My Son and Hoi An

The World Heritage site of My Son was a religious center of the Cham Empire between the 4th and 13th centuries. Discovered in the 1890s by the French, it was later on devastated during the American War (what a pity).

Anyway, to truly enjoy My Son one has to go there either very early or late. The site, I've heard, can get very crowded, so it's best to go there when you know you're one of the only few people there... who wants to bring home pictures of landmarks with hordes of tourists anyway.

I've opted to visit the site during sunrise and leave the hotel around 530AM, but since it was a cloudy day I had the schedule moved 30 minutes later. Really, what's the point of wanting to see the sun when the sun doesn't intend to show right? The drive to My Son took about an 1 1/2 hour. It was quite a scenic ride actually, and it was nice to see the countryside wake up... farmers getting ready to plow the field, children biking their way to school. I regret not having the driver stop so i can take pictures of those things.

Anyway, upon arriving in My Son, I had to pay the entrance fee which is 65,000VND ($4). Getting to the site involves a bit of walking - a good morning exercise, I must say. As we reached the ruins, the rain poured so i had to seek shelter in one of the temple structures. Good thing the rain lasted for only a few minutes and I get to explore the place.

The site is divided into 10 groups named after letters from A and A' to K. A number is assigned to a structure within a group. There's only a few groups that visitors can explore since most groups are severely destroyed by the war, and wandering off from the marked paths can be quite risky given the fact that there still might be unexploded land mines. Although, authorities claim that it has been cleared of the mines, it's better to be safe than sorry. A

Anyway, a little summary about each group:

There's Group C, where once the altar of Shiva stood. It has a bomb crater in front of it and it makes you wonder how it survived that.

Then Group B which was the main sanctuary dedicated to the King who built My Son.

Group D. Meditation halls in the past, but is now used as galleries that feature relics from the site.

And finally there's group A, completely destroyed by bombs.

The My Son ruins is said to be the counterpart of Ayuthaya in Thailand, Angkor in Cambodia, and Borobodur in Indonesia, but it does pale in comparison given that the site is almost completely destroyed and the size is quite small. Looking at the map you'd think it's big, but you can thoroughly finish exploring it for an hour. It would take you a longer time to walk to and from the site even.

I personally think though that even if the other ancient temples are more grand in scale, size and beauty, in My Son, the way it was built and it's place in history to the Cham people (and the Vietnamese) it is just as impressive.

It's a pity the weather wasn't that good when I got there. I would have enjoyed it more and have taken better shots of the place. Then again, not even rain can stop me. It did let me have a different take on the site as far as pictures go. And I still consider myself lucky because right after I left, it did rain harder and longer as the first bus of French tourists arrived.

Several days later, I talked to this American couple who has beento My Son just about the same time when I was there and told me about their horrible experience with Indochina Travel who took them to the ruins despite knowing that the area is flooded. Now I think I'm even more lucky.

I did not stay in this hotel. I have not seen it. So, I can't say anything about the hotel's in-house service nor it's amenities. But from the images i've seen online, the hotel looks pretty good. I would have wanted to book a room here, but I got a hotel in a more convenient location.

Anyway, this is a review about the Private tours I booked with Green Field Hotel to Hue and My Son (Hence the rating would apply to the service they provided me, and not the room rates).

The idea of sightseeing with strangers does not appeal to me at all, hence when I saw online that Greenfield Hotel does private tours, I had no second thoughts about it. Although you pay more for a private tour, you get more out of it that's for sure. And there's no one else to ruin your shots for you... and you get to have your own car, your own driver, and you can see the sites at your own pace. I guess that's the best part.

The One Day Private Tour to Hue was quite expensive, but the more people in your private tour, the cheaper the rates. Later, in Ho Chi Minh I found out that this deal is actually quite cheap for a single person since Kim Travel offered me a half-day tour to Cao Dai Holy See (and only that site) for $5 more than the Green Field tour price to Hue.

Moving on. En route to Hue, you get to see Danang with the option to stop at some sites of special interest like China Beach and the Marble Mountain for a photo op. I wasn't particularly interested in that, so we just drove along. Our first stop however was Hai Van Pass for a cup of coffee and a cigarette.

The tour included The Old Citadel, lunch featuring Hue delicacies, Thien Mu Pagoda, a Dragon boat ride across the Perfume river and 3 Royal Tombs. I only got to see 2 tombs because it started to rain late in the afternoon and I was already dead tired by that time to do any more walking.

