Day 9 — Final Day in Hội An!

I suppose there really isn't much to say today, as we come to our final day in Hội An. We travelled to the Silk Beach Club, on the coast, for what was supposed to have been a day by the beach. Now, this isn't my idea of fun, if I am honest. I can't think of anything worse, than sitting by a beach, doing nothing. I am a person who needs to be doing something; I need to keep active, and a beach holiday would just not cut it with me.

The hotel had arranged a shuttle bus to take us to the beach club, about twenty minutes away. Darrell was looking forward to it, as one would expect, I just wasn't. When we arrived, the club looked pretty reasonable from the outside, but as we entered the building, it wasn't the most relaxing place in the World.

Now it is Saturday, and there were probably about 200 children running about, screaming, and it did feel like being back at school. I really don't mean to be harsh here, because the kids in Vietnam are truly amazing, and very polite and courteous; their antics were just not what I expected, and turned a relaxing day, into nothing but. Having said that, lots of them came up to me, to say high and chat. This seems to be a common theme in Vietnam, the children really want to get to know you and have a conversation. This will be one of the enduring memories of Southern Vietnam, the fantastic, welcoming youngsters, whose curiosity and enthusiasm is infectious.

We had lunch at the resort — just a Bahn Mi, and a pint of beer. Interesting fact — the beer arrives warm at your table, followed by a glass of ice. You are supposed to add beer to the ice! That isn't something I am used to, and it certainly isn't the way to drink beer. However, it was hot and at least it quenched my thirst.

While sat there eating, several children came up to our table, asking to have their photo taken with me, and I duly obliged. Darrell reckons it was because I was wearing the Vietnamese flag on my shirt. I'm not sure these kids would have seen many westerners wearing communist attire, but they seemed to appreciate it, and were very happy to see us at this predominantly Vietnamese club.

We were due to leave the club at 3.30pm, but with the place overrun with school children, we decided to leave early and got a taxi back to the hotel at 1pm. At a cost of 110.000 VND, or $6.00 AUD, it was well worth it. Even though I know how much Darrell loves the beach, I had a feeling he was ready to make a quick exit as well, and it was good to get back to an air-conditioned hotel.

From the Silkotel, we went out straight away, back into the old town, where we had lunch at what became our favourite place to eat — The Spice Route and Poison Café. Once again, the food was delicious, as it always has been here. At a relatively early 2pm, there also wasn't anyone else in the restaurant, so we had the room and air conditioner to ourselves, which is always a bonus.

After lunch, we made did some last minute shopping and made our way back to the hotel, nearly at the end of our stay in Hội An. I suppose this would be the perfect opportunity to sum up our time in this country, and It is important for me to be as honest as I can.

When I arrived in Vietnam, I really didn't know what to expect. I have been to this country briefly, back in 2019 and enjoyed the few days I spent in Hanoi. This trip has been rather different. In 2019, Vietnam was part of a four country tour, this time, we spent ten days travelling through the south of the country and in truth, I have mixed feeling about the place.

I have enjoyed my time in the main, but the heat has been absolutely stifling, for Darrell at least. I have been fine in the main, loving the hot humid weather, but my other half has found it quite difficult. We probably stayed in Ho Chi Minh City too long and could have done it in half the time. Two days is more than enough to see Vietnam's biggest city, and I know Darrell would have preferred that we spent more time in Da Nang.

Personally, I loved Ho Chi or Saigon. I loved the café culture there, and did plenty of walking; I could even see myself living there. The biggest problem is getting about. There is very little reliable public transport, and the metro system that was due to open several years ago is still under construction, which really is an inconvenience for the traveller. The pace of life above ground is particularly fast as a result; roads are clogged with traffic for most of the day, and pollution levels are off the scale. I read that Saigon has 9 million residents and there are a staggering 8.5 million mopeds, which gives you some idea of the traffic concerns in this vast city.

However, there was no hassle or street vendor trying to sell you something, you are very much left to your own devices and take in the city at your own pace. Compared to Hội An where we are now, it couldn't be more different. I found Saigon relaxing and a joy to walk around, and would go back there in a heartbeat.

Da Nang, the Benidorm of Vietnam, was an equally pleasant surprise. Darrell and I agree, we would have liked to have spent more time there. Like Saigon, there was nobody invading your personal space, and you could enjoy the city at your leisure. In reality, we should have based ourselves there for the duration of our stay in this region and travelled to Hội An for a single day.

Hội An is beautiful, the architecture is out of this World. This historic city was always going to be the highlight of this trip, but sadly this visitor hotspot was absolutely overcrowded with tourists, all jostling to get to the front of a queue or see the latest sunset. I actually can't believe how rude some people are. I have come to the conclusion, us Brits are just too polite.

The food, culture, and history of Hội An, are indeed valid reasons to visit this place, but of course, beware, you will be conned out of your hard-earned cash. The touts here are determined to get your dollar, even when you are sat in a restaurant; fixated, they will come up to you, even while you are eating, trying to get you to buy something. The only establishment where this didn't happen, was at The Spice Route. The restaurant comes highly recommended; the food and service is first class — it is an oasis from the sheer madness outside. If you are in Hội An, go there, you won't be disappointed.

Overall, I feel happy I went to Vietnam; however, it won't be a country I return to again. Vietnamese people are unbelievably friendly and accommodating. Every hotel we stayed in was top-notch, but our final stop in Hội An, although memorable and beautiful, was just too busy at this time of year. The highlight of our trip was actually its Achilles heel; So many people visit this city now, that it is ruining the experience for people like me. Vietnam has much to offer, but it does have a long way to go before, tourists can be confident of an enjoyable stay. It must put controls in place, in order to protect the heritage it has, and keep these historic monuments in the best condition possible, for everyone to enjoy.

I certainly don't want to put people off from visiting Vietnam, that isn't my intention, but rather, I would ask you to think twice before visiting tourist hotspots at peak times. I will have some enduring memories to take with me when I leave, but there is some sadness, that it wasn't quite what I expected!

Tomorrow we fly to Saigon and our final hotel!

---