There really are two different Hoi An’s, we discover. The town in daytime is a completely different affair to its night-time counterpart. The bustling streets of yellow buildings, intriguing museums, elaborate temples, pretty riverfronts and winding markets are transformed in the evening into an Oriental fairy-land of multi-coloured illuminations that create an almost dream-like neverland of bars and restaurants.
It’s a photographer’s playground and the huge crowds of tourists that fill the streets during the day, many bussed in from Danang where vast cruise ships dock, make it almost impossible to get that ‘special’ shot… although they try in their thousands. And of course, we’re as guilty as everyone else of wandering around snapping hundreds of photos of everything in sight.
Hoi An street scene
We start our first full day with a yoga class taken by the pool and then, following breakfast, walk to one of the tourist offices dotted through the town to buy entrance tickets to the UNESCO heritage sights of the Old Town. There are many buildings to choose from which require pre-bought tickets and they come in books of five for 120000 dong (£4). We buy a book each and then, guidebook in hand, decide which of the key sights we’ll choose whilst drinking strong, bitter coffee in a beautiful hidden garden at the back of a coffee shop called Bazar.
It’s an overcast and cloudy day, with a very flat light which isn’t ideal for capturing the iconic images of Hoi An we’re hoping for, but the town is still gorgeous to walk through. We wander around the pedestrianised streets, visiting the Phúc Kién Assembly Hall, the Museum of Trade Ceramics, the old houses of Phùng Hung and Tán Ky plus the Quan Công Temple; all ancient Chinese style buildings that give a fascinating insight into life here hundreds of years ago.
Phuc Kien Assembly Hall
We also stop off in various souvenir and textile shops, Hoi An being famous for its silks and tailors who can run up outfits to your bespoke measurements in 24 hours. The town is full of tourists clad in matching his and hers outfits they’ve had made, most of them Korean or Chinese, proudly parading down the streets in Vietnamese dress. We choose some beautiful black and gold silk, with a delicate floral design, and surprise the shop owner by asking for them to be made into cushion covers instead.
It’s quite energy-sapping wandering the thronged streets and by the time we settle on the riverside Banana Leaf café for lunch we’re both shattered. As we tuck into a couple of slightly underwhelming bánh mi baguettes, we watch the flotilla of river boats jostling for attention from passing tourists for a little cruise up and down the waterways, before heading further on to see the pretty Hoi An bridge and its more famous cousin, the fabled Japanese Bridge, one of the most photographed structures in Vietnam. It’s about as far as we manage before turning back, ready for a dip in the hotel pool and a siesta.
Japanese Bridge
The next afternoon, with brighter sunshine, we get a chance to retrace our steps and snap more vivid pictures of the Old Town, the cruise ship hoards seemingly not in evidence today. We also explore the other bank of the Hoài river, with more modern shops, markets, guesthouses and restaurants up and down winding streets, stopping for a cocktail at Madame Khien’s, sitting on a balcony people-watching the streets below. It really is picture-postcard perfect.
