Hoi An- the ancient town

by Thanh Thao Nguyen (Vietnam)

I didn't expect to find Vietnam

Since I was young, I have had a great sense of adventure and have always dreamed of traveling around the world. However, with a tight budget, i can only afford to travel some destinations in Vietnam, my home country. One of the most beautiful places that I have ever come is Hoi An. Hoi An is the oldest city, also the most attractive destination in Vietnam. It was about three years ago that I came to this place. From my personal perspective, there is rarely a place that gives me the feelings of peace and comfort like Hoi An. Hoi An is located in Quang Nam province, which is very far from the airport, so in order to reach the place, I had to go by car. After long hours sitting in the car, I felt a bit tired but excited, mixed feelings. Having Lived in the city, witnessing numerous skyscrapers and traffic infrastructures are being built, when I came to Hoi An, I was very impressived and wondered why and how the local authority could remain that traditional values, making the town become a heritage of Vietnam. In Hoi An, all of my senses were waked up as I could see,hear, eat and even touch. This is the main reason why I love this place so much and it seems to become my heartfelt place. First of all, vision. In my thought, the moment that Hoi An became the most stunning is at night. When the sky became darker and darker, the town was lighten up by a wide variety of colorful lanterns. Hoi An was shinning like the city of stars, the party of lights and colors. I was really immersed in the poetic view of Hoi An. Along the streets, electric lights became obscured by the colors of lanterns on the wooden windows, all things here were illuminated by only colorful rows of lanterns. Secondly, cuisine. Hoi An was also being seen as a city of delocious cuisines with so many local food such as Quang noodles, Cao Lau and rice with chicken. Came to Hoi An, although I was a bit strict to my diet, I tried all the local food not only to taste but also to immerse myself in the culture of this place. It was worthy to try every cuisines of the far-off place even if they were good or not. Next, hearing. Hoi An attracted so many visitors from both outside and inside the country, and as a result, the destination was crowded and noisy. However, I did not lose my peaceful feeling because when i carefully listened, I could hear the traditional melodies played by traditional instrument of Vietnam which is called Dan Bau. Enjoying the tunes was really relaxed and it gave me the feeling of exhilaration. Last but not least, tactile, which is the most fantastic feeling to me. Hoi An was also famous for its silk industry, so nearly every shops in the town sold products made from silk. With some personal experience about choosing silk, I shopped around, touching the products to find the best material. Finally, I bought a silk scarf. It was not ony an accessory to me, but a souvenir as well. All in all, the trip to Hoi An brought mavelous and miraculous experiences to me and I hope one day in the future, I will have an oppotunity to visit the town again, to see how it wil change and surprise me.