Vietnam > Wandering through Hoi An

During the night, it rains heavily. The two umbrellas in the hotel room had already given me the impression that it rains here often. The rain falls on the corrugated metal roof beneath our window, making the sound even more intense.

Vietnam - The waterfront of Hoi An

I turn over and enjoy a little more sleep. We had planned to have breakfast in the center of Hoi An, but because of the rain, we eat in the hotel instead. By around ten o’clock, it has almost stopped raining, and we set out. We decide to buy a combination ticket for Hoi An. The ticket gives access to one museum of your choice, one old merchant house of your choice, one assembly hall, the Japanese Bridge, and one handicraft shop. We start at the bridge. The Japanese Bridge is one of the few covered wooden arch bridges in Vietnam that have survived. The bridge dates from 1593 and connects the Japanese and Chinese quarters of Hoi An. Merchants once conducted trade on the bridge. The pagoda was added to the bridge later. The next stop is the Tan-Ky House, an old merchant house of the Tan-Ky family. After the father of the house gruffly asks for our tickets, we are warmly welcomed by the daughter of the family.

Vietnam - The harbor of Hoi An

Soon we are sitting having tea, and she tells us about the history of the house. The house has been inhabited by the family for seven generations. We are shown how high the water reached during the last floods. A postcard showing a boat inside the house illustrates this disaster. I buy the postcard to also support the family. Finally, we visit the Assembly Hall of the Fukien community. At the Hoi Quan Phuc Kien, the Chinese Fukien community honors their ancestors. The temple, built in 1792, is dedicated to the goddess of the sea. Until now, we had not encountered such a strong Chinese influence in Vietnam. The temple is beautiful but completely different from the Buddhist temples we have visited so far. We skip the other two attractions included in our combination ticket. After a long and late lunch, we wander randomly through Hoi An, soaking in the atmosphere and having a beer at a terrace. Eventually, we return to the hotel. I use the time to go online and to read about the program for the coming days. In the evening, we eat in the town center.