The trains in Vietnam are not wholly convenient when Hoi An is a part of your itinerary. Though it’s a popular tourist destination, the nearest train station is in the city of Da Nang, which is an hour bus ride away from the city of tailors. But what a ride it is.
The bus driver barrels down the approximately two-laned, mostly-dirt road, fully aware of his status as the largest vehicle in the local mechanical food chain. This means that the bikes, tuk-tuks, sedans, and even SUVs have to make way for this behemoth. In his graciousness, The Bus Master has equipped his ride with a wide variety of horn variations to communicate his will to them.
“Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba…” goes the reverberating fade-out horn that is used as the general chorus to the cacophony. “I am Bus,” it says. “Hear me roar!”
Matt smiles from his back seat, realizing he’s never going to find a better place and time to use the word ‘cacophony’ than in describing the driver’s disjointed and frenzied honking.