Vietnam – Day Ten – Leaving Hoi An for Hong Kong

Of course, before we left we had to finish up our tailoring arrangements and we also ate! Minh and Paul had found this gem hidden down an alleyway. Quan An Restaurant, which feels more like a family’s home, had great food. The woman and her daughter running the place were very nice, it was also pleasant to not be on the main streets. We took our time.

This next picture was taken just outside our tailor’s. It may be hard to see, but there is a swastika in the center of the gate. I had long known of the symbol’s history and peaceful meaning in Hinduism, and the linked Wikipedia article says this: “The most traditional form of the swastika’s symbolization in Hinduism is that the symbol represents the purusharthas: dharma (that which makes a human a human), artha (wealth), kama (desire), and moksha (liberation).” The symbol is widely used in other eastern religions as well.

We left Hoi An later in the day and made it back to Da Nang. We hung out in the airport for a little while, caught our flight to Saigon and then we wandered around the airport looking for a place where we could sleep for a few hours. We only had a short time before our very early flight to Hong Kong. Not well rested at all, we arrive to the Semi Autonomous Region (SAR).

By Daniel Hatke

The author was born and raised in Indiana. After graduating from Purdue University he worked in the asset management industry in New York City. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School with concentrations in finance and entrepreneurship. Currently, he is fueling his curiosities through taking time off for extended travel and experiences in Europe and Asia, as chronicled here.