These things occurred on Thursday March 27, 2025 through Saturday March 29, 2025 in Hoi An, Vietnam
I’m exhausted. We started school late again and spent the whole day focused on schoolwork. Chaim came home at 3:30PM so that we could head out at 4:30PM to go to Hoi An Memories Land. This outdoor theme park tells the history of Hoi An. It has one of the largest dance troupes in the world with over 500 members! I don’t know how they do it. The troupe puts on the same four hour show every single night, beginning with smaller shows that highlight the cultural influences from previous dynasties, such as China and Japan, in a chronological flow. The boys especially enjoyed the shows that recreated fight scenes and showcased Vietnamese martial arts. When not viewing a show, visitors can enjoy the many eateries, souvenir shops, and tasty Vietnamese treats in the main courtyard.
Hoi An Memories Land
Entering the park felt kind of like entering a mini-Disney park in the 1980s. We arrived before most other visitors, giving us an opportunity to explore the grounds before the shows began. At 5:00PM on the nose, a small group of dancers began the first show that ended with inviting us to enter the official park gates. We were herded along a path by guides who summarized the history of the upcoming dance in both English and Vietnamese. The mini-shows ended at 7:00PM, after which visitors were invited to slowly make their way to a giant outdoor amphitheater where we would watch the main event.
Since the main show didn’t start until 8:00PM, we chose to hang out for a while and enjoy fresh fruit ice cream rolls that were made right before our eyes. We’d never had anything like it. A man behind a small cart would put some freshly cut up fruit onto a freezing slab and then slice, dice, mash, and roll it up as quickly as humanly possible. All while the fruit was quickly freezing into ice cream. It only took a few minutes and was divine.
While waiting, we met an Israeli family with two boys who were close to our boys’ ages. The boys made fast friends and the mom helped connect us to a Whatsapp group that would prove clutch later on.
Twenty minutes before the main show began, our boys decided to jump onto a giant platform and make up their own dance. They took their choreography seriously, creating individual, paired, and full group steps. It was amazing to watch how much they just don’t care about what others think of them when they feel inspired to do something creative. I savored the moment, hoping they would keep this ability to play and create with abandon for as long as possible.
When we finally entered the amphitheater, the boys insisted on sitting in the very front row so they could see EVERYTHING. Unfortunately, this also meant that we were really close to the pyrotechnics, which turned out to be scorching hot and bright. I have sensitive eyes and was glad to have my sunglasses with me even though it was long after sundown. One noticeable thing about the amphitheater is that English and Vietnamese speakers are invited to sit on the left side. Chinese and Korean speakers on the right. At first, I thought this was strange. Then, I realized there were enormous projectors on either side of the stage with enormous caption displays, which were used to provide summaries of the history, singing, and dances throughout the show. I quickly appreciated the efficiency of this approach and thoroughly enjoyed the walk through Hoi An’s history from birth to today.
As often happens after a long night out full of high energy, a couple of the boys had a hard time shifting to a quieter energy during the car ride home. A few terrible parenting moments followed. Thankfully these led to good follow up conversations on the challenges of transitioning from one energy level to another, especially when we aren’t ready to transition, but other people are. Or, more frankly, we are guests in someone else’s car and our volume is obnoxiously loud.
It was another late night. Completely worth it, but I’m still so tired.
Coconut Basket Adventures
The next morning, I woke up irritated because our Airbnb’s bathroom was beginning to reek just like our houseboat in Kingston-Upon-Thames had. I am so sensitive to smells that Chaim and I were seriously discussing moving Airbnbs. Instead, I did the mature thing and pinged our hostess Chuong, who we adore, to let her know about the fumes. She and her husband responded immediately with an apology and had it fixed within a few hours. I could have kicked myself for not texting her sooner.
After the boys finished their schoolwork, we went coconut basket boating. Coconut boats are exactly that. Shallow boats made from coconut leaves and shaped like a circle. A boat driver uses a single wooden paddle to navigate the boat down rivers and over waves on the ocean shoreline.
I rushed out so quickly I forgot my phone. All I had was a small bit of cash and a credit card in my pocket. I hoped it wouldn’t be an issue.
