My Favorite Spot in Vietnam – Hoi An

The vastness of Vietnam causes travelers not only to take days or weeks traversing the country from north to south or vice versa but allows us to experience a gold mine of areas that differ greatly one from the other along the way. Amongst all of this southeast Asian country’s unique locales, it wasn’t difficult for me to choose a favorite town. Hoi An, located in the middle of Vietnam, with its multitude of colors, gorgeous riverfront and pedestrian only shopping area, placed itself on the top of my list of places to revisit in Vietnam.

The pedestrian streets of Hoi An are lined with little shops where tailors weave haute couture designs and cobblers hand craft one-of-a-kind pairs of shoes. If you’re a style and cost conscious traveler, you can stop in and get measured one day and walk out with your purchases the next. You can also buy clothes and shoes off the racks.

Just behind these shops lies the Thu Bon River, which is lined on both sides with Western and Vietnamese restaurants. Unlike other rivers throughout the world, the Thu Bon is not full of mere water. Unique and colorful decorations sit in its midst.

Nighttime may be the best time to roam the roads of Hoi An, as colorful cloth lanterns which line the bridge which connects one side of town to the other light up after dark, as do the water decorations, giving the area a personality unlike any I’ve seen elsewhere.

Sometimes the quality of your accommodations can really affect your impressions of a destination. I carefully chose a highly rated yet extremely inexpensive hotel. This place let me start off each day on a delicious note by serving the most incredibly abundant, nutritious and delicious breakfasts I have ever had in any hotel ever in my life – all free of charge. A plate filled with exotic fruits was just the appetizer, with much more to follow.

I was privileged to be witness to one aspect of Vietnamese culture I didn’t see anywhere else. As soon as I disembarked from my cockroach-infested overnight train journey from Nha Trang, I checked into my hotel, went out to explore the town and ended up walking straight into a funeral.

At first I thought it was some type of cheerful celebration, as many people were decorating vehicles in the streets with flowers and bunting. When one of the locals told me it was a funeral, I stopped taking photos, although he said there was no need to stop. It seemed that this funeral was more of a time of celebration than of weeping, as the same man also told me dancers would be taking to the streets later. One of these dancers popped into my path, in very cheerful attire. Perhaps the Vietnamese look at death differently than do we.

A half hour bike ride to a huge beach devoid of people on the South China Sea also earned Hoi An a top spot on my list of favorite places ever traveled. Although I didn’t find many people on this miles-long stretch of sand, I did find a bounteous amount of round Vietnamese boats sitting on the shore. It is amazing to me that people can navigate these successfully through the wild waters of the ocean, but I’ve seen them do it.

How about you? I know a lot of people who have traveled to Vietnam have hit Hoi An. What did you like the most?