Travels in Vietnam

N   83   Hoi An Old Town

When we got up after our first night in Danang we were disappointed. The weather was not sunny and good. It was raining lightly and the sky over the sea was grey and gloomy. Seeing the trees on the roadside swaying I perceived that it  was windy too.

But that was the only day we would be staying in Danang and we had plans to visit Hoi An the old town. So good weather or not we had to go out. Maybe the rain will stop and the weather become clear later I hoped.

The distance from Danang to Hoi An is nearly 30 klms and the same route as the Marble Mountains. So it did not take long to reach Hoi An. The rain had not stopped as we had hoped , but getting somewhat heavier that while somebody was acquiring entrance tickets we busied ourselves buying umbrellas and cheap ponchos.We learned that we will be given a guide to guide us through the town.

So we started walking on the wet pavements of the town. Hoi An though it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site is not an occasionally visited deserted old place, but is a lively inhabited town where people are still living  in well  preserved centuries old houses ,built of brick and wood, their lives evolving around daily activities .It is  a well preserved example of a 15^th to 19^th century trading post . But as it is a tourist destination now their livelihoods are more or less related to the tourist industry .

The guide ( a woman ) first took us to an old family house. It is Tan Ky house. Taking care to step on the wet small courtyard we entered direct into a living room where we can see an alter dedicated to ancesters . And on the wall are old photos of deceased family members. There a girl who is a descendant of the family explained to us about the crab shell shaped ceiling supported by 3 beams in this room. We also saw a set of antique settees in the room.After that we wandered into the back of the house and saw what should have been sleeping quarters transformed into souvenir shops.

Then she took us to visit a silk weaving house. The steps from silkworm feeding on mulberry leaves until the weaving of silk are displayed here. And they also sell silk fabrics, scarves, clothing etc. The silk scarves some of us bought there for 12$ can be bought at some other shops at half the price.

We walked again leisurely on the streets that had only a few vehicles, peering into shops, when we find things we like to purchase, or just looked with interest. The guide took us to a Chinese meeting hall which is nice to take photos.

The next place we visited was an agar wood sculpture industry house.There are some agar wood sculpture work and incense making downstairs and on the first floor there is a display of Vietnamese paintings.

Then we came to Phung Hung Ancient House. Like in Tan Ky House there is a girl to explain to us about the house. It is one of the most famous architectural buildings in Hoi An, considered to be a cultural heritage of the town. It was built in 1780 and was mainly made of wood with 2 stories. The architecture of Phung Hung is a combination of Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese styles.It is a wonder that a 200 years old wooden house is still intact and usuable.

There is a set of wooden settees downstairs, which some parts of it are inlaid with mother of pearls. ( Vietnamese are good at that craft )  Ko Aung one member of our group jokingly asked the girl how much is the price of it , and she replied  “ not for sale “. Well …..even if they are for sale they should go to auction houses like Sotheby or Christie I thought.

Lastly she took us to the Japanese bridge which is  one of the tourist attractions and did some explaining to us. It was constructed in the early 1590s by the Japanese community to link them with the Chinese quarters. In those times many Japanese and Chinese came to do merchandising and settled in Hoi An . The entrance to the bridge is guarded by weathered statues; a monkey on one side and a dog on the other.There must be some legends concerning them I thought .

Then the guide told us that was the end of the tour and if we want to explore more we do so freely by ourselves. I asked where the famous lantern making industries are and she just pointed to over the other end of the river. We also hadn’t  seen ceramics industry and would be glad to see one. But because it was wet and time for lunch , everyone didn’t have the heart to walk more. So we just turned  back to the way we had come towards where our car was waiting for us.