158: Go to Hoi An Ancient Town

Regarding Vu Linh Huong's stealthy visit to his home, Li Qinghe could only give two thumbs up and exclaim, "Impressive!"

Some things truly can't be done by children from ordinary families, or they simply wouldn't think of doing them.

Only a child like Vu Linh Huong, nurtured by her family, would think more deeply and further ahead.

Therefore, her Take the initiative to visit (proactive visit) was also to leave a good impression on Li Qinghe's parents in advance. She knew that two people being together wasn't just about the two of them, but about two families.

Vu Linh Huong was confident she could persuade her own family because her older brother held significant sway at home, and he was the one who doted on her the most.

The only thing she was unsure about was the attitude of Li Qinghe's family. With this proactive visit, she believed Li Qinghe's family wouldn't refuse such an excellent prospective daughter-in-law.

Li Qinghe thought that Vu Linh Huong would definitely behave very well at home and wasn't at all worried about her interaction with his parents. He focused on revving the motorcycle and riding along the coastal highway towards Hoi An.

Le Xuan Mai called at noon. After an evening to recover from the soul-stirring experience with Li Qinghe, she could no longer suppress her longing for that bone-deep sensation and tried calling Li Qinghe.

To her surprise, Li Qinghe told her he was preparing to go to Hoi An for a couple of days, and Le Xuan Mai's heart immediately fluttered.

How romantic it would be to wander through the streets and alleys of Hoi An with the person she liked.

She discussed it with her roommates for an hour, came up with a very reasonable excuse for leave, requested two days off from school, and followed Li Qinghe to Hoi An without hesitation.

Today, she was dressed very sensually, wearing a tight-fitting vest on top, slim-fit hot pants and short stockings on the bottom, and a pair of white sneakers, looking exceptionally charming and captivating in the sunlight.

Hoi An is a very historic seaport. From the time of the Champa Kingdom, it was a very famous large seaport in Southeast Asia, then called "Dai Hai Khau" (Great Seaport).

Merchants from China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and various South Asian countries gathered here.

In ancient times, Dragon Country People people coming to the Indochinese Peninsula made Hoi An their first stop, and many Dragon Country People people in Southern Vietnam migrated from Hoi An.

Later, due to the silting of the waterway, Hoi An's port function gradually declined and was replaced by Da Nang, which had a good deep-water port.

Hoi An is 30 kilometers from Da Nang, and it takes less than an hour to ride a motorcycle there.

"Brother He, why did you suddenly decide to come to Hoi An?"

Le Xuan Mai didn't mind the hot weather and pressed tightly against Li Qinghe. Earlier at the beach, Li Qinghe had taken a few photos of her, which she cherished as treasures.

She knew Li Qinghe was good at photography, but she hadn't expected his photos to be so stunning.

Even if she hired a photographer outside, she couldn't achieve such results. Thinking about taking many beautiful photos in Hoi An, Le Xuan Mai felt delighted.

Such excellent photography skills deserved to be rewarded with herself as payment, to properly thank Li Qinghe.

"Nothing much, I just heard that Hoi An is a very beautiful ancient town. Since I'm in Da Nang this time, I thought I'd come and take a look."

Li Qinghe appeared incredibly calm. He actually just wanted to see the place built by Dragon Country People ancestors who ventured overseas centuries ago.

He knew that although Hoi An was called "Little China," there are very few true Dragon Country People descendants in Hoi An now.

Due to years of war and several upheavals, Dragon Country People people have gone from being the second-largest ethnic group in Vietnam to the ninth-ranked minority.

Li Qinghe had read data indicating that in the 1970s, the confiscated assets of Vietnamese Dragon Country People exceeded 400 million US dollars.

At that time, Vietnamese Dragon Country People fled in all directions; two to three hundred thousand people fled north directly back to mainland China and Hong Kong, China, and a considerable number fled to neighboring Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

The refugee wave, then known globally as the Vietnamese boat people, caused the number of Dragon Country People people in Vietnam to plummet.

