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!)