Vietnam – Hoi An November 25, 2002

A short drive down to the ocean is Hoi An. The center of crafts (and tourists), and architecture, the craftspeople were very talented. This girl was working on a piece of embroidery that was a copy of a photo – it would take 3 months to do and sell for 300 USD.

Wood carvers started early, and using primitive tooling, carved some wonderful screens and openwork.

L This person was having a good day – examples of his work are behind him on the wall .

< Previous

Hoi An was similar to Salem Massachusetts. It was a major trading town in the 15^th through 18^th centuries, but when the boats became too large for the port, the town died and became too poor to tear down the old houses and build new ones, so the architecture from the 16^th –18^th centuries is unmatched in Vietnam. It is now a big tourist town, and is fighting hard to keep its character intact, complete with historic commission and planning board. They are very concerned that all the family craft businesses that were in town and made up the commercial fabric of town life are all closing and being replaced by restaurants, coffee shops and souvenir stands.

Next >