Yellow walls and silk lanterns
Posted: April 21, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Hoi An sketch, vietnam sketch, watercolour sketch 22 CommentsIt was a rough transition from the long Montreal winter to the heat of Vietnam but on our first morning in Hoi An (after a 36 hour journey and good night’s sleep) I was eager to do my first sketch. I joined sketching friends who were already set up at the entrance to the central market in the Ancient Town.
I was exhausted and jet lagged but being there reminded me of what I love best about urban sketching: being in the middle of some sort of chaos and trying to make sense of it in my sketchbook. I chose a view across the way where a family had set up their parasols and were selling jars and bags of herbs and spices. It was my first introduction to this very vibrant and colourful city where yellow shop house walls and hanging lanterns are the backdrop to every sketch and photo that I brought back with me. It’s a messy sketch but looking at it now, it brings back all the joy of that hour chatting with friends and watching the world go by on the busy corner.
Looks like an amazing place to sketch and visit!
It really was. I am still processing the experience. Very rich and complex.
How did you survive a 36 hour trip? I envy you . Your painting is so colorful and happy. Never expected to see that in Viet Nam. I think I have seen too many war pictures. Anxious to see the rest of your art from the trip.
Judy, I was going to post all of the sketches at once but each one has a story so I will do them one at a time.
Hoi An is a very interesting place. Very touristy and crowded but that’s because it’s so beautiful. Look it up. You’ll see what I mean.
What a wonderful experience your trip must have been! And, as always, beautifully captured by both your sketch and your words. Hopefully they’ll be something from the trip on Spyro’s blog too.
Tony, it’s great to hear from you. It was both a good and a very difficult experience. Vietnam and the Vietnamese people were incredible. The places we saw, what can I say? So complex and beautiful. But the heat was punishing. It was 35C every day and with the humidity it felt like 40C. So it was only possible to be outside in the morning or the evening. I knew it would be hot but didn’t expect that level of discomfort. Still, we all managed to fill our sketchbooks, and I had an absolutely fantastic group of sketchers with me! We got each other through it.
I love this, Shari. I enjoy photos or sketches with a lot to look at. There is so much to see here and still find something I did not notice before.
Thanks Lois!
Can’t wait to hear all about it!
Oh, I have a lot to say. Can’t wait to catch up soon!
Happy memories! Smiling with the thought Rooi and I were sketching the Japanese bridge and what do you do? Turn 90 degrees 😂
Haha, this was not the Japanese bridge day. I am going to scan that one now!
Happy memories! Luckily you can paint these scenes with your eyes closed!
Very happy memories. I forgot to mention that this was the same day as my introduction to coconut coffee. The best!!
Wonderful!
Thanks so much Bernadette.
Super to see what you selected to sketch…a market anywhere is a good choice. I love the yellow walls and the vibrant reds of the clothing and the lanterns. Thanks for sharing your trip with us.
Joan, thanks so much. Yes, a market anywhere is always my preference!
I really liked the sketch. I sometimes like the textures that “clutter” allows. Then again, you were the first to instruct me about simplification (words the echo in my head every time I’m tempted to add more indication of colorful clutter. But faced with a market scene, dealing with some of that clutter seems important. What do you think?
Michael, it’s always wonderful to hear from you. In this case, you definitely need the clutter. That’s what markets are all about! Wait until you see the sketches that I did facing into the market instead of having my back to it. I will post those in a few days. They one ONLY clutter!!
Initially, when I think of Viet Nam, I think of my time stateside in the military, working in a hospital full of returnees. Your painting gives me a colorful new perspective! Your trained eye and hand captured this colorful scene beautifully! As always, I am impressed! It makes me smile.
Thanks for including the details of your trip…the 36 hr plane ride and intense heat were “rough” but you pressed on to capture the beauty found there.
Thanks as always for sharing.
Bernadette, I know that there is a whole side of Vietnamese history that we were not exposed to. Reminders of the war were not apparent in Hoi An because it’s so touristy now. But as soon as we left the town to ride through the countryside, I was reminded of so many movies about the war. Unfortunately we did not make it to Saigon or Hanoi to see historical sites and war museums. I think that would have been a completely different trip. When our sons were there last year they did some of that, including going in the tunnels. We only just scratched the surface during our few weeks there.