Hoi An never ceased to surprise and enthrall us. Every day after we finished the morning’s classes with our students at the school, we’d hit the streets to discover more of this fascinating little corner of Vietnam, with its rich blend of the traditional and the contemporary.

At school, we taught the students to make paper snowflakes, which they found fascinating — particularly since snowflakes are something they never get to see in the flesh. They came up with some rather creative snowflake designs, which we posted around the school to commemorate the approaching winter season — which, outside the classroom, would look like any other season.

One evening at about dinner time, we started hearing some very loud singing — some rather off-key singing — from a female voice close by. It turned out to be a young woman next door who was seated in the courtyard of her apartment building, blaring away on a karaoke machine — which, we suspect, she’d just acquired and wanted the whole world to know it. She was having a party of one.

Soon we went out for a stroll as usual — as colorful as Hoi An is during the daytime, it’s even more colorful at night — and by the time we’d returned, she’d taken her bows and knocked it off. Which was a relief, because her performance might have interfered with our own performance as Sleeping Beauties.

Tailor-made Dress?

Among the many quaint and intriguing shops we passed on our ambles through town was one particularly intriguing tailor that had some very impressive samples on display. Kimberly seriously considered having a dress made there, even though she hardly ever has need of a dress, and the competition for space in our bags is always fierce. It would have cost only about 25 dollars for a tailor-made dress, which is hard to beat anywhere in the galaxy, especially for the quality of work. She seriously considered it. But ultimately didn’t.

Though we bought as much of our produce as possible from the marketplace, our go-to grocery store was a little gem called Moon Milk, which is just about our favorite name for a supermarket ever. It was a bit pricey, but it offered some hippie-ish staples we couldn’t find anywhere else, such as nutritional yeast. It was sort of like a miniature Whole Foods.

Discretion was in order when grocery shopping, because our kitchen did not include a stove. There were only a refrigerator, a microwave, and a rice cooker. But we made do okay, because we used the rice cooker to cook more than rice. In fact, we even used it to make hot water for bathing, as our shower had only cold water.

Paper Snowflakes, Clay Snowmen and Jazzed Up Christmas Carols

Although most of the classes and activities we conducted with the students at our school were of our own devising, we were asked to lead them in preparing for a presentation at an upcoming Christmas event (during a time, alas, that we’d be already gone to our next post). For this occasion, they were to sing “Little Drummer Boy” — which we took as quite a challenge.

Not that it’s a difficult song, by any means. It’s just that as a rule we’re just not fond of Christmas songs, and this particular one is… well, probably our least favorite of them all. So how to make it more interesting — for us, for the performers, and for the audience?

Fortunately we found some excellent inspiration in that great storehouse of inspiration, Youtube. There we came upon a fantastic rendition of this song by Bethel Music Kids, a group based in Redding, California (where, coincidentally, we’d spent three months as camp hosts at a state park a couple of years earlier, during the height of the pandemic).

These youngsters in the video, who were roughly the same age as our students, jazzed up the tune so it was a lot more fun, and did an absolutely professional job of singing it — and dancing it — making the song much more dynamic than we ever imagined possible. The result is not only fun but exhilarating; and while we didn’t expect our own kids to duplicate that level of performance, we used the video as a template to create our own high-energy interpretation that was also thoroughly enjoyable.

The students also practiced “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, which was much easier to work with because it’s an inherently fun song, and they already knew most of it. They weren’t familiar with the intro, but once that well-known titular phrase started, they jumped right in and belted out with glee.

We also enhanced this number with some theatrical staging, including assigning one student to be Rudolph. When the part came about him being ostracized by his comrades, he seemed to be taking it a bit too literally, so we had to assure him it was all just part of the act. As it happened, he had a birthday during that time, and we had a pizza party, so it was clear to him that he was a welcome part of the group after all.

With this Christmas presentation coming up, and having fallen in love with Hoi An itself, we were beginning to regret that we hadn’t arranged to stay there a little longer.

11/8-12/2022

Here are some practical tips to enhance your Hoi An experience:

Best Time to Visit:

• Peak Season (June to August): Expect larger crowds and higher prices, but also vibrant atmosphere.
• Shoulder Seasons (April-May, September-October): Pleasant weather, fewer crowds, and good deals.
• Off-Peak Season (November to March): Quietest time, ideal for budget travelers, but some businesses may be closed.

Getting Around:

• Walking: The best way to explore the Old Town, which is car-free.
• Bicycle: A fun and eco-friendly option for exploring the wider area
• Motorbike: For more adventurous travelers wanting to explore beyond Hoi An.
• Taxi: Convenient but can be more expensive.

Things to Do:

• Explore the Old Town: Immerse yourself in the charming architecture, visit historical sites like the Japanese Covered Bridge, and enjoy the lively atmosphere
• Tailor-Made Clothing: Hoi An is famous for its affordable and high-quality tailoring
• Cooking Classes: Learn to prepare delicious Vietnamese dishes.
• Beach Days: Relax on the beautiful beaches nearby, such as An Bang Beach.
• Lantern Release: Experience a magical evening by releasing lanterns on the Thu Bon River.

Food and Drink:

• Cao Lau: A Hoi An specialty, a delicious noodle dish with pork and herbs.
• White Rose Dumplings: Delicate and flavorful dumplings.
• Fresh Seafood: Enjoy the bounty of the sea at local restaurants.
• Vietnamese Coffee: A must-try, especially the iced version with condensed milk.

Practical Tips:

• Bargaining: Practice your bargaining skills at local markets.
• Respectful Dress: Dress modestly when visiting temples and pagodas.
• Cash is King: While some places accept cards, it’s best to have cash on hand.
• Learn Basic Vietnamese Phrases: A few words will go a long way in connecting with locals.