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2/14
2/14
If you found this, go back, it aint ready yet
We arrived in Hoi An at quarter to six, and dropped our stuff at our hotel, including our nearly bursting laundry bag. The manager gave us a map and an orientation to the old town, and we headed off, starting with breakfast. Banh Mi Sum is a local staple and we had mixed luck in being there for the morning rush. Watching them throw together larger orders to be whisked away on motorbikes into the passing throngs felt very “slice of life”, but we did end up having to grow a spine and defend our spot in line to eventually receive our own delicious banh mi chay (we had learned "chay" meant vegetarian from the many buffets in Dalat). After enjoying our sandwiches on a curb, we continued to watch the world go by with a salt coffee and an egg coffee at a cafe looking out at the busiest intersection in town. Egg coffee originates from the 1940s when milk and sugar prices rose and egg was used as a substitute, and salt coffee is a more recent innovation continuing the trend of coffee inventions in Vietnam.
We wove through the saffron colored buildings of old town and the crowds of tourists, foreign and domestic, come to see the many historically preserved buildings sprinkled therein. With two more days to explore, we satisfied ourselves with the famous Mot herbal drink and a delicious meal in a rooftop restaurant above the hubbub.
By the time we walked back to the hotel, our room was ready, and we were ready for it. As much as we had thought we got to sleep in the eponymous sleeper bus, we felt zonked. Take out dinner of vegetarian versions of local specialties from Boi Com Hoi An (cao lau and quang nam) ended our night early.
Morning rush at Banh Mi Sum!
This beautiful yellow color was all over the old town of Hoi An.
2/15
2/15
After breakfast at the hotel, we returned to the room, having dropped all of our clothes for laundry the previous day. The laundry came late and with many apologies, but we didn’t mind a chance to enjoy some AC and watch a new show (Death and Other Details on Hulu, Mandy Patinkin is great, the show promises a fun Poirot-esque, closed-door, murder mystery and gets dragged into a slogging commentary on capitalism and entitlement, would not recommend).
Our late start had us leaving at peak heat, and we quickly retreated into a shaded lunch spot after grabbing tickets to the old town (the ~30 historical buildings and museums, sometimes both, scattered around the town each require 1 entry ticket, bought in fives, from stands placed around the perimeter). After lunch, we visited Tan Ky house (a preserved historical house from the 1800s), saw a performance of traditional Vietnamese music and dance, an old assembly hall, and two more preserved houses.
The Tet festivities were still ongoing in Hoi An, and a bustling nightlife made a visit to the night market and some beers on the river quite picturesque, if not a little crowded. After nightfall, we left the waterfront for Chickpea eatery for some more vegetarian cao lau and other local dishes.
Flooding is quite common from the river, but it is also what made Hoi An the gateway to the South of Vietnam for so long! Close proximity to the coast and being right on the river allowed shipping via the river and made Hoi An an important city for trade as early as 1000 years ago!
Hysterically unexpected themed bar. It also had several tvs playing the show on loop.
At night the streets were PACKED and many people went out on boats with lanterns.
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