Da Nang in July
Da Nang, Vietnam is on the central coast and is the country’s third largest city. It’s often overlooked by the larger cities like Ho Chi Minh to the South and Hanoi to the North, or by the UNESCO world heritage site at Hoi An. Da Nang hosts a beautiful beach not too far from the city center and has several nearby attractions, making it a holiday hot spot for Korean and Chinese tourists and for digital nomads like us who want the coastal vibes but with the amenities of a city.
In our research, we had seen it called the “Miami South Beach of Asia” and I totally get it. It’s rather chaotic and not at all the quaint rice terraces most folks picture Vietnam as. Below the high-rise resorts is a magnificent beach, My Khee Beach, that is seemingly always lively; even at night. It’s really well lit and it’s actually a nice time to be there while it’s not sweltering hot. There are lights, music, dozens of motorbikes and cars all honking creating their own little rhythm of the night so much that they all blend together. Seriously, by the end of the month, if anyone had been honking at me to move out of the way I wouldn't have even noticed because I was so immune to it.
Something that stood out to me was the Vietnamese culture of sitting and having a coffee or tea outside with family and friends. It was everywhere any day of the week, but especially on the weekends. Most of the time they were on plastic stools on the sidewalk with their entire family just happy as clams. It’s also in their culture to eat sea snails and drink beer while socializing at night, all while on plastic stools on what is the sidewalk in my opinion. I’ll also say that in July, it was roasting hot and humid, even at night. They are definitely more acclimated than us, but still.
I ate at local stands and places there, and was it uncomfortable at times? Yes. I didn’t always know whether Google had led me astray or what things were on the menu. But, with a little bit of prior research about “Vietnamese street food in Da Nang” and “what to eat in Da Nang,” you start to recognize phrases. When you’re traveling somewhere so different, it’s easy to be drawn toward familiar comfort foods. There were plenty of Westernized places around serving up pasta, burgers, and even Hawaiian poke bowls. However, I really encourage anyone to get out and go to a local spot, sit with the locals, be uncomfortable, and take it all in how other people across the world live their lives. It’s difficult because you have to be smart about it (or probably should be at least). No one really wants to accidentally eat dog meat or get sick. It takes judgment, but it’s not rocket science! If the restaurant is packed with locals or has a 4.8 on Google with 100+ reviews, you’re probably good.
One night in Vietnam I went to get Mi Quang from across the street from our Airbnb. The dish basically belongs to the Da Nang region, so I was eager to try some from a local spot. I always feel bad that I don’t speak a lick of their language, and I always wonder if they’d rather me not be there as a “farang.” But, I felt welcome everywhere I went honestly. And that was pretty standard throughout the Southeast Asian countries we went to. At a different place, one server brought me a YouTube video on her phone to show me how to eat bahn trit thao in case I didn’t know the process. Some Vietnamese foods did require you to assemble it yourself, but I thought it was fun.
One of the more amazing things we did this month was the Hai Van Pass. This was one of those days that makes me remember why I love travel so much. The natural landscapes and just the history and magnitude of it all was incredible. We rented a two-seater bike from Da Nang (including helmets of course), layered up on sunscreen, and set out on the road so many had traveled before! We made a couple of stops for photos and refreshments before ending the journey at a beach town where I had the most amazing Asian-inspired fresh oysters by the beach.
From there, we went to a swimming hole I guess is what you could call it, which is a bit of a funny story. We went to the place Google Maps sent us to, and honestly, we were a little underwhelmed. It was a nice freshwater swimming spot, but it wasn’t that big. Whenever we went to leave, we both acknowledged that we heard music blaring from somewhere. Of course we had to check it out! Was this the place we were actually supposed to go? Of course it was. This place was packed. Someone motioned for us where to park and we may have paid them a few Dong. If I haven’t already mentioned that, Vietnamese Dong (VND) is the currency.
We walk through a narrow path that opens up to the ultimate Vietnamese naturally-made water park. This was a weekend day, so local families and friends were all lounging, eating, drinking, and swimming. There were also your guaranteed Western groups and couples like us, but much fewer than at attractions in Thailand, I thought. I thought to myself, oh my gosh this is the KY Lake flotilla of Da Nang, except everyone was on overwater bungalow things (see pictures below).
We also made a trip to the neighboring city of Hoi An, which I’ll talk about in a separate post. I sure did love spending a month in Vietnam. I can’t wait to go back and see the other parts of the country we didn’t have time to get to!
