Hoi An - Silk and Tailoring Captial of Vietnam

Trip Start Sep 06, 2007
1
14
28
Trip End Sep 04, 2008


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow

Flag of Vietnam  ,
Friday, October 12, 2007

After a very scary three hour bus journey (over taking on blind bends, practically ramming scooters over) we arrived in Hoi An.  Hoi An is famous for its silk produce and hand tailored clothes... we were in heaven.  Just so we didn't stress out while having our clothes made, we booked ourselves into a very fine hotel with a swimming pool.  This is the prettiest town we have been in so far.  By recommendation from other travelers we headed to one of the many clothes shops to look at some catalogs.  They can make anything you want, even shoes!!

We picked some patterns and fabrics for dresses, tops and suits, then they measure you up.  You have to go back a few times over the next few days for fittings just to make sure they are a really comfy fit!!!! This is a girls heaven!  We hired bikes and braved the roads of Hoi An, cycling to the Cai Dao beach.  This is one of the many beaches used by the US soldiers during the war.  I tell you, skill and precision are required when cycling in Vietnam as no rules apply.  We got home in one piece with sun-burnt legs!!!

After our day at the beach the only down fall here was the rain - it poured torrential monsoon rain for three days solid.  This covered the river, flooded onto two main streets, blocked off shops, bakeries etc but no one batted an eyelid, they simply pulled out some boats and ferried their customers to their businesses. 

One evening Fiona and I headed to this particular restaurant recommended by The Lonely Planet.  We were seated upstairs with a great view of the streets below, next thing I looked over and Fiona had gobbled up all her dinner - not a word said.  No more than 2 minutes later she is practically hopping off her seat as a rat comes running across the restaurant in our direction.  I stood up and banged the chair leg on the floor to see if it would run in the other direction, not a chance.  The waitress arrived upstairs in the mist of all the commotion, asking if we saw a rat, she wasn't one bit shocked, she just closed the roof door and gave us our bill!!!!  We were walking out and Fiona pointed out that I was actually wear my pajamas top, inside out!!!

We posted home our parcels with our new clothes and headed off to play some pool and have a few drinks!
Slideshow Print this entry Hoi An hotels