On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Uncle Ebeneezer
As gorgeous as Hoi An is in the brightness of day, at night is when it really turns magical. After the sun goes down, hundreds of colorful lanterns begin to shine.

Off to stroll through the city as the sun sets and the lunar lanterns begin to appear.

Love the blues and greens!

A Ms. Vy establishment. Ms. Vy has made a name for herself catering to western tastes. She has about 3 restaurants in Hoi An. We didn’t eat at any of them, but they all looked very pretty.

Stopping to try a Vietnamese donut. Much lighter in texture than typical US donuts. Yummy.

In case you forgot you are in a communist country. This is at a roundabout just where the city turns from super-touristy to a bit more run down (which is where we stayed).

A vendor selling a large assortment of beautiful lanterns. We bought the red one in the upper right. It now hangs in our bedroom.

There are numerous light sculptures along the river.

The sandwich that changed my life. There are two places to get amazing Banh Mi in Hoi An: Queen Banh Mi and Banh Mi Phuong. Both were made famous by Anthony Bourdain. We tried and loved both, but to us, Banh Mi Phuong was so good we had to go back a second time. I think the edge came from the latter using more pate! Anyways we still talk about this sandwich.
The following morning it started to rain, the first weather of our trip, and it was coming down pretty hard. Fortunately our only itinerary was to check out, take a cab to the Da Nang airport and begin the long, grueling trip home.
I doubt any Valentine’s Day will ever quite match our 9 day adventure in SE Asia. We can’t wait to hopefully get back there again soon. Thanks for reading, looking at the pix and taking this trip with us. Remember, some of those bullshit vacation contests actually do pay off to enter!
The End
HinTN
Thanks for the reminder that Anthony is a great tour guide. Also for the entire Valentine’s tour. The light sculpture by the river is wonderful and I wish I had ordered a lantern!?
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
When in Hanoi I ate at the same noodle joint that Bourdain featured in his convo with Obama. As expected, it was great, and cost roughly $7 for noodles, fish cakes and a damn fine beer.
p.a.
Wonderful series, thanks.
Really impressed at the reception I’ve seen Americans get in Vietnam given what we did there. I mean I know (and am related to?) Americans who want to commit genocide when 10 drunk foreigners get together and burn an American flag in front of a tv camera.
BretH
Loved the photos and stories! Thanks so much for putting them together. Now I’m so hungry for one of those sandwiches even though it’s not even 8 am.
JanieM
Thanks for all the vicarious adventures, UncleEbeneezer. This series has been fun and informative — I’ve really enjoyed the pictures, and the peek into a place I’ve never known much about.
Anyway
Sounds like a wonderful trip.
I NEVER win anything. So there.
Anyway
Sounds like a wonderful trip.
I NEVER win anything. So there.
teakay
You really won the lottery with this trip, literally and figuratively. Thanks for sharing. A great respite! And I can now say I know of two people who have won great trips through drawings.
One more Leatherneck
I saw Hoi An many times, driving back and forth from Danang. I loved Vietnam and its people. Wish I could see it in peace. Flying over the country in helicopters, I thought, as 22-year-old, it was the most beautiful place I ever saw (still is) except those freaking bomb craters. What a crock of unbelievable shit that mess was.
WaterGirl
Thanks for sharing your love and all the memories with us, Uncle Eb!
UncleEbeneezer
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: When we get a chance to go back someday, Hanoi is first up on our list so I will definitely be checking out that noodle place. We’re not really into the fish balls, but we have discovered a great restaurant here in SoCal that does Pho Ga with chicken broth with a thicker noodle the way they do it up in a region near Hanoi, and we absolutely love it!
UncleEbeneezer
@Anyway: YET!!! Keep trying :)
UncleEbeneezer
@WaterGirl: Thanks to you for hosting this great aspect of BJ (and activism too ;) ) and to everyone who read along and chimed in. It was fun to recount the trip with virtual friends and generally good people.
UncleEbeneezer
@One more Leatherneck: I can only imagine. It’s a truly stunning country. Thanks for your service.
UncleEbeneezer
@teakay: Oh yeah? Where did the other person get to go?
UncleEbeneezer
@HinTN: You can find the lanterns online for like $30 or so. Lots of colors and straight from Vietnam. They work really great for rooms where you just want ambient/colorful light.
WaterGirl
@UncleEbeneezer: Online where? Do you have a link?
teakay
@UncleEbenezer: Greece. Not bad for a supermarket promotion. The most I’ve won
was a little red wagon.
UncleEbeneezer
@WaterGirl: Just search “Vietnamese lanterns” on Ebay and there are a bunch that look like they are from Hoi An. About $15-30 plus shipping.
Laura Too
Thank you so much for the lovely mental vacation, I will get there someday!