Saturday, March 26th ~ Hoi An, Vietnam
Hoi An Old Town
OK, now we are talking! It was love at first sight. Colorful, vibrant, clean, safe, friendly, fun, great selection of places to eat, historic and scenic all wrapped up in one nice neat bow…
Crossing the river
There is not any getting around it, that Hoi An is a tourist town, but in this case it works in its favor. Since the entire towns economy is based on tourism, they make sure that each visitor feels safe and welcome.
Old Town
Unlike most other towns in Vietnam, there is very little crime here. The street venders must maintain a higher standard of hygiene, and the people are friendly, enthusiastic and welcoming. The Old Town area is a walking district with no motorized vehicles allowed. It is still a bit tricky to walk without getting run over by a bicycle or rickshaw however.
Still have to dodge some traffic.
“In 1999, the old town was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO as a well-preserved example of a south-east Asian trading port of the 15th to 19th centuries, with buildings that display a unique blend of local and foreign influences.” ~ Wikipedia
Tim and I both had such fun taking pictures here. It truly is a photographers dream destination. In fact we saw several what appeared to be photo shoots going on as we wandered.
Bride to be?
Future bride and groom?
Another possible photo shoot in progress?
“Hoi An is … one of the nation’s most wealthy towns, a culinary mecca and one of Vietnam’s most important tourism centres.” ~ Lonely Planet
Our favorite pictures of the day:
Good Morning Vietnam!
Japanese Bridge
Paper lanterns
Many of the buildings were painted this same color
Entrance to a Temple
Tim becomes a fruit vender
Along the river
Nap time
Burn scars?
Walking streets
GRATITUDE MOMENT: Today I am grateful to have been introduced to Hoi An. This has gotten me even more excited to see what other surprises Vietnam has in store for us.
A Note From Abroad 
Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure!
LikeLike
Wow! Looks like you’re having fun. I’ve been getting updates on your trip and Its really enjoyable. Nice pictures.
LikeLike
Thank you – and yes we ARE having fun!
LikeLike
Glad you enjoyed Hoi An Joanne & Tim, it was definitely one of our favorite places when we visited.
Enjoying your posts.
Colin.
LikeLike
Hello Colin! Thank you for following along. Hoi An had so much charm. Definitely touristy, but a lovely, memorable afternoon.
LikeLike
And, how’s the food?
LikeLike
The food is good, but having a very difficult time avoiding MSG. Even when they say they do not use it, they often use “chicken powder” or other seasoning that has the same effect. We are now eating primarily vegetarian with a little bit fish on occasion. Poor Tim pays quite a price when he gets hit and is loosing weight like crazy here.
LikeLike
This post took me back to Hoi An.
LikeLike
I hope it brought back fond memories 😃
LikeLike
I loved Hoi An! I can’t wait to go back again one day.
LikeLike
We too would love to return some day and maybe get an AirBNB place.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hoi An has just been voted the best town to visit in the world by Wanderlust magazine readers and your photos completely back that up. I can not wait to visit one day. Great post!
http://www.mytravelbugbite.wordpress.com
LikeLike
I can certainly see why it would get the publicity. There is much to love here!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely photos.
LikeLike
Thank you.
LikeLike
The pictures are amazing!! Hope you had a Happy Easter! Enjoy, Enjoy Enjoy!!
LikeLike
Thank you Paul. It was an enjoyable day.
LikeLike
Sounds like an absolutely fascinating journey. I love the pictures. How hard was it to carry the fruit in those type of baskets?
LikeLike
These baskets were quite light compared to many we saw, and not too difficult to balance. Of course, this was more a photo op, and did not carry them far at all.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It all looks very jolly and warm, unlike here today in southern France: very wet and blowing a gale!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your photos of our Hoi An are beautiful! Though tourism has changed this small town a lot, I absolutely loved the old quarters of Hoi An, so colourful.
LikeLike
Thank you very much. The older historical portion of most towns is usually my favorite at well.
LikeLike