A JOURNEY THROUGH CENTRAL VIETNAM
(Da Nang- Hoi An- Huè)
We started our journey in Da Nang after 21 hours of travel from Italy. I've always been attracted by southeast asian culture so it seemed pretty easy to choose Vietnam as my next destination, a country where the desire to get back on their feet is strong and where culture, history and modernization live together creating the perfect mix. Vietnam has really everything, able to satisfy the desire and tastes of every kind of travellers: from the bustling city to the most beautiful golden sand beaches (which some of them are completely deserted), to lush forest and mountains. We have spent 18 days visiting the central part of Vietnam which includes city such as Da Nang, Hoi An and Hue; with all these days at your disposal you could easily extend your journey to other part of the country but we've really wanted to enjoy and live to the fullest the places that we've stayed.
DA NANG
We've spent the first 6 days in Da Nang which was also the airport where we landed. Da Nang is pretty underestimated and most people do not choose to spend here more than two days, we've been happy to spend here more days and it was worth it. We've travelled here at the beginning of September which is rainy season, but to be honest in 18 days spent in Vietnam we've had no more than a couple of rainy days mostly concentrated during evening, which didn't slow down our plans, indeed it was a pleasant interlude from the damp heat ( buy one of those plastic raincoats that you'll see all locals will wear and that you can easily find in all markets for very few Dong, they'll be perfect for you to enjoy the city with free hands and perfectly dried). Besides the low season period are the best if your budget is not that high and especially if you want to avoid hordes of tourists.
WHAT TO SEE
My Khe Beach
Is a beautiful golden sand beach where you can do a lot of sea activities or just relax, surrounded by restaurants, stands and resorts. Don't wonder if you won't see locals enjoy this beautiful beach, because Vietnamese people don't love to expose themselves to the sun, so you'll see them enjoy the beach only during cloudy days. Little advice: do not ever leave alone your stuff, even tho Vietnamese are one of the most easy-going and friendly people, there are a lot of people ready to scam a naive tourist and steal your stuff.
Son Tra Peninsula
Not only has pretty panoramic road views, there is also the so-called Lady Buddha, a monumental statue with a pagoda, but worth a visit is definitely South beach Son Tra which has been quite something to find but so worth it. We've found out that not even our driver knew where it was, so we have been left to Son Tra Resort where the caretaker insisted on making us believe that the resort's beach was free and the one that we were looking for, of course it wasn't. From the resort you continue by walking straight on the main road and in 5 minutes you start to see the beach from above, it is accessed through a little road . It seems tricky but with google maps and a bit of adventure spirit you'll be able to find it, and trust me, it will be so worth it. We've been led to a beautiful and completely deserted beach, there were only us and a couple of fishing boats.
Dragon Bridge
I recommende to visit it especially by night since the city lights up with neon, music, people, and if you are lucky, with groups of people who came down the street to dance. The principal feature of this bridge is that every Saturday and Sunday starting from 21:00 pm spits fire and water from its mouth. The show lasts no more than 5 minutes, i suggest you arrive a couple of minutes before it starts because otherwise the entire view on and under the bridge will be packed with hundreds of people. After the show you can enjoy a walk around or a fresh beverage in one of the many chic coffee shops across the street.
Marble Mountains
Fee: 40.000 dong
It is a complex of 5 mountains of which only one is open to the public. Wear comfortable shoes, bring a bottle of water and wear light clothes since you will hike a lot of stairs and probably sweats the hell out of you. The best time to visit is in the morning and it will take you approximately 3 hours to visit especially if you decide to take the elevator to the top (15.000 dongs one way) and then make your way down, in this way you can visit all but still preserve a bit of energy. It is definitely a must-see with all its caves, pagoda, temples; for a breathtaking view from above the city, hike the high peak, you will be rewarded with a stunning view and an inner sense of peace and accomplishment.
Spa
Da Nang is one of the best places to get pampered at a very cheap cost. So relax and pamper yourself in one of the several spas in Da Nang.
Son Tra Night Market
If you want to find a place to immerse yourself into odors, tastes of typical vietnamese street food, then this market is the place to go. 5 minutes by walk from Dragon Bridge, it opens at night starting from 6 p.m. Here you can find several stalls from cheap souvenirs to induments but the highlight is all the delicious food stalls that gather both locals and tourists. When we’ve came here we’ve been surprised by the rain so we haven’t been able to enjoy it, so we came back the next day, and trust me if i tell you that when you’ll try the food here, you are more likely will come back to try other specialities especially if you are a foodie like myself.
