When you think of Vietnam, you visualise its beautiful scenery, beaches, islands water sports and cruises. A rich history with monuments, temples, pagodas and Buddhist influence, delectable cuisine and assimilation of foreign influence over the centuries. Hoi An, a small town, an hour’s drive from Danang, offers all this and more. Hoi An is located at the mouth of the Thu Bon river and was a very prosperous international trading port for over four hundred years. While the port no longer exists the streets and the buildings reflect the Chinese , Japanese and European . influence. The town has been classified as Heritage site by UNESCO as it is an” exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional Asian trading port and an outstanding material manifestation of the fusion of cultures over time”.

In addition to being a tourist spot of interest Hoi An is also the tailoring capital of Vietnam. Scores of tailoring enterprises offer you their services at a respectable cost and in super quick time. We got into Hoi in the early afternoon and checked in to the Allegra Han Hotel which I selected purely on its review score and proximity to the tailoring street of Tran Hung Bao. Our internet study and the hotel recommendations matched and so we headed to the closest tailor barely a few hundred yards away. The entire street was lined with tailors and a very large and impressive array of mannequins are on display. You walk into the large store, select from a very wide range of fabric, and with the help of an English speaking dressmaker create a garment of your design. What started out as a lark ended as quite an expedition of clothes and shoes for both of us largely due to the skills of the dressmaker. Is this called “Bespoke” or “made to measure” or “customised” or tailored. According to me they are all the same but i believe there are subtle nuances.

Between our fitting schedules we walked through the streets of the old quarter. The river was in spate and limited some our walkthroughs. The first thing that strikes you as you walk through is the large number of lantern on display and sale through the town. On Full moon days there is a lantern festival on the river .

A pleasant walk led us through the streets lined with buildings which still reflect the architecture of the Chinese , Japanese and European styles, But first the pagodas and the temples .The Chua Phap Bao pagoda as you enter the old quarter is a peaceful place on a busy road. We just walked through and appreciated the gardens and the statues of Buddha onwards

Our next stop was the Ba Mu temple dating back to the 1600’s. All that remains today is a pond and the gate which provides for an interesting Photo op.

As we walked along the river which was in spate we could not cross over to the other side.We however appreciated the buildings and admired the architecture. Some notable buildings we stopped by were the market place , House of Than ky , the folklore museum, the Chinese congregation hall and the Hoi An museum. Surprisingly we missed the Japanese bridge though we walked passed it!Looked like one more pagoda !! More lanterns ,more tailors and of course lots of food. Hoi an was our last stop of the journey through two weeks in Vietnam and we had understood and appreciated the pagodas, temples, boat rides and beaches, cruises and all that Vietnam had to offer that it was more of the same in Hoi An.

We spent the rest of the time with the tailors and shoe makers and enjoyed the warmth and hospitality of the Allegro Han hotel. I would rank the Melody restaurant at the hotel as the best restaurant in all my trip. We skipped the An Bang beach in favour of the My Khe Beach in Danang as the cruises and boat services to the nearby Cham archipelago was closed due to the weather. However if you had more time spend it by just lazily walking around the town and soak in the atmosphere. Time for us to get back home and we returned to Da Nang to board our flight the next day.