Travel: Hoi An, land of the lanterns
Photo: Kalyani Kumar.
It`s the lanterns that catch the eye first. Bamboo and silk structures swaying in the gentle breeze of the daytime, lit by lamps to cast a luminous glow in the balmy nights. Lanterns of lacquer red, royal purple, azure blue, fuchsia pink, molten gold…and pristine white. They hang all over the town of Hoi An in Central Vietnam, almost as if following a town regulation regarding lamps!
Hoi An became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, and today sees about a whopping 4 million tourists every year. This ancient trading port has the River Thu Bon neatly dissecting the Old Town from the new, and its symbol is the 16th century Japanese Bridge. To the left of this bridge lies the Japanese quarter, to the right the Chinese one; the entrance and exit are guarded by a dog and a monkey, respectively.
There is an old Japanese legend that links this bridge built by them with a monster named Namazu, whose restless movements caused earthquakes and floods. Interestingly, Namazu`s head is located in India, its body in Vietnam and its tail in Japan. The bridge was specifically built to pin down the monster, curtail its movements and thus avert disasters, though the jury is still out on the efficacy of that. Because Hoi An is prone to flooding, and a building in the Old Town, the Tan Ky house, holds a watermark record of recent floodlines.
On the River Thu Bon
Tourists get to go onto the river in a kayak or motorboat, explore the town on motorbikes and cycles. The kayak is hugely popular; at night, the river sparkles with boats on the water, and people holding lanterns to set afloat on the water.
I spotted a lot of billboards advertising cooking classes for the Hoi An specialty cao lầu or braised spiced pork noodles, as well as the ban mi sandwich; Hoi An is apparently the banh mi capital of Vietnam. Lunchtime involved partaking of both those dishes, and I had to tell myself sternly that I did not have to time to sign up for those classes!
Stay till the Hoi An Lantern Full Moon Festival which takes place on the next full moon night, a shop assistant tells me in perfect English. I am giddy at the thought of the town decked up with even more lanterns but alas, short of time, again.
The shops of Hoi An stock those lanterns, wonderfully crafted linen clothing, as well as immaculately finished leather bags, wallets and purses, all at competitive prices.
One Hoi An Entrance Ticket entitles you to visit four museums, the Museum of History and Culture, the Hoi An Folklore Museum, the Museum of Sa Huỳnh Culture, and the Museum of Trade Ceramics, in the last of which I actually spot Bangalore (spelled Ban Ga Lo) on an old trading map!
Go walk around the Old Town before the crowds descend, advised my daughter. Which I did, to priceless moments of peace and quiet besides the quiet waters of the Thu Bon, with the rising sun gilding those magic lanterns.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/travel/2023/mar/26/land-of-lanterns-2558829.html
This appeared in The New Sunday Express Magazine of 26 March 2023.
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Sheila Kumar • March 26, 2023