Vibrant Vietnam (Part 7): Da Nang Basics!

- December 28, 2024, Saturday.

- Soaking up Hoi An's charm was definitely worth a several-day stay, but it was now time to see another part of Vietnam: Da Nang. As one of the major cities of Vietnam, it differs from Hoi An because of its more urban feel, though less overwhelming as Saigon. Da Nang is known for its beaches, but also a hub for tourism in Central Vietnam.

- Our hotel in Hoi An provided my family with a car that would take us to Da Nang for a bit less than what Grab Car was offering. The trip took around an hour; we got dropped off at Hadana Boutique Hotel, located between the downtown and the beach area of Da Nang. 

- Once we let our things, we began our trip in Da Nang by visiting the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculture, located near the Dragon Bridge. Built in the early 1900s by the French, this museum exhibits the Hindu sculptures from various locations from the former Champa Kingdom in Southern Vietnam. Champa existed from around 200AD to 1832, when Champa territories were absorbed in then-expanding Vietnam. The sculptures and even the temples that existed - as well as those that remain and often in ruins - resemble those found in Hindu-influenced Southeast Asia like Cambodia or Thailand. Apart from the Hindu sculptures, which form the biggest collection of Champa-style Hindu sculptures, the museum also has a gallery dedicated to modern Cham culture (many Cham people have converted to Islam).

Museum entrance.

Giant lingam and yoni.

One of the main halls.

Tara statue.

An altar.

Cham clothing.

Dancing Shiva on top of his bull, Nandi.

Gajasingha, or the elephant-lion.

- Because it was raining, and it was around time for lunch, we thought of spending some time at the Han Market (Cho Han). Though it has its roots in the 1940s, the actual two-story building was built in 1990. One thing that people like to do in this market is to eat, just like in Saigon's Ben Thanh Market, although its food area is not as big as in Ben Thanh Market. It also appears primarily geared towards tourists, as majority of the stalls sell souvenir items at the ground level, and clothing items (and more souvenirs) at the second floor. I found out that I could also buy fabric and have clothes made within an hour or two at the dressmaker stalls located near the clothing stalls. I even had one made and it was finished within an hour - and it fit perfectly too! The prices vary among stalls and dressmakers, so make sure to haggle. Understand also that when you with to have something custom made, often two payments have to be made: one for the clothing/cloth stall, and another payment for the dressmaker. This comes often as a surprise to tourists and I have seen a couple of tourists having arguments with the clothes/cloth vendors because of this. (The total price is still worth it anyway, so why not.)

Han Market.

Tried the famous avocado ice cream (Kem Bo)!

Main shopping area.

View from the second floor.

- Our hotel was a short Grab ride away from the market, and my family opted to rest as the market was too overwhelming for them (even for me). The stalls were far too close to each other and there were just so many people. Even for someone like me who's used to crowded markets as we have those in Manila as well, Han Market might need a bit more breathing space. Although my dad and my sister chose to sleep, I on the other hand did not want to waste too much time, so I got ready shortly after resting for a while and headed to the Dragon Bridge (Cau Rong) to have some photos before the evening crowd.

- Opened in 2013, the Dragon Bridge it Danang's most iconic landmark. Not only does it go across the Han River, but it is also known for its weekend fire and water show. (More on this later). Apart from taking photos near the dragon bridge, another way to take a photo of the bridge (albeit from a farther angle), is from the Dragon Carp Fountain where the love bridge is.

I was trying to imitate Avatar Aang (and Zuko) doing the fire dance with the dragons to gain fire bending abilities.

This one kind of looks like the shot in the series.

I love how the eye is heart-shaped.

Long dragon.

From the Love Bridge.

With both the Dargon Carp and the Dragon.

The Dragon Carp reminds me of Singapore's Merlion.

- After taking time off the rest of the afternoon to rest a bit, my family went to the Son Tra Night Market. It operates daily but is especially crowded on weekends as many people plan to watch the fire and water show. During weekends at 9PM, the dragon head (just beside the night market) breathes fire several times, and then it will breathe water. Before watching the show, my family had a seafood dinner at the market, since that was one of the things on my dad's "Vietnam to-do list". 

Night market.

Seafood dinner.

Shopping area beside the food area.

- We later watched the fire and water show. While the whole thing took maybe 15 minutes, I enjoyed it. I felt like I was seeing an actual dragon doing its dragon things.

Firebend!

