2019 Christmas in Vietnam Day 1

24 Dec 2019 Hoi An

I replaced my father to join this tour as he had difficulty to walk due to injury in Xinjiang two months ago. My mother and I took Yoyo bus at midnight and reached KLIA2 early morning about 6am. After we had breakfast, we proceeded to the check-in counter where we met our tour leader. We flew to Da  Nang via Airasia.

We arrived Da Nang about 12.30pm and had our first meal. There were many dishes. Unlike Chinese meal, the portion was smaller. Our first meal was not fantastic, but acceptable.

We left Da Nang and headed to Hoi An and checked in to our hotel first. It is not a big hotel but it has all necessary facilities, and the Christmas decoration is nice too

We didn't spend much time in the hotel. After we left our luggage in room, we went out again to Hoi An Ancient Town.

Founded in 1786, Quang Trieu (Cantonese) Assembly Hall has a tall, airy entrance, which opens on to a splendidly over-the-top mosaic statue of a dragon and a carp. The main altar is dedicated to Quan Cong, a revered Chinese general who represents many virtues, including sincerity, loyalty, integrity and justice. The garden behind has an even more incredible dragon statue.

The photogenic Fujian (Phuc Kien) assembly hall was created as a place in which residents from Fujian in China could meet up and socialise whilst living or visiting Hoi An. Built around 1690 with the main gate added much later, the assembly hall is also a World Cultural Heritage site and is much visited today by those seeking a glimpse of this superb piece of architecture.

Hoi An began life as a port for Chinese traders, the more successful of whom built stately city homes for their families. Many of these ancient houses have survived the trials of time, flood and war, and can today be visited as part of Hoi An’s ticket scheme.

Located at the waterfront the beautiful Japanese Bridge is a favourite among visitor. In the early 17th century the Japanese settlers built it to make it easier to do business with the local people in the residential area. Later the Chinese and Vietnamese continued to restore the bridge and built a small temple, dedicated to the God of the North. Throughout the centuries the bridge became famous for its supernatural powers and it is still a sanctuary for the local people.

The waterfront is lined with cafes and restaurants based in the colonial styled houses, colourful boats sway in the water, and at night the whole area is illuminated by Chinese lanterns. When you make your way through it tiny old ladies in their characteristic conical hats will invite you for a boat ride, or will offer to sell you fresh fruit straight from their bamboo baskets. Here you can feel like a local and have Cau Lau or Com Ga at one of the street stalls while sitting on a small plastic chair, observing the life passing you by, or treat yourself to a glass of wine at colorful colonial French style bar. The waterfront in Hoi An will steal your heart.
 

The ancient town would light up at night with lanterns while people from everywhere gather and mingle along the river.  Both sides of the river were surrounded by cafes and restaurants.

The traditional lantern is a large piece of the beautiful image of Hoi An ancient town. As the sun goes down, the town is lighted up with colorful lanterns in different shapes illuminating the road.

We had our dinner in a restaurant with traditional ambience. The noodle, Cao lầu was the highlight but it tasted so weird. Cao lầu is a regional Vietnamese noodle dish, from the town of Hội An. It typically consists of pork and greens on a bed of rice noodles made from rice which has been soaked in lye water.