Idyllic Ancient Town – Hoi An, Vietnam Trip #2

March 6, 2008 at 2:33 pm | Posted in itchy backside | 1 Comment
Tags: Culture, Travel, Vietnam

As mentioned in my earlier post on Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, we flew to Danang from Ho Chi Minh via the domestic Pacific Airline and took a 30km cab trip to Hoi An for our 2D1N short stay.

Hoi An, also known as Faifo, is one of the oldest cities in South-East Asia. The old town of Hoi An, as a World Heritage site declared by UNESCO, has many well-preserved Chinese style buildings with low, tile-roofed houses along narrow streets. The original structure of some of these streets remains almost intact. Some of these houses are made of wood, decorated with lacquered boards and pillars engraved with ornamental designs and chinese characters.

A typical street scene with old buildings on both sides

My first impression on the old town besides the many nice old buildings was, “Why no motorbikes like the rest of Vietnam?” There were only people and tourists walking or cycling on the streets.

Ah! So it is against the regulation to bring motorised vehicles in
the old town at certain times of the day

That explained it. No wonder it was such a pleasure to walk on the street without the typical sounding of hones of motorbikes and the pollution they create. Wished the weather were cooler though!

A physically disabled person with his hand-operated bicycle.
The pace of life seemed much slower here without any motorised vehicles.

Many of the old buildings had been coverted to  souvenir shops, handicraft workshops, art galleries, restaurants and cafes.

Handmade lanterns anyone?

Cafes and restaurants along the riverfront.

This looks like our Clarke Quay..

But that doesn’t mean that the old town has lost its rustic charm totally.

A tinge of nostalgia still lingers in the air

Fishing is a staple way of life

Growing crops in the backyard

Can you see the water wheel  in front of the hut?

Boats as means of transport to the other side of the new town

Bridging the gap between the old and new

With its gaining popularity as a tourist, especially backpackers’ stopover, it is inevitable that old Hoi An town will become more commercialised with shops catering to the needs of these visitors. But I feel that the people of Hoi An still maintain their humble way of life and savour every bits of culture and roots. And that is what’s more important.

 

Also see related posts:
> Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon – Hoi An, Vietnam Trip #1