So glad I was able to sneak in a selfie.

And now for the water.

A good change from the series of fire balls.

- So much was done during our first day in Danang, but more things were in store for us in Central Vietnam. Danang is not only interesting by itself, but it is also an ideal base for numerous possible daytrips around the region! Lucky for us, one of the possible trips to do from Danang is a day trip to the imperial capital of Hue!

Vibrant Vietnam (Part 6): In and Out of Hoi An!

- December 26-27, 2024, Thursday to Friday.

- Hoi An is worth visiting for more than a day. I mentioned in my previous blog how tourists often visit Hoi An for a day from Danang. I guess this is fine for some, but for people like me who really want to take in so much from a place, a day is definitely not enough!

- My second day in Hoi An was a semi-repeat of my first day, because my family had just arrived and they also needed to see the must-sees of Hoi An. It was a semi-watered down version of the day-long adventure I had the day before, but I did reserve some of the major sites to experience together with my family. That morning we visited the Japanese Bridge, but going through it this time. The Japanese bridge, built by Japanese traders in the 1600s, isn't just a pedestrian bridge, but it also has a temple inside it as a way to prevent more natural calamities from happening.

Temple inside the Japanese Bridge.

The bridge, which was actually newly renovated. One of my initial fears about this trip was NOT getting to see the Japanese Bridge because of renovations. Fortunately renovations were done just before we booked the trip.  

 Just beside the Japanese Bridge is the Phung Hung Old House. This house was built in the 1780s by Vietnamese trader Phung Hung. The house is still managed by the family today. 

Phung Hung Old House.

It was one of the larger old houses we got to visit. Honestly if you only had time to visit just one old house, I'd suggest this house. 

Second floor.

By the balcony

Outside the balcony, facing the Japanese Bridge.

- Along the street outside the Japanese Bridge, where the Phung Hung Old House is, are rows of shops and some Japanese-inspired exhibits and stores, as a tribute to the once existing Japanese community in the area. At the other side of the bridge, facing the old town, is the Cantonese Assembly Hall or Quang Trieu Assembly Hall. It is one of the many Chinese assembly halls established in the 1800s, most of which I visited the day prior.

Assembly hall gate.

These assembly halls are always so ornate.

Large mural with embossed details.

One of the most ornate dragon sculptures.

Colored ceramics.

- Across it is the Museum of Sa Huynh Culture, an archaeological museum showcasing the ancient cultural past of Hoi An. Most of the exhibit were terracotta artefacts for everyday work and for burying dead loved ones. The museum also has a nice view of Hoi An from its second-floor walkway.

Walkway from the Sa Huynh Museum.

An exhibit on the Hoi An "door eyes" 

With the museum's side gate. Hoi An buildings are all yellow but the reason why they're yellow is still being debated.

- The Tan Ky Old House along Nguyen Thai Hoc Street is another ornate old house built in the 1700s. It belongs to the Le family, a family of traders. The house is also known for being flooded many times over the decades, yet this wooden house is still intact. The house is also known for its ceramic antiques on display.

We had lunch at Cao Lau Khong Gian Xanh. They specialize in Cao Lau, and people have been recommending it.

Good cao lau!

Tan Ky Old House.

Most old houses kind of have the same look.

With some of the family's important heirlooms.

- I next visited the Quan Thang Old House. which was owned by a Chinese trader named Quan Thang. He traded medicinal goods, which was hard to access in Hoi An that time. Because people came to his house often, it became an informal community center where people congregated.

In the middle of Hoi An, one can see this statue of Kazimierz Kwiatkowski. He was an architect who was assigned to Vietnam for restoration works. He was the one responsible for reviving Hoi An, Hue, My Son, among others. However, among his works, he was most recognized for his works in Hoi An because he encouraged the local government to not remove the old houses and preserve them instead. 

Inside Quan Thang Old House.

I like its courtyard.

Outside the house.

- Just around the block is the Museum of Folk Culture. It was an old house turned into a museum that showed the culture of the people of Hoi An as well as their ways of living. At the back part of the museum (facing the river), they have a souvenir shop and lantern-making classes for those interested.

Museum of Folk Culture.

It was quite a big museum, for Hoi An's Old Town.

Vietnamese-style lion dance.

Chinese, Vietnamese, and casual Cham clothing.

