Tag Archives: Hoi an

Hoi An: Ancient City of Lanterns and Moonbeams

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Hoi An, Vietnam, is a city known for its beautiful lanterns and at night the shops and streets glow with a multitude of colors.

Lantern Frames

The village, designated as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1999, is a superb example of a Southeast Asian trading port of the 15th to 19th centuries.   The port was important to many foreign lands.  This structure known as the “Japanese Bridge” was built in the 16th-17th century.

Forty years after the bridge’s completion the Japanese merchants were ordered home and Japan isolated itself for centuries from the rest of the world.  They left a beautiful bridge containing interesting statues at either end which represent the structure being started in the year of the dog and completed in the year of the monkey.

Hoi An is also famous for its tailors.  I loved the colorful shops.

There were also wonderfully preserved temples and museums

The market was fantastic.  I have been to many in different countries but for some reason I found this one more fascinating than most.  It seemed so alive and like a place from a different time.

The produce was extremely diverse.  Here Aidan poses with a durian, also known as the “king of fruits.” It has a distinct aroma described by some as similar to rotting flesh.  Apparently it is an acquired taste.  I love how Aidan tries his best to smile.

It started to rain while we were in the market.  The vendors attempted to cover their wares.

We chose to seek shelter at one of Hoi An’s amazing  restaurants  Mango Mango which has views of the Japanese bridge.  The owner trained in Texas so it is known as Vietnamese food with a Tex/Mex slant.

Aidan was so exhausted he fell asleep in Sydney’s stroller.  This left his sister free to eat all the food she wanted including her choice of desert – Mango and Chocolate ice cream.  She still asks for that flavor when posed with an ice cream choice.

This is what an ice cream "Happy Dance" looks like.

Hoi An was a magical place to spend the evening. The full moon capped off the night perfectly and added a little more magic.

Good Morning Vietnam!

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For most Americans, Vietnam is a place associated with loss and tragedy.  For  decades, movies and media related to the conflict were overwhelmingly dark and painful to watch.  POW flags flew everywhere and many believed for years there were still soldiers held there against their will in jungle camps.

America did not remain static in the past four decades and neither has Vietnam.   During the immediate post-war period, the Communist nation was politically isolated and economically backwards.  Growth did not occur, so in 1986 reform was initiated which directed a path away from communism towards world integration.  Tourism is now a significant part of the modern Vietnamese economy.  In 2011 the country received about 6 million international visitors.  Reviews from friends and travel magazines were overwhelmingly glowing, so when my mom was visiting we spent our Easter holiday in Vietnam.

Views from the plane near landing

Lovely women in traditional "ao dai" white dresses give the children Easter treats.

We quickly found how much the country had progressed during the short drive from the brand new  Denang Airport on the south central coast of Vietnam.  The region drew us for its beautiful beaches and historical destinations.  Non Nuoc beach, the most famous,  is known better to Americans as “China Beach” where many US soldiers went for “R and R”.  Today the area is awash with new resort developments many of them currently under construction.  Golf is also apparently quite popular Colin Montgomery and Greg Norman were both advertising new courses!

View from our resort back towards "China Beach"

I spent only four days in Vietnam and I wish I had more time to explore the country.  People were very welcoming and gracious. We never shied away from telling locals we were Americans and I never felt any animosity. The only observation worth mentioning was an English local paper referred to the conflict as the “Anti-American War,” however I suppose that is more politically correct than calling it the apt “Civil War with American support for the South.” Sydney for one American was certainly adored.  I love this photo of her surrounded by the staff at a Hoi An restaurant.

Perhaps it is unsurprising that America is not considered “the evil enemy”.  Communism was ultimately what failed. Probably more importantly Vietnam is a young country, only 6.8% of the population is older than 65 years old, most people do not personally remember the war.   Their economy is one of the fastest growing in the world and they have the 13th largest population with 90.5 million people.  The life expectancy rate is 75 yo and 93% of adults are literate.  Vietnam is primed to quickly become a very formidable country on the world stage.

A bride poses for photos in Hoi An

I know and have met many people who were personally affected by Vietnam in ways I can never fully understand or appreciate.  Hopefully the fact that American children can now form such different memories of this beautiful place is some reward for the efforts their grandparents gave despite their reasons or cause.