Hoi An is a very interesting historic town along the coast of central Vietnam, just south of Danang. It was once an important trading center, with much influence from resident Japanese and Chinese merchants during the 16th-18th centuries. Fortunately, Hoi An suffered little from the bombing during the 'American war' that heavily damaged nearby areas.

Today, fishing in the Thu Bon River and nearby ocean remains an important economic activity. Like Hanoi, Hoi An shows the vibrant optimism of Vietnam's expanding capitalist! economy. Hoi An was the only part of our trip where we experienced the truly enervating heat that is possible in the tropics -- it was about 95-100 degrees every day with high humidity so we did most of our exploring, and photography, between 5:00 and 8:00 am or late in the day after 5:00 pm.