- After seeing far too many old houses for the day, my family and I walked around the old town and later decided to have banh mi at Banh Mi Phuong (along D. Phan Chu Trinh). Serving banh mi since 1989, it gained more popularity when Anthony Bourdain ate at this restaurant a decade or so ago for his show, "No Reservations". Please be warned of the crowd as it is an extremely popular spot. (You can either have your banh mi to go or eat inside the restaurant.) 

There was a big crowd.

Proof of Bourdain's visit.

It was really good!

- To help us digest our banh mis, we had a long walk from the restaurant to the night market for some photos with the lanterns and ride a boat just like the previous night (but this time with family.) Because it was raining all day, we were quite exhausted and called it a day quite early in the evening.

Round two for me!

I cannot stop liking this view.

- The next day, we had an early trip to the coconut farm. We reserved, via Klook, our tickets for the basket boat ride. We reserved our tickets with Hanh Coconut; we took a Grab to the coconut farm because it was quite far from the Old Town. Although there is a time indicated on the ticket, guests can actually go to Hanh Coconut any time during hours. The basket boats are round, as we were told, was because the French taxed the Vietnamese for owning boats so the Vietnamese just made giant bamboo baskets which were "not boats" but could be used as boats. The trip lasts for an hour through the river with some activities like being spun around and around (unless you tell your boatman you don't want to) having photo stops in certain spots, watching some boatmen do stunts with their boats, watching a fishermen throw their big nets, and singing karaoke (this was the one I felt was a bit out of place and might be disrupting the fish underwater).

My sister was taking my photos from their boat (she was with my dad).

Love that the Vietnamese flag is at the back.

I like how the boats look. By the way I was also spun around, albeit not as fast as the usual speed.

Boatman doing stunts.

Trying (failing) to row our round boat. I've never rowed a round boat before. We were just going around and around.

It was raining all morning (and all day) but at least the rain wasn't that bad.

Karaoke.

Throwing net.

I had this water coconut dessert! Not as fancy as the one I had in Saigon (with jellies and stuff), but it was refreshing!

- One we got back to the Old Town from the boat ride. My family had lunch and had a slow afternoon around the Old Town (mainly because of the rain). While they were seated in a cafe, I used the time to go to another old house, the Duc An Old House. Owned by the Phan family since 1830, the house served as a bookstore which attracted intellectuals to buy books and use the space to read and talk to other intellectuals of the time. It was a significant convening spot for patriots to plan movements as well.

A popular spot for photos. This coffee shop (Moments Cafe) is at the intersection of Le Loi and Tran Phu Street.

Duc An Old House.

All these old houses look cozy.

I can see how people would want to congregate here and just talk.

- In the late afternoon, we headed towards Hoi An Impression Theme Park. Opened in 2018, this is a cultural theme park and resort that emphasizes the culture and history of Hoi An. The park is open everyday except Tuesdays from 4PM until 10PM. I suggest going around 4PM so you can take photos with less people and with more sunlight; the park is divided into "villages" with each highlighting a culture that influenced Hoi An (Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc.) Most tourists flock the park around evening during or after dinner to watch one of the many mini-shows around the theme park before the final show at night called "Hoi An Memories Show." I bought tickets from Klook that included the buffet dinner, so I wasn't able to watch all mini-shows (and it was drizzling too, so it would've been a bit inconvenient). I also got "hi" seats so we could have a better view of the Hoi An Memories Show (it was either a basic/eco ticket, a hi ticket, or a VIP ticket; the VIP ticket was worth too much but the upgrade from the hi ticket didn't seem worth the big amount, at least for me.)

The main gate to the park: inspired by the Thanh Chiem Palace, a collapsed palace from the 1600s in Hoi An.

A replica of Hoi An's Japanese Bridge.

A Chinese bridge at the Chinese village.

Welcome performance.

Water offering.

Moon and wind dance.

- The Hoi An Memories Show was definitely jaw-dropping as the stage production was massive - big ships, fake elephants and all. It showed glimpses of Hoi An's history, such as the glory of Champa culture, trade and relations with different cultures, and the beauty of the Vietnamese aodai.

Grand is an understatement.

Cham-style wedding.

Threads that bind us together.

- Watching the Hoi An Memories Show at Hoi An Impression Theme Park was the perfect way to end our trip to Hoi An. The majestic performance, despite the rain (it was open air!), left an "impression" of Hoi An's legacy. It is not just a sleepy and nostalgic old town, but a city kept alive by the mixing of many cultures until today, and rooting itself in its historical glory!