Vietnam – Day Eight – Hoi An

We stir early for an AM flight from Saigon to Da Nang. From Da Nang we hire a taxi to take us slightly south to Hội An. We had already scouted a couple B&Bs before getting there, and luckily the first place we chose to inquire, La Tonnelle, had room for us. A three room place, it is super quaint and beautiful, just like the town it’s in.

It is a rustic old town, and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is an old port town and has a very long history involving different peoples, powers, spice trades, etc. Today it is mainly a tourist destination as Da Nang has taken over most of the port business in the area.

Tailoring has become a big attraction here too, good and bad sides to it, and I wish had done more research on the subject before arriving. I did have some clothes made, which was a fun experience at Bebe. The staff at La Tonnelle were helpful through the whole stay. They helped us manage bike rentals, suit tailoring, my haircut and ear cleaning (yes), as well as sourcing and cleaning a large amount of Mangosteen seeds.

We explored a bit at night too while out looking for food and drink. It’s all just too pretty.

At night locals sell floating lanterns with lit candles. Another beautiful addition to the scenescape, but who knows if the trash is ever picked up. This is where Minh gets yelled at for being a tour guide and letting us take pictures of the restaurant or something. It was nice to have her along to help communicate with locals, but then strange things would happen like this when people thought she was a local.

 

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.