Magical Hoi An
I arrived in Hoi An from Hanoi, having already fallen madly in love with Vietnam. As someone who loves words as much as I love food, I still struggle to this day to find just the right ones to bring the magic of Hoi An to life. It is at times overwhelming and disorienting not unlike the tornadic chaos of Vietnam’s larger cities. But it is also extraordinarily serene and spiritual with a sneaky charisma that will come to hold even the most timid or skeptical of guests spellbound and speechless.
As magic hour washes over the shops, restaurants and stalls, the river that cuts this ancient town in half starts to swell with the most arresting and electrifying display of color and tradition. There is an invigorating sense of optimism and peace in the air as paper lanterns of every shade and hue float and flutter between colorfully painted wooden row boats. In between the sounds of oars stirring up the dark but dazzling waters, passengers quietly and earnestly release paper lanterns matched with wishes most likely for good health, fortune and true and lasting love. It is a scene that plays out with a brilliant, mesmerizing choreography every night. Hoi An delivers nothing short of the most unforgettable, heartfelt performance that no matter how many times we take it in is anything but forced, tired or disingenuous.
In my travels around the world, I have never seen or felt anything like it. I would return night after night; the first evening taking in the pageantry in stunned and silent rapture from a riverbank bench. The second night, I would stroll up and down the river watching families, lovers and friends taking it all in as I warmed stomach and soul with big mouthfuls of sticky fried rice and bananas with coconut milk. On my final night I too would climb into a rickety rowboat to soak up from the inside every last color I could as I issued by own silent wishes against unfulfilled dreams and goals.
Hoi An is a gentle but most welcome assault on our well-being and senses. It shakes fatigued and dulled ones back to life as it flushes out disappointment and disillusion that has come to settle in the tiny cracks and fissures in our hearts and minds. Over my four days in Hoi An, I would come to find that each adventure out to a museum or temple, any bite, sip or nibble, and every little interaction inside every little artisan shop either filled my cup back up, revived my waning creative energy, or coddled my inner child back to at least a temporary state of inner peace. I felt hyper-alive – as mindful and present as I had been for as long as I can remember. I felt strong, resolute and centered. More than anything I felt eternally grateful to have come to Hoi An when I did. I know it sounds seven shades of melodramatic, but I felt Hoi An satiated my weary and trampled spirit with just the right tonic of lovingkindness, acceptance and tranquility.
As is often the case when I’m away from home in a place known for its culinary dexterity, I felt hungry, and a little thirsty too. Hoi An was the perfect place to indulge the favorite of my five senses – taste. The food here is nothing short of spectacular and I embraced trying with gluttonous abandon many of Hoi An’s regional specialties and then well… trying them again, and again, and again... White Rose Dumplings - to lay something so delicate in one’s mouth and be gifted with such explosive, succulent flavor in return is just one more magic trick in this marvelous city’s bag of them. Another – Cau Lau – a traditional dish and legend served with slightly chewy homemade noodles prepared from water drawn out of an ancient well. How good was it? I’m not one to eat the same dish back to back but I could not NOT. Everywhere I went in Vietnam after first trying it in Hoi An, I ate heaping portions of nutrient rich Morning Glory, a leafy green vegetable indigenous to the tropics sometimes referred to as water spinach. Coincidentally, I also dined a couple times at the iconic Morning Glory Original restaurant in Old Town – there’s a few of them scattered across the city each with their own vibe – all with a mastery of friendly service, an extensive list of authentic dishes and a really nice selection of tea.
To quench my thirst, I made my way to a really cool but unexpected bar overlooking one of the old town streets - Mezcal Cocteleria. Chill and serious about Mezcal without being pretentious and uptight, this bar and its talented bartenders served a wide range of refreshing and expertly crafted Mezcal concoctions. A nice little second floor balcony gem in a city full of tasty surprises.
I’m as voracious a shopper as I am an eater. The more I have traveled the more mindful I have become to shift my focus from rudimentary souvenir or extravagant luxury good shopping to collecting and curating real authentic goods that come with real genuine stories from local artisans and shopkeepers. The result is a home filled with one-of-a-kind treasures each reflecting a memory or moment that without fail takes me back to that time and place where I first laid eyes upon it. I have come to cherish the real, sometimes unpredictable connections I make with local clerks, artists, and owners as I listen intently to their origin stories, passion projects and creative musings. Hoi An with its strands upon strands of shops and stalls exceeded my expectations to engage and learn more about the handcrafted Vietnamese goods I was bringing home as gifts for me and for my friends and family.
Unequivocally, the most meaningful interaction I have had with locals while traveling was at Reaching Out Teahouse in the Old Town. A cozy, charming establishment where patrons sip tea and shop handmade gifts from a back collab space and workshop, Reaching Out is special because they only staff persons who have hearing disabilities. Out of respect and reverence to the staff, customers are asked to sip and shop in silence. Imagine, coming in off a crowded street to be greeted warmly in total silence and asked to use only pre-made blocks and hand gestures to order and communicate. Imagine, that gift of unexpected stillness, peace and gratitude. It gives me the chills now as it gave me the chills then. It was such a beautifully humbling experience and as I look back, the most human I have felt in a very, very long time.
It was the most magical of moments I had in one of the most magical of places, I have been.
