We took the coastal train ride to Da Nang where we then had to get a taxi to our next destination - Hoi An. It was shocking to see the long, long Da Nang seafront lined with mega hotels, one after the other and new builds of even bigger complexes still yet to be completed. Surely there aren’t enough tourists in the world to fill these vast structures. The building boom and tourism is here and it’s big.
We arrived in Hoi An. I wasn’t wholly prepared for what I was going to see. The old town is the home of lantern-lit streets, nestled along the river bank. The traditional old wooden and yellow colonial buildings sit side-by-side reflecting the Japanese, Chinese and French influences.
We were only going to be here for two days so we didn’t plan to leave the old town. It is very beautiful but it has one major issue and that’s the visitors.
This place was just about full to the brim with tourists. We are tourists too but this is not what I would consider an authentic experience. Everything is geared up for the tourist and walking down the streets was not particularly pleasurable as it was so overcrowded.
The buildings are stunning and early morning when the shops were closed was a joy.
The shops themselves ruin Hoi An. The shops sell the same tat in each and every one. The tailors, of which there are hundreds, all have the same styles, same collection of material and a few fake designer brands thrown in for good measure.
The quality of the material didn’t look or feel that great and the prices were silly. I have heard some great things from people about the beautiful clothes you can have made - well I think those days are disappearing. It’s all about speed, money and profit margins.
The silk weavers we found were lovely to watch. Unfortunately it was only a performance for visitors.
I thought it might be like Venice and be a little emptier and quieter once the tourist coaches had left and the cycle buggies had stopped wheeling people around but no - the crowds of people are just more condensed to the river area. The river is crammed full of boat rides and the bank on the opposite side has a horrible tourist night market that sells nothing more than the tat you’ve seen in the shops.
Tourist’s Night Market.
The largest group of matching outfits I counted was 5.
For people watching, I particularly enjoyed the locals’ market and exploring the narrow alleyways.
To be fair this place is very easy on the eye, easy to kill a few hours and is obviously very popular amongst tourists.
However, in my opinion Hoi An feels like a city that’s been robbed of its authenticity and is now just a show for tourists.
I am not disappointed that we visited as we have experienced it for ourselves but I’m very pleased to be moving on.
Buggy for two???