As for the Private tour of My Son, the cost was pretty average-ish. About half of what I payed for for the Hue Tour. I opted for the Sunrise Tour to beat all the tourists. Since it has been raining. We moved the schedule an hour later, what's the point of doing a Sunrise Tour when the sun doesn't even want to show up right? I was pretty much cool with that because we still beat the tourists at the site. We were done once they arrived. I'd probably get this tour again if it's a good weather out there.

All in all the tour suited my purpose just right. I originally planned on doing an overnight in Hue, but that would already be too tiring, so the private tour was the next best thing. My Tour guide and the driver were always on time, and would adjust to what i need to do. I had no problem leaving my stuff in the car since it was always locked whenever I would go out to explore a site.

Also, the tour is more informative since it was one-on-one, you get all the attention of the guide to yourself. And there were no jokes from other travelers that would make your eyes roll.

Green Field also offered me a good deal for a transfer from Hoi An to Danang Airport. It was $5 less than the transfer I had from Danang airport to Hoi an (by the way the car i rode on the way to Hoi An reeked of cigarette smoke and dried sweat). So Green Field's transfer service was a very good way to end my stay in Danang.

The Plus Points: The courtyard is really nice. It had this 2 levels of staircases that are really pleasing to the eyes.

+ Service was good. The staff were very friendly and they tried their best to help me out in every way they can. I don't have any complaints.

+ The laundry service was fairly priced, and they even had it ready before I could follow up about it.

+ There was hot water, so that's good and the Air-conditioning is works ok. I guess if there are rooms that have faulty air-cons, there's a ceiling fan to back it up.

+ Location is Superb! It's just like 50 meters away from the Old Town. 100 meters more and you're at the nearest Ticket booth. There are Cafes just right infront of the hotel. There are ATMS, shops, currency exchange, money transfers and banks conveniently located a few meters away.

And I don't know much about this but, when I was in Hoi An, the river started to overflow and it got me worried, I just don't know if flood actually reaches the hotel area as it is a few blocks away from the riverbanks, but if it does then maybe the water level is not that threatening.


The Minus Points:

- The room i stayed at was a little rundown. It kind of smells old, but it's clean except for the one cockroach and some ants that i experienced in the room.

- There's not too many choices on Cable TV. Most channels are in Vietnamese.

- The hotel generally lacks a bit of a character. It does need a little renovation and upgrading of it's facilities.

All in all, This is a good place to stay. It's not the best, the cleanest nor the most beautiful, but it does deliver.

Before & Now is one of the most popular spots in Hoi An with a menu that serves mostly Italian food. Vietnamese cuisine is also on the list.

The first floor is a bar and cafe with walls that feature pop-art portraits from Mao Tse Tung to Marilyn Monroe. The one that will get your attention is Bono... as the Man of Steel.

If you want to escape the crowd, the upstairs floor is more homey (though at first you'd think you'd be fine dining) and has a balcony with a nice atmosphere... perfect, I must say.

Again, since this is being Hoi An - home of the Cau Lau, the noodle dish is the restaurant's specialty. I have to admit though that i've had better Cau Lau at some other restaurants in the old town. Although the other Hoi an specialty that I've tried, the banh bao vac or "white rose" as they call it is really good! For those curious what "white rose" is, it's a shrimp dumpling.

The bar/restaurant plays mostly chill out music by day, and more uptempo (rock/r&b/hiphop) at nights. There's also free WIFI available.

All in all, Before & Now lives up to it's reputation as one of Hoi An's most happening places. And if you ever want to just relax and people watch, i think this is the best place to be.

Champa was the first restaurant i tried mainly because (1) i was in the street when hunger struck me and (2) i got attracted to it's purple and yellow exterior. I thought to myself "the place might well-worth hanging out at to pass time away".

The restaurant serves italian and vietnamese cuisine, and here I got to try a Hoi An specialty called "Cau Lau". It's a dish of rice noodles with pieces of roast pork, bean sprouts, dough fritters and a variety of herbs. What makes this noodle different is that the noodle is apparently made from a special well in the city, hence the moniker "well noodle." I somewhat doubt the authenticity of such claim since there were a lot of restaurants serving the same thing. I think in Hoi An I got to try 3 or 4 establishments that serve Cau Lau, and so far I like Champa's version more probably because of the generous amounts of chili and dough fritters. The mint also made for one good experience. Their Cau Lau is pretty pricey though ($1.50), compared to those little eateries on some obscure corner who serve the same thing at only $.50.

