Ancient town of Hoi An
Entrance to one of the Art Shops in Hoi An
So there we were, riding on a back of a motorcycle on a 4 hour journey towards Hoi An from Hue. It was an exciting ride speeding through the hi-ways of Vietnam. I felt I was the young Che Guevarra (hoping to look as well :P) of Motorcycle Diaries who traveled from Argentina to Chile. But the problem was I was really feeling sleepy during the trip, which is kind of dangerous when you’re on the back of the bike. Good thing our “Easy Rider” guide gave me a bubble gum to chew on to fight the sleepiness.
Old house facade
Hoi An, also called Faifo is one of UNESCO’s Heritage sites in Vietnam. This old riverside town also called the “Venice of Asia” used to be a major international trading port during the 16th and 17th century. Now this small town is known for its numerous tailor shops, art centers and well preserved blend of local and foreign architecture. Hoi An is somewhat the counterpart of our historical Vigan in the Philippines.
The Japanese covered bridge, Hoi An’s best known landmark
Going around Hoi An is best done by foot since vehicles are prohibited at major streets. Visiting various historical sites is done via coupon systems which may be purchased at $5 USD. The coupon would allow you to visit 5 attractions: one museum, one family house, one Chinese meeting hall, the art performance theater and either the Japanese Covered Bridge or the Quan Kong Temple. Well we didn’t buy a coupon since we’ll be there only for a short time, but despite that we were still able to go around.
The Fukien Chinese Congregation Hall
I won’t go much into history lessons as you can search through other stuffs on the net, first sight we visited is the Japanese Covered Bridge. Which is really a small covered bridge the design is okay but nothing monumental. Inside there are altars of different animals. On how this ended up here? I remember it’s about containing the dragon’s tail which causes earthquakes in Japan. Some kind of Fung Shui.
The boats have eyes
Walking further we reached the scenic river. Shops and stores are just about to open that morning. We noticed that each of the boats there have eyes. I’m not sure what they are for but I read somewhere that they are like “guardian eyes” for safe journey.
Exotic Rice Wines
Also at one of the shops we were able to see some exotic items like these Exotic Rice Wines. There were actual reptiles, cobras, scorpions inside the bottle. It was interesting enough how they got inside that small opening but I’m interested with the taste. The sales lady said it has potent qualities that are beneficial to your health. It has a potent price tag as well for a small bottle.
Conical hats galore at the Hoi An market
At the other end of Hoi An from the bridge is the Market, where you’ll find great bargains and goodies as well. We bought souvenir shirts and food as well. It was also a challenge to haggle here but I think we got some good prices for our goodies. We also bought lychees which is really cheap there so we would have a snack during our walk.
Lanterns lights up during the Full Moon Festival
The other attractions in Hoi An are the tailor shops. I’m sure a lot of women would be at home here as they can have their custom styled clothes done in a few hours. We’re not much of a clothes person so we just passed by most of these tailor shops.
Another interesting event we caught is the Full Moon Festival, happening every – you guessed it right! Full Moon! It was interesting to wonder the streets during those times as all electrical lights are turned off and only the lanterns are lit. So you get to feel how its like during the 16th and 17th century when there were no electricity. Also catch some cultural performances on a boat by the river.
Tags: Heritage, Hoi An, Market, People, Rivers, Temples, UNESCO, Vietnam
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Wednesday, October 11th, 2006 at 10:57 pm 
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October 12th, 2006 at 12:12 am
Been there , done that and had a good time. Very nice photos and interesting blog. Thansk for posting abotu Viet Nam.
October 12th, 2006 at 1:06 am
yup ‘ The Fukien Chinese Congregation Hall’ was featured in the amazing race last monday and also the ‘Hoi An market’… nagbenta sila dun ng mga flowers… somewhat nakakarelate naman ako (good thing we have cable) pero if given a chance puntahan ko din vietnam…
God bless!
October 12th, 2006 at 2:21 am
Just browsing around and saw your link to some other fellow bloggers…BTW- you had such a nice and neat blog – I like it!
