Hoi An - Suit you sir!

  Hoi An, Vietnam
Friday, March 6, 2009

Drop your chopsticks, Hoi an is tourist friendly, perhaps too much. Once we arrived in town we immediately knew we had travelled south, the weather was hot (it's been a while). Hoi An is a UNESCO world heritage sight, on our third day we took ourselves on a walking tour to find out why.

The Market

Again we found ourselves in temples and pagodas but the highlights of the trip were walking around the market with its vibrants sights and smells, old women in conical hats slept between the vegetables and buckets of fish. Also the Japanese covered bridge which looks so picturesque in the middle of the town. Perhaps most impressive of all though was the arts performance at the handycraft workshop,

The Market

here we watched traditional dance and listened to some local celebrity sing in the usual whiny yet enchanting Vietnamese way.

On our second day we went to the beach which is so quiet and unspoilt, despite the constant touts selling everything from newspapers to bottle tops.

The beach

The sea is warm enough to swim and is a great way to get out of the baking sun and off the burning white sands.

On the first day however we really experienced what Hoi An is all about - Tailoring. I would guess that around 50% of shops in town are tailors who will make just about anything you desire, to measure, for cheap. I decided to shop around a bit for my suit (and shirt) and after visiting one over-pushy, ego-boosting shop ("ooh sir, you look like David Beckham!", even I wouldn't fall for that), I arrived at my chosen tailor who fitted me a bespoke tailored suit in quality fabrics for $100, there are cheaper places but I really trusted the staff and felt comfotable that I was getting the real-deal for a fraction of the price I would pay in the UK.

Adong Silk

For anyone visiting Hoi An I would recommend Adong Silk on Le Loi. Charlotte also had two dresses made at a different place for $30. Shopping in Hoi An is highly addictive.

I would also highly recommend Thanh Van Hotel even though the owner is the Vietnamese Swiss Tony, obsessed with buying guest's mobile phones.

Our Hotel Owner

Charlotte did feel a bit ill though and the hotel staff arranged a great doctor to come to the hotel who diagnosed and had the medicines on hand to prescribe, which was nice.