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VIETNAM
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May15
abound, every other building appears to
sustain a textile or ceramics business.
Two smart shirts and three pairs of
shorts, all tailored, set me back US$100
in the covered market. God knows
how little they could have been had I
bothered to seriously bargain.
Lazy afternoons float by in riverside
cafés, with views of straw-roofed sampan
boats and palm trees made foggy by the
local tap beer, but the restless can take a
short bike ride to Cua Dai beach, a lovely
stretch of sand that extends north all the
way to booming Da Nang.
The coast between Hoi An and Da
Nang boasts a string of classy resorts
and championship golf courses, but it’s
no epicentre of partying like Nha Trang,
further south.
Unlike elsewhere, development has
been slow and sustainable in Hoi An,
and the floating lanterns that bob
downriver bear at least one wish that it
remains that way.