Day 6: Hoi An – Hospital Detour & Slow-Motion Wandering

Our first full day in Hoi An began after another short night. I had managed about two and a half hours of sleep, with the knee I injured at Hang Mua still making itself very much part of the holiday. After breakfast, we decided it was time for a hospital visit.

A Stop We Had Not Put on the Itinerary

Bali had supplied the stray-dog episode; Vietnam was now contributing a knee problem. I was developing a collection of travel experiences that nobody needs to compete with. A previous post about my travel mishaps explains why I take the practical side of these things seriously.

The private hospital we visited was clean and organised, and we could communicate in English. There was also an American doctor helping foreign patients. After the examination, the message was straightforward: I needed to take it easy. We had several days in Hoi An before continuing towards Cambodia, so the sensible response was to make use of that time. This is simply our experience of that visit, rather than a review of hospitals generally.

Hoi An at a Much Slower Pace

We made a short visit to the Old Town in the late afternoon. Lizz was feeling better after her cold, while I was moving at a pace unlikely to trouble the local traffic. Yellow walls, old merchant houses and lanterns made a lovely introduction, even if we were seeing a smaller slice of the town than planned.

The buildings are part of what makes Hoi An distinctive. UNESCO describes the Ancient Town as a trading port shaped by local and overseas influences between the 15th and 19th centuries. Its narrow streets and timber buildings hold that history in their layout as well as their decoration. There was plenty to notice without trying to cover the whole town in one outing.

As the lanterns came on and the streets grew busier, we kept the excursion short. The crowds were harder work with a painful knee, and there was no prize for staying out longer. More time for the historic houses and museums could wait until another day.

Making Room to Change the Plan

Our lunch photographs below are a reminder that a quieter day still had its pleasures: roasted duck with lemongrass and fresh shrimp spring rolls had made a very welcome appearance.

Hoi An’s compact centre suited shorter outings, but “compact” did not make the crowds or the walking effortless. For us, breaks mattered more than ticking off every landmark. We would visit a little, sit down a little and see how the day went.

That was our sixth day: less sightseeing than expected, but a clearer idea of the pace we needed. The following day brought temples, good food and a haircut. At least one of those activities could be done sitting down.