We landed in DaNang, Vietnam mid afternoon. It was wet, more mist than rain and very humid with a similar forecast for the next few days, identical weather to the entire nine days we were in Vietnam twenty years ago. I inwardly groaned – does the sun never shine here? Time to unpack the rain ponchos. Traffic was heavy and it took over an hour to reach the Nam Hoi resort on the outskirts of Hoi An. But once there, we were given a wonderful Vietnamese welcome with drummers, acrobats and dancing dragons.
Nam Hoi is a lush, sprawling resort with hundreds of guest bungalows located on the South Sea. Each bungalow comes with bikes to help guests move around the property. We hustled to our room to get settled then biked back to the main entrance to meet our Vespa driver for our evening food tour. We’d done a similar type tour years ago in Cambodia and were excited to ‘Vespa’ to different areas of Hoi Ann for each dinner course. It was raining lightly, so we hopped on the back of the Vespas, wrapped in plastic ponchos and motored about fifteen minutes to Hoi An City.
Our first course was ‘make it yourself’ spring rolls at a nondescript restaurant in the residential area of Hoi An. After a brief tutorial, we were ready to indulge! Using tissue thin rice paper laid flat, we chose from a smorgasborg of greens, vegetables, seasoned meats and herbs with our chopsticks, loading half the paper with ingredients, then carefully rolling the sticky paper into a tube, cincing the ends. Once completed, we dipped in an assortment of sauces – peanut, garlic chili, red rice wine, hoisin, before popping the finished creations in our mouths. Part art project, part culinary experience, this was a fun way to begin our food tour.
The rain intensified as we left for our main course. Enroute, we passed the illuminated bridge to Hoi Ann Memories Land, a cultural theme park with replicas of historical architecture, miniature themed villages, workshops and entertainment. Not on our itinerary, but the neon lights were one of the few landmarks visible through the rain and fog.
We sat on a covered open air portico at the next restaurant. Our main course was Vietnamese hot pot. Like with fondue, a large metal pot of simmering stock is placed in the center of the table with various meats, fish, vegetables and dumplings to be immersed and cooked to an individual level of ‘doneness’, then dipped in sauces. We sat at tables of four and as food from one platter disappeared, another full tray immediately replaced it. The Vietnamese do not believe in the theory of clean plates; the faster you clean you plate, the faster it is refilled . The hot pot was delicious! As we ate, it began to rain so hard that streams of water cascaded down the portico. We decided to skip the third restaurant – desert and rice wine; waiting for a brief respite in the downpour, we once again wrapped ourselves in plastic and ‘Vespad’ back to our hotel.
The next morning, we woke to mist and overcast but fortunately, the heavy rain had stopped. After breakfast, we shuttled to a small port to catch a boat to Cam Kim Island. Located a short distance from Hoi An City on the south side of the Thu Bon River, the island is accessible by either bridge or boat. Our ferry was a simple flat wooden junk with silk lanterns and pinwheels dangling from the canopy overhead.
A five minute ferry ride brought us to Cam Kim. Enroute we got a glimpse of rural local life. Fishing is a big part of the economy and numerous wire pens dotted the river, brimming with fish hatchlings to be harvested later in the spring.
Cam Kim Island has a vibrant artisan community – carvers, weavers, painters, sculptures and even cooks that demonstrate the handiwork of ancient and current Vietnamese culture. We rented bikes and pedaled towards the artisan village. A woodworker was hard at work fabricating a bird cage. Nonplussed by cycling tourists, he kept his head down and attention focused on carefully measuring the thin wooden rods for the cage’s mesh.
Further down the street, two wood carvers, perched on round tree trunks, chiseled blocks of wood following the shape of the image in their mind’s eye. A young woman carver glanced upwards and smiled while at the same time minding her work.
We cycled past painters, creating lovely watercolors of island vistas, and spent a few minutes watching a man making what looked like a red horse piñata. Our guide told us this was a multi-generational family business that made grave decorations for funerals.
