Tale of Two Tourist Spots: Nha Trang and Hoi An

We visited the beach resort of Nha Trang during a period of unseasonable downpours. The sky was grey, the sea was choppy, and it was all very reminiscent of the British seaside. We did very little in town, spending most of our time gazing out at the rainswept palm trees from a posh cafe/microbrewery/pool resort. There was something a bit forlorn and romantic about Nha Trang in the rain - the shore was devoid of tourists most of the time, and the streets were quiet. Perhaps due to the weather then, we both enjoyed our brief stay there.

Our next stop was Hoi An, by way of the night bus. This was not a particularly pleasant experience, but we arrived unscathed. (The four English guys we met going to Phu Quoc reappeared on the same bus. They had been disappointed in Phu Quoc, due to the lack of nightlife.)

Hoi An is a picturesque little town, with a large concentration of tourists. It has been compared to a museum due to the many well-preserved buildings and historical sites scattered around the old town. We visited several of these but found much of the charm of Hoi An was just in exploring the attractive streets. It really is a lovely place, with lanterns strung between colonial-style buildings and quaint shops and restaurants tucked down tiny winding alley-ways. Unfortunately, these factors also make it a magnet for visitors, and the town is thronged with foreigners.

Another of Hoi An's attractions is its status as THE place in Vietnam to get clothes tailor made. There are tailors lining every street, and the type of clothing you can buy is limited only by your imagination. Dave ended up buying a tailor-made suit, shirt and jacket, all of which we shipped back to the UK. It should arrive about the same time we get back from South America! I...do not respond well to the hard-sell, and after going in planning to maybe spend $60 dollars on a suit jacket and matching skirt ended up leaving with nothing after they tried to get me to spend $120 dollars instead! It was probably for the best as I realised later on I hopefully will have more of a need for jeans than suits in my chosen career. I did come away from Hoi An with a new dress, which I'm wearing now rather than sending home so pictures will follow.

Hoi An is also well known for its cuisine, and we tried lots of lovely regional specialties here. Among them were 'white rose' wontons (dumplings filled with shrimp and pork), wonton soup, and cau lao. We loved the latter in particular - it is grilled slices of pork served with fresh greens, beansprouts, soy sauce and doughy flat noodles. Delicious! We also loved the not-so-Vietnamese crab club sandwiches served at a Parisian style deli near the river front. Hoi An was a lovely and relaxing place to spend a few days, although it did feel slightly less Vietnames than some of the other towns we've been to. Our next stop, Hue, was a bit of a contrast - just as much history but less old-world charm unfortunately....