HOI AN
We've spent 5 days in this beautiful city which is 1 hour by car from Da Nang; most bloggers all suggested to not spend more than one or two days, but honestly we couldn't be happier to have stayed longer for truly appreciate this little gem. I suggest you to stay in an accommodation that can provide you bikes, 'cause it is the easiest, cheapest and greatest way to enjoy Hoi An. You will soon fall in love with this town also called the city of lanterns and you will soon find out why.
WHAT TO SEE
Ancient Town
The old town is a true gem, declared UNESCO heritage. Through its street live tradition and modernity, with its numerous coffeeshop, colored walls, colonial houses, shops and museums; Hoi An seems embedded over time. The general atmosphere feels like been jump back in time. The old town is closed to traffic, it is possible to walk or bike; take your time and come back both during day time and night time. At sunset the area completely changes its image, all its alley and the river banks that cross the town full with hundreds of lanterns of thousand different colors, becoming the only source of light. Unmissable it is the food market, the japanese covered bridge, which you can visit by paying a fee. Hoi An is the best place for shopping, it is in fact the capital of silk and of tailoring, here is also the best place to buy an "Ao Dai", the traditional vietnamese dress, true work of art and tradition, you can choose to buy one in the market or make it tailored just for you, in any case the keyword is "to bargain", because most vietnamese will charge you the triple of the real price. Finding an Ao Dai in Hoi An couldn't be easier. Our second day here while we were desperetly try to find where to park our bike a lady came at our rescue, so when she asked us to follow and check her boutique we couldn’t say no, of course it was far from being a coincidence ( as a disclaimer, we are not usual to fall in the classic tourist trap), but we've decided to give it a go since we came there just to buy one; so after a lot of bargain and chat we've come out with two beautiful vietnamese dress for only 27 euros. Walking through the street you will see a lot of tourists and locals too wearing the Ao Dai, especially at night, so do not loose the chance to wear one too and immerse yourself with the flow to fully live the experience.
An Bang Beach
You can easily reach this beach by bike, as a tourist you'll have to pay a ticket (10,000 dongs) for parking your bike; depending on where you stay the way from Hoi An is almost completely straight. Right now it remains a quite unspoiled beach to relax, bath or try your lucky fighting against some big waves and then enjoy some exquisite seafood to restore.
Hidden Beach
Another beautiful beach to check out, 15 minutes by bike from An Bang Beach; set up your GPS and watch out for a small sign that says "hidden beach", on a small pathway that directly leads to the beach. Despite the name during the years more and more tourist have come to known this beach.
Cong Ty Du Lich Phàt Huy
We usually try to stay far away from touristic places, preferring instead something much wilder, but this is a spot and activity really worth it. I suggest you book a Grab to drive you there, it is 12 minutes by car from the center. As soon you arrive you will be approached by a lot of locals, bargain with them, last time we've spent around 7 or 10 euros for two people, but it was so worth, and do not forget to pay a little tip to the guy that drives the boat. We've been lucky enough to encounter only 5 more boats beside us, which made everything much more enjoyable. Enjoy your ride on a vietnamese basket boat while it gets conducted calmly along the river. The ride also includes a little show put together by a fisherman who will wildly spin his boat to the sound of deafening music, or you can also experience casting a fishing net or just shoot some cool pictures.
Countryside
Highly recommended, take your bike and savor a glimpse of vietnamese rural life in the countryside, surrounded by paddy fields, water buffalos and an unspoiled silence and sense of tranquillity away from the hustle and noise of the city. To reach it you can just follow the street that lead to An Bang Beach but instead to go all the way down, you can choose to either turn left or right, it is hard to miss; when you start to be surrounded by paddy fields, take your bike through one of the alleyways and "loose" yourself in the magic of the vietnamese countryside. This has been one of my favourite memories, it felt like one of those vintage movie strolling around on our bike during a sunny day with the wind in your hair. Do not forget your rainy coat, one moment the sun shines high in the sky and the moment later you are trying to protect your gear from the rain and trying hard to drive while the rain drops ends in your eyes, but to be honest this only made this day more memorable.
