Hội An, Vietnam

For the weekend before Valentine's Day we were graciously invited by our dear friends Chris and Filippa to join them at their family's home in Hội An, Vietnam. Even though I had already made plans to go to Bangkok that weekend, the opportunity was too good to pass up. Also, Liz didn't really give me a choice.

Hội An is a city near Da Nang on the central coast of Vietnam, on the area of the South China Sea also known as China Beach (there was an 80s TV show of the same name based on this area, apparently). Now under immense development, it seems certain that this beautiful area will become the next hot beach destination in SE Asia, like Phuket or Bali before it. Luckily, for the time being it is still a fairly quiet place with fisherman working the waters in their unique -- and seemingly unnavigable -- round fishing boats.

Fisherman in a coconut boat

The place we stayed, a residence within the Nam Hai resort, was simply amazing. Each of us had a separate villa clustered around the living room, kitchen and pool, and the attention to detail in design and luxury blew us away. Definitely high on the list of the nicest resorts I've been to.

Lizard lounging in the villa

Liz and Bud

Lounging in front of the villa

Michael doing beach calisthenics

Michael, Bud and Dan finding zen in the pool

The villas from the beach

The crew (from left to right): Michael, Chris, Filippa, Karim, Bud, Daniel and Sarah (Liz was behind the camera)

The resort's terraced pools at night

Of course, the trip was about more than the resort - we were there to check out Hội An. Once the leading port in Vietnam, the strategic importance of Hội An waned as the harbour silted up. As a result, the town was mostly spared in the Vietnam War and the colonial architecture from the era of French rule is mostly intact, creating beautiful street scenes. At night, the chipped, fading yellow paint on the buildings creates an exquisite, textured glow in the light of the moon and the streetlamps. Unfortunately I'm not skilled enough with filtering yet to have properly captured it, but that certainly didn't stop me from trying.

Our gracious hosts, Chris and Filippa

Robs and Haubs

During the day, the town is bustling with boat-borne vendors donning nón lá conical hats on the riverfront and tourists walking between souvenir shops and Hội An's many tailors, an industry which has captured the attention of many thrifty fashionisto/as.

 

The best known of the tailors, and the most highly recommended by Chris and his family, is YALY. Those who know me well know of my love for all things linen (particularly in pastels), and for a great price they managed (in 3 days) to get two suits, four shirts and four pairs of pants measured, tailored and made. Oh, the number of business ideas that have sprung out of that experience...