A Day Trip to Hoi An Ancient Town~The Perfect Match of Lanterns and Vietnamese Ao Dai

On the third day of our trip to Da Nang, Vietnam, we planned to release floating lanterns in Hoi An Ancient Town. Embracing the "since we're already here" spirit, I insisted that Kim and I try on Vietnamese Ao Dai. Dragging her to an Ao Dai shop, I exclaimed, "Hurry! Let’s be Vietnamese hotties for the night!" This 5'7" sweetheart with a curvy figure eventually picked a black Ao Dai embroidered with large red flowers. The silk fabric hugged her soft shoulders, and with the waist tie cinched, she stood in front of the mirror—even the shop owner grinned and gave a thumbs-up: "Đẹp quá!" (So beautiful!) She twirled, the red flowers on her skirt swaying gently. I told her this was her "limited-edition Vietnamese battle armor." 🌙 A Healing Moment: Releasing Lanterns by Boat As dusk fell, we hopped onto a wooden boat holding two paper lanterns. The boatman paddled slowly, and the river turned warm orange under the glow of lanterns lining the banks. Kim placed her lantern in the water and whispered, "I hope to save more vacation days this year to see the world." I didn’t write a wish—just watched the lantern drift toward the sea of lights in the distance, feeling the evening breeze turn soft and gentle. Passing a dessert boat, we each ordered a bowl of Vietnamese chilled tofu pudding. The crushed ice mixed with silky tofu, and with one slurp, it tasted as sweet as holding Hoi An’s night in our mouths. 📸 A Curvy Girl’s Guide to Rocking Ao Dai Kim absolutely nailed the "slimming aesthetic" with this outfit! The black base with large red flowers created a slimming effect, while the half-sleeves of the Ao Dai perfectly covered her arms. The high slit paired with pants made her look effortlessly chic as she sat at the bow of the boat, layered lanterns behind her. When I pressed the shutter, she suddenly grinned, her smile forming little parentheses: "This is how curvy girls should do it, right?" As we left, Kim touched her Ao Dai and said, "I’m going to frame this dress when we get back to the U.S." But honestly, there’s no need—the memories of her swaying in that black-and-red Ao Dai amid the lanterns, and the nights we spent laughing uncontrollably on that wooden boat, are already etched in our minds.