saigon (or hcmc if you are already used to singaporan/malay habbit of abbreviating all city names) is busy with scooters (and pedestrians crossing the street are largely ignored) and lonely planet backpackers (and so over a breakfast five street vendors would offer you a pirated version of kerouac and salinger).da nang (we took a flight to central viet nam) is boring and even its most exciting sight – a temple of a sect that unites christianity, islam, confucianism, buddhism and taoism, is oh well.
but hoi an (30km away from da nang) has easily become one of my favourite towns. food is second to none (and actually makes singaporan or malay cuisine miserable). springrolls! fried won tang! shrimp white roses! banana pancakes!marble mountains with buddhist pagodas are nearby as well as the remains of mi son, the 4th century temple (guess who bombed it forty years ago), and the beach at the south china sea.
hoi an is also full of shops that sell tailor made clothes and for just a couple of euros, you can get literally any haute couture design, made for your measurements, using any fabric you can imagine.finally, it’s just a small cosy town with a busy market, narrow streets and relaxing river. am i getting too lonely planetish here?