Second Stop 12/04/2015 – 15/04/2015
(Written by Her)
(Written by Her)
Glad to get out of the noise, chaos and heat of Saigon, Da Nang offered a much welcomed break. It has taken a while but we seem to be finding our feet; rising early without complaint, washing the same t-shirt for the third time already and finally figuring out how to work the hot water! For me, Da Nang has given me back some of my necessities - I feel clean, rested, a little more in control (we even had some rain).
The halfway point between Saigon in the South and Hanoi in the North, Da Nang has a laid back feel, with long wide roads, white sandy beaches and the friendliest people we’ve met so far. A port city on the South China Sea, Da Nang is considerably wealthier than Saigon; cars are more widespread, houses are more securely built and public spaces are pretty. However, given its close proximity (within 100km) of major UNESCO heritage sites, Da Nang is often bypassed by tourists on the way to more well-known attractions.
We decided to spend four days in Da Nang, not much in the grand scheme of things yet surprising long according to the locals who always looked inquisitively at us – asking ‘why not go to Hoi An or Hué? What will you do here? In fact, we had no trouble filling our days. Over the course of our stay we hit all the notable landmarks and few off the beaten track.
The halfway point between Saigon in the South and Hanoi in the North, Da Nang has a laid back feel, with long wide roads, white sandy beaches and the friendliest people we’ve met so far. A port city on the South China Sea, Da Nang is considerably wealthier than Saigon; cars are more widespread, houses are more securely built and public spaces are pretty. However, given its close proximity (within 100km) of major UNESCO heritage sites, Da Nang is often bypassed by tourists on the way to more well-known attractions.
We decided to spend four days in Da Nang, not much in the grand scheme of things yet surprising long according to the locals who always looked inquisitively at us – asking ‘why not go to Hoi An or Hué? What will you do here? In fact, we had no trouble filling our days. Over the course of our stay we hit all the notable landmarks and few off the beaten track.
The Cham Museum of Sculpture
| Although we were slightly annoyed about having to pay the 'tourist price', it was a nice little museum housing large Cham sculpture from the 4th to 10th Centuries excavated by a Polish guy no less! The Cham people are an ethnic minority who migrated from Borneo and left many legacies across Vietnam including sites like My Son. The sculptures are huge and incredibly detailed but the English descriptions leave a lot to be desired. Many of the voice overs seem to end with "this symbol may mean [insert guess here] but we are not certain on any meaning". Needless to say I got a little bored and had some fun with my selfie stick! |  |
| Cao Dai Temple We were both very excited to visit the largest Cao Dai temple in central Vietnam. We removed our shoes and entered the empty temple only to meet a student monk who was more than willing to practice his English and tell us all about Caodaism. The religion was founded by a French civil servant in 1921 who received a vision of the divine eye (a symbol of the faith and present behind every Cao Dai alter). Caodaism draws heavily (or one could say cherry picks) from other major religions such as Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, seeking to unify all religions and bring mankind together. | (Below) Numerous religions symbols adorn the outside of the building and above the alter is a decorative plaque that reads “all religions have the same reason”.  |
Although Caodaism has fairly ordinary (perhaps even questionable) foundations and has never really established itself outside of Vietnam, kneeling in the cool, serene temple there is no doubt that Caodaists are helped to live better lives by following their faith. The student monk showed us his private living quarters behind the temple where he works in his overflowing vegetable garden that sustains