27 July 2018, Friday

The past two days at Hội An had been relaxing and wonderful, so I was a bit sad that I would be leaving later in the evening on an overnight bus to the southern coastal city of Nha Trang. But first, I would be joining a traditional countryside bicycle tour in the morning. It was my first time joining a bicycle tour and I was greatly looking forward to it. At 7:30am, I had breakfast at my guest house. Nothing beats having a good breakfast to start the day right!

At 8:15am, I walked to the office of Heaven & Earth Bicycle Tours (click here), just five minutes away from Qua Cam Tim Homestay. I booked the tour through my guest house and paid VND 550,000 (S$33) for the morning session. The same tour in the afternoon was cheaper (VND 390,000) because it excluded lunch, but I wouldn’t be able to come back in time to catch my evening bus to Nha Trang.

There were nine of us joining the tour. Our main guide was a young lady called Lin and she was assisted by Hien. After selecting our bicycles and making sure that the brakes were working well, we set off at 8:45am. We turned around the corner and reached Nguyen Hoang Pier, where a bum boat was waiting for us. We loaded our bicycles onto the boat and hopped on for a short ride to Cẩm Kim island, arriving at 9:00am.

From the pier, we cycled for less than five minutes and arrived at our first stop, a traditional carpentry workshop specialising in inlaid Mother of Pearl products.

Mother of Pearl is also known as nacre and it is the secretion produced by molluscs such as oysters. The outer layer of cultured pearls and the inside layer of pearl oyster shells are made of nacre. You can easily recognise nacre by its beautiful, iridescent sheen.

Lin showed us two huge mollusc shells, one black and one white. She explained that the Mother of Pearl comes from shells like these. The craftsman will first scrape the black outer layer of the shell to reveal the shiny white layer beneath it. Next, he will soak the shell in water to soften it so that it can be flattened. He will then use a pencil to trace the outline, then cut the shell to the desired shape.

After that, he will carve out hollowed spaces in the wood according to the shape of each individual piece. Once done, he will insert the pieces of shell into the hollowed spaces, then use black glue to stick the pieces in place. Hence, the Mother of Pearl pieces become inlaid within the wood. Lastly, he will use sandpaper to smoothen the surface and polish it.

Having witnessed the craftsman in action and understanding the production process, I gained a better appreciation of the effort and skill involved in making such exquisite handcrafted items. Machines will never be able to replicate the fine workmanship of these traditional craftsmen.

Next, we went to the open area at the back of the workshop where we saw a couple of other craftsmen in the process of constructing wooden boats. There was a boat as large as the one we took earlier, and a smaller sized one like a sampan that is probably used for small scale fishing or for leisure rides on the Thu Bồn River.

Lin explained that 99% of these boats are made of wood. Even the nails are made of wood and bamboo fibres are used to fill up the gaps. The wood used to make these boats is a special type of timber called Peack, similar to teak, and it is imported from Laos. I tried to search for more information about Peack but to no avail.

Lin explained that they used to import the timber from Cambodia but the government stopped it because of illegal logging. It is because the trees take 50 years to grow so they are very valuable. With reduced supply, the Peack timber costs are very high so these craftsmen are having a hard time making a living. A big boat can sell for US$3,000 but the cost of the materials already takes up US$2,000, excluding the cost of the engine. Furthermore, it takes two men two months to make a boat, so the profit margins are very slim.

Lin also explained that all these wooden boats have eyes painted on the bow, which is the front of the boat. The reason for having the eyes painted is because of the superstitious belief that there are monsters lurking in the water. It is believed that the eyes will help to scare the monsters away. Another story is that the Vietnamese people used to live on boats, so the eyes will show the way for the future, and bring good luck.

As we walked past the workshop building, Lin pointed out some markings on the wall. The markings are a record of the heights in which the flood waters reached in previous years. In some years, the water levels were taller than a man. It was quite alarming to see how frequent the flooding occured. With climate change being a real concern, I can only imagine the devastating effects it will have on the people living here in the near future.

After the brief stop, we moved off at 9:30am and continued cycling through the village. We cycled past open vegetable plots and saw reeds being laid on the ground to dry. The dried reeds will then be dyed to bright colours before being used for making straw mats. We will visit a mat weaving village in the later part of the tour.

