central Vietnam


I had heard how very touristy Hoi An is, so wasn't sure what I'd think of the place.  & it's true that there were thousands of tourists there, and the vast majority of the buildings in the UNESCO-listed old town are restaurants/bars/cafes/tourist shops - but it is still beautiful.  I happily wandered its streets for days, although helped I suppose by my staying in a hostel-homestay in what I can only describe as a "middle class suburb".  A twenty-minute walk out of town, it was so clean and quiet, probably one motorbike going past every ten minutes on otherwise empty roads.

The town is crowded full of old houses, temples, community centres and museums, and there are also a few venues which put on cultural performances.  But walking the other way out of my hostel I could avoid all of the touristy sights and walk beside rice paddies and a nearly-deserted beach - so a nice mixture.  & nearby are towns with yet more temples (most of them seeming to contain a mixture of Buddhist, Hindu and shrines to other deities or to the ancestors), as well as some interesting caves also full of religious deities, so I took an enjoyable day tour out to visit a selection of these sites.

From Hoi An I took a bus a few hours north to Hue, the capital of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty from 1802 to 1945.  It served as the Imperial City and administrative capital, and the grounds of the old Imperial City are protected by fortified ramparts some 8km long.  I spent a half day wandering around it, admiring the many old gateways both around and within what is generally referred to as the Cttadel, various pavilions, and the amazingly over-the-top ornate Grand Palace.

Then whilst walking along the street near my hotel I was stopped by an older guy offering me a half-day trip on the back of a motorbike to visit some out-of-town spots: a Japanese covered bridge, a couple of old tombs, and the abandoned water park.  I knew that they were too far for me to walk to, but was nervous about travelling on the back of a motorbike ... however there is no other affordabe option, and I felt that I could trust the guy, so I paid half of the cost up-front (for him to buy fuel) and trusted that (a) he would turn up to my hotel the next morning, and (b) that I would make it back in one piece.

Well it worked out, thankfully, and was an enjoyable trip.  If it hadn't been part of the package I'm not sure that I'd have gone for the abandoned water park (as a modern-day amusement park with no deeper cultural significance) - but I'm so glad that I got to go there as this, for me, was the highlight of the tour!  I've no idea why it was abandoned, but thankfully the 'no entry' signs are not enforced, with many motorbike taxis driving around the edge of the barrier to bring in tourists.  A stunning place!

& then my 45-days visa exemption period was up, so I said 'au revoir' to Vietnam and got on the train to Laos...

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