We spent a lovely 2 days in Hoi An, a quaint old town almost untouched by modern life. Once a busy trading port, Hoi An was almost forgotten when the river running through it silted up in the early 1900's. Hoi An also managed to escape any impacts of the war with America. The result is that Hoi An appears completely different to anywhere else in Vietnam, almost as if it has been lost in time.

The influences of the French colonial era are still very apparent in the architecture. Streets of yellow houses with white window frames built in a very typical style lead you to think you could be anywhere but Asia. The (very shallow!) but still beautiful river runs along the old town with several decorative bridges across it, including one in a distinct Japenese style. Both Chinese and Japenese traders settled in the area in the past, leading to numerous temples, community halls and grand houses being built - which are now open to the public.

Hoi An is now perhaps most famous for being the place for tailor made garments and if we had more time we would definitely have bought far too much! This is by far the most likely place for us to come back to in Vietnam so hopefully one day I can buy a complete wardrobe here, made to measure!

Another feature of Hoi An is chinese lanterns. These line the streets, surround buildings and are hung inside, outside, placed on the river to float away or attached to boats - they are pretty much everywhere.

We spent our days wandering the streets, pleased not to have to worry about being crushed by a scooter or taxi for a change, visited beautiful old buildings and took a boat trip up the river. We ate at waterfront restaurants for around £5 for two of us (including beer at 20p a glass!) and haggled at markets for another mountain of souvenirs. Here I bought a beautiful string of pearls (yes they are real, she set light to them to prove it!) for just £6.

We were sorry to leave, particularly as we had a nice hotel with a pool that we had made full use of! But we headed with Jamie back to the airport in Danang for our flight up to Hanoi.

P.S. You would absolutely love it here Mum!