We then made a short stop by the water’s edge where we saw a large fishing net perched above the water. Lin told us that the fishermen will lower the net into the water at night and use a bright light to attract the fish and trap them in the net.

As we passed by a padi field, we saw a water buffalo resting in the middle of the field. Lin told us that water buffaloes are not used to plough the fields anymore because the job has been replaced by machinery. So the water buffalo doesn’t have to work anymore and it can just enjoy life and rest. That’s not a bad life!

At 10:25am, we made a stop at another workshop where traditional basket boats are made. These boats are used for fishing in the rivers and the sea. The circular boats are shaped like bowls with a broad base. When we took a closer look, we saw that the base of the boat had a square shape while the sides were weaved in a different manner so that it could be curved.

The boats are made of bamboo strips weaved together in a criss-cross manner and held together with tree sap as a glue. Cow or water buffalo poo is then used to fill the remaining gaps to make it waterproof.

Lin then demonstrated how to sit on the boat (on your knees) and taught us how to row. There are several techniques but the simplest way is to use the oar to draw a figure of 8 in the water.

We had a short break here and I bought a bottle of Coca-Cola (VND 12,000) to quench my thirst. After enjoying our drinks, we walked to a river nearby and had a practical lesson where we applied what we had just learnt about boat rowing.

Our “instructor” was a jovial, 66-year-old “sexy lady” and she was super funny. She loved to sing Gangnam Style and she pranced and posed for the camera at every opportunity. Each of us took turns to get onto the boat for a spin in the water. Even though the boat was quite small, it was roomy enough for two people. It was also surprisingly stable even though our “sexy lady” instructor was jumping around as we attempted to row the boat. That was a fun experience!

After all of us made it back alive successfully, we resumed our cycling through the countryside. We cycled across a rickety wooden bridge to reach Duy Vinh village across the water, where we visited a rice wine distillery. The distillery was located at the back of the family’s house and it was surrounded by rice fields. It was a low-tech distillery but they were highly resourceful and ingenious in their methods.

Lin explained the rice wine distillation process to us. First, the sticky or glutinous rice is soaked before it is cooked. After cooking, the rice will be spread out on a sheet to let it cool. Next, yeast is added to the rice. The yeast contains enzymes that are instrumental in converting the carbohydrates in rice into carbon dioxide and alcohol. This process is called fermentation. After thoroughly mixing the cooked rice with yeast, the resulting mixture is transferred to plastic pails and sealed with covers to keep them airtight, where they are left to ferment for a few days.

After fermenting, it is time for distillation, which is the process of separating components of a mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, on the basis of different boiling points. The fermented rice is transferred to a distiller and water is added. The distiller is simply a metal drum. Methane gas is burned to fire up the distiller. The boiling leads to evaporation and condensation, and the condensed liquid is collected as rice wine.

Located together with the distillery was an enclosed area where pigs were being reared. The pigs were reared for their meat but they also served another important purpose. Their droppings were collected and used as fuel, in the form of methane gas, for the distillation process.

We noticed that the pigs looked drunk, and Lin told us that in fact, they were. Part of it was because they kept inhaling the alcoholic fumes in the air, due to the close proximity of their pen to the distillers. Another reason was because the pigs were being fed with the remains of the rice after the distillation process. Even though the rice contained only about 4% alcohol after distillation, it was still enough to make them high. So the pigs just eat, get high, sleep and get really fat!

The whole process is quite clever because nothing is wasted – the rice harvested from the padi fields is used to make rice wine; the remnants of the rice after distillation are fed to the pigs; the pigs are reared for their meat; the pigs’ droppings are used to provide fuel in the form of methane gas to power the distiller. It’s a virtuous cycle.

We also got to sample the rice wine produced by the family. Rice wine has a typical alcohol content of about 25%. However, Lin let us try two shots of the rice wine with alcohol contents of 40% and 70% respectively. They tasted like vodka and were super strong!

After that, we continued cycling, a little wobbly from the two shots of rice wine. We visited a traditional wooden village house that was at least a hundred years old. It had been rebuilt a few times after being damaged by floods in the past. We did a little tour of the house before convening at the outdoor dining area, where we had our lunch. It was a simple meal of rice with kang kong vegetables and chicken, but it was very delicious.

