most tourists want on their holiday. But most of those that do
make the effort end up raving about it afterwards.
Eric
