Journey with Christina

Hoi An was a magical town that had it all; historic buildings, 11^th century ruins, rice paddies, beautiful beach, custom tailors, all wrapped up in a quaint town with romantic lantern lighting. The town of Hoi An was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 as a rich architectural fusion of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and European influences. The charming streets are lined with two-hundred-year-old wooded fronted shop-houses.

My first stop was the Japanese Covered Bridge which originally connected the Japanese community to the Chinese community and is now an iconic image. After I visited several old merchant’s houses many which have been in the same family for centuries. The architecture was late 18^th century two-story shop-houses, built with dark wood and dimly lit. The center having courtyards allowing in light. The best part was meeting family members who still lived in these homes.

Japanese Covered Bridge.

Example of the historic shop-houses.

Images of the historic town.

Romantic lighting at night.

Jon and I also took a side trip to the World Heritage listed ruins of My Son. The Kingdom of Champa existed between the 2^nd and 15^th centuries, however the ruins that we can see today were built in the 7^th and 13^th centuries. However, this site has many scares from the French archaeologists who cut off the heads of statues to bring home to the museums to the bombing of the site by the Americans during the war.

My Son ruins.

About a 5-minute bike ride away from our hotel was a section of gorgeous rice paddies with trails and a stretch of golden palmed lined sand. The vendors were a hard sell but had a unique approach so that you actually were able to get to know them a little and the seafood was outstanding.

The beach, apparently, the sign means nothing because there were actual life guards on duty.

Where we stayed, Hoi An Thanh Luan Homestay, we had a superior clean room, nicely furnished room with air con and a shared bathroom for $13 a night. The breakfast was delicious and served on a litter veranda. The owners were amazingly helpful arranging tours, onward transportation and bike for free. They made you feel like you were staying at a family friend.