[In just one day, I experienced a slow journey in Hoi An | Coconut boat × Yellow Wall Ancient Town × Lights and Water Lanterns]

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📍Hoi An｜Hoi An Ancient Town, a place for people to slow down

Some cities are suitable for running, some cities are suitable for getting lost, and Hoi An is a place for stopping and taking a deep breath.

This small town in central Vietnam has no high-rise buildings or shopping malls, but it has old houses with yellow walls exposed to the sun, coconut forests and rivers intertwined with singing and laughter, and the Thu Bon River that glows quietly at night.
It only took me a short day, but I experienced laughter, tranquility and tenderness, as if I was gently embraced.

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🚣♀️ 10:00 am｜Cam Thanh Coconut Village: River time intertwined with laughter and greenery

We took a car from the ancient town for about 15 minutes and came to Cam Thanh Village to start the coconut boat experience.

Two people sit in a bamboo round boat. The boatman sings and dances all the way, rowing and heating up the atmosphere with rhythm. Then he suddenly starts the signature performance of "high-speed rotation", spinning in place like a washing machine. Passengers on the boat scream and laugh one after another, and the atmosphere is very lively.

In addition to the spinning show, you can also throw fishing nets and try to play hand drums. The sun shines through the gaps in the coconut trees, and the water surface is shining. This interesting and local experience opens the most joyful prelude to this trip.

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🚶♀️ 5:00 pm｜Yellow walls and coffee fragrance, a walk in the ancient town with a different view at every step

After returning to Hoi An Ancient Town, I chose to slowly feel the rhythm here with my feet.

The yellow walls here are not the bright ones, but the gentle ones that have been exposed to the sun and faded a little. The walls are mottled, the windows are wooden, and the flower pots are hanging from the second floor. Every alley has its own personality.
I especially like to walk quietly in the alleys, not chasing check-in points, just watching life flow.

Passing by a tailor shop, the master was tailoring by the window; turning the corner, I met a handmade lantern shop with colorful silk cloth hanging at the door; I found an old house cafe with a cool breeze and sat down, ordered a cup of drip coffee, and watched pedestrians and cats slowly pass by.
The beauty of Hoi An is not based on filters, but the taste of quiet feeling.

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🛶 8:00 pm｜Release water lanterns on the Thu Bon River and make a wish in the dim light

As the sky gradually darkened, I walked to the Thu Bon River, and colorful lights and countless lanterns were lit along the shore. Small wooden boats slowly passed by, and the lights were reflected on the water. I also jumped on a hand-cranked boat and followed the boatman to gently put down a water lantern in the middle of the river.

It was very quiet at that moment, the wind blew gently, the lanterns swayed, the water lanterns slowly drifted away, and even the mood followed the direction of the lanterns and drifted away.

This is not a fancy ceremony, but it is the moment I want to remember most during my entire trip.

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📌 Practical information notes｜For the next person who wants to see Hoi An:

• 🚤 Coconut boat experience
Location: Cam Thanh Coconut Village (Gan Tian Village)
Time: Recommended 8-11AM in the morning, the weather is cooler
Cost: About 150,000-200,000 VND / person (including performance, negotiable)

• 🚶♀️ Recommended areas for walking in the ancient town
Yellow Wall Old Street｜Japanese Bridge｜Central Market｜Lantern Street｜Thu Bon Riverside
Tips: Suitable for wearing sandals and hats, and it is also recommended to visit again in the evening, the atmosphere is completely different

• 🛶 Water lantern experience
Location: Thu Bon River (Hoai River) riverside pier
Time: The most atmospheric start at 6PM in the evening
Cost: About 100,000 VND / boat, and water lanterns can be purchased (about 10,000-20,000 each VND)

Tips: You can choose a boat with a good location in advance, and it is also recommended to bring your own tips (5,000–10,000 VND)

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🌕 The essence of travel is not how fast you go, but to give your heart a chance to slow down.

Hoi An does not have too much sound and light stimulation, but because of this, it uses the softest light and the quietest water to soothe the impetuousness in my daily life.
From the laughter in the coconut forest, to the aroma of coffee under the yellow wall, to a wish in the lights, this whole day is like a quietly flowing poem.

If you just want to give yourself a breath, Hoi An will be a perfect place.

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