Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

This was my third visit to the ancient trading/fishing village of Hoi An, just south of DaNang. Founded in the 15th century the area dates back further to the 7th century when the Cham peoples controlled trade in the region. Japanese traders settled here in the 16th century. Great Wikipedia entry on Hoi An if you are interested in more history. Today the oldest part of town (closest to the river) is a major tourist attraction. The streets in this area are closed to traffic during the day and it's a wonderful area to stroll around. The town is known for tailored clothing (24 hr turn around), leather goods (including custom shoes and bags), food and all the decorative lanterns at night, including on the water. You can even take a lantern making class.

Something new since my last visit some years ago to Hoi An is the pervasive "selfie" groups of young women striking poses for social media. Didn't see groups of young men doing this. The women arrive in town in casual clothes and then quickly change clothes and shoes, arrange their hair and set out on their mission. Lots and lots of similar groups around town. Sometimes a smile, sometimes a provocative pout.

Not being in to carefully curated and posed selfies, we instead opted for a half day cooking class (fantastic experience!) that began with a walk through the local market to get oriented to local ingredients.

I have to say, this is the first time I've seen a raw, fresh chicken presented this way in a market. Unique & interesting to say the least.

After the market tour, we took a 20 minute boat ride down river to our class at Red Bridge Cooking School. Learned how to use local tools and make four dishes, including the rice paper for spring rolls and Vietnamese pancakes with shrimp and vegetables.