The Glow Before We Go: Farewell Hoi An

Our final day has lived up to expectations.

After a relaxing beach day our evening in Hoi An was everything we hoped for and then some.

After visiting the tailor to collect our custom outfits we headed with the crowds along the river for the famous Lantern Festival.

We saved the sparkle for last. Even with plenty of visitors around, the whole town felt relaxed, cheerful and ready to party.

The highlight of the evening: watching the moon rise on the Thu Bon River. As its glow reflected across the water and setting off lanterns, the old town looked even more magical.

Of course, Bryan decided the moon was taking far too long to make its appearance, so rather than wait patiently, he gave everyone on the boat an unexpected moon of his own. Thankfully, it got plenty of laughs and didn’t overshadow the real moon when it finally arrived.

Afterwards, we headed upstairs to a bar overlooking the river. Armed with cold beers, refreshing mocktails and excellent company, we settled in and soaked up the atmosphere. Lanterns twinkled below, music drifted through the air, and every glance across the river seemed to reveal another picture-perfect view.

We enjoyed one last delicious meal at a rooftop bar after a boat ride along the river, taking in the sights as the lanterns began to glow.

Bryan’s king prawns came with a side of manual labour. Fully gloved up, he spent the next ten minutes wrestling shells and extracting every last morsel. By the end of dinner he’d had both a meal and an upper-body workout.

It was a fitting farewell to a town that has kept us very well fed throughout our stay.

Hoi An has been an absolute winner—fantastic food, friendly locals, heat, stunning streets and, if we’re being honest, a slightly suspicious number of massages. It’s the kind of place that you want to come back too.

Ending our stay surrounded by lantern light, laughter and good friends was the perfect send-off.

Early start in the morning to catch our flights to Bali for next part of our adventure.