Tết 2018 (Part 3): New Year’s Eve at Hội An

Part 1 of tết 2018 can be read here

Part 2 of tết 2018 can be read here

15-Feb-2018

It had been a few days but I had really settled into the rhythm of the holiday by now, and was enjoying my time here. There was always a blue sky and sunshine to welcome me in the morning, sparkling the sea. There was always a friendly welcome in the hotel and suggestions for day tours, and the buffet always had something tasty for me to try. That morning I had a Bánh mì and eggs, with the condensed milk coffee that was really sweetening up my time here. The staff suggested another few lists of places for me to try and see. These included The Hải Vân Pass, Huế , the Mỹ Sơn ruins and the Bà Nà Hills. If nothing else, I knew the Tết offensive of 1968 from Black Ops, and was all in on visiting Huế city on the 50th anniversary of the event. The timing could not be better, and I went with that for tomorrow’s day trip. Today was going to be spent on the beach (or so I thought).

By now Rebecca and Jon Howard had arrived in Đà Nẵng, and I met up with Rebecca at a nice, shaded part of the beach to chill. Kirsty and Miles also showed up just to chill under the thatched umbrella and to have drinks at a table rather than on the sand for the third day in a row. It was all quite relaxing, and enjoyable to really settle with Larues.

The rest of the mid afternoon was spend returning to the group a few hundred meters north, though I was taking breaks here and there exploring the blocks around the beach. I found an Indian restaurant called Veda, as if it was calling me to eat there sometime! It even had the same font as the Veda near my home in Cabinteely. Along with Mexican and western restaurants nearby, the area near the beach had a lot of variety compared to other areas when it came to dining. I enjoyed exploring the food options, and bought snacks and larues for the afternoon by the beach.

It was all going as the usual, chit chat, a lot of relaxing and listening to music, but we found Sadie had passed out in the sun and got properly sunburnt. It looked incredibly painful and for whatever reason we thought the solution would be more drink and applying whatever suncream we had. She did hide under a palm tree and Zoe did put some clothing over her as a shield, but the damage was done.

I thought this would be the logical end for the day, but it turned out most of the group were heading on a minibus to Hội An and were heading to their homestay there. I just decided to join in as the opportunity was there and I was already decently dressed to make it through the night. It seemed like a good start to things.

We arrived at La Terrazza homestay and I was just hanging around outside for a bit taking in the….Vietnamese-ness of it all. Rice fields, palm trees, the odd motorbike crossing the field on a thin path, and mosquitos around. There was even a water buffalo, just chilling out and eating grass! The house itself was modern, with plenty of rooms and bathrooms. The owner was a friendly Italian who had settled down here and was happy running a guesthouse and farming the land with rice. Johnny was having plenty of discussions with him. Cian was absolutely loving it and the relaxed nature compared to Đà Nẵng was well suited. Some future stays could be had in places like this.

The strange thing was that despite feeling absolutely rural, it was only a couple of hundred meters from the same vibrant town center I was in the night before. Now that there was no time limit here unlike last night, I was able to take things in and really enjoy myself. We all stopped at a bar on Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai street, chilling out with Larues and taking a look at all the nearby stalls. Clothing, posters and souvenirs were all on sale, and the beautifully coloured suits and áo dài’s looked especially appealing. As the sun set, the lanterns lit up and it was a sight to behold. Suddenly the streets that seemed great already turned into something magical.

It felt nice to do the familiar activities again, such as crossing the Japanese bridge and letting candles float down the river. This time though, myself, Emily, Kirsty and Bethan got on one of the river boats and had a slow, chill trip on the river. It cost a fair amount of money at the time but it was worth it as we got to relax while the rower at the back took us downstream. It felt all very romantic and would be great to bring a significant other on. Hotel California was playing throughout the town at the time oddly enough and is a memory stuck in my head for the night overall.

After a bit of exploring, eating more street food and buying a flying bird toy, the parties started to begin appearing. This was the Lunar New Years Eve party, and the bars were starting to turn up the volume on all of their music. So much for peaceful! During the night we all headed to the likes of Mr Beans, Tiger Tiger and the Shamrock pub. Rebecca and Jon were both enjoying themselves, as were the rest of the group. It seemed like we had all congregated here and were on the beers, but the spirits were definitely flowing as well. Jon was even trying to score! I acted as his wingman but alas it wasn’t to be. Maybe next time for him. It was all good craic, but it was nothing compared to midnight.

After a good few hours on the sesh, it was messy but we managed to see that something was being prepared for midnight. By the river, a massive pile of fireworks were being arranged. For a town of its size, these looked like fireworks suited to a city ten times the size. While people were still roaring and chatting, a countdown had begun, from 10-1 in Vietnamese…..

And then the fireworks happened

I had never seen so many fireworks light up the sky before. It was bright, and had catherine wheels spinning while explosion after explosion illuminated the area. It was a feast for the senses, and beat anything seen in Dublin, especially given the small size of the town. One must wonder how big the displays were in Hanoi, Saigon or even Đà Nẵng.

The night for me ended at 3AM, though many others were staying longer. I found Jon and got in a taxi with him and a few others back to Đà Nẵng. At this hour and on this night it was unsurprising that it cost a fortune, but we didn’t mind, so long as we got home by 4AM. I had a long day ahead with the day tour likely starting in 5 hours time. Even so, this was for my money the best New Year I had ever had up to that point, even if it was a Lunar new year and I had noone to make out with at midnight. In Ireland I had only one, maybe 2 good New Years, but this was truly great. The parties, countdowns and positive atmosphere of a new year just swept over any downsides. I was so happy to have spent the day and night in Hội An.