Hoi An is one of the most important cultural sites of Vietnam and was the third stop on our tour of the country. We stayed just next to the touristy old town which boasts tons of restaurants, junk shops, and tailors. This is one of the few places in Vietnam where you can get a respite from the motor bike because several of the streets are closed to motorized traffic. Immediately upon arriving in town, I did the touristy thing of getting measured for a suit. It takes about 48 hours for most tailors to turn around custom made clothing. On our first full day in Hoi An, Laura got sick and bailed out of our morning food tour. I pressed on and worked through eating ~45 different dishes. They were all small sized but I was miserably stuffed by the end. The tour operation is owned by a charming old Australian couple and operated by a formidable staff of Vietnamese women. They bring a family atmosphere to their tour and left me with a new appreciation for the city. Immediately after the food tour, I booked it across town to start a bicycle tour of the countryside (covered in a separate post).

On our 2nd full day, Laura was feeling much better so we just wandered old town. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and it dumped on us all day long. We explored some old buildings and exercised our haggling chops with some shopping. By the end of the day Laura learned that there is a lot of power in the walk-away. Eventually the rain got to be too much and we ran back to the safety of the hotel. In the evening, I ventured back out for dinner and drinks. Night time is really when Hoi An shines. The river glitters with lantern lit boats and tons of people come out to mill about the night markets. I could have used one more day in Hoi An.

Check out the highlights below and click any photo to see the full Google album.