Thanks for sharing such wonderful photos you have in Viet Nam. My husband and I travels a lot we actually just came back from our last trip in Hong Kong and Bangkok, it was such a great trip to see the place. So how long did you stay in Viet Nam? I am looking forward to have it on my list as we plan to have another trip soon. Thanks again for sharing your journey and have a great day!
October 12th, 2006 at 2:44 am
Once again you don’t disappoint with the pics. They really say a lot on their own.
October 12th, 2006 at 3:12 am
Amazing pics! I especially love the one showing the butter yellow facade. I would never taste those exotic wines… unless I was on Fear factor.. hehehe
October 12th, 2006 at 9:30 am
hat shot is my favorite look like everybody waer the hats….beautiful capture for the architecture amd amazing color on the lanterns shot:-)) got to go visit vietnam someday:-))
October 12th, 2006 at 9:57 am
I love your blog. I am going to Beijing and Mongolia this first week of november and I hope I can take pictures as good as these. Looking at your photos it’s as if I’m already there. They’re so alive!
October 12th, 2006 at 1:03 pm
this place is totally beautiful…the conical hats which are very well associated among the Vietnamese are splendid. and oh, can’t help staring at those exotic rise wines, astig! i would really plan my trip to Vietnam, but that’s after i’ve seen the Angkor Wat of Cambodia…
October 12th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
galeeng ng shots ferdz! although that’s kinda expected of you na, hahaha. kakainggit. been planning to go to cambodia for like two years pero no budget pa rin, hahaha. c ya around man!
October 12th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
…and should i add vietnam pala, pero no budget pa rin, hahaha…
October 12th, 2006 at 2:46 pm
Indeed, a culture of color and diversity. But the rice wine is…ahhh…hmmmm…well, words escaped me hehehe!
October 12th, 2006 at 9:29 pm
Make me want to do my bags and go to Vietnam tomorrow!
Are there many tourists?
Awesome pictures as usual.
October 13th, 2006 at 8:02 am
great pics! and very very nice blog!
i have friend who’se very interested in vietnam, he’d done some tour just this year and he told me he had a wonderful time in there.
October 13th, 2006 at 8:19 am
4 hours on a motorbike, would’ve been a nightmare if you travelled on rough roads all the way
the exotic rice wines are amazing, reminded me of our own ship/boats in bottles… makes you wonder how did they fit in there.
liked the 2nd shot the best, and then the last one… were there mooncakes during the full moon festival? :p
hmmm mooncakes, hahaha!
October 13th, 2006 at 12:28 pm
Mentally jotting down another place to visit. Thanks,
October 13th, 2006 at 3:58 pm
ayos ang mga pics…. miss saigon ang naaalala ko pag nababanggit ang vietnam…
gusto ko yung mga naka hats at yung mga lamps… 
October 13th, 2006 at 10:17 pm
sobra interesting naman yung exotic rice wine, sana nag-uwi ka ng isa as souvenir, parang ang gandang display sa bahay, yun lang mukhang may kamahalan nga. unique din yung unang picture, ngayon lang ako nakakita ng statwa na ganun, maganda siguro gayahin yan lagay sa garden o kaya sa harapan din ng main door sa bahay, hehe
October 14th, 2006 at 2:54 am
What’s up? Did you fly back to Viet Nam yet??? I can’t wait to see more pictures of your during your visit…Happy Weekend!
October 14th, 2006 at 1:33 pm
i like the old house facade. the yellow and gray combination give a soothing feel.
is the exotic rice wines really that expensive? if i’ll be visiting the place i’d probably buy one as a remembrance. the cobra will freak out my mom. hahaha!
great shot also on the lanterns.
October 15th, 2006 at 10:19 am
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October 19th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
Awesome photos and quite story to tell…
June 25th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
[...] unique experience: from the elaborate citadels and tomb raiding at Hue, warping back in time at the French Colonial streets of Hoi An and exploring the Ancient Kingdom of the Champas at My Son. But the natural wonder of a [...]