You know, it’s funny. I was, not that long ago, slagging off my little brother because he was saying he liked Vietnam more than Thailand. I’m not sure what got into me and made me think this way, because from the very first time I went to Vietnam (I went to Hanoi), I loved it. I distinctly remember texting a friend of mine who had previously been to both Thailand and Vietnam to tell him that I think I might like Vietnam more. It just feels more casual to me, more familiar, more relaxed. There’s an element of controlled chaos that struck me and (though I’m really not sure what this says about me) was far more comfortable to me. Since then, I’ve gone to Saigon, which was much more orderly and modern in terms of infrastructure (but still quite comfortable), and as you all know, recently had the absolute pleasure to experience Da Nang. Every trip I take validates my love of Vietnam more and more. And Da Nang is now, by far, my favorite. The minute I arrived I sent a silent apology to my brother, because Vietnam is seriously the best.
One of the biggest things I tell people about visiting SE Asia is that getting here will be the most expensive part. Once you are here, things are beyond affordable – and Vietnam is the poster child for this concept. Take our hotel for instance. A very nice room at a really nice hotel on the seaside with an ocean view was about $75/night… after tax. Though I’m certain there are more expensive luxury options elsewhere too, this is beyond what I call excellent value for money. The only issue I had was that housekeeping only leaves 2 bottles of drinking water in the room. If you want more, you have to call down for it. Believe me, I have much bigger problems than this, so I’m sure I can manage a few front desk calls.
Shout out to my favorite coffee shop I found in Da Nang – Wind Garden Coffee. They serve the BEST salty coffee I’ve ever had. Yes, salty coffee. It’s creamy, a little sweet, a little salty, and a lot incredible. I had to exercise some serious constraint to not have 5 of them a day.
So what does one do in Da Nang? Well, hopefully you read Justin’s recap of our food and cocktail tour, because everywhere in Vietnam you eat and drink. And obviously, you chill on the beach, which we were lucky enough to be able to do despite being the rainy season (we had multiple days of sunshine interspersed with only a little bit of rain here and there). And I think this is what a lot of people come here for. In the morning you can watch local fishermen pulling in nets and collecting shellfish of some sort.
Vietnam is known for having basket boats. Apparently back when the French had colonized the country, they charged a tax on boats. Not wanting to give their hard-earned, modest amount of resources to the man (the rich just getting richer), the Vietnamese came up with a boat design that didn’t look like a boat as a way of getting around the tax regulations. These boats look like giant baskets that float. Now you can take rides in them through places like this eco-grove where you get to check out water coconuts and these crazy fools who spin around and around to Gangnam Style on repeat.
You can also check out the ancient city of Hoi-an. Justin mentioned it because it’s where we did our cocktail tour, but we also went as part of a tour of the Da Nang – Hoi-an area. The lantern festival was so popular that the city is now in a permanent state of every-day-is-lantern-festival-day. And in fairness, it is quite beautiful to see all the boats on the river with their lanterns and to see people with the little lanterns you can put on the river as you make a wish. Don’t worry, they fish out the lanterns and candles every day so that the river isn’t perma-clogged with tourist lantern pollution. I asked. Apparently, Hoi-an is also home to some of the best tailors in the country, but I didn’t get a chance to test that. I’m hoping next visit.
Like almost all of SE Asia, Da Nang has some beautiful temples that are well worth visiting. One is on one of the Marble Mountains, where yes, people have mined marble for years. Not only are there temple facilities on the mountain, very much what one will find all over Asia, but what really blows your mind is the temple INSIDE the mountain. There are some MASSIVE caves that have been held sacred since even before Buddhism came to Vietnam. And they really are breathtaking.
Hands down my favorite site though was the Linh Ung Pagoda, or the Lady Buddha. One of my biggest problems with Buddhism (and religion full stop really) is the built-in sexism. The fact that women are not allowed to be monks or to go in certain areas of temples, or in some types of Buddhism, that men need to avoid walking under where women’s clothes are hanging lest they lose some of their masculinity, really irks me. I’m so sorry I have an in-y and not an out-y and how unclean that must make me (but actually, not sorry at all). So to visit a temple that not only has the most stunning views and well kept grounds of any I’ve seen, but also to have that temple built to worship the LADY Buddha?!? I hadn’t known such a lady existed before this trip, but I’m psyched she does. And her home is everything I would want it to be for her. In return, apparently she is believed to have kept Da Nang safe from extreme weather, as the area has yet to experience the same kind of storm-ravaging that it used to before she was built.
And now, because I have so many more photos that I want you to be able to see, here is a smattering of others from all parts of our trip, in no particular order.
P.S. – what on earth is going on with this statue?!? Why is one child giving Fat Buddha a wet willy, another putting her finger in his belly button, and yet another pinching his nipple???? I never found an answer to this. It remains a mystery lost to the annals of history.
