Hoi An (February 2020)

Hoi An is an old port city for trading that dates back to the 15th century. It was the best trading port in Southeast Asia, if not in the whole of Asia. Wrecks have been discovered that show trading ships from Hoi An went as far as Sinai, Egypt. During this time, Hoi An was the commercial capital of the Champa Empire, while My Son was the religious capital and Trang Kieu was the political capital. The Cham people lived in what is now South Vietnam for over a thousand years until the Champa Empire became part of Vietnam in the mid-1800s. In the 18th century, Hoi An fell out of favor to the nearby port city of Danang because Danang was favored by the French and had easier access to the sea. The next 200 hundred years affected Hoi An almost not at all. Today, Hoi An retains its old buildings, though they have been renovated for new shops. The colorful lanterns decorating the city and the gorgeous buildings make Hoi An one of the most beautiful places in Vietnam.

We visited the different parts of Hoi An such as Old Town and the Riverside. These two places are the highlights of Hoi An. Old Town is where the old buildings and historical temples are. The Riverside is home to many boats and beautiful scenery with lanterns.

The first thing we did in Hoi An was eat lunch. We went to a famous Banh Mi restaurant in Old Town for lunch. Banh Mi is a traditional sandwich made with meat, pate, pickled cucumber and carrots. Anthony Bourdain (a famous American chef) visited the restaurant making it even more popular than it already was. There is always a long line, and the day we went there was no exception.

After lunch, we continued to walk around Old Town. We saw many old buildings. The buildings are heavily influenced by Chinese architecture because of the many Chinese merchants that visited Hoi An while it was still a major trading post.

After our stroll around Old Town, we headed for one of the prime attractions, the Japanese covered bridge, which was built sometime in the early 1600s. In the old days, the Japanese settled on one side of the river, and the locals resided on the other. The two parts of town are connected by the Japanese covered bridge. The bridge is also famous for having a Buddhist temple attached to the side of it.

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The Japanese covered bridge is a beautiful man-made work of art, but the river that cuts through Hoi An is a natural work of art. Indeed, one of the things Hoi An is known for is its dazzling riverside.

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Lantern bridge crosses the main part of the river and is a big tourist attraction. While on the bridge, we took many photos, and when we finally ended up on the other side, it felt hours later than when we began to cross the bridge.

After we traversed the riverside, we headed for the theater to watch the bamboo circus. The bamboo circus is kind of like Cirque du soleil but the people in it make music. The actors would use sticks of bamboo and other props to do acrobatics, dance and make music. The show was very funny. My favorite scene was when two actors played ping pong against each other. Suddenly, it seemed like the whole world was in slo-mo because the referee had taken out a blow dryer and was using it to float the ping pong ball back and forth very slowly in between the players. The players would fake hit it, and the referee would move it back to the other player. The show was my favorite thing we did in Hoi An.

After the show, we went to a restaurant called Morning Glory for dinner. The restaurant served Hoi Ann homestyle cooking. The highlight of dinner…you guessed it, morning glory!

At night time, Hoi An looks beautiful due to the many lanterns shining in the darkness.

We left for that day, but there were so many sites we missed, we decided to come back another day.

When we returned to Hoi An, we explored around Old Town for a little while. The first site we went to was Quan Cong temple, which was built in 1653. Quan Cong is a famous Chinese general and is a symbol of bravery, loyalty and virtue. Inside the temple there is a small pond where traders prayed for good luck before their journey. Interestingly, businessmen, police and gangsters all pray to Quan Cong.

The front hall of the temple has an altar dedicated to Quan Cong’s guards. Banners on both side have Chinese characters that say “the kings that act in accordance with Heaven’s rules.” On both sides of the altar are a set of ritual weapons used for processions.

The main sanctuary in the back has the altar for Quan Cong. He is almost ten feet tall with a red face. The two scary-looking statues (only one pictured) near him are his protectors.

After we finished with Quan Cong temple, we decided to buy some Vietnamese coffee to take back with us.

After we bought extensive stores of Vietnamese coffee, we started heading toward a French restaurant for dinner, stopping along the way to see some more sites at nighttime.

On the way to dinner, we walked past Fujian assembly hall. Fujian is a province in China. Fujian assembly hall is a marvelous combination of Hoi An architecture and Fujian artistry. It houses a temple dedicated to Thien Hau, the goddess of the sea and caretaker of sailors.

At the French restaurant, we enjoyed croque monsieur sandwiches and some steak. The restaurant has a very cozy feeling. There were only two tables, and we were waited on by one man, who was also the cook. On the walls, there are messages written by previous customers from all over the world.

After dinner, we left Hoi An for the last time.