Once we finally recovered from our bus ride to Hue, we set out to explore the town. As we were trying to figure out the best way to see everything, since it is a bit spread out, a man on his motorbike stopped to talk to us and tried to convince us to go with him and his friend on their bikes for an all-day tour around town. At first we objected, but we got to talking to him and he pulled out some official-looking brochures and totally charmed us and we thought, what the heck?! So we did it! It was SO much fun. I should also mention that this is not in the least bit uncommon...there are motorbikes in nearly every town in Vietnam that act as taxis or tour operators, so it is relatively safe (don't worry parents...we are not in the habit of taking rides with strangers). Besides, even the "official" tours, taxis and bus rides are not even close to what we would consider official, professional or even safe...it's always an adventure. So all this to say, after talking to him and his friend for a while, we decided to hop on the back of their bikes for a tour of Hue. It was one of our favorite things that we did! We got to see so much more than we would have if we were on foot, and they gave us history lessons and local stories about the places we saw and visited...so fun!
(motorbiking through Hue)
(motorbiking through Hue)
(hiding out in a vietnam war bunker)
(ruins and pagodas around Hue)
(another Hue pagoda)
From Hue we headed via train and taxi to Hoi An, which ended up being probably our favorite stop in Vietnam. Hoi An is a beautiful little town south of Danang, located on a small river...we LOVED it here. The town is a protected world heritage site and is beautifully preserved. The buildings are colorful and bright and there are no cars allowed in the main town center.
We stayed a few days here...one day we rented bikes and rode out to the beach...a beautiful drive along the river and next to rice paddies with water buffalo grazing in them. We soaked up some sun at the beach and ate at a little riverside cafe on the way back into town...it was so peaceful and relaxing.
(riding our bikes to the beach with the locals)
We also spent time wandering the local produce markets (which are huge and have tons of fresh fruits and vegetables...the food in Vietnam, especially Hoi An is amazingly fresh and flavorful, so good).
(bananas at the market)
We did lots of people watching...people biking by with their entire family on board (even infants - no helmets in sight), or with their bikes loaded sky high with bananas or produce or even baskets full of live ducks! We woke up at 5am one morning to check out the early morning fish market which was CRAZY...so fun to be there to observe the scene...people pulling fish off the boats, market and restaurant owners trying to buy up the best catch, people yelling and running around everywhere, fish flopping around in baskets, so much going on in the early morning light.
(early morning at the fish market in Hoi An)
We explored the tiny, colorful streets and gawked at the old eclectic architecture, and we even stayed in a preserved traditional old home one night which was rustic for sure, but a great experience...views over the center of town and so neat to stay in one of their "ancient" homes (as they call them). We stayed in a bigger hotel the other nights that had amazing free breakfast and a huge pool, so we did some swimming and laying out in the sun as well. One night we treated ourselves to a fancy dinner overlooking the river...grilled local fish (amazing!) and fresh banana coladas...heaven!
Hoi An also has some local food specialties, like Cao Lao, which we loved and ate every day...super cheap, super fresh, and amazingly good.
(Local specialty, Cao Lao - the yummiest and cheapest dish in Hoi An)
Hoi An is also known for its clothing...hundreds of shops line each street and make custom clothing for a pretty decent price. You can get custom suits, shoes, shirts, jackets, dress shirts...you basically point to a picture in a magazine, pick out your fabric, they take your measurements, and the next day they have it laid out for you and ready to go. I got some skirts and nathan got a few shirts, all for under $100!
(fabric at the clothing markets)
On our last evening there we took a boat tour down the river and along some of the "residential" areas and farm land surrounding the tiny city...it was at sunset and was such a quiet, peaceful experience. We got to see locals fishing and throwing their nets off their tiny boats, which was super cool, but then we realized it was all a show when our boat went up to theirs and they asked for money for the little show...can't get away from it in Vietnam, but it was still neat to see!
We just loved it here...amazing town, amazingly kind people, we were sad to leave.
(ruins and pagodas around Hue)
(another Hue pagoda)
From Hue we headed via train and taxi to Hoi An, which ended up being probably our favorite stop in Vietnam. Hoi An is a beautiful little town south of Danang, located on a small river...we LOVED it here. The town is a protected world heritage site and is beautifully preserved. The buildings are colorful and bright and there are no cars allowed in the main town center.
We stayed a few days here...one day we rented bikes and rode out to the beach...a beautiful drive along the river and next to rice paddies with water buffalo grazing in them. We soaked up some sun at the beach and ate at a little riverside cafe on the way back into town...it was so peaceful and relaxing.
(riding our bikes to the beach with the locals)
We also spent time wandering the local produce markets (which are huge and have tons of fresh fruits and vegetables...the food in Vietnam, especially Hoi An is amazingly fresh and flavorful, so good).
(bananas at the market)
We did lots of people watching...people biking by with their entire family on board (even infants - no helmets in sight), or with their bikes loaded sky high with bananas or produce or even baskets full of live ducks! We woke up at 5am one morning to check out the early morning fish market which was CRAZY...so fun to be there to observe the scene...people pulling fish off the boats, market and restaurant owners trying to buy up the best catch, people yelling and running around everywhere, fish flopping around in baskets, so much going on in the early morning light.
(early morning at the fish market in Hoi An)
We explored the tiny, colorful streets and gawked at the old eclectic architecture, and we even stayed in a preserved traditional old home one night which was rustic for sure, but a great experience...views over the center of town and so neat to stay in one of their "ancient" homes (as they call them). We stayed in a bigger hotel the other nights that had amazing free breakfast and a huge pool, so we did some swimming and laying out in the sun as well. One night we treated ourselves to a fancy dinner overlooking the river...grilled local fish (amazing!) and fresh banana coladas...heaven!
Hoi An also has some local food specialties, like Cao Lao, which we loved and ate every day...super cheap, super fresh, and amazingly good.
(Local specialty, Cao Lao - the yummiest and cheapest dish in Hoi An)
Hoi An is also known for its clothing...hundreds of shops line each street and make custom clothing for a pretty decent price. You can get custom suits, shoes, shirts, jackets, dress shirts...you basically point to a picture in a magazine, pick out your fabric, they take your measurements, and the next day they have it laid out for you and ready to go. I got some skirts and nathan got a few shirts, all for under $100!
(fabric at the clothing markets)
On our last evening there we took a boat tour down the river and along some of the "residential" areas and farm land surrounding the tiny city...it was at sunset and was such a quiet, peaceful experience. We got to see locals fishing and throwing their nets off their tiny boats, which was super cool, but then we realized it was all a show when our boat went up to theirs and they asked for money for the little show...can't get away from it in Vietnam, but it was still neat to see!
We just loved it here...amazing town, amazingly kind people, we were sad to leave.
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