After a long night of bus travel, we arrived early this morning. We were dropped off in a street where there were clearly several hotels. Unfortunately no good deal, so we will look on site with the French couple, Micka and Cynthia as a reminder.
We couldn't find anything better than $10 after spending a first night in a $12 room due to lack of space. We were on a street not far from the Singh Tourist, but I didn't remember the name of the hotel.
We set off straight away after a quick shower, and I discovered the famous "Hoi An," called Faifo during the Indochina era. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, here's what it says about it ( source: Wikipedia ):
Hoi An, a historic and typical town
Hoi An was a prosperous town, located on the maritime routes of the silk trade. It expanded from the 30th century, with wealthy merchants setting up trading posts there and building large, solid wooden houses. Following the silting up of the river, the port's activity declined in favor of Danang (XNUMX km north of Hoi An).
Various architectural styles coexist in Hoi An. The Chinese style, rather majority, the Japanese style, like its old bridge, and the French architecture, left over from the Indochina years (the colony, not the group eh!). In all, there are no less than 844 buildings that are listed for their historical and architectural interest.
Some roofs are covered with concave and convex tiles, typical of the yin and yang style. This symbol is also found on the doors of houses (this protects its inhabitants). Many houses are built of jackfruit, a black and very hard wood.
You will also come across houses with yellow facades and turquoise shutters, which are beautifully reflected in the river. A river on which you will come across sampans (a boat/dwelling), and locals, sometimes returning from their market.
Market of perfumes and flavors that are so many typical images of the city. In the early morning, the fishermen bring their night catch to the very picturesque fish market (which we will also see later).
At the Hoi An market early in the morning
That sounds very tempting. For this first morning in Hoi An, we were just walking in the small streets near the river, having breakfast, before Jitima remembered that the market is in such and such a direction, a little further along the river.
From this glimpse, I already appreciate the peaceful atmosphere, straight out of another era. And the market adds to the immersion experience, few tourists seem to be interested in it, because it is already 10am at that time and we will be almost the only ones in the area…
On the other hand, the only downside was that we encountered the kind of behavior that we had seen in Cambodia with children, except that here, it is the adults, generally elderly, who ask for money after posing for a photo, or refuse to be taken if we do not give them money...
A behavior that did not exist 4 years ago according to Jitima… We will also quickly go to the museum of history and culture which is nearby.
The Japanese Bridge in Hoi An
Lots of walking this afternoon, there are obviously more people. For photography enthusiasts it's a bit like "paradise", there's so much to see among all the vendors with their hats, baskets on their shoulders, the lantern shops, the facade paint shops, lots of colors everywhere.
We walk a bit through the streets of the old town, pass by, and then take a quick look at the Japanese Bridge, one of the city's symbols. More than just a bridge, it's actually a pagoda bridge. Indeed, on the bridge itself, there's a room dedicated to prayer.
Built in 1593 to connect the districts inhabited by the Chinese and Japanese communities, each end is guarded by a pair of statues, depicting monkeys on one side and dogs on the other because construction began in the year of the monkey and ended in the year of the dog.
Hoi An Old Town
We had previously purchased our tickets, which allowed us 5 visits between:
- a museum (out of 4 in total),
- an "old house" (also among 4),
- a Chinese communal house (like the one we had visited in Penang), to choose from among 3 that the city of Hoi An has to offer,
- the craft workshop, which offers a traditional music and dance show (one in the morning and one in the afternoon)
- and finally either the Japanese bridge or the Quan Cong temple.
Note that on a brochure indicating what the tickets entitle you to, they say in the English version "japanese bridge OR Quan Công temple", or meaning or, while in the French version, they put AND... Which in the end, we did, because no one checked our ticket when we crossed the bridge the day after tomorrow...
The streets of the old town are a real feast for the eyes to wander and I can see what had drawn Jitima to return.
Fujian Assembly Hall (or Phuc Kien Pagoda)
We will also visit the nearby Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese Congregation (similar to the kongsis of Penang in Malaysia )
A somewhat pompous term to describe these buildings, which straddle the line between a temple (which is certainly their primary function today) and a living space, especially a meeting place. It was an easy way for Chinese people from the Fujian region ( Phuc Kien in Vietnamese ) to socialize, as the name suggests.
Why Fujian? Because the temple, first built in 1690 by the Vietnamese and dedicated to Buddha, was severely damaged after several decades. Due to a lack of funds, the owner at the time had to sell it, and it was a wealthy merchant from Fujian who acquired it in 1759.
The Fujian Chinese ethnic group remains the largest community in Hoi An today. Originally used as an assembly hall, the building was later transformed into a temple dedicated to their deity, Thien Hau, the goddess of the sea, who protects sailors from harm. Probably the most important of the five assembly halls in the city, the Fujian Assembly Hall is located at 46 Tran Phu Street, a short walk from the covered market.
Restaurants galore
After using one of our tickets for the common house, I found myself without a memory card... Forced to return to the hotel where finally fatigue caught up with us...
We finally came out only in the evening after a good nap to go and eat in a rather nice restaurant with free billiards (which we took advantage of a little) and a central courtyard typical of old Chinese houses.
I don't remember the name, but while searching, I noticed that some have changed their name (see for example the photo of Hao Vang with the yellow facade and the "cooking class" sign in front is now called "Low Land"). We also went to have dessert in another place (the Cargo Club, opposite the Tam Tam restaurant) while attending a little animation in the street on the way.
Overall, all the restaurants were pretty good, out of all the ones we tried in 3 days.
