Our first full day in Da Nang wasn’t actually spent in Da Nang. We spent most of the day in the nearby town of Hoi An. We knew we wanted to go to Hoi An. At one point we planned to get a hotel there. However, we decided we should stay in Da Nang and just make a day trip out of going to Hoi An, so that’s what we did.
We went to Hoi An on our first day in the area because some of the family wanted to have some clothes and leather goods made. Getting a tailor made suit is one of the major activities people do when they come to Vietnam. There are tailors in all the major cities, but the ones in Hoi An have an excellent reputation so the family decided this would be the place. We needed to get into Hoi An, find a good tailor, and get the measurements necessary all in time to get the suits, skirt, pants or whatever done before we left.
However, I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s go back to the beginning of our day and a more mundane issue. We needed to do laundry. We thought the hotel had machines we could use, but that was not true. They would charge piece by piece which would end up to be $30-$40. That was not acceptable. On Google maps we found a laundromat nearby that looked promising so after breakfast we headed over with our bag of laundry. When we arrived, it was not to be found. At its perceived location we found a primary school.
A woman across the street kept calling to us. it looked like she had a little food stand so I thought she was trying to get us to buy food. I finally realized there was a sign in front of her place that said laundry. This was definitely not the place we saw on Google maps. We didn’t even see any washing machines. However, with no alternative, we let her take our bag of clothes. She weighed it and then charged us a little less than four dollars. We picked up the clothes at the end of the day. They were clean, but not necessarily neatly folded, but for the price, we were OK with that.
Back at the hotel, they got a cab to drive us to Hoi An. When the driver arrived to pick us up, he parked up on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. A bus that was picking up a large group parked behind him blocking him in. There were also some street vendors with their carts in the area. He had to figure out how to get back on the street.
The driver managed to wriggle his way to drive down the sidewalk, but there was a large dumpster ahead that he thought would be in his way. He talked to the security guard about moving it, but the guard thought it would be fine. The driver disagreed and stopped the car. He got out to move the dumpster himself. The guard exploded on him yelling at him and telling him to get back in the car. It was quite a scene. Just as the driver was going to finally pull into the street, another car pulled into the space blocking him again. This time the security guard told that car to move, and we were finally on our way. It had been an awkward departure.
The trip to Hoi Anh was about 45 minutes. After the driver dropped us off, we began to just wander around the area. Basically Hoi Anh is a shopping area except the buildings are old. The town is also a UNESCO heritage site. Most people just want to shop, but there were historical elements to the town. Initially we just walked along the Bon River, a major feature of the town.
Eventually we crossed over to the main area of Hoi An where most of the shops are. I enjoyed a lot of the unique architectural features of the old buildings. A golden yellow seemed to be the main color of the buildings here. However, the exteriors were definitely aged.
We were waiting for Aaron and Michelle to come as they had a recommended list of tailors. While we waited, we did a little shopping and ended up buying some art work we liked. We also stopped and got some drinks and snacks. There are a lot of coffee shops around so plenty of places to choose from.
After Aaron and Michelle arrived, Jacob got involved with them in looking at leather goods. You can design your own leather item, and they will make it for you. Andrea joined us, and we looked at some of the heritage sites.
I thought there was a specific area of town that was set apart, and visitors needed to pay to enter. That wasn’t quite right. Visitors purchase a ticket which allows entrance to the heritage sites in various locations around the town. The cost was nominal so we bought the tickets.
The first place we visited was probably the most interesting. It was a Chinese community center. Dragons seemed to be the theme here. A colorful dragon statue stands just inside the entrance to the building and gets lots of attention. In the back garden another ceramic statue which features multiple dragon heads stands in the center. It is quite overwhelming to look at. A number of other art pieces decorated the area as well.
There is a religious element to the building. There were places for people to offer gifts to the gods which were being honored there. However, the thing I found most fascinating were the incense coils overhead. They looked like cones made of wire. Initially I couldn’t figure out what they were. Then I realized the ends were smoking so I figured out their purpose.
The other heritage buildings we saw all had some kind of a religious shrine or altar in them. Some were more interesting buildings than the others. One was a two story building which allowed us to look down on the crowds outside.
The last thing we were waiting for was for the sun to set. We had read about lanterns on the river, and we wanted to see them. After the sun, set we walked over to the the Bon River. Many boats were now out on the water mostly going around in a circle. Most of the boats had two lanterns in them that were glowing as they rowed around the river. It was somewhat enchanting, but the noise and chaos of hundreds of people on the street watching the boats kept it from being a serene and peaceful moment.
People were also lighting candles inside a small container and floating them on the water. They were so small that they were hardly noticeable. They really didn’t add much to the ambiance. SIlvette took the following brief video. Look for the red cartons in the water.
Throughout the town one can find many hanging lanterns. This is one of the things Hoi An is known for. In fact we saw classes on how to make one’s own lantern. I took some photos of the glowing lanterns as we walked back to the pickup place to meet our driver.
Jacob stayed behind with Aaron and Michelle to finish their shopping. We were waiting at the pick up spot for our driver when a different car honked at us. We were confused, but then the driver showed us a picture of us on his phone. The driver in the morning had taken a photo of us, and apparently he had someone else pick us up and sent him our picture. It was a bit unusual, but we got back to our hotel in Da Nang with no problems.
Today the weather had not been too bad. It rained some on a few occasions, but it wasn’t too heavy. Considering it had been raining pretty steadily over the last few weeks according to the weather channel, we felt lucky with the little rain we received. Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. Hopefully the rain won’t be too bad for the celebration.
Have you had the chance to visit Hoi An? What was your impression of the town? I look forward to seeing your comments and questions in the comment box below.