Centre of Hoi An

 Centre of Hoi An

                                       

One of the gates into old centre of the city.

Near the entrance is a replica Japanese merchnt ship. In 1609 a Hoi An princess married a Japanese merchant and returned with him to his home city of Nagasaki. Since then, the two cities have continued to forge close relationships.

As everywhere in Vietnam, the roads teem with scooters. But one motorbike stood out as I was walking through the centre. It was a British built Royal Enfield and sidecar and in remarkably good condition.

One of the bridges that connects the two parts of the old town, one part on the mainland and the other part on an islnd in the river.

Some of the boats plus some floating vegetation.

A picture of the cycling bridge thaat I crossed the day before. The road bed is a series of metal plates but they are not fixed, They have worn unevenly and warped in the heat so that they do not rest flat on the supports but rattle with the passage of every bike so they is a constant banging sound from the plates.

The Fox and Hounds by the night market. Nothing spcial except that the tables are beer barrels. Inside each barrel is a keg and a gas cylinder plus a beer tap in the centre of the top of the barrel. You can pour your own drinks or act as barman and serve your group. There is a meter and the group pays for the amount that they have poured.

The night market during the day, nearly empty but it is a hive of activity at night with stalls, food vendors and huge crowds.

The Japanese Bridge, a coverd bridge across a canal and another link between Hoi An and Nagasaki.

Another bridge linking the two halves of the old centre. There is no footpath as this is only for scooters and pedestrains that are brave enough to walk in the road with scooters going past with just inches to spare. 

Many of the buildings have lanterns as decorations.

Some of the boats that take passengers up and down the river from dusk onwards when there is the greatest benefit from their lit lanterns.

 A restaurant festooned with lanterns...

...and another restaurant with blue lanterns, an unusual choice as red is the most popular colour but this is a Greek restaurant and hence the blue to reflect the colour of the Greek flag.