We joined a tour that took us outside the City to see a few sites. First, we drove out from the City past rice fields and went to a small settlement called Hoa Chau to see a sample of rural village life. We walked around the streets of the village stopping first at a local farmer's home and a temple that is the center of village life. Next, we walked through the village to the market that was busy with shoppers. Brian bought a Vietnamese hat at the market. The cone shaped hat offers great protection from the strong sun here and will come in handy if we decide to grow rice in our backyard when we return home to Safety Harbor. Later we visited a school and were greeted by kindergarteners and their teachers. They were so cute and very loud. Our guide told us how the education system is structured in Vietnam.
Our next stop was at a silk factory where we saw how the silkworms are collected and the beautiful silk fabrics are made. Brian ordered a custom made shirt. It was cool to pick out the fabric and get measured at the shop, then have the completed shirt delivered to ship in the late afternoon - great souvenir!
Next, we drove to the Old Town of Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage site, which is a town with a rich history of Japanese culture on one side of the river and Chinese culture on the other side. There is an ancient ornate foot bridge that joins the 2 sides. The town has remained virtually unchanged for centuries. We heard that during all of the war years in this country this area was never bombed because all sides knew of its historic significance. We visited a beautiful large temple, an ancient home with incredible ornate woodwork inside and several other historic sites. Today, the many tourists coming here enjoy the shops, restaurants and bars along the river. For the entire cruise, we have heard that Vietnam is the place for great bargain shopping. Our fellow passengers were in shopping heaven here! We enjoyed souvenir shopping and finished up our visit here with cold Vietnam beers at a restaurant overlooking the river.
On our drive back to the ship we passed by famous China Beach where American troops enjoyed R&R during the war. We also saw the site of the American base outside of Danang that was a major military base during the war.
It was a terrific day of sightseeing for us in this vibrant country.
Hazy Skyline of Danang
Ancient Village Temple in Hoa Chau
Ancient Temple in Hoa Chau
New hat for Brian
A visit with delightful kindergarteners at local school
Taking shirt measurements at the silk factory
Exploring historic Hoi An
Locals offering rides on the river
Ancient bridge joining Japanese side
and Chinese side of the river in Hoi An
Cooling off by the river in Hoi An
Tiger Beer and Saigon Beer - Good Stuff!!!!!!
Our next stop in Vietnam is Ho Chi Minh City to the south of Danang.
Brian we love the hat! But I think we like the beer better :)
ReplyDelete