I recently made a nostalgia trip to Vietnam, after 13 years of being away. Long ago, in 2005, I was backpacking through south-east Asia, and somehow got stuck for 2 months in the little town of Hoi An. The only reason I left was that my visa ran out. There was a special charm to the town. Back then, before Vietnam joined the WTO, it was pretty laid back and quiet, and most tourists just came in for tailor services. I liked the UNESCO old town, the colors, and especially the locals. I sat down with them in their shops and restaurants, played cards, stared at the foreigners, and got to know them better, using very limited language. Over the course of two months I’ve made some really good friends, and it was sad to say good bye. Amazingly, 13 years later, I managed to track down many of those friends, and even more surprising is that remembered and recognized me immediately.
To show you a bit of the Hoi An charm that got me to stay for 2 months, I give you my visions of Hoi An Vietnam…
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