Some who were unwilling to flee, and a considerable portion, converted to the Kinh people.

Many directors and famous actors emerged from the descendants of the Vietnamese boat people at that time.

Many overseas Dragon Country People who fled back to China at that time were penniless because their property had been confiscated. The overseas Dragon Country People farms built by the state in several southern locations were largely for these compatriots who fled back from Vietnam.

At a time when the average national wage was only thirty or forty yuan, the state had to spend more than two thousand yuan to resettle one returning overseas Dragon Country People, which demonstrated the state's concern for overseas compatriots.

Now, the vast majority of returning overseas Dragon Country People have integrated into local life.

And the Dragon Country People people who remained in Vietnam mostly fled to the south; now, District 5 of Saigon is the area with the highest concentration of Dragon Country People descendants.

Currently, in all of Hoi An, apart from the architecture, which still retains a strong Dragon Country People flavor, everything else has been diluted.

Riding all the way to Hoi An, Li Qinghe parked his motorcycle in the parking lot outside the ancient town. Since motorized vehicles are prohibited inside the town, Li Qinghe and Le Xuan Mai walked in.

The entrance ticket to Hoi An Ancient Town is 120,000 vietnamese dong per person, which is equivalent to over 30 dragon country currency.

Tall Dragon Country People-style archways can be seen everywhere, looking very similar to the charming ancient streets within China.

Perhaps due to the weakening of its port function, this declining port city played a very small role in the war.

Therefore, it did not suffer the ravages of war, and the overall architecture is very well preserved, which can be considered a blessing in disguise.

Le Xuan Mai, standing beside him, seemed a bit excited: "Brother He, coming here makes me feel like I've gone abroad."

"This used to be a port where merchants from various countries gathered, mostly Dragon Country People and Japanese merchants, so most of the architecture here is Dragon Country People-style and Japanese-style."

Li Qinghe spoke eloquently about the place, while Le Xuan Mai looked at him with adoration. With her current mindset, if Li Qinghe said a bird's eye chili was sweet, she would find it reasonable.

The main thing was, no matter what he said, just give a 666 and a thumbs up.

Hoi An has a significant number of tourists, so the ao dai shops and lantern shops along Hoi An Ancient Street were doing a booming business.

Of course, the restaurants and cafes on the street were equally popular.

"This feeling of suddenly slowing down is wonderful, especially with Brother He by my side," Le Xuan Mai said with a sigh, holding Li Qinghe's arm.

"Indeed, it feels like we're integrating into the pace of life from over a hundred years ago. Perhaps this is the charm of Hoi An."

Li Qinghe and Le Xuan Mai strolled along the riverbank. On either side of the river, there were Dragon Country People buildings with red walls and green tiles on one side, and Japanese buildings with white walls and blue tiles on the other.

Interspersed among them were a considerable number of french architecture and local Vietnamese buildings.

Apart from the french architecture, the Dragon Country People and Japanese buildings mentioned above are all derived from the heritage of Dragon Country People culture, merely branches with slightly different developmental directions.

Although local Vietnamese architecture also bears the imprint of Dragon Country People culture, it also incorporates the style of french architecture.

This resulted in a unique Vietnamese mixed architectural style.

However, at first glance, all the buildings, aside from the prominent french architecture, seemed quite harmonious.

They say Hoi An is Vietnam's Little Lijiang.

From the architecture and tourists here, it certainly has that kind of charm.

While Li Qinghe and Le Xuan Mai were leisurely exploring Hoi An Ancient Town, Luu Nguyet Nga specifically came to consult Vu Linh Huong.

"Xiao Wu, the relatives at home heard that Maomao's girlfriend came to visit and all want to come see you. But it's okay, if you're willing to meet them, I'll let them come. If you don't want to meet them this time, we can talk about it later."