Back and forth

From Vinh I had taken the train to Quang Ngai, farther south. Close to this city is a place that will always be remembered together with the Vietnam War: My Lai.

During the war American soldiers committed a massacre in this village, killing 504 people, women, children, older men, almost all of them farmers. On the internet I had come across the "My Lai Peace Park", a Vietnamese-American project, and thought about trying to write an article about that. To say it in few words, this did not work out, too long to explain, why...

In any case, I managed to visit the My Lai Memorial and - although it sounds strange to mention this in the same moment - was able to make a motorcycle trip through beautiful country outside of Quang Ngai. The city itself was a bit better than Vinh, but not much... at least it didn't rain that heavily. Yet I got away as fast as possible, taking a bus north to Hoi An.

Hoi An has a long history as a trading port, it contains Vietnamese, Chinese and European influences... and was declared by UNESCO a "world heritage site". Needless to mention, Hoi An is full of touists, yet I like the atmosphere... its narrow streets, small houses, the countless boats on the river that have become a synonyme of Vietnam. I pay a bit more for my hotel than I should afford, 10 US-$... but Hoi An is fairly expensive, and I enjoy breakfast on a veranda right above the river.

Incidentally I arrived on a perfect date: in the middle of each lunar month - that means at full moon - Hoi An celebrates a Historical Night, with music, theater and more. From noon an the streets in the center were even closed for motorcycles and scooters, only bycicles were allowed to pass... a perfect measure, which resulted in a very delightful atmosphere... and made me forget the dreary experiences of the last days...