3rd February, 2017

We left Hue for Hoi An after breakfast with Banh, our guide and a driver, heading south but detouring over the mountains. Unfortunately it was very cloudy with some spitting rain, so there was no view to be had but grey clouds. However it started to ease off and when we stopped by the sea on the other side for a loo break, we were at least able to stretch our legs in the dry. It also made for some very atmospheric seascapes.

Our tour included two stops, the first of which was in Da Nang, home during the American War to a massive US airbase. We however were heading for a small museum dedicated to the Cham people. Cham, by the by, is pronounced chum. The Chams were Austronesian sailors who arrived possibly around 4,000 years BC and have since been dispersed across Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. In the area we visited they ruled Champa and thrived fairly well until the 9th and 10th centuries AD. There is a site of old ruined temples at My Son, discovered and excavated by the French in the late 19th century, though it was badly bombed by the Americans as the Vietcong holed up there. We only had time to visit the museum, but it was very much worth the visit as there are some wonderful statues, some of which have some truly great expressions. The statue of the slim man looks rather Greek or certainly from that area. I am sure there is a charioteer that looks just like it.

By way of contrast, we visited a more modern workshop at the Marble Mountains, famed for their statuary, some of which was huge. I had to get Val to stand next to it to give you the perspective!

The Marble Mountains are a set of 5 hills (at a maximum of 107 metres, they cannot really be called mountains!) and are indeed constructed of marble. The highest, Thuy Son, is the one to visit with a pagoda, nice gardens and a fairly spectacular cave – and loads of mainly Chinese tourists bussed in from Da Nang.

We made it safely to Hoi An with enough time to settle into our nice hotel, the Hoi An Silk Marina and Spa, though I could not see much of a marina, though we did overlook the river. Nice staff and a nice pool and room.

We had a bit of a rest and then grabbed an umbrella and set off for town in the rain, though thankfully that stopped quite quickly. Hoi An is wonderful. It is not a big place, though it was once the centre of a great deal of maritime trade front the 2nd century BC onwards and especially in the 16th century when it was known as Fai Fo and attracted many Chinese and Japanese and European traders. The former two dominated commercial activities in the town and many settled there in their own distinct areas. However the Japanese shogun forbade travel in 1639, so it was the Chinese who prospered especially when upheavals in China sent more refugees fleeing south. Eventually the river silted up and China opened her markets and Fai Fo declined. It was renamed Hoi An in 1954 and somehow escaped damage in the wars.

The result is a lovely town with a mix of architectural influences especially Chinese and Japanese with a bit of French thrown in for good measure. One excellent current rule is that motorised traffic is banned from the centre and that includes the ubiquitous motorbikes. The town authorities have also worked hard to retain the town’s old world charm and all local businesses must, by law, hang a lantern outside their establishments. You will see the effect in a later post. It was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1999. We had a nice walk about that evening and it was not too crowded due to the rain. We eventually found a good restaurant, though you would be hard pressed not to as the place abounds with them. A few night shots to keep you going until the next post! Sorry if they are not up to the usual high standard.

And finally it was time for bed, some us so sleepy, we dropped off mid-sentence!

Bye!