HUE'
Our final destination is Huè, we've spent an entire week here but i suggest to not spend more than 4 days. Huè is completely different from the other city, it give a feeling of chaos and hustle. To reach it you can choose between train, taxi or bus; we personally found the bus to be the most affordable and enjoyable way; i am not talking about a simple bus but these one are called sleeping bus, they are basically huge bus equipped with two-level deckchairs, so lie down and enjoy the ride. You can ask at your stay to help you out or book them on the website 12Go.asia. In our case our stay booked the bus for us and called a shuttle that brought us to the bus station, all very simple. The journey is about 3-4 hours.
WHAT TO SEE
Imperial City
Absolutly worth a mention is the imperial city within its forbidden city, a huge fortified complex with gardens, temples, several rooms and several buildings. There is a fee entrance, you can choose to pay for both the imperial city and two tombs, in this case i think that the ticket has two or three day expiration. We personally decided to buy only the ticket for the citadel. The entrance fee is 150.000 dong each person, it is really worth it but bring tons of water and an umbrella to repair yourself from the sun since you will likely spend half morning to visit the entire complex in the humid heat; you can then restore yourself in one of the many cafès, i personally suggest you Highlands Cafè immediately outside the forbidden city, prices are pretty similar to the European standard, but there is nothing better than to restore with one of their delicious beverages, good music, ac and free wifi; while for a delicious and cheap vietnamese meal i suggest you Goe Moung Ra cafe.
Tu Duc Tomb
This huge complex is surrounded by lakes, pagodas and buildings, in its ancient splendor use to bee used by the emperor to relax from his former life and business. The tomb is 5 km from Huè. Fun Fact: the emperor's body is not buried here, the history tells that none until this day knows where he has been buried and the 200 men that buried the emperor's body where beheaded on their way home.
Thuan An Beach
If you have enough time at your disposal and don't want to miss a day at the beach than take yourself to Thuan An Beach, 40 minutes by motorbike, we honestly enjoyed most our way there than the actual beach; it is not the most flattering beach in Vietnam, you will mostly find locals and there is not much there.
Dong Ba Market (Cho Dong Ba)
It is a huge market, really worth a visit with its hundred stalls you can find pretty much everything at affordable prices. You'll get overwhelmed by hundreds of people, loud voices, colors, odors of this lively market by having a look of real vietnamese day-life.
Japanese bridge (Thanh Toan Bridge)
To be honest by reading some review on google maps our expectation where higher than what we found really; it is quite isolated from the main road and we were the only tourist there but if you have time it is a beautiful antique japanese bridge to see situated in the country area.
Minh Hang Tomb
A must-see, it is one of the biggest tombs, well maintained and beautiful in all Huè. You can buy the ticket directly at the entrance, the fee is 100.000 dong each person (3.60 euros) and if you want to avoid the queue you can also buy one at the stalls outside. The complex is entirely open to the public except for the actual tomb where the emperor's body lie, it can be accessed only once a year in occasion of the emperor's death anniversary, in which the doors of the tomb get opened.
As last stop of our journey we've wanted to pamper ourself with two days in the spectacular Vedana Lagoon Resort, a huge complex overlooking on a lagoon surrounded by a lushy forest, really a paradise to restore near the city. It has been the cherry on top of the cake, and the perfect way to end our journey before heading back home.
HOW TO MOVE AROUND
I highly suggest to upload on your phone the app GRAB, it is similar to Uber or Lyft but you can use it only around Asia. You can choose to either book a car or a motorbike, see how many drivers are close to where you are, the exact cost that you will spend to reach a determined destination, it also shows the driver's face and care plate so will be easier for you to find your driver, it is absolutely safe and the cheapest way to move around, we've use it during our entirely journey both in Vietnam and Indonesia.
SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Before you leave for Vietnam if you are gonna stay for more than 15 days you're gonna need a VISA, the easiest and fastest way is to do it online on the official site immigration.gov.vn , the cost is around 25 dollars and will be released in 2-3 days.
Currency Exchange: the official coin is the Dong and it is always better to use cash that you can withdraw once you are in Vietnam from one of the many ATMs, better if it is one connected with a bank.
I suggest you buy a sim card for your phone with a data plan, the procedure is really simple, you can buy one in a market or in a phone shop, the price is so cheap, something between 4 and 8 euros, internet included and it will make you stay easier since you can use maps, GRAB and other services at any time in any circumstance you can find yourself in.