What I like about Champa is it's color motif. I do find it relaxing, it's quite pleasing to the eyes and a break from all the yellows you see around. It's also a good place to people-watch (well most of hoi-an's bars and restaurants are good places for this activity).

A restaurant with a very cozy atmosphere and has a really great upstairs balcony that provides the best view of one of Hoi An's nicest streets...

Dac San Hoi An literally means "Hoi An Specialties". It actually lives up to it's name. I've tried their cao lau, banh xeo and the "white rose" - there is a set menu that features all three, albeit in smaller servings, for less than $2. The banh xeo and the banh bao were really good, I had another serving of each the second time I went there, but the cao lau is a little bland for me. I've had better elsewhere.

I like this place a lot that I went back several times in a single day. Dac San Hoi An is a good place to get shelter from the rain too (probably from the harsh sun too during the summer). I had a good time here every time it started to rain and had a blast people-watching or writing on my journal while sipping coffee and smoking a cigarette.

Without a doubt Hoi An is a beautifully preserved little town that has the ambiance of Malaysia's Melaka and the romance of the Philippine's Vigan. It is a center for arts and crafts, silk, and, yes made-to-measure clothes that has everyone going crazy.

Although it is free to walk the streets of the old town, a ticket scheme is put into place to enter some of it's point of interests. There are 6 ticket outlets dotted around town, and A ticket costs 75000VND ($4-5) and would allow access to 5 out of the 12 landmarks: 1 museum, 1 assembly hall, handicrafts workshop or traditional theatre, 1 merchant's house, and either the shrine on the Japanese covered bridge or the Quan Cong Temple. Of course you can visit all twelve by buying 3 tickets, but if you have only a day in Hoi An, the following sites are your best bets (yes i've bought 3 tickets) :

If you have to choose between the Japanese Covered bridge and Quan Cong Temple, i'd say choose the temple. You can cross the Japanese covered bridge as many times as you want, the ticket only applies to the shrine within the bridge, and you need not enter it to view it. Quan Cong Temple is a better choice since it's also across the market where you can do a little shopping.

Museums: I only entered 2 museums: the Hoi An Museum of History and Culture, and Museum of Trade Ceramics. The Museum of History and culture can serve as your introduction to Hoi An with it's displays of relics and photographs. The museum of trade ceramics, on the other hand, is all about broken pottery. Not really that interesting, the building is more of the highlight of this museum rather than the exhibits.

Assembly Halls: I sorta made a booboo here because I entered the same sight twice... brain cells getting depleted as each day passes by. Anyway, between Quang Dong or Cantonese Assembly Hall and the Phuc Kien Meeting Hall, my pick would be the latter as it is bigger, more colorful, and a lot nicer. There's really nothing to see at the Cantonese Assembly except for the central courtyard with the dragon statue. The Phuc Kien Meeting hall on the other hand boasts of lots of hanging incense that's really quite nice to look at.

Old Houses: As you enter a house, a member of the family who supposedly lives there will greet you and act as your guide. They basically have the same spiel (age of the house, how many generations has lived there, the japanese/chinese architectural influence, etc.) but the most informative would have to be the Tran Family Chapel. The other two houses(Phung Hung House and Tan Ky House), they just let me sit down, did their spiel and then left me to explore the house on my own. It is however worthy to take note of the Tan Ky House and how it's inhabitants mark the water level of the overflowing Thu Bon river. 2007's flood was by far the highest, it has almost reached the second floor. My Pick: Tran Family Chapel. It's more informative, and it's quite different from the other two houses in terms of structure and there's a souvenir shop inside where you can buy silks, coins, ceramic/jade figurines to bring home to your mother or sister or girlfriend.

Traditional Theatre/Workshop: I really had no choice here since Bach Dang (the street where the workshop is as indicated in the map provided by the ticket outlet) was flooded. so It was the traditional theatre for me at 75 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street. Although I am quite confused since the at the back of the theatre has a workshop where lantern making and wood sculpting takes place. The front hall is where the performances are held. If this is the same workshop that's included in the ticket then i guess i've been to both theatre and workshop under one roof.

The best thing about Hoi An is that the old town center is off limits to heavy vehicles, hence it's a pedestrian's heaven. Even just by walking along the old charming streets is an experience to remember. The rain can even add more charm to the city. So however miserable the weather can be, I guess you just have to suck it up and enjoy your stroll or bike ride. Besides, rain is perfect for a cup of ka phe in one of the many cafe's around town.