Vietnamese Whirl Part 7– Bright Lights and Back Alleys

In between rain showers, we skipped over puddles (yet another obstacle to avoid!) and made our way through the ancient streets of the UNESCO World Heritage town of Hoi An. From the photos I’d seen it resembled Malacca in Malaysa with its colourful old shop houses and river canals.   What I wasn’t expecting was an overcrowded, Disneyfied version of Vietnam crossed with a shopper’s paradise.

Most of the reviews I had read raved about this ancient trading port, with its “melting pot of different influences”, “lantern lit streets”, “romantic riverside views” and “great shopping experiences”.  Like many places, it seemed to have succumbed to mass tourism and this detracted from its authentic charm. 

Most of the old preserved wooden houses had been converted into shops selling souvenirs and tailoring services or cafés and restaurants, interspersed with the odd temple.   Every street and alleyway we turned down looked the same, so we found our way to the riverside, where hordes of fairly persistent vendors were touting their boat rides.  The myriads of boats did create quite a spectacle on the water with their brightly coloured lanterns and the river was alight with floating candles which were sold to bring the customer good luck.

Crossing over one of the many small bridges to the other side of the river (which was actually an island), the waterfront was a blaze of neon lights and blaring music.  After coming across an equally bright and loud night market selling tourist tat down a side-street, the heavens opened so we hot-footed it through the crowds back to the hotel.  Not a very inspiring start to our stay!

Fortunately, we were staying in another very comfortable small hotel, with a leafy courtyard and even a swimming pool (although we would be getting wet enough with the constant downpours!).

Hoping we had not seen the place in its best light (although there were LOTS of lights to chose from), we set off again to explore the following afternoon.  Without doubt, the old quarter contained some interesting Chinese temples, ochre coloured French colonial buildings, and even an ornate Japanese Bridge.  Some of the suits and dresses in the tailor’s windows looked pretty smart, and the silk lanterns were eye-catching, but we did wonder how the multitude of shops selling what looked like pretty much the same thing, ever made a living. 

One morning, we saw a bright light in the sky and remembered it must the “the sun”, so we jumped into a taxi to the nearby beach.  This part of the coast had been badly affected by the recent consecutive typhoons and parts of the shoreline were seriously eroded.  Although the sea was still quite rough, it was good to feel the sun and the sand between our toes, as we managed a pleasant walk to the furthest end of An Bang beach.

Not far away was the Camh Thanh village where you could take a tour in a traditional bamboo basket boat (shaped like a coracle) through the coconut forest. I had expected this to be quite touristy, and it was quite amusing to see the rowers spin the boats around like cups on the teacups ride at Disney, but we could have done without the stop at the “karaoke boat” where we declined the option to join in.  The few minutes drifting between the tall coconut palms were quite pleasant and it was interesting to see how the fishermen used their large circular nets, but again, it all felt a bit staged.

Whilst in the area, I couldn’t resist the urge to visit the much photographed “Golden Bridge” (held up by two giant hands) at the Sunworld Ba Na Hills.  We hired a driver for the day and were dropped off at the foot of the huge mountain range.  The cable car system that took you to the mountaintop resort itself held multiple records for length and altitude and was quite impressive.  The 30-minute ride hovered over vast pine clad forests, stunning waterfalls and unusual rock formations, and although it can often be foggy we were lucky enough to reach the summit before being engulfed by clouds. 

As expected, the Golden Bridge itself was packed with people aiming for the perfect Instagram snap, so we gave up and explored the rest of the “Land of the Moon”.  This was made up of some stunning floral displays and formal gardens, a huge white buddha, the obligatory pagoda and a selection of interesting sculptures.  It also offered great views of the surrounding hillside and beyond – and although slightly cooler than at the foot, surprisingly I didn’t need my jacket!

Taking another cable car up to the French Village, we strolled through its whimsical Parisian-style streets and gothic squares and fountains – it even had a Cathedral, but thankfully no over-priced steak frites.  Being thrill ride enthusiasts, we found the “Fantasy Park” a bit lame, with no real white-knuckle rides.  We did go on their alpine coaster, which offered panoramic views of the mountain but had speed restrictions, so Ian couldn’t explore his inner Damon Hill!

All this excitement gave us an appetite and we were ready for lunch, but first we had TWO free beer vouchers to use up (included in the tickets).  After a tour of the massive brewery (nothing micro about this brewery!), we collected our pints, and ordered lunch – which also came with another two free beers!  The meal was actually pretty good – and with a live music show thrown in, all for under £10 each – we felt we’d had quite a bargain!  By the time we emerged, we were feeling quite merry, but the damp weather had finally set in, so we descended back down the mountain to meet our driver.  Like many experiences in Vietnam, Ba Na Hills exceeded our expectations and despite being quite kitsch in places, was very well designed and made for a fun and memorable day out.

That evening, in search of a more authentic experience, we found a great little restaurant along the river, where a couple of local musicians were setting up.  Playing unusual bamboo and string instruments (a T’Rung and a Dàn tranh) they serenaded us with instrumental versions of some lovely traditional Vietnamese music along with some Western covers.  The food was pretty good too.  On the way back I even tried some of the local delicacies – mango cakes. These disappointingly didn’t contain mango but were just sticky rice surrounding a sweet concoction of peanuts and sesame seeds – but were “shaped” like mangos apparently!

The rest of our stay comprised of brief visits to the old town for dinner – trying to avoid the vendors trying to pull you into their bars, or sell you something (evidently “Happy Hour” not only applied to bars, but also fruit sellers and even tailors!).  And this is definitely the place to avoid if you hate crowds or if you are escaping from the law or a mafia gang, as I dread to think how many people’s Facebook and Instagram photos and videos I must appear in…

Checking the weather forecast for the next few days, we were relieved to find that our next destination was cooler but drier – a spot of sunshine for Christmas would certainly be a welcome present!

Next Stop:  Run to the hills…