Moving down to central Vietnam, I visited the cities of Hue and Hoi An. (By the way, I strongly recommend against anyone taking an overnight sleeper train in Southeast Asia. You won’t sleep a wink due to the constant stop-and-go, and people knock on your door every hour to sell you beer.)

Hue

Hue (pronounced “way”) was the former capital of Vietnam during its imperial years. The capital has since moved to Hanoi but Hue is still filled with palaces, pagodas, temples, and this citadel:

This large citadel also features that large flagpole…in fact, it’s the largest flagpole in Vietnam. Why are communist countries so obsessed with having huge flagpoles? That’s right, I’m looking at you North Korea.

We also visited the Thien Mu pagoda, the largest religious building in Vietnam. They enforce a strict dress code, including no showing of the knees. I would have worn my blue jeans but it’s so unbelievably hot here that I almost passed out from heat exhaustion when I tried them on for a few minutes as a test. Instead I bought these very lightweight pants that went just below my knees. Here I am, sporting them in front of the pagoda:

Yes, they make me look irresistible. Please try to control yourselves.

This pagoda also houses the Austin vehicle that transported the monk to the site of his 1963 self-immolation in Saigon, in protest against the government’s regime. As soon as he stepped out of the car, he assumed the lotus position on the street, doused himself with gasoline, and lit himself on fire. He never moved or said anything, which led to the famous photograph. (Of note, his heart remained intact and did not burn.)

On a less morbid note, motorbikes are everywhere in Vietnam, and I mean everywhere. The country has approximately 90 million people and there are close to 40 million motorbikes…compared to only 2 million cars. The streets are congested with motorbikes, and every time you cross an intersection it’s like playing a game of chicken with 10 motorbikes driving straight at you. And they certainly cram as many things onto them as they can: children, animals, and even other motorbikes.

After street food, the other thing I can’t resist when I travel is getting on a motorbike. I did that this time too and got a nice tour of the city. Along the way I got a hands-on lesson how to make incense sticks and also saw an old American bomb that had been cut in half and turned into a boat.

It’s too hot to talk anymore. I’m really not cut out for this weather. Luckily my hotel room has great air conditioning…and this beautiful view.

Hoi An

Hoi An is a beautiful and quaint city oftentimes described as “delightful” and I agree completely. It has interesting architecture and a river that lights up at night with thousands of lanterns. Here’s a panoramic shot that doesn’t do justice to the view.

I spent four days here where I roamed their massive marketplace, bought a tailor-made suit, took a cooking class, found my favorite street food thus far in Vietnam (I may have eaten there three times), and went on a great bike ride through the city’s outskirts. On the bike ride I lucked out and was able to interact with some local farmers…who put me promptly to work:

Another proudly showed off his water buffalo to me. He wanted me to stand on the animal to show how strong it was, indicating he was a successful farmer. I was a little afraid of this giant beast, but it turned out to be a gentle giant.

If you have the opportunity to visit Vietnam, definitely do not skip Hoi An.