We’re really glad to be here. The air is breathable, the sun shining and our Grab taxi drives us the 15 minutes to our apartment hotel, crossing one of the many gorgeous bridges that span the Han River. We’ve booked a full 4 weeks just minutes walk from the beach, at the charming (we hope) Le Cap Hotel & Apartment. After weaving our way through a crowded market area and through the typical Vietnamese traffic chaos, we have arrived and are not disappointed.
From our several extended travel experiences, we’ve learned that for longer stays, having a place that is comfy, affordable and with a usable kitchen are all key. The place isn’t big, but checks all the boxes, with a balcony view of the pool below and a room at the end of a hall. There’s a charming cafe and restaurant downstairs as well, with both indoor and outdoor tables we can utilize for our daily “computer time”.
Google maps at the ready, we make the 10 minute walk to Da Nang beach, which features a beautiful and fairly walkable promenade that runs a mile or two at least both north and south. We still have to dodge the occasional scooter, which annoys us a bit, as we want this to be a pedestrian only area, consistent with the signage posted. As we stroll, we find cute little beach bars, making both western and asian fare and cheap cold beers, amongst other delights. Our favorite during the trip is a place called “Paradise”, which features comfy couches, tasty burgers and Vietnamese beer, to go with the spectacular view of the East Vietnam/South China sea. There are numerous spots with chairs and umbrellas for rent, families on the beach, women sun bathing, beach life in general. During our 4 weeks in Da Nang, this walk is one of our favorites and we make it several times. Tim runs twice weekly in the mornings along the water, which feels a pretty an epic way to start a day. Walk 15 minutes south and the promenade connects you to the funky and charming My An neighborhood. My An has countless cafes, restaurants of every sort, massage places, you name it. It seems to be a favorite of the foreigners with British, Russians, Americans and others visible as you explore.
Da Nang is the 5th largest city in Vietnam, with just over 1.2 million residents to its name. It lies on the coast of the South China Sea and mouth of the Han River, and is a very important port city for Vietnam. Several impressive bridges span the Han, the favorite for most tourists being the famous “Dragon Bridge”, which looks like it’s name, and blows fire and water from it’s mouth during a nightly performance on weekends. Sadly, we learn that this was an area that featured some heavy fighting between North Vietnamese and the US Marine Corp, during the American war. We see no sign of that past during our visit here. It feels more like a thriving and relaxed beach city, with something going on in just about every direction. Da Nang feels approachable, but also very alive. The people are friendly and helpful, albeit in the busy doing whatever they’re doing, kind of way we see often here in Vietnam. It’s hot and humid of course, and occasionally we experienced kind of blustery wind days here. Our weather app threatened rain just about every day, but it never seemed to arrive. It feels safe here. The walkability is better than Hanoi, but it’s still not great.
We had heard that Vietnam was one of the best coffee countries in the world, and it was in Da Nang that we finally felt that really show itself. We tried the Salt coffee, which was sweet, but kind of a treat experience. The famous Egg coffee we thought a bit strange and not something we’d probably order again. However the Coconut coffee is something that will haunt us forever, because it’s just about the best thing ever, and not something we’re likely to find again when we leave this place. On a hot day, the rich espresso mixes perfectly with blended coconut cream, condensed milk and ice. You’ll need both a straw and a spoon to do it right and on the hot days of Vietnam, it’s incredible. You can get a perfectly made latte, mocha, or whatever else is your personal favorite, hot or iced, cheap and with high quality espresso. Beautiful cafes sprinkle the city, mixed in with more funky roadside ones where you can get a coffee for a just over a dollar (40k VND). Our favorite is Nia Cafe, which features a small pond with Koi fish and a lovely setting. There’s free high speed wifi everywhere and many feature areas for co-working or extended computer time, if that’s your thing.
A couple of nights, we attended the popular and crowded Son Tra night market, which springs to life on weekends. It’s quite the experience, as the Vietnamese merchants are pushy to say the least. We crack up as they step in front of you and directly ask “You want to buy something?” Just hilarious. We make our way through the food area, where seafood merchants don’t hesitate to shove a menu in your direction and grab your arm and ask “you want Lobster” while coming dangerously close to physically obstructing your path. Keep your head down and keep walking, unless you’re ready to buy. It doesn’t feel threatening, but definitely a bit harrowing. We find ourselves at the quieter end of the market and enjoy traditional Banh Mi sandwiches, with French baguette style bread, choice of meat, carrot, cucumber, vinegar and sometimes mayo or garlic chili paste. Two sandwiches will set you back between $2-3 USD.
We get into a rhythm, as we’re not on “vacation”, but truly living in Da Nang, Vietnam for this month. We find our favorite cafe down the street (Danasol), perfect for computer working sessions and meals and of course the coconut coffee. We sometimes take a Grab taxi to the Lotte Mart grocery store, to stock up on essential food and personal items. Just a few doors down, there’s a lovely family restaurant that features “bowls” of the name we can’t recall, with chicken, veggies and egg on top for a buck. Delicious and healthy, what a deal. We walk all over town, to see as much as we can, averaging around 15k steps per day, according to our respective smart watch devices.
A few Da Nang favorites:
The Marble Mountains- Just 10 minutes from the beach, you’ll find the beautiful Marble Mountains, featuring multiple caves, elaborate temples, and view points overlooking the city. Bring your walking shoes, there’s a lot of up and down stairs and tricky terrain to cover here.
The Lady Buddha (Goddess of Mercy)– Look just north northeast from the Da Nang beach out across the water and see the towering 67 meter white “Lady Buddha” statue, visible from miles away. We took the 15 minute Grab taxi to visit the statue, which ended up being even cooler than we expected. The Lin Ung Pagoda and adjacent complex features pagodas, temples, the Lady Buddha statue, trees, water ponds, statues, free ranging monkeys and fantastic viewpoints back towards the city of Da Nang. There were also what seemed about a million Chinese tourists, roaming the complex in color coordinated outfits.
Da Nang beach- In addition to the aforementioned promenade and beach restaurants, the beach itself is lovely. We took off our sandals and walked up and down the sandy beach, letting the warm water wash over our feet. What a pleasure. Just when it feels a bit hot, it’s time to stop for a cold beer.
Overall we loved Da Nang. It was fun, safe, tasty, affordable and interesting. Outside of our little hotel, the English language was fairly limited, but we didn’t mind. Just a short drive south, the charming and historical city of Hoi An awaits. We’ve scheduled our visit to align with the full moon, which is said to feature a lantern festival, right there in ancient town.
We pack up our things. Somehow our suitcases are getting a bit tighter each time.
5 nights in Hoi An, and then our time in Vietnam comes to an end….
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