The Grandeur of a Little Town
Sublime Hoi-an, a small town in Vietnam, makes hearts skip a beat. Its postcard-worthy beauty makes eyes miss a few blinks. What makes it so special, read on to discover.
It is not every day that a tourist place makes us feel so at home that we never want to leave it. We start dreaming about actually living there, figuring out occupations and daily routines. When I landed in Hoi-an this December, it just gripped me so hard with all its lovely scenery that I could not escape the mighty pull. Weeks after coming back, I still imagine myself walking its clean, beautiful streets while walking in the middle of dump-laden Bangalore’s stinky lanes. A part of my daily daydreaming will always be in Hoi-an from now on, intentionally.
Hoi-an appears to be just another riverside town at first glance. It is small, and it looks full of non-rich folks trying to make a living. It has paddy fields like a village, small shops like a common town, and almost no high-rise or even mid-rise buildings. Hard-working farmers are busy farming, sun-kissed kids are playing so happily, and women are cycling to work—it all seems like a lost world. Mud is so soft and clean, I want to be a pig and roll in it. No kidding—the charm of Hoi-an just caught me unprepared. Like an emotional fool, I fell in love with its simple life.
I wonder what makes Hoi-an such a big tourist attraction if it is such a simple, run-of-the-mill town. I guess that it strikes the perfect balance between convenient city living and charming village life. It is just urbanized enough to have all modern amenities but not so urbanized that you have to squint your nose against pollution and the stench of the dump. Just enough residencies, but not so many as to restrict your view of sunrise and sunset. Just enough people—tailors, cobblers, street-food vendors, small restaurants, and general stores—were all welcoming. Everything is within 1-3 kilometers, reachable by a moped-on-rent or an electronic public vehicle. Despite the fact that the river is muddy, it is enjoyable because there aren't any trash or plastic bags.
The world-famous Lantern festival.
We parked our rented mopeds and walked a half-mile to the well-known Japanese bridge. This is the riverside city center, where the most stunning sight was waiting for us. Every evening, at dusk, even though the street lights are not switched on yet, the lit lanterns on the banks start making their appearance. The boats start rocking as boatmen prepare them for visitors by lighting lanterns on them. Only a quiet buzz of sellers starting up can be heard on both sides of the river; there is hardly any music. But the sight of lanterns makes the mind imagine pious chanting. Visitors begin to form lines to take boat rides. A nicely but not flashily lit bridge invited me to take a dreamy walk across the quietly flowing river. This bridge gave me a chance to soak up the entire panorama in one view. Slow breaths in, slower breaths out. I took a mental picture of the serene panorama as I felt gratitude for this moment.
We went on a boat cruise and relished the ethereal atmosphere. Our boat person told us that lighting a candle, putting it on a paper boat, and floating it down the river is one of the lantern festival's customs. It's magical to see someone praying and muttering a secret wish with her family. She carefully puts a candle in a small paper boat onto the river, wishing for their dreams to come true. The glistening water, the cool evening air, the peaceful surroundings, the gliding lanterns on the lovely boats, and the mouthwatering pho—what’s not to love?
But the most endearing part is not the geography or even the architecture; it is rather the kind and lovely demeanor of the Vietnamese people of Hoi An. I fell in love with so many street sellers of souvenirs. They were the sweetest people, calmly smiling while pitching their products and kindly helping tourists find their way to the next sight.
The rhythm of Hoi-an is like slow, smooth jazz. The smell of Hoi-an is like a world-famous bakery, with wafts of fresh bread spreading everywhere. The feel of Hoi-an is that of a Disney land, but for the soul and not for the kids' noisy adventures. The look of Hoi-an is like that of a big monastery that soothes your soul with the slow-rising ray of hope that is its lanterns. The lantern-town!
When I came back to India’s silicon valley, Bangalore, rightfully infamous for the worst infrastructure among all metros, I could sense my disappointment at the state of affairs here. There are two lakes within three kilometers of my house, and yet I dare not step out to visit them even once a year. Don't get me wrong; I adore Bangalore's climate and its gracious residents. However, the state of the roads and infrastructure outside our houses made our lockdown appear like a golden era.
Experiencing these two starkly different cities made me wonder: Why is Hoi-an so spotless? Why is Hoi-an so inexpensive? Why does Hoi-an have non-aggressive street vendors who don't try to swindle everyone who passes by? How come Hoi-an has a 1-kilometer super-touristy area without loud music coming from every store? Why did Hoi-an, out of the ten other places where I went to seek tranquility in the past ten years, win my heart?
It is not that the whole of Vietnam is like Hoi-an. Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam was just as filthy as any other city in India. However, the tourist destinations in Vietnam were so much cleaner and kinder. There are many lovely natural riverfront locations in India. However, they lack cleanliness, warmth, or astute business sense. I wish we could do a better job of maintaining the infrastructure and ensuring our urban spaces are places worth living in.
I'll be returning to Hoi-an very soon, to spend a bit more time and experience the serenity of this spellbinding town. The thing that makes a place so charming isn't just its natural beauty; it is also what the residents do with it.
P.S. All images are courtesy of myself and my friends.
The detailing in the article made me feel the place. I am a travel freak and your reading the article made me live in all those places again.
THANK YOU.
Your beautiful, poetic article was a special mini-vacation for my mind. I also love all the gorgeous photos (and captions under them. Not all bloggers add this personal touch.) Thank you for sharing your love for Hoi-an with us. 😀😀😀