Hoi An - One of Vietnam's Most Beautiful and Historic Cities
The word exotic can conjure many images, but imagine finding yourself in the middle of a heady world that seems to encapsulate everything you’ve ever dreamed could combine to create its meaning.
In a hot perfumed wind not long ago I found myself walking along a moonlit street next to a tropical river. Around me there were lanterns everywhere, and thousands of people strolling up and down the alleyways and across footbridges that provided this magical place with countless thoroughfares.
Countless candles bobbed about in tiny paper boats. Old ladies were selling these illuminations to passers-by, then rowing them out into the middle of the stream in their sampans so customers could place the candle in the water and make a wish.
Nearby a crowd sitting in a makeshift bamboo grandstand was laughing at the antics of a street theatre. A peddler was selling some kind of toy that you could spin and send flashing blue lights 50 feet into the night sky. Everywhere the makers of street food were frying, roasting or boiling savoury scented dishes.
And then there was the illuminated bridge - all dragons and lanterns - that took you across to an island where everything you’d just seen before was multiplied a hundredfold. I was entering the night-market, one of the highlights of ancient Hoi An. One of the highlights, indeed, of the whole of Vietnam - and one reason as to why the old port is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The name means translates as "peaceful meeting place” but it is busy every night of the year nowadays. This, however, does not mean Hoi An isn’t an interesting and truly fascinating to visit - especially during daylight hours when the fabulous local restaurants are a great deal less crowded.
Most of the visitors are Vietnamese, but I didn’t see a single car park or park-and-ride like you’d see at most celebrated, popular or historic European or American cities. Not that the absence of transport links was bothering us - we were staying at the gorgeous Anantara Hotel located just five minutes walk from Hoi An’s old town on the banks of the Thu Bon River.
A driver from the hotel had picked us up from the nearest airport at Da Nang, which is a larger city just 40 minutes north of Hoi An - and we’d been enjoying the conformable delights of the riverside resort between making forays out into the tropical sun.
The historic part of the city - known as Old Town - is one of the best preserved examples of a Southeast Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th centuries and its many jumbled buildings laid out around an easy to follow street plan reflect a blend of both Vietnamese and foreign influences.
One of the best known structures is the covered "Japanese Bridge", dating to the 16th or 17th century. But eating out is the real big pleasure in this myriad of eateries - I’d recommend Nhan’s Kitchen.
