Here we are in Hoi An located on the central coast of Vietnam. There are beautiful beaches where one can relax in the sun or walk along the shore to observe local fishermen at work. Here you see men and women hauling in big nets, hopefully, filled with a successful catch, and boat people using huge round baskets for capturing squid.
The charm of Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the old town with its narrow meandering streets. As in every other place, it is a wonderful place to people watch, and I can’t get a fill of the unfamiliar.
Hoi An is a cook’s delight with markets teeming with exotic fruits and vegetables. Now, if I could only remember the names of what I see and taste!
After exploring the market, the traveling sisterhood (a name given us here) participated in a cooking class, a real highlight of the trip thus far. Using many of those very fresh ingredients, we made spring rolls, noodle soup, marinated chicken, stir fried morning glory and mango/jicama salad. All were delicious and not too difficult to prepare. Maybe that was because much of the prep work was done taking the real labor out of the process. Can I make these things again? You bet because I now have Miss Vy’s beautiful cookbook, Taste Vietnam.
Day or night, HoiAn, with its Japanese and Chinese influences, was a visual delight. Oh, have I mentioned that it is a shoppers paradise so get out your dong!
I’m so glad to have you experiencing all this with me!
Lulu's Musings 
By far my favorite place in all of Vietnam…It was miraculously “untouched” by the war! Your photos are so great and you tell the story so well, Bravo Lulu! I love your blog…By the way, I am planning a trip this upcoming July to North India and Nepal. It’s not the best time of year to go (Monsoon) but that’s the only time I can take off. 18 days and 17 nights. I must start a blog fro this trip, you have inspired me for sure! Thank you, thank you and THANK YOU!
Markets and fresh produce always entice me too. I can spend hours wandering around, watching the world go by. An dhow fun to take a class, we took one in Bangkok and I still cook those recipes! Looking forward to seeing what you prepare for us – I know it will be super fresh and tasty!
I am so enjoying your great adventures…such exotic places you have gone to….so beautiful…glad you all are having so much fun!
I have really enjoyed your journey…My daughter yearns to take your trip so I have been forwarding her your blogs. I bet your husband is starting to regret that he decided not to go.
Looks like you are having a fabulous time. Your cooking class sounds like a great experience. Thank you for all your efforts to share as you go. I know how tired at the end of sight seeing you must be. I am reminded of how many cultures and types of food there are seeing your post.
I love ‘revisiting’ the places with you. It brings back memories of our incredible journey, which seemed to get better with each stop! You were smart going from N to S as we felt a definite difference taking the northern path! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and photos!
Wonderful fresh markets and such beautiful people. What a wonderful adventure you are having.
I never got around to attending a cooking class whilst in Hoi An but at least I ate Mrs Ly’s sensational food. Twice we ate at her Morning Glory restaurant. Thanks so much for taking me back!
Linda, you are doing a fantastic job of taking us with you and I so appreciate your efforts. I know you must be exhausted at the end of your days and feel honored to be allowed to share.