Americans in Vietnam added a twist to our trip. Everywhere I have ever gone in this world, Americans were loved. Always. We were favored, trusted, and never thought of as evil. Entering Vietnam quickly changed this view. We soon learned to claim to be Canadian, where from in Canada that was the least of our worries. Anything to keep us from getting the "oh you are Americans" look.
With that being said, Vietnam has been a favorite thus far. Vietnam is beautiful and I instantly fell in love with the country despise I couldn't be my own nationality from time to time. But how can I be upset, Americans had totally destroyed Vietnam in the war, so I just had to be mindful of that.
My one an only topics I wish to cover in this blog is my favorite town.
Hoi An.
"An Ancient Town that is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site."
Hoi An was majestic, all the buildings are painted this mustard yellow color. Each store/shop/mart/restaurant had its own uniqueness of design whether some rustic shutters, a immaculate arch way, or some colorful flowers that forced you to snap a picture. This town was gold. It made me smile. It held history within these yellow stone walls that made you question Hoi An's history. This town ran along the Mekong River, many evenings Jen and I would sit on a rooftop bar and just soak it all in. Not to mention the most precious elderly people would be waiting to canoe you down the river for a dollar a person. It was romantic in its own way. Coincidently we spent Valentines Day here, and I was truly in love with traveling at this point. So it made for a Valentine's Day I won't forget. On the other side of Hoi An was the South China Sea, that you could take a bicycle out for the day and spend your day beachside.
Now.
Let me express to you this bike ride.
Maybe my heart was just so full from this town already, but this bike ride was excellent. We roamed through some small villages getting waved at by the local children, them shouting HELLO in their best English accents, we ran into some lost cows that seemed just as happy as us, we biked though the most lush green field of nothing that I have ever seen. We peddled and peddled and I never wanted this day to end. I was beaming with joy and even more in admiration for this city.
Hoi An is a place to see, put it on your bucket list.
They are known for their tailor work, you could show them some Pinterest picture of this romper you've been dying to find, in half a day it was made for you for a great price and fits oh you know, perfectly.
Maybe I was so head over heels for this place because is was so vastly different from the rest of Vietnam. Maybe because here I could be an American, maybe because I smiled the entire 5 days, maybe because we were sharing our time with two girls we've met from New Zealand that we equally adore, maybe because I got clothing made that fit my tall ass self perfectly, maybe because it was the buy one get one drinks, or maybe the pure beauty of this simple slow pace romantic history enriched city.
Vietnam has a special spot in my heart, the many hardships this country has endured due to us "horrible Americans" puts life into a different perspective. A perspective I have never thought of.
Tata for now Vietnam. I'll be back.
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