When we arrived, the river was hopping with other tourists in coconut baskets and music was blasting. Our “guides” instructed Amichai and Eitan to get into one boat and for Shai, Matanel, and me to get into another. Life vests were required, but only when the river police were nearby. We were also given traditional Vietnamese cone hats to wear, which I appreciated because they do a fantastic job of blocking the sun. Sadly, mine was broken and kept falling off.
Gangnam Style and APT were blasting up and down the river. Standing up at the encouragement of his boat guide, Eitan danced his heart out and sang at the top of his lungs for most of the time. His brothers joined in for a little bit, but Eitan was totally vibing. How could I not have my phone!?! Thankfully, there was someone taking “professional” photos. They were worth every cent.
During our river tour, the boys had the opportunity to be spun around as fast as possible in a separate basket, try their hand at casting traditional Chinese fishing nets – Amichai did pretty well, enjoy a miniconcert by someone singing on a “stage” floating in the middle of the water, and learn how to catch crabs with a short stick and a string with a piece of meat attached as bait. Matanel, Shai, and I had a moment when Matanel caught a crab and then lost sight of it thinking it fell on him. He freaked out and we all jumped out of our seats, almost tipping us over. Luckily, we found the crab in the boat and gently put it back in the bucket.
As our resident animal lover supreme, Eitan made certain all caught crabs were peacefully returned to the water. Although the river itself was dirty, the surrounding bamboo and coconut trees were lush, dense, and beautiful. The boys loved the entire experience.
Back on land, one of our hosts gave the boys a small vegetarian snack and iced tea while the other walked me down the road to find someone with a credit card machine. Just as I returned to the boys the photographer came to show me the pictures he’d taken. As soon as I said I needed to pay by credit card, he walked me back down the same road, to the same person with the credit card machine. Turned out, only one vendor had a machine, which she happily loaned out to friends who then paid her in cash after a payment went through.
When we returned home, everyone showered and got ready for Shabbat. We took a Grab car to Chabad before Shabbat started so we would only have one hourlong walk that night.
Shabbat in Hoi An
Hoi An is so popular that Chabad runs two Friday night meal shifts every week to feed everyone. Even with two floors for seating, it was packed when we arrived! The boys became fast friends with the rabbi’s children and quickly disappeared to play with them in their playroom. Eventually, it was time to leave.
When we selected our Airbnb, we opted to stay on the beach. Chabad is in the center of Hoi An, several miles from the beach. It took us an hour to get home, walking along the main drag until it became an unlit road with no sidewalk, passing smaller rice paddies, homes, and shops along the way. While walking, we noticed that many people were burning bags of money and setting up small altars outside their shops. We later learned that burning money is a common way of thanking and supplicating the gods.
At home, I was tired and just getting ready to fall asleep when we heard a crash. Matanel rushed downstairs to inform us that the upstairs bathroom fan had just fallen out of the wall and crashed onto the floor. I didn’t like the idea of a large, gaping hole in our children’s bathroom overnight, so Chaim did his best to wedge the fan back in. A very temporary fix. Meanwhile, Matanel decided that he would be unable to sleep in his bed because of the situation and would now have to sleep in our bed. As you might have guessed, it was another sleepless night.
Exhausted after a night of being kicked, punched, and shoved, we moved very slowly Shabbat morning. Our goal had been to leave for Chabad before 10AM to avoid the heat, but we ended up leaving at 10:45AM. Just as it was becoming a steam room outside. By the time we arrived at Chabad we were dripping wet. Reminded me of my days growing up walking miles to shul in Houston.
At lunch, we sat with some very friendly Israeli backpackers. Amichai and Eitan made friends with them and had the opportunity to practice their Hebrew. Many people wanted to know about our travels and the boys had a great time answering their questions, giving them advice on where to go and what to do, and swapping stories. We also sat next to a couple who we had seen at the Chabad in Ho Chi Minh City, which made everything feel smaller and more connected in a beautiful way.
We had a beautiful breeze on our walk back home and spent the rest of the day playing games until Shabbat ended. That night, I texted Chuong about the fan and a leak that had just started in the first-floor bathroom sink. Having taken care of all of the house issues, I left Chaim and the boys at home so I could get some much-needed writing and me time. It wasn’t much, but a few hours parked at Chuong’s picnic table next to the river was enough to replenish my empty tank.
