Hoi An

The bus took us south from Hue, along the shore of the South China Sea to our left, and emerald green mountains on the right. In the flat lands in between we saw people and water buffalo working in the rice paddies.

 We stopped briefly at a rest stop along the shore of a shallow lake or lagoon used for fish farming. It was quite scenic spot, and about a dozen tour buses were crammed in. A Japanese woman chatted up Mary in broken English, and was impressed the Mary had visited her country.

Continuing back through Da Nang — a bustling city, the third largest in the country after Saigon and Hanoi. We stopped briefly at China Beach, so named by the American GIs who came here for R&R during the war (the Vietnamese do not call it by that name).

Just 15 or so miles south of Da Nang we entered the city of Hoi An. Our guide described it as a “small town,” with a population of “only” about 125,000. The old city center is well-preserved in the early French colonial style, and a river enters the sea here.

First stop was a restaurant said to feature traditional foods of the region. Since almost every customer in the place had a Western face, and all signs and menus were in English, our expectations were very low. They did have quite a display for benefit of tourists around the perimeter of the dining room, featuring foods like lemongrass frog (whole, not just the legs) and silkworm salad (yes, real worms).

 When the soup was served, our expectations rose immediately. It turned out to be a great meal. One guy in our group added a side order of the silkworm salad, he and one other woman, along with Mary and I, were the only four to give it a try. (The sauce was tasty, but the silk worms really didn’t have much flavor at all.) The rest of the meal proved to be as excellent as the soup.

After checking into our hotel, we took the bus back to the city center where our guide took us quickly through some of the high-end fashion stores where clothing is made to order within a day or two. It was interesting to see, but we aren’t buying. The group dispersed to shop, and we made our way back to the hotel on foot. It is only about a mile.

In the afternoon, our guide hosted a discussion of Vietnam’s political structure. It was somewhat enlightening, but what is clear here is that since the economic reforms of the 1990s, this is a Communist country in name only.

Dinner in the evening consisted of a cooking class. These are done all over Hoi An, at nearly every restaurant in town. Ours was conducted at a resort on the edge of the city and was mildly entertaining, but the food was very, very good. We didn't actually do that much to contribute to the preparation, but when we all admired the knife the chef was using, he offered to order them for us and have them delivered to our hotel -- U.S. $2 each -- yes, just two bucks.