LIFESTYLETRAVEL

Hoi An City, Vietnam – Part I

Hoi An is a rhythmic, pulsing ancient city on Vietnam's central coast

Gus Franklyn-Bute

HOI AN CITY – Vietnam’s story is one of a practical and resourceful people with a history of occupation, resistance, and fight for self-determination, who against all odds aspire to make the smallest of anything, into the most of everything.

Hoi An city: rhythmic, pulsing heartbeats of “erratic” social harmony

I am captivated. My arms are gently folded and I am leaning against the aged, stone façade at the entrance of Hoi An Historic Hotel. An unhurried sunset is approaching and the late afternoon light is reluctant to give way to nightfall. The ambiance is bewitching and I am powerless to resist the magnetic dalliance of the growing autocade on Tran Hung Dao Street.

Hoi An (會安) translates as a “peaceful meeting place” and the ancient city is at ease with itself. At the sunrise-sunset bookends of each day traffic converge to create well-ordered chaos as commuters on cycles, motorbikes and in cars and buses assemble in an effortless ebb and flow, rise and fall to perform a vu phien (Vietnamese fan dance) in rhythmic, pulsing heartbeats of an “erratic” social harmony.

Photo by René DeAnda on Unsplash

The daily spectacle in Hoi An is a curious  Cirque de Soleil and one cannot help but applaud the tourists on hired bikes braving the bedlam as they nervously blend, hem and haw, into this daily Vietnamese pageant. To the safety-conscious traveller, this Hoi An experience is like Running the Bulls (Feast of San Fermín; Encierro) at Pamplona in northern Spain rather than an easy city-break in Barcelona. Somehow, it all works. Traffic moves steadily, pausing momentarily at the command of lights – red, amber, green.  Rush hour in Hoi An is a spectacle far more exhilarating than the daily frustrations of rush hour commuter madness of New York, London, or Port-of-Spain, Trinidad.

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Hoi An city: beauty, utility, and high value

The beauty of this living, breathing UNESCO World Heritage city is more profound than simple traffic gazing.  The daily caravans twisting along Hoi An’s major roads are as good a place as any to observe and admire the culture, character, and splendour of the communities of Quảng Nam province, located on Vietnam’s south-central coast. The 54 distinct ethnic identities officially recognised by the government of Vietnam are its jewels. The communities of Hoi An and Quảng Nam are ingenious people with a wherewithal, curiosity, and affability towards each other and visitors – characteristics that are fragrant of Caribbean people and the region.

The resourcefulness of the Vietnamese is evident and has been essential to national resilience and push for self-determination. A moped or bicycle is more than a mode of transport. Its utility has greater value for the average Vietnamese parent than the family car of most North American and European households. Mom and four kids on a single moped is an amusing photo for visiting tourists, but financing deals for a shiny black Range Rover for yummy-mummy school runs will never be an option.

Hoi An city: road hogs

Allowing my mind to travel past notions of safety (no one seems to travel at unsafe speeds and most wear protective headgear) I saw real order and rules in what to the observer may appear to be utter chaos. One cannot help but smile and marvel at the sights and sounds, shaking one’s head in utter amusement. Babies are wedged snugly between driver and pillion. Older children are perched on sedan-like chairs (miniature high chairs) affixed to the space between the driver’s legs and the front shaft of scooters. Tables, cabinets, animals, household items of all shapes and sizes are expertly balanced and are commonplace consignment. The 6-feet gas canister and enormous wire rack stacked with tourist souvenirs made one chuckle the most. Cirque de Soleil, indeed. Hoi An city and Vietnam surely is Where The Magic Happens.

Standing at ease observing the remnants of the day with a crescendo of blaring horns and voices punctuating the green-hot dusk, I realised that the people of Vietnam are living a remarkable Vietnamese story – a life of practical, resourcefulness beyond a history of occupation and resistance and who against all odds strives to make the smallest of anything, into the most everything. From the curb I see families, friends, colleagues, and neighbours glide by with faces garlanded in contentment and conversations – a far cry from the commuter lifestyle in any European, North American, or Caribbean city.

Gus Franklyn-Bute currently lives in London and travels extensively. Read Part II of his moral dilemma in Hoi An City, Quang Nam, Vietnam.

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