That’s a little of what our last couple of days in Vietnam have been like…

We’re in Hoi An, or, as I like to call it, Temptation Central. There are tailors everywhere - amazingly talented seamstresses who can whip up any item of clothing your heart desires in a couple of hours, for about an eighth of what you’d pay for it at home… Mark and I haven’t bought anything on this trip so far – one top for me, two shirts for him, that’s about it. But we succumbed to temptation here in Hoi An, and we’ve both had coats tailored. I’ll post photos later, they’re just being finished off at the moment. It is so thrilling to have something made to order! It’s my first time.

Not only is Hoi An full of clothing shops, it’s also full of shoe shops – heavenly meccas where they measure your foot and make you a pair of shoes. As in, handmade! For less than $15. I ask you! How can we resist? Well, girl shoes are that cheap – men’s shoes are more expensive. So I’ve had a whimsical pair made – picking them up this afternoon. I’ll post a pic, don’t you worry!

Hoi An is also the land of incredible food. We have eaten so well here the last couple of days. They have a whole heap of local delicacies, including wonton soup (so tasty), fried wontons (yum), cao lau (a sort of noodle soup, delicious!) and white roses, which are the least tasty but the prettiest of the lot. You can also make your own fresh spring rolls. YUM.

So we’ve been eating, shopping, and wandering around what is without doubt one of the prettiest towns we’ve seen on our travels. Set on the banks of a river, the ancient town is a World Heritage site, so all the old shop houses are in their original condition, and there are loads of lanterns hung all around, and classical music piped into the streets every morning. Lovely!
Which was why it was such a surprise to see these poor dogs dressed up like clowns this morning…

You can also see a couple more of our favourite moments from the last few days here – fruit shopping on the side of the road in Danang, exploring the fascinating art of Cham, wandering around the ancient city of Hoi An, and stumbling across a somewhat-ridiculous monument in Saigon last week!

It’s been a rather colourful week, don’t you think?