Town As Old As Time

The sun was setting when I woke up in the middle of road somewhere along the Vietnamese countryside. That was my last day in Hue and I was en route to Hoi An from a sketchy shuttle bus that I booked online. The average travel time between the two towns is usually around 3 hours via private car, but I took an open bus and the driver had to drop other tourists off in Da Nang so the trip lasted about 5 hours to Hoi An. We left Hue around 4:30 PM and it was already 8:00 when we arrived in Da Nang, the highly urbanized city in central Vietnam, about 30km from Hoi An.


It was dark and I was catching up on Riverdale at the time, thanks to the free wifi on board I got access to Netflix. I was the only passenger left and we were still in the city and I got scared because I thought it's gonna stop there.  I had to ask the driver multiple times if we were really going to Hoi An and I also had to make sure he understood my question, mahirap na baka iba pala intindi ni kuya hahaha! A few minutes past 9PM the driver finally dropped me off my hostel in Hoi An, hahaha buti nalang!

I checked in at the Hoi An branch of Vietnam Backpackers', the same company of the hostels I stayed with in Hanoi and Hue. This one is newly built so it's relatively new with a pool too. I shared my room with 5 other  tourists and our room was pretty big for a hostel. Shower rooms & toilets were big and new with bidets as well. I HIGHLY recommend this one in Hoi An!

After settling in, I returned to the reception to book my early morning trip to the ruins of My Son, a few kilometers on the western side of the city. But that's for another entry. I was so excited to check out the town but it was already late in the evening so I couldn't do anything. I've heard so much about Hoi An but I'm still not sure what to expect.

After our early morning trip to My Son, we were dropped off at the old town center of Hoi An. It was my first time to see the place and I was blown away.



Old yellow buildings decorated with flora dominated the streets of the ancient town. Formerly called Faifo, Hoi An is the best example of a 15th century Southeast Asian trading port with over 800 well preserved buildings. Being the best trading port in Asia during its prime, Hoi An flourished and did businesses with Europe, China, India, Japan, and Egypt.



I rented a bike to go around the town drinking coffee, visiting old bookstores, a few souvenir shops, and some museums showcasing the history of Hoi An. I was having the best time. My favorite part was dusk, when it was slowly turning into some kind of fictional place a la Spirited Away that give off an enchanting vibe. This has got to be the most magical place I've been to.



My favorite spot in the town to people watch. The place was too romantic to the point where I lowkey wished I didn't visit this place alone. No regrets though!



More than just business trips, the Japanese frequented this place back in the day for leisure. They loved this place so much that they believed that the dragon of Asia lay beneath this ancient town so who knows, maybe the magic does exist.