Day 25 - My Son Temple Complex and the Full Lunar Eclipse

Vietnam has it's own mini Angkor Wat... kind of. I took a tour bus just southwest of Hoi An to check out the My Son Temple Complex, most of which is under restoration due to the effects of U.S. bombings during the Vietnam War. The temples were not part of an ancient civilization like Angkor was, but was more used as temples for worship and offerings to the Gods. Because of this, the whole complex was walkable within an hour or so.

The temples are divided into 10 different groups, with a total of around 70 temples. Only about 20 of them are in good condition to visit, while the others are closed for restoration with the efforts of UNESCO. The temples were built by the Cham people, who I believe are from Indonesia and/or Malaysia. The dominant religion was Hinduism and most of the temples worship the god Shiva. Many of the towers are divided into three sections, where the bottom represented earth, the middle represented the spirtual world, and the top represented the realm between earth and heaven. Many of the structures were dominantly built with red brick, while a couple sections were build by stone.

On our way back from My Son, we took a boat tour down the river. I've been on so many boat tours now, that there isn't nothing really exciting about any of them anymore. I think the best one was the Can Tho Floating market tour, but all the other boat rides don't really have any significant activity occurring on the waters. On the way home, we stopped by a wood-carving village to see some of their creations. Then it started to pour on our way back to the dock. By that time, the tourguide told us we had to find our way back to our respective hotels, leaving us to fend for ourselves as we raced to the nearest shop to shelter ourselves from the water. One good tip to remember when booking a tour is to establish what type of transportation is included, as well as what is included in the price, whether it be admission to the various sites, or food/drink.

Bought a raincoat and walked home, which was different since I rarely got to see it rain in Vietnam. On the way back, I overheard another foreigner say that it was the full moon tonight and there would be festivities in the city. I headed back to the village at night and saw that there were plenty of street vendors selling lanterns to float along the river at night. I feel pretty blessed to be at the right place at the right time. First, it was the Beach Festival in Nha Trang, and now, the full moon festival in Hoi An!

It was a beautiful scene to see both Vietnamese and foreigners purchase these lanterns and drop them into the calm waters, seeing them float slowly down the river. A great way to end my stay in Hoi An before I head to Hue.

My Son - Group C monuments

My Son - Cham Statues

Restoration of some structures in Group H

Heavy rains were headed our way while on our boat

Wood Carving Village

More Cao Lau

I forgot what this was called, but it was rice flour noodles sandwiched between a hard cracker, and dipped in fish sauce.

Full Lunar Eclipse Festivities in Hoi An

Day 24 - Hoi An Ancient City

The sleeper bus ride to Hoi An was a lot better this time around since I had my own bed. Still, a long time to be on a bus, but manageable. Most of the transportation in Southeast Asia is a lot slower than compared to the U.S. since the roads aren't as developed. What would normally take 4 hours in the U.S. could take up to 10 hours in Vietnam.

Hoi An is a nice, quaint, and peaceful city. It was once a major trading post for the Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Europeans, which explains a lot of the mix of architecture around the town. Luckily, the city did not fall victim to any damage from Vietnam's wars. Everything in town is within walking distance and the ancient town area restricts the use of motorbikes and cars, which makes everything a little less stressful.

I spent the day exploring the town on bike. There were many shops specializing the custom tailored clothing and art galleries. There were about 20 different sites to visit, and you could purchase a tourist ticket to visit 5 of the sites - some of which were old houses, museums, assembly halls, pagodas, and bridges.

I decided on a Japanese covered bridge, which was built by the Japanese to gain access to trading in the area, The Phuc Kien Assembly Hall, the Hoi An museum of History and Culture, the Old House of Tan Ky, and the Hoi An handicraft workshop, which included a folk music and dance performance.

At night, I walked around the night village and stumbled upon a lantern making shop. It was beautiful seeing all the bright colors of the lanterns glowing in the night. The city is near a river, so it was also beautiful to see the calm reflection of some of the lights from the different restaurants.

One of the numerous art galleries in Hoi An. Once I own my own house, I'd love to come back and purchase some of the artwork.

Japanese Covered Bridge

House of Tan Ky, which is a home owned for 7 generations by the same family. There are Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese elements in the architecture of the home. Those markings on the wall represent the flood levels each year, which occur maybe twice a year in November or December. When this happens, they have to gather all the stuff to store on the second level of the home.

You can find cheap, fresh beer all over town, ranging from 3,000 - 5,000 dong.

Steamed seafood spring rolls

Banana Flower Salad - Strips of banana flower mixed with prawns, lean pork, carrots, onions, and mint. Coated with sweet and sour dressing and sprinkled with friend onions and peanuts.

Walking Street and Primitive Vehicles Only

Handicraft Workshop Folk Music and Dance Performance

A Woman making lanterns at the Handicraft Workshop

My mode of transportation for the day

Hoi An Speciality - Cao Lau - Noodles, Pork, and Lettuce with Croutons on Top, doused with a sweet dressing

Hoi An Speciality - White Rose - Shrimps encased in steamed rice paper and sprinkled with fried onions, resembling a white rose.

Some of the colorful lanterns at night.

Beautiful shot of the town at night.