Day 9, Friday, 3/21/25, Hoi An

After another delicious buffet breakfast, I get some more shots in and around the hotel after a morning rain.

Today we will tour Hoi An, formerly known as Faifo, back in its early days. It was also an important port for the Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, and other merchant vessels from the Far East. I call Hoi An the city of mannequins. As you will see in the photos, there is no shortage of tailors with dozens of mannequins each! Our first stop is the Chaya Merchant House.

The guide today is a gentleman named Ti. Very funny guy. We go to Hoi An Ancient Town, as it is called. We visit stores and temples, all to our camera’s liking! A lot of Chinese and Japanese influence here. From that stinky fruit, Durian, to colorful store displays and more mannequins, even child size mannequins with adult faces! An origami wall catches my camera’s attention and views of the streets below from an upstairs museum room. And, as usual, there is another photo shoot with a model, this time with a pink umbrella!

We even see the Sa Huynh Museum, which is located near the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge. The museum contains exhibitions from the earliest period of Hoi An’s history. This city has a rich and fascinating past. The Japanese Covered Bridge is so famous they put it’s picture on their 20,000 Dong note (equivalent of our one dollar bill).

We visit 41LeLoi, a silk fabric factory where they breed and raise silkworms. They weave cloth and sew silk designs into them.

We visit the Phuoc Kien Hoi Quan, also known as the Fukian Chinese Assembly Hall. The architecture of the temple is filled with intricate details and vibrant decorations.  The hall is known for its association with the six families that came to Hoi An in the 17th century.  The large courtyard with koi ponds add to the overall peaceful atmosphere. 

Walking by the markets, one of our group is handed a pair of baskets attached to a cross bar to pose for photos with! Looking good Leo!

Then we board a small boat on the Thu Bon River to the island of Cam Kim. Here we visit Kim Bong Village, a carpentry village officially recognized by Vietnam . We watch skilled woodworkers and shipbuilders that have been practicing their craft for generations.

Most of the group engages in a carving activity where they carve their name into a piece of wood using the rustic tools that the native woodcarvers use. Many of them get to see how difficult this is!

I don’t choose to do this, I prefer to walk around the village with my camera. Fun place according to my camera. In a crude shipyard, they were even rebuilding a boats damaged timbers.

After the group finishes carving their names, the entire group takes a brief tour and the village block and we all marvel at the quality and enormity of some of the wood carving skills of these people! There are weavers here also. Elee checks out a one piece rocking chair!

We then return across the river to Ancient Town for a traditional Vietnam lunch. Yes, it seems, we have done all this before lunch! I order Vietnamese Soup and a form of Bruschetta on Wontons.

We walk around for another half hour or so. I see some street food that looks delicious but I just finished lunch! Ti Then bids the group goodbye. He takes a couple of us back to the hotel. It’s a leisurely afternoon. Elee chooses to walk around town for a while longer. I kick back at the hotel and take a few more garden shots.

At 5, we go to the garden bar and have a glass of wine and a mojito. John and Dusty from the group join us. Some of the group are getting massages.

Later we take a walk for dinner and find a restaurant, Orivy, that serves local Hoi An food and enjoy a delicious meal with dumplings and pork dishes.

After dinner, we walk back to the hotel, but decide to stop for a glass of wine at a French Bistro on the way! And of course there are more mannequins on the way!

The walk back to the hotel is pleasant. One note about sidewalks in Vietnam, they are clearly not for walking on. They are for parking your motorcycle and placing your business signs. Additionally, they are used for stacking your wares and doing business from your street cart!

So we have to walk in the streets very often amid the zooming motorists and vehicles. Fun stuff! Livin’ large!

See you all tomorrow!