Travel Stories | Expat Life
A bit of a blur.
To be honest, the tour we took in Hué has begun to completely blur together. After visiting the Imperial City, I know we went to a garden house and a pagoda. And I know this all happened before lunch. But that’s about it.
I just realized I don’t even have photos of the actual house!
And here’s that pagoda.
xo, jill
“Hwey”
We left Hoi An and headed north to Hué*. The bus took about 5 hours and was quite comfortable. Inside there were two levels of seats that reclined into beds. Mike and I had never experienced that style of bus and enjoyed every minute of it.
Hué was definitely the wettest location on our trip. Our first afternoon we walked about town and the market until the rain drove us back inside.
Initially we came to Hué to visit the Vinh Moc Tunnels. Unfortunately, trips to the tunnels also included a slew of other military sites. We probably could have tired harder to arrange something, but the rain just made it all unappealing. Instead we joined a tour visiting all the major sites in the city.
The first stop was the Imperial City.
I was glad I wore my galoshes!
xo, jill
*I couldn’t find the proper Vietnamese accent. This is as close as I could get.
Little bits.
The return trip of our My Son tour included an obligatory stop at a woodworking shop. I always find those so awkward. I don’t want to be rude but I’m genuinely never in the market for whatever the shops are selling.
The tour also came with the option of taking a boat back into Hoi An. How could we pass up a ride through such beautiful waters? Uh… so there wasn’t much to see and horizontal drizzle started up, but the lunch was surprisingly good.
We spent our last afternoon in Hoi An making final adjustments at the tailors (more on that later) and meandering through the streets. We missed the peaceful pace of Hoi An’s pedestrian streets as soon as we reached Hanoi.
Canadian flag
American flag
xo, jill
“Mee-Sun”
Our last full day in Hoi An we ventured out to My Son. Our hotel offered guided trips which seemed like the easiest way to do it considering the potentially rainy weather.
My Son is the site of several Hindu temples constructed between the 4th and 14th centuries. Some of the temples are in ruins from the American war, but many are still intact. The temples were used by the Champa peoples for various religious ceremonies.
The light was bright but overcast that day and I never felt like I got the photography quite right. Here’s a slew of photos none the less.
xo, jill
Glowing.
After dinner we continued to wander around town. A tripod would have been nice to have, but not so nice to carry for the remainder of the trip.
Don’t you love those lanterns? Mike and I discussed how a billion of them look cool, but just one or two is a little too dorm room. We didn’t buy any.
xo, jill
Gray and yellow.
We entered Vietnam at Da Nang* and continued directly to Hoi An. It was only about 30km but still included two different touts hopping into our taxi for a ride…and to pass off their business cards.
When we reached our hotel I was delighted to find flower petals and swans on the bed. Then I immediately felt a little awkward because I desperately needed a nap but didn’t know what to do with the petals!
After resting up we set out to explore the town. Recent rains caused a bit of flooding but nothing too troubling.
Despite being quite the tourist town today, Hoi An was once a major international sea port before being passed over for Da Nang in the 18th century. While trade in Da Nang began to prosper, Hoi An was largely forgotten. Changes began happening all over Vietnam, but not in Hoi An.
Hoi An is considered to be an extremely well-preserved example of an Asian sea port during the 15th to 19th centuries. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage site not only because of the high level of preservation, but also for the fusion of cultures displayed in the architecture.
The yellow buildings were certainly something to look at against the gray skies.
After our walk around town we stepped into a small restaurant for dinner just as the sky went dark.
*I was later told that entering via Da Nang is incredibly unusual. The proprietor at one of our hotels asked me repeatedly where we got our visa and then explained that he’s never had a guest who entered the country the way we did. It felt pretty normal to us!