I also bought a bottle of local Larue beer (VND 15,000 / S$0.90). Together with the rest of my tour mates, we chanted “Mot, Hai, Ba, Yo!” as we gave each other a toast. That’s “1, 2, 3, cheers!” in Vietnamese.

After lunch, we cycled to our last stop, a mat weaving village. Mat weaving is a traditional Vietnamese craft and this family has been weaving mats for generations. Reed mats are quintessential household items and they are found in practically every Vietnamese home. They are especially important in countryside villages, which lack modern comforts like air-conditioning.

As the weather in Vietnam is hot and humid almost all year round, it can be very warm even at night, making it uncomfortable to sleep on mattresses. Hence, reed mats are laid upon bare wooden bed frames or even laid on the ground, providing a cool surface for people to sleep on.

Earlier during the tour, we saw the reeds that were laid on the ground to dry. Here, the reeds had already been dyed to bright colours of yellow, red, green and purple. These coloured reeds are weaved into mats with intricate patterns, like works of art. Each mat can usually last for a year. The mats produced here are sold to a middleman, who will bring them to cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City to be sold at a much higher price.

Lin told us that it takes about three to four hours to weave a mat that is two metres long. It requires teamwork and coordination between a designer and a weaver. The designer selects the reed of the appropriate colour and inserts it into the loom, which is operated by the weaver. The designer is usually older because she has accumulated a lot of experience and she possesses a treasure trove of many different designs. These designs are all in her head and they are not recorded in any written or graphic form.

The designer at this village is 68 years old and she has been making mats since she was ten. She could visualise the pattern she was creating inside her head and instinctively knew which coloured reed to pick without breaking a beat. She used a long, thin wooden pole to guide the reed into the loom in one smooth motion, and her weaver assistant used the shuttle (the wooden board) to compact the reed firmly. It was simply mesmerising to watch them weaving the mat as they worked perfectly in sync with each other.

One of our tour mates had a go at operating the loom. She said it wasn’t as easy as it looked because you have to alternate the direction of the shuttle board (up, down, up, down) after each reed is inserted. Sometimes you lose your concentration for just a moment and you lose track of the last position. It is hard work that requires your full concentration for that two to three hours. Huge respect to these ladies!

From the mat weaving village, we cycled a short distance and reached a small jetty. A boat was just arriving, bringing with it guests for the afternoon tour. They were doing the same tour as us, but in the reverse order and without a meal break. We bade farewell to Lin as she would be continuing with the afternoon group from here. At 2:00pm, we set off and made our way towards Hội An Ancient Town.  

The boat ride back was surprisingly quite long and we reached Nguyen Hoang Pier at 2:43pm. We went back to the Heaven & Earth Bicycle Tours office and completed a short survey before heading our separate ways.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable and educational tour. Lin was very knowledgeable and she took care of us, ensuring that we all had a good time. I also enjoyed the company of my fellow travellers, who were a really fun bunch to be with. If you ever visit Hội An, I highly recommend you to join the tour!

I then went back to my guest house. My hosts were nice enough to extend my check out timing and let me shower. I had a quick meal of beef pho nearby before spending the rest of the time chatting with the lady of the house and her son. They didn’t speak much English but they were very friendly and kind. They really made me feel at home here for the past three days and made my stay here so special.

At 4:55pm, a van came to pick me up to the bus company office. Time to say goodbye to Hội An! My overnight bus to Nha Trang was supposed to depart at 5:30pm but it was delayed and we only departed at 6:15pm. I was assigned a seat on the upper deck. I think it was meant to be a child seat because there wasn’t as much legroom as the other seats in the bus. As a result, I couldn’t stretch my legs very well so it turned out to be quite an uncomfortable ride.

At 10:27pm, we stopped for a meal break, where I bought a plate of noodles with fried egg and a packet of milk (VND 60,000). We moved off at 11:08pm and slowly made our way down south to Nha Trang. Time to catch some sleep on this uncomfortable bus ride…

In the meantime, I have put together a tour diary of my three days in Hội An and you can watch the highlights of my bicycle tour here. Enjoy!