Vietnam — V. Da Nang & Hoi An

No one told me that the 14-hour overnight bus from Ninh Bình to Da Nang was going to make a stopover in the city of Hue, or that we would be swapping buses, or that we would have a two hour “layover” between said buses. A man on a Grab bike (the SE Asian equivalent of Uber) offered to take me on a motorbike tour of Hue just as I stepped off the first bus at 6:30 AM. It was a firm NOPE from me — I was half asleep and all I wanted was to scout out a coffee shop. But as I’ve often done when looking coffee in Vietnam, I wound up in a milk tea cafe sipping on boba.

Stepping off the second bus, this time in my actual destination, I was lured to a street-side stand selling smoothies for 63 cents. I’ve probably consumed more smoothies this past month in Vietnam than I ever have back in America … they’re cheap as hell and are always made with straight up fruit and ice. What a concept!

The city of Da Nang has a long peninsula off the mainland, accessible by a few bridges, one of which is lined by an elaborate dragon sculpture that puts on a fire breathing show each night. I kept missing the public busses from the mainland to my homestay on the peninsula, so I sucked it up and walked across the dragon bridge … I was the only person doing so, while everyone had their motorbikes.

Similarly to Hue, Da Nang was also a stopover on the way to Hoi An. It has all the makings of a holiday destination — bars and beaches, ample massage offerings, Disneyland-esque sights just out of town, and a huge cafe scene. With just one night here I strolled along the beach in the late afternoon, sampled the street food at night, and enjoyed an unexpectedly tasty salted coffee near my homestay in the morning. I chose not to visit the popular and Instagram-able Golden Bridge, which I call the “giant hand bridge” — knowing it would be overcrowded and full of selfie snapping Vietnamese tourists.

For the 35-minute journey south to the city of Hoi An I took my first Grab motorbike ride, and while I’m still resisting the desire to rent a motorbike it was thrilling to be a passenger on these crazy Vietnamese streets.

My homestay, Okra — was just a short bicycle ride from the old town and had a chic coffee shop sitting directly alongside, offering a small discount to homestay guests. The homestay itself was quaint, the dorm rooms well air-conditioned, and the staff were incredibly helpful.

I imagined Hoi An would be my favorite stop in Vietnam. I’d heard of so many backpackers who came for two days only to extend for a week (or longer). And while it was beautiful, it was also extremely touristy. In the end three days in the old town was plenty for me.

Aside from its picturesque old town, Hoi An is known for its unique shopping — particularly tailored suits and leather goods. Riding my bicycle into the old town I had multiple mid-ride conversations with people on motorbikes offering me tailoring services. I suppose if you have the space in your bag you could do some serious shopping here, but as a long term traveler I couldn’t be bothered to think about clothes. Instead I did a cooking class with a local girl named One One. I avoided eating the entire morning prior, which was good because we cooked a literal feast: spring rolls, salad, rice pancakes, and sea bass.

The image above is my iPhone with what I assume is an actual stool, and not a toy. These extremely small stools are one of the things I find most quirky about Asian culture. I first saw it in Istanbul two years ago, and I’ve seen a whole assortment of sizes and styles so far in Vietnam. It is actually somewhat rare to find “normal” sized chairs or stools. As such, sitting at restaurants can sometimes be a tad uncomfortable.

One of the lesser known places I enjoyed was the Ancient House. It was recommended to me by someone I met on my Ha Long Bay tour earlier in the trip. The place literally is ancient and the family that live there will give you a brief tour, including their extensive in-home jewelry shop. Here a 925 silver ring cost me $17 USD — an actual steal for the quality and craftsmanship.

My favorite thing to do in Hoi An was to sit on the quieter southern side of the river that flows through the old town and listen to music. It was nice to watch the lanterns, the boats, and the kaleidoscope of colors with a little bit of mood music. One night I crossed paths again with another friend from my Ha Long Bay tour, we sat along the river and recounted the things we have and haven’t liked on our journeys down through Vietnam. We seemed to agree: the north was the best.

For my last night I moved to a homestay closer to the beach, and of course it rained all day. The home was lovely and it had a relaxing pool, but the place was virtually empty — and the surrounding area was priced higher for wealthier tourists. There wound up being very little reason to have moved. Reflecting on the past few weeks I began making adjustments to my coming months’ itinerary, trying to plan ahead for where I would want to cut certain stops or spend less days.

Up Next: Vietnam VI. “Da Lat & Saigon”