Hanoi to Hoi An

We had an eventful final half hour in Hanoi; as we were boarding, Iain was told there was a problem with one of the suitcases and we would have to go back to the check-in desk...you can imagine the panic! We followed one of the Vietnam Airlines staff back through security and to check-in; we were then ushered through the back of the desks to the suitcases; turns out Iain had left his amazon tablet in the suitcase and had forgotten about it..ooops! We rushed back through security and managed to make the flight; phew!

The suitcase did not make the flight!

As soon as we landed, there was a woman with a sign saying BLACK IAN; luckily my case was still fine but his would be coming on the 11pm flight to Da Nang and would be delivered to the hotel. We wandered to the arrivals hall to meet our guide minus a suitcase. Sala, along with Mr. Long our driver were waiting. She was a portly woman, who on first impressions seemed quite crazy but equally as likeable! Apparently, I am Iain’s concubine while on holiday but his queen when I get home, meaning I don’t need to cook for him while on honeymoon but I do when we get home! I’m not sure our Queen cooks for Prince Philip....

We arrived into Da Nang which is kind of like the Las Vegas of Vietnam; we could see a version of the London Eye as we came into land and there were Neon signs everywhere. Thankfully, we were only passing through this city and heading straight to Hoi An, a 40 or so minute drive away. We passed golf courses and loads of new hotels being built; this is for Asians coming to holiday here, particularly Chinese and Koreans. It. was an old American Air Force base and now a very western style city. Who knew?

After a reasonably smooth drive, the volume of traffic is nothing like Hanoi, we arrived at La Siesta Resort and Spa in Hoi An; it seems idyllic. We checked in, receiving the complimentary welcome drink and nibbles, before being shown to our room. As we were walking through the resort, its huge, we were told we had an upgraded room, woo hoo! We had been upgraded to a Premium Terrace Suite; it is almost bigger than our flat and has a terrace with a jacuzzi sun loungers and a table looking onto the pool and gardens of the club wing. And we didn’t think our honeymoon could get any better! 

We had a decent sleep and woke up at 8am to go for breakfast; Iain called down to reception and thankfully, his case had arrived overnight! Breakfast was lovely and a bit of a mix, I had sweet and sour prawns, noodles, french toast, bacon and a ham and cheese croissant! Our guide came to pick us up at 9.30am, where we were going to enjoy a city tour. Our first stop was a factory where they did almost everything; made silk clothing, wood crafts, Chinese lanterns and the embroidery art; I saw an amazing piece with an old lady smoking a pipe, just a shame it cost over £1000!

After that, we were given a tour pass to the “old town.” Tourists must have this pass to be able to enter; this is to help maintain its UNESCO world heritage status. We wandered through the market first; there was the usual fruit area, toys, sweets, hardware and meat section; this was particularly gruesome, especially the piled layers of pig skin lying everywhere and the smell was atrocious. Thankfully we quickly left and went to the Fukian Assembly hall, an ornate Chinese temple set up by the Fujian people. The hall is full of statues and lacquered works of art; it is very beautiful. Sala seems obsessed with me being a concubine, she even dressed me up with flowers!

After visiting the hall, we walked through the streets which are filled with shops selling made to measure clothes and souvenirs, as well as restaurants and coffee shops by the dozen. Our next stop was the Old House of Dúc An; one of the most historical houses in the city and home to numerous generations of the same family, including a general who worked alongside Ho Chi Minh himself. 

We walked to another merchants home on the banks of the river; here we saw the same type of building but it was clearly marked where the flood waters had got to; the roof! We were told the city used to flood at least 7 times a year but the government are trying to fix this by building dams; unfortunately, the dams sometimes need to be released.....

We walked along the river before seeing the Japanese Bridge, a bridge funded by the Japanese but built by the Vietnamese back in the 17th century. It was built in the former Japanese to link to the Chinese quarter and is now a unique and beloved symbol of Hoi An people. Our guide directed us across another bridge callled Lantern Bride, before leaving us in the old quarter to let us do wha we wanted for the rest of the day. We decided we needed ice cream; mango is very popular here!

We wandered back through the shopping streets, buying a few bits here and there. Iain fancied a new leather jacket so we decided to ask the price and how long it would take to make; it was just after midday but they promised to have it made by 8pm tonight and it was going to be $150.  He was sold, so he got measured (Iain: The women measuring me slapped my belly and called me a fat buddha!) and we paid the deposit and took a picture so we could find the place later in the evening!

It was getting on for lunch and our guide had recommended a few places for food; we decided to try Cargo. She also told us which local specialties to try;  I had Banana Leaf Salad and Iain had Bahn Mi sandwich with beef or Vietnamese baguette to us tourists! Both were spicy and delicious!

After lunch, we sauntered back to the hotel and decided to lounge on the terrace in the 24 degree overcast sunshine; we also had a jacuzzi which was a novelty! We were told to go to the old town around 6.30pm for dinner as all the families are starting to close earlier due to the new year approaching; it’s absolutely massive here!