Resisting the urge to shop in Hoi An

Hoi An makes you want to buy stuff.  The town is famous for tailors who make bespoke clothing.  People travel to this ancient spot halfway down Vietnam’s coast, from around the world to have clothes and shoes made to order.  The style and fabric can be chosen, and they will be made according to measurement.  Tailors generally take 48hr to prepare clothes, and require two fittings.  Shoes, also created to the customer’s wishes, take a day.

As we rode around on bicycles, looking at the clothing and leather shoes on display in storefronts, it was a challenge not to have something made.

The building themselves are eye-catching.  Two storey wooden structures sit along the water.  Lanterns are strung between them, which at night illuminate the town in a lovely subtle light.

On the advice of a friend, we went to Banh Mi Phuong for banh mi, the typical Vietnamese sandwich.  The women here used chopsticks to swiftly fill baguettes with shredded papaya, carrots, cucumber, chili and choice of meat or cheese.  Anthony Bourdain featured this place on “No Reservations”, with good reason.  The sandwiches are delicious and cheap.  We loved them so much, we came here twice.

My Son is a nearby ancient Hindu holy place.  Many of the original 68 temples were destroyed during the war.  Bomb craters are evident.  Recent attempts to rebuild and restore the temples have failed.  No one can seem to figure out what the ancient bricks were made of and how they are held together.  The new bricks crumble and get moldy while the thousand year old ones are intact (at least, this is what we were told).  In spite of all that, the area is still captivating.  

It’s good we had so much to occupy us in Hoi An, or we likely would have succumbed to the urge to have clothes made, and that was not feasible due to finances and small backpacks, which were already stretched to the limit.

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Beer of choice: Larue. It’s not amazing, but it was 14 cents and halfway decent.