Vietnam – a Land of Contrasts (Part 2)

The Red Bridge Cooking School‘s very entertaining staff gave us a tour of Hoi An’s main market and bought some supplies for our class. She also gave a demonstration of some of the traditional Vietnamese kitchen prep tools which are available for purchase at the market.

Artfully arranged husked coconuts in tray — Artfully arranged husked coconuts.

Brilliantly colored sweets — Brilliantly colored sweet temptations.

At the end of the cooking class, the motor launch took us back, past water buffalos and fishermen along the river, eventually dropping us off at the Hoi An Ancient Town waterfront.

Women casting fishing nets from boat — Women casting fishing nets on the river on the way back to Old Town.

Many of the buildings in the Ancient Town have been turned into handicraft or tailor shops, some of which even offer custom made shoes! The waterfront is lined with eateries or shops, buzzing with the loading and unloading of people & merchandise.

Trendy eateries like Mango Rooms and Morning Glory have coveted upstairs dining rooms facing the water, where diners can catch some breeze.

There are a couple of great bakeries in the Ancient Town – Cargo Club Cafe has particularly excellent pastries and lemon grass ice cream…

Cafes and restaurants along the waterfront — Cafes and restaurants line the waterfront, sharing space with tourist, commuter and cargo boats.

Some of Hoi An’s 800 historic buildings date from the 18^th century, with architectural features rarely seen today.

Several prominent ones were Assembly Halls built by local Chinese communities, such as Canton, Fujian, Chaozhou, and Hainan. They were part community center and part commemorative hall, built by early traders who settled in Vietnam.

Fujian Assembly Hall with the inscription “Gold Mountain Temple” above the door arch — Fujian Assembly Hall with the inscription “Gold Mountain Temple” on the 2nd story arch above the door.

Elaborately painted and carved door in one of the Assembly Halls.

A popular attraction is the Japanese Covered Bridge. The original 1590’s structure was flattened by the French for automobile traffic, but restored in 1986. Entrance to the bridge was guarded by a pair of stone monkeys on one end and dogs on the other.

We tried birding at Bach Ma National Park nearby, but the wet weather put a damper on everything. The low contrast made bird sighting challenging, and unlike the hapless tourists, the purported 358 bird species there knew better than hanging out in the rain… Cold and miserable, we actually quit early despite hiring a bird guide and overnighting at the park for this exercise.

Unfortunately for us, the chilly drizzle followed us north on our 3-night cruise in Halong Bay, another UNESCO World Heritage site not far from Hanoi.

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