Hoi An is considered the most atmospheric and delightful city in Vietnam. I guess I couldn't agree more. As I'm a big city girl, I couldn't imagine living there (oh Warsaw, miss you so much), but it's a great place to run away from all the confusion in Hanoi.
I spent 3 days there and it was more than enough to get to know the city center. I even had enough time to do two extra trips: Cham Island and My Son.
Hoi An has a rich architectural fusion of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and European influences.
The most photographed sight is the Japanese Covered Bridge.
Hoi An is in the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1999 and it's partly thanks to the polish architect and conservator Kazimierz Kwiatkowski (as a polish I had to mention that). He was conducting the maintenance works in Hoi An. In the city center you can even find a statue of him!
Also notable are the city's many tailors, who will whip up made-to-measure clothes in no time.
And here I am with my first tailored shoes. How cool is that!
If you get tired of the city center, you can head to the beach.
The culinary scene ranks among the best in Asia. Local specialities are: cao lau (just drooled my keyboard, yummy!) and banh mi.
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| Banh mi |
Cham Island
You can get there on a speed boat that takes around 20 minutes. There are certain hours to do this trip. So bad news for sleepy-heads, you have to be at the meeting point around 8:00-9:00.
It's a nice place for snorkeling and to chillout.
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| They asked for a photo! |
My Son
My Son was once the most important intellectual and religious center of the kingdom of Champa.
It is the ruins of a Hindu temple complex. The temples are in a poor shape - only about 20 structures left where at least 68 once stood.
