Riverwalk: Vietnam

These Minnesota college students get an A+ for adventure. Follow along as they explore the world while studying abroad.

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Riverwalk: Vietnam

Posted by: Updated: August 25, 2010 - 8:16 AM

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After a day of recovery from my soccer game, I bused it to Hoi An, which is probably a better example of what Vietnam used to look like. It's a quiet river town, lit by chinese laterns and constructed in French style of design. Hoi An is known for two things: tailoring cheap suits and it's distinct cuisine. I didn't make a suit, but I ate a lot. Plenty of fried wantons, mangos, shrimp in red sauce, and Cao Lau, which is a pork and noodle salad.

Wantons with Shrimp

My hotel gave me a free bike so I spent my time pedaling about the old city (I am still not brave enough to rent a moto. See: Saigon). At night, most of the street lights are turned off, leaving only the chinese laterns along the shores and the ights of the junk boats that hawkl rides along the river. I happened to be there during a full-moon festival where families honor their dead by lighting candles and floating them down the river in paper bags.

Chinese Lanterns

That night, I found a bar with a live band that played an eceltic mix of Vietnamese songs and American classics. The lead guitarist picked about as fast as my fingers can move and was able to hold a conversation while doing it. The singers kept rotating (maybe you sign up to sing with band?) and at one point they asked me to sing. The world is till not ready for my style opf vocals, but they kept asking if I could at least play something. To my great shame, I didn't feel I could play anything well enough for the band to follow. I vowed, upon my return home, to finally learn to play the guitar instead of just collecting them.

Junk Boats

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