Our forays into the tailor shops in Hoi An left us with more than just extra (or superfluous) clothing for our wardrobe. Even when a business deal was clearly not involved, we found that shop owners were often open to sharing their lives and their opinions with us. These unprotected moments provided us with insight into Vietnam’s diversity, the legacy of the Vietnam War (or, “American War”, as it’s called here), and opinions on the impact of Vietnam’s breakneck speed development is having on Vietnamese tradition and culture. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Southeast Asia, Travel, Vietnam by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
6 Comments | 10 February 2007
We hired a car to take us at 5:30 AM from Hoi An to the Hindu temple complex of My Son, about an hour’s drive away. We arrived in such good time that the ticket office had yet to open and used our available time to share a coffee with our driver as we waited for the ticket office to open. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Perspectives, Southeast Asia, Travel, Vietnam by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
No Comments | 10 February 2007
After you’ve settled into your new Hoi An custom-tailored wardrobe, hit the streets in search of food and burst a few buttons on those new duds of yours. Your well-dressed taste buds will notice a flavor that resembles a blend of Chinese, Vietnamese and fusion (i.e., experimental and not traditional). Some dishes even purportedly (and oh so exotically) call for water from a local well. Anyhow, it’s all fairly satisfying, if questionably authentic. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Food, Southeast Asia, Vietnam by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
2 Comments | 10 February 2007
Hoi An is considered the architectural and culinary gem of Central Vietnam, receiving the stamp of approval from UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. We arrived there on a tourist bus from Danang and were dragged through the typical Vietnamese tour routine.
The bus conveniently stopped at one hotel where we got a hard sell. Those tourists who returned to the bus were taken to a second hotel, with guesthouse touts literally following the bus until its final destination. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Southeast Asia, Travel, Videos, Vietnam by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
4 Comments | 10 February 2007
Despite what my husband says, I am not a clothes junkie. I avoid shopping if I can get by another season with the same clothes as last. Why is it that I turned into a clothes fiend while in Hoi An?
The Craze Begins
As soon as we entered the first tailor shop (there are over 200 in Hoi An), a recommendation from the Swedish travelers we had met in Sapa, I wanted all the silk tops and dresses I saw hanging on the wall. The saleswomen quickly tuned into my excitement and went to work taking advantage of it. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Southeast Asia, Travel, Vietnam by: Audrey Scott
No Comments | 10 February 2007
