Scooter tour outside Hoi An

Cua Dai Beach near Hoi An.

Cua Dai Beach near Hoi An.

Out in the rice paddies near Hoi An.

Leaving Hoi An on the motorcycle/passenger ferry for Cam Kim Island.

Another ferry from Cam Kim Island.

Ho Chi Minh on Cam Kim Island.

Quiet corner in a family shrine on Cam Kim Island.

Family shrine on Cam Kim Island.

The rented Yamaha Nuovo Scooter saw some dirt too on this path on Cam Kim Island.

Most of the driving on my rental scooter, on Cam Kim Island, was along concrete lanes such as this stretch.

A section on Cam Kim Island that skirted the rice paddies.

Patriotic gate just before the ferry on Cam Kim Island, near Hoi An.

Leaving Cam Kim Island for the trip back to Hoi An.

RENTING A SCOOTER was an alternative to staying in town all the time. In Laos it had been a lot of fun but in Vietnam the experience was dust free as almost everywhere I toured the roads were paved or even made of concrete. Cua Dai Beach, just four or five kilometres east of Hoi An, was my first destination one morning. At this early hour, a cool breeze blew off the surf whipped sand beach. Gradually fog off the shore burned off and fierce heat and humidity accompanied the sunny morning.

On my return to Hoi An, I stopped at the grave of a Japanese merchant, dating from the 17th century and out in the rice paddies near the road. There were also water buffalo to look at and rice farmers to interact with.

Finally, back in town, I took the scooter onto a ferry sailing to Cam Kim Island. The twenty minute crossing brought me to this beautiful flat green island, which was an idyllic change from the mainland. I spent much of the afternoon over here following mostly concrete surfaced lanes but there was also the occasional dirt path that led out to the rice paddies. On the way I stopped in villages and at the odd family shrine too.