Hoi An old town
Hoi An old town was, after Hanoi and the amazing Halong bay, this was our third lovely place to visit in Vietnam!
So first of all - it was hot!!
We were coming from Danang and it was hot there as well but there is a big difference between lying on the beach or by the swimming pool and a walk through a city with a bit if any chance for a patch of shadow plus - packed with tourists like us. Really, really hot!
Lucky enough Hoi An old town is literally packed with coffee houses and small eateries, bars and those lovely “afternoon tea” places so we had plenty opportunities to stop, cool down and replenish.
Hoi An is known as a trading port for more than 400 years already and it was once the most important trade port on the East Vietnam Sea. At that time Portuguese Chinese and English all came buy for business and some the Japanese - even settle.
As a result the city was getting reach - the rumours are it still is - and skilled, and some of those skills are still to be found here today as various crafts: tailoring, cooking, painting.
We were not in the buying mode, so it was just window-shopping for us. But the shops were actually very good, offering surprisingly good quality goods, from handicraft and art to silk, leather and clothes.
The place is nicely preserved and still has its ancient charm; no cars no bike policy also helps !
We left the town in the evening feeling apologetic and nostalgic and sorry: this outstandingly beautiful place deserve more then one afternoon!
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