Beyond just watching, we got to try our hand at several crafts. We approached a smoky outdoor kitchen and with the help of an old cook, learned to make rice paper, the wrapping for the delicious spring rolls we feasted on last night. A steady hand is required. First one scoops a thin film of rice batter onto a sizzling hot griddle, then using a long stick slowly rolls the fried cake onto the rod, holding it up before carefully rolling it onto a bamboo rack to dry. Looks simple but the rolling motion on and off the stick takes practice.
Straw mats are a staple of Vietnamese households, used as placemats, sleeping mats, floor coverings, seat cushions, door mats. We watched as a spry gray haired man and his wife sat cross legged on the floor, working together to weave mats – she tying together colored straws, the feedstock of the loom, to create the pattern, he pushing the wooden bar back and forth to create the weave. Then it was our turn to try. After a few minutes of sitting cross-legged on the floor, forcing the wooden loom back and forth to weave the straw, my back and forearms began to ache, giving me an appreciation of the physicality of doing this type of work all day, everyday.
Our final stop was a visit to the local basket boat maker. We’d noticed that many villagers travelled between Cam Kim Island and the mainland via round basket boats using oars or poles to maneuver the vessel. These boats are made by tightly weaving long strips of bamboo together, using a wooden chisel and mallet to pound the strips closely together to form a tight seal. Later the weave is waterproofed with a thin coating of resin or tar. We watched a seventy seven year old craftsman, squatting over his work, intently pounding strips into position. It takes several days of labor to construct a basket boat. Despite a ten year difference in age, I was not able to squat to weave the strips, instead sitting cross legged on the floor to pound the bamboo in place. Called thung chai, legend has it these floating baskets were invented during the French colonial period to bypass the tax imposed on local boat owners. Later this afternoon, we would have a chance to actually ride in a thung chai.
We continued cycling, stopping at a small temple used by the local population for worship and ceremonies. Multiple images of Buddha surrounded by beautiful flowers and greenery adorned the temple. A wedding was in progress, so we could only observe from the outside, watching as family members placed offerings of food, water and incense before the various Buddhas. A golden dragon, with its long scaly neck, fearsome claws and spiked tail, wrapped around the temple entrance, a white marble Buddha perched on its massive head. The dragon is symbolic both in Vietnamese culture and Buddhism, an omen of good aura and prosperity as well as strength and enlightenment.
Leaving the village, we cycled along tracks through the rice fields. Verdant green shoots grew from the wet fields promising a bountiful harvest and making for an idyllic bike path.
Cows with their calves grazed placidly in the fields occasionally interrupting their feeding to watch as we cycled past.
Later, that afternoon, we had a short Vietnamese history lesson followed by a tutorial on the various methods of fishing. We traveled by boat to an area outside Hoi An with murky waterways lined with dense foliage. Jumping in round boat baskets, we passed local people at the edge of the waterway, harvesting bamboo and other plants to use in weaving.
Our guide explained that during the Vietnam-American War, the Viet Cong would hide in the foliage along the edge of the waterway, frequently ambushing US supply boats coming down the river. This was the site of intense fighting during the war given the location of an important US military base in DaNang. It was surprising how candid our Vietnamese guides were about the penalties they continue to experience sixty years after the war for having relatives that supported the Americans.
Back in the larger boat, we observed the various ways locals caught fish. Most fishing was done using nets; either by baiting nets draped from floating platforms to trap inquisitive fish, securing nets to bamboo poles that could be raised and lowered or by casting weighted nets dragged along the river bottom.
We watched as local fishers perched on flat bottomed boats heaved weighted nets into the water to scoop fish along the bottom. There is an art and grace to a well executed net throw. Another hands on opportunity, I was able to board the boat, get a quick lesson, throw the net and catch a fish! Only about three inches long, we threw it back in the river, likely to be caught again and eaten when grown.
Heading back to our luxury hotel, we mulled over our day’s experiences. What and how much it takes to live a good life? Vietnamese culture provides some insight – despite a simple lifestyle, family, community, kindness and hospitality are hallmarks of this fascinating country in Southeast Asia.
