Beautiful Patterns, Common Threads: Vietnam

A BOAT RIDE ON THE THU BON RIVER

My Friend Qua, Whom I Met On a Previous Visit to Vietnam, Guided Me On the Trip On Hoi An's Thu Bon River

Approaching the Dock at Hoi An's Central Market Is a Wild Scene

The Din of Women Bargaining Over the Morning Catch Is Deafening

Note the eyes on the boat

Up Above the Dock, In the Market Area: Hats, Hats, Hats!

Colorful Vegetables Overflow Their Baskets, Reflecting the Fertility of the Surrounding Area

But It's Fish That Dominate the Market,

And That Are the Focus of the Most Intense Bargaining!

Beautiful Houses Line the Banks of the River, Where Boats From All Around Find Parking Places

Casting a Net, Hoping For a Good Mid-Morning Catch

Ship Building Is a Major Industry in the Area, Even Though Hoi An Is No Longer the Important Port It Once Was

These Men and Many Others Like Them Spend Almost All of Their Lives on the Water

Qua Lives in An Hoi Village Opposite Hoi An: Smaller Villages Haven't Yet Seen the Changes Found in the Bigger Cities and Towns (If They Ever Will!)