Hoi An & My Son

Welcome to Hoi An, a beautiful, charming small town at the coast line of Vietnam. It was an international trading port as far back as the 17th century. Influences from Chinese, Japanese and European culture are well preserved in local architechture and art. Roaming the narrow lanes at night, it is easy to imagine how it might have looked 150 years ago. Despite the number of tourists who come to Hoi An, it is still a pretty conservative town. The courtesy of the residents is most amazing and hopefully they will not loose it over the next couple of years.The old town was named a Unesco World Heritage site. Apart from the interesting sights which the town offers itself, there are the nearby Cham ruins that makes an excellent expedition out of town. The ancient Champa people were raised to be "the masters of art in building brick". So far the technique in building the ancient temple-towers of Champa people remains controversial . The bricks were smoothed and laid closely and securely without mortar. My Son's value is also refected in the art of lively and fine sculpture and carving on brick, stone from the images of deities, priests, dances, plants, animals and sacrifices. The ruins are nestled in a lush valley surrounded by hills. My Son became a religious and is one of the most stunning sights in the area and in 1999 it was listed a Unesco World Heritage site.

Mekong Delta & Floating Markets

The country's two main cultivated areas are the Red River Delta in the north and the Mekong Delta in the south. The latter has produced one of the world's great deltas, composed of fine silt that has washed downstream for millions of years. After winding its way from its source in Tibet, it is the where Mekong meets the sea in southernmost Vietnam. The whole area is covered with fields where farmers grow all different kinds fruits and vegetable. The Mekong Delta vibrates with colour, bright-green rice shoots, yellow and electric-pink incense sticks drying along roadsides. The rhythm of life along Mekong byways buzzes with slow but constant energy.
I took the chance of a private tour to get a glimpse of the life of Vietnam's agricultural workforce, which feeds the nation on this life-sustaining river. The boat took me very early morning at 5:30 down the river to the first market. It is amazing how the whole system works, everything on water. Small and big boats filled with loads of merchandise have to find their way to make the best deal. It was very interesting as we could get very close to the people.