Custom-Made in Hoi An
Hoi An has hundreds of stores selling woodcarvings, silk-covered bamboo and wood-framed lanterns in many colors and styles. The town also has an extraordinary number of tailor shops, from the small backstreet workshop to large and professional looking outlets. Vietnamese tailors have long earned acclaim and respect for their custom-made garments and shoes. You can usually get measured, select your fabric and style and return the next day for a finished suit, blouse, shirt or dress.
Tonight after dinner we mingled with the towns people at the monthly lantern festival. The tradition to decorate the town with multi-colored lanterns started three centuries ago and is still continued on the fourteenth night of each lunar month. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Hoi An had many foreign merchants from the Netherlands, India, and Japan. Locals began hanging lanterns out with hope for bringing good luck. Most lights in houses and shops turned off for the night and replaced with lanterns to light up the narrow streets and alleyways.
Day 7 June 9, 2012: -Explore Champa Ruins -My Son Sanctuary -Cyclo-rickshaw ride and Thu Bon River cruise
Today’s discoveries is a visit through the countryside to <My Son Sanctuary>, Viet Nam's most significant ruin from the Champa kingdom, which dates from the 2nd to the 15th centuries. My Son was established as a religious center in the fourth century in a lush, isolated valley overlooked by Hon Quap (Cat's Tooth Mountain). We walk these red-brick ruins, enjoying time to admire the delicate masonry and to take in the peace of the place. Gail and I, on a previous adventure, visited Ankor Wat In Cambodia. The architecture of My Son is identical to Ankor Wat. After lunch and a folkloric show at My Son it is back to Hoi An.
This afternoon we take a cyclo-rickshaw ride through a rural area of Hoi An, followed by a Thu Bon River cruise. We traveled by cyclo-rickshaw to Cam Nam village and then had the opportunity to view Hoi An from a different vantage point during a cruise along the Thu Bon River.
Day 8 June 10, 2012: -Fly to Nha Trang -A Day in the Life of Xom Gio village
This morning, we travel by bus from Hoi An to Da Nang where we fly to Cam Ranh. <Da Nang to Cam Ranh>. During the Vietnam War I was stationed at Cam Ranh Bay Airbase with the 374th MAC. My military specialty was aircraft electronics. I repaired aircraft radar, tacan and IFF. Today construction is changing Cam Ranh into a luxury resort town. Our destination is Nha Trange and we have a bus trip from <Cam Ranh to Nha Trang>, the beachside town. Upon arrival in Nha Trang, we visited the riverside community of Xóm Gio. We are guests of the <village chief>, who invited us into his home for a mid-morning discussion about the village’s history and culture, followed by lunch prepared with our help and the guidance of the chief’s wife. The chief had worked with the U.S. military and after the war he was sent to a re-education center. After lunch we toured several homes that were remodeled with support from Grand Circle Foundation. We visited with several families who live in the village. We learned about the daily life in this rural village. We were introduced to the local cottage industry - bamboo baskets. We walked through the village, passing vegetable gardens and rice paddies. At the end of the village there is a small family-run business where chopsticks are made. While everyone was watching shop sticks being made I was doing my own discovery. There was a group of men around a table with beer. I guess they were discussing politics. They invited me to join them and have a beer. I did have a small drink of beer with them but I really needed to rejoin the group.
Day 9 June 11, 2012 -Explore Nha Trang -Boat tour to fishing village
After breakfast, we boarded a traditional wooden “drawing boats” to visit a local fishing village on <Mieu Island>. The views of the water are lovely, with rocky inlets, palm-lined beaches, and refreshing breezes. Our two-hour boat tour also took us to a beautiful beach for some R&R. After almost three-weeks on the go a <beach break> with; swimming, a massage and good food were what we needed to recharge. After a lovely day relaxing on the beach it was back to our hotel in <Nha Trang>
Nha Trang
During the Vietnam War thus was a destination for military R&R. <Nha Trang> has more than 12 miles of beaches that attracts vacationers to its yellow sands and pristine indigo bay. High-end amenities cluster around parts of the beach, but Nha Trang retains a casual local flavor with a colonial twist. Tonight the group opted for a change from Vietnamese food. A tad more upscale dining, we headed to the Sailing Club, a popular beachfront locale that caters to a more sophisticated brand of R&R. I had an outstanding meal of Chicken Masala. Yes, Indian food in the middle of Viet Nam.
Viet Nam Photos Page 5