Lovely Hui An

SERENITY ON A LAGOON
FISHING NET AND BASKET BOAT

Our drive from Hue to Hoi An near the Pacific Ocean offered many opportunities to stop and take pictures of life along the coast. It looks a bit different from Santa Cruz on the other side of the Pacific. We passed by China Beach during a downpour and drove past army barracks at DaNang where B52s took off and landed during the war.

We caught the end of a Fishing Festival on the beach complete with a boy banging a huge drum, hundreds of people cheering a tug-of-war and what we assume was the successful benediction of the boats or fish or fishermen. (The boat on the water is one that catches squid, and the scaffolding on top is where the squid dries in the sun.)

Hoi An is a peaceful town on the Thu Bon River about twenty miles south of DaNang. From the 16th century to the late 19th century, it was Vietnam’s most important international seaport town with merchants from both Asia and Europe trading all sorts of goods from spices to gold. (Follow the line up from the porcelain dish on the map to find Hui An.) It lost its standing as an international seaport when the river was unable to handle the larger steamships that began plying the trade routes...a fortunate thing in terms of leaving this lovely town relatively pristine. It offers a view of life as it was with temples, shrines and Chinese style tile-roofed wooden houses intermingled along the long road of the Old Town. It's easy to understand how Hui An earned its place as a World Heritage Site - the third on our journey.



We loved our room on the river and might never have left, but there were many experiences waiting in town. The view was exactly the way we had imagined Viet Nam to look.




We set off to explore and discovered colorful shops and a Japanese-style bridge with an ancient pole vendor chewing betel nut nearby.























The ceiling of a Hindu temple was covered with cone-shaped incense. Prayers for family members hang from each and when the end is lit, it burns for thirty days. People paid for fortunes on slips of paper which they were given in front of a fruit-covered altar dedicated to the goddess of the sea.











The big commercial attraction in Hui An? There are 300 tailors available to make anything for anyone and have it delivered the next day. Many in our group took advantage of the local talent and ordered suits, pants and tops. (Carol, Barbara and Renata are contemplating purchases.) But even more fun was on the schedule---dinner at Champa's where the chef, Hung (which means "hero"), entertained while he also taught us to make spring rolls. We have the recipes for the dinner and will gladly provide a taste of Viet Nam on our return.

The next morning we toured My Son Sanctuary, the fourth World Heritage Site, where the original 72 towers have been reduced to 16 or so. The damaging effects of time along with bombing of the site in 1969 have left it in need of repair. A bomb crater can be seen on the left.






















We were entertained by a troupe of dancers and musicians who presented stories of the daily life of the Champas who came to the area probably in 200 B.C.


We ended our time in Hui An with a walk to the beach to see the eastern side of the Pacific Ocean. On the way we encountered this antique gas pump on the sidewalk still pumping --- after how many years?








Sitting on the beach, we thought about our family and home and the extraordinary beauty that the waves of the Pacific touch on both sides of the world.