I had read and heard from friends that Hoi An is one of Vietnam’s most beautiful destinations, but I had no idea how much I would love this very quaint and charming town, especially in the evening.
We had visited Ba Na Hills the day before so now is the time to explore the captivating Old Town in Hoi An.
The Old Town’s main section is closed off to cars and motorbikes, but it is open to pushcart vendors who weave in and out of the streets making way on the streets and to the bridge, and also single-seat trishaws that bring tourists around. Come for a walk with me and soak in the sights.
Fascinating Historical Architecture
The main attraction of the Old Town is its over 1,000 timber frame buildings with brick or wooden walls, most of which are historical with a mix of European and Asian architectural styles. These buildings, which are low-rise buildings mostly covered with fading yellow paint, hold the antiquated beauty of the Old Town and you will feel like you are walking through a ancient town.
Most of these houses are now turned into cafes, restaurants and shops. Dotted around the streets are Buddhist temples and family clan houses. In the evening, the streets are lighted up, and the lanterns give off a warm glow of yellow, red, and green light to its surroundings.
Bargain at the Night Market
The open-air night market opens from 5pm for a few hours only and features only about 50 stalls standing side by side along the street, selling all sorts of small handicraft items, souvenirs, bags, purses and foodstuff such as local cashew nuts.
There are also numerous shops along the streets which sell everything from bags, shoes, clothes, shawls, hats and all else. So get ready to hone your bargaining skills as you have to bargain for most things except for food and drinks.
Lantern stalls with many types of lanterns of all shapes and colours decorate the street corners. They even provide spotlights and areas set up for photo-taking for a fee so I just took photos from across the road.
Lantern Bridge
The 50-metre Lantern Bridge along the Thu Bon River crossing through the Old Town becomes a chokepoint in the evening when more visitors use it as it is the shortest route from the old section to the night market, and vice versa. There are many street vendors along the bridge, adding to the over-crowding. So do visit it during the day but the riverside comes to life at night.
The river is also dotted with boats offering visitors the chance to cruise down the river, and release lanterns on the water. There are no street lamps on the bridge and the only illumination comes from the lanterns on the bridge.
Japanese Bridge
A famous attraction is the Japanese bridge that was built a few hundred years ago by the local Japanese residents to link their town to the Chinese community. It is the only covered bridge in the world that has a Buddhist temple on it. This bridge is so significant that it is even featured on the 20,000 Vietnamese dong banknote. We walked past it but did not enter the bridge, which means we have to return to Hoi An next time to visit this landmark.
Have your outfit tailored in 24 hours
Vietnam is famous for its world-class tailors and visitors who want quality items tailor-made can visit the many tailor shops at the Old Town. You can choose from various types of fabric to tailor an outfit and it can be ready in 24 hours.
My friends had summer dresses tailored and truly they were expertly made at reasonable prices.
How to get to Hoi An
To get to Hoi An, you would fly first to Da Nang and then take a car transfer to Hoi An which is about 45 minutes away. I arrived in Da Nang after a three-hour direct flight from Singapore, my friends arrived from Kuala Lumpur on a two-and a half-hour flight. Flying from Bangkok only takes one and a half hours.
However, immigration clearance took a really long time but it did not dampen our excitement. Upon exiting the airport to look for our driver, I saw that most of the placards had Korean names so I thought, this must be a favourite destination for Korean tourists. Understandably so, tourism is the town’s major activity and you will see visitors from all around the world.
I will write about my other experiences in Hoi An and Da Nang in my next article so see you soon!
