Hoi An
I am sitting by myself at an outside counter of a restaurant overlooking the main evening gathering place of tourists in the city of Hot An in Central Vietnam. It is a micro version of Times Square on New Years Eve, crowded with families with children, local and international tourists taking selfies, vendors walking around selling their wares, shops with bright neon lights and stores with huge displays of multi-colored paper lanterns. All of this by the bank of the small river the runs through the town where numerous small wooden boats line both shores at night with colored lanterns to catch the tourists from all over the world ($2 each for about 10 minutes ride) wishing to glide for a few minutes among floating globes of light in what has become a nightly ritual.
And it is not quiet. I can hear amplified bands coming from some of the bars and restaurants which rock the airwaves in the area. To be here is certainly an experience of life in an old town thriving on foreign money.
It was a good day, walking through the Old Town in the morning, an area of preserved old buildings all occupied by small shops offering ready-made and made-to-order clothes and other souvenirs for visitors. The main industry here is selling linen and silk clothing – with tailors ready to make anything you wish within 24 hours. Although crowded, it maintains a peaceful and enjoyable atmosphere without any aggressive sales pressure.
We drove into the countryside to the village home of Kieu Maily who is an exceptional champion of her Champa Heritage. She gave up a successful career as an editor to research, learn, and try to preserve the history and arts of her culture. The Champas once ruled the entire middle area of what became Vietnam, with their own language and rituals, adapted from the Hinduism imported by tradesmen from India, from the 2nd to 15th century, facing political losses until the last area was overcome in the early 1800’s. A beautiful and talented woman, Kieu studied to learn Champa music, formerly only practiced by men, and the graceful Champa dance with fans and clay pot, which she demonstrated for us. We were also treated to some of the traditional Champa cakes and sweets, using a basis of white rice powder, green beans, and sugar.
Leaving this world behind, we had a very large memorable meal outdoors at The Fields Restaurant, with a special 5 course selection for my more restricted diet. We are eating very well.
Danang
When I first visited Danang in 2002 with some of my family members, a few current tourist sites like the Marble Mountain and the Champa Museum were already open but when we went to the old American war site of China Beach, there was nothing but an old building once used for food and snacks. Today — it is like Miami Beach, with the long coast filled with hotels of every size, from small local brands to all the large well-known stars, all vying for the local and international visitors looking for a relaxing beach vacation. A tremendous change. Developers realized if a bridge was built to connect the main area of Danang from the large ocean-side island, it opened up significant financial possibilities. Our guide reported this land went from worthless to extraordinarily valuable in a short time, reflecting the impressive changes happening in Vietnam.
But today, we went beyond the Danang hotel strip to a more distant and rural mountain area to visit the Intercontinental Hotel, the only one of this brand in Vietnam. I was once more amazed by the artistry of the interior designer Bill Bensley, who also designed the Capella Hotel in Hanoi which I earlier wrote about. This Intercontinental built on a hillside overlooking a beautiful bay is, for my specific taste, the most beautiful hotel I have ever seen with respect to interior decor and color. With its own funicular moving from hilltop to sea shore, with restaurants and a beautiful kids club, I immediately thought of how wonderful to have a group of friends meet here together!
And this glowing review was during a full periodic downpour which we have been having all day. A few minutes of sun, then cloudy for a while, and then suddenly the sky opens up into a torrential rainstorm, the kind of monsoon-type release I have only experienced in Asia. Later in the day, when I was back in the Old Town of Ha Not, the streets were absolutely flooded above the curb level during and immediately after one of these cloud bursts. I waited up a step in a coffee shop until one torrent dissipated, usually changing from sheets of water to a light rain In about 15 minutes. It is so hot out that wet clothes dry very quickly and my small umbrella is very helpful but I did stop and buy a North Face knock-off waterproof jacket for $25 as my future plans in Vietnam may well encounter more wet days.
The Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashonah begins tonight and I checked on-line and found there was advertised a Chabad synagogue in Hoi An. I walked over to the given address for the 5:40 candle lighting, skirting many puddles and flooded areas of the streets, and found a very locked and deserted building with aging signs of Chabad presence. Their website is bright and fresh but the reality for those seeking a brief community visit is very different.
So I walked back into town to an actual vegan restaurant. I have discovered that although “vegan” is now a word I have seen on many restaurant signs, the concept has different meanings to different people here. I was offered chicken one day, a dish with a lot of egg another. This was a surprise to me as I had understand there were still a number of Buddhist vegetarians in Vietnam but in a place where beef and pork were once a rare treat, perhaps the changes in local diet are impacting the religiious community as well.
The vegan restaurant appeared to share space with a next-door traditional eatery and when I walked into the back, down the long narrow space to the toilet and sink area, I was surprised to see a lot of storage, jumbled goods and piled pots and pans as well as a number of slightly separated cooking areas which made me remember that I was not in the U.S. where this chaotic arrangement in a public eating establishment would not be acceptable.
I returned through periodic rain back to my comfortable dry hotel, the Moire. The lantern boats had little business last night.
It is now the morning when we leave to fly to Ho Chi Minh City and it is raining again very heavily outside. It is an outdoor walk to reach the breakfast room and I guess I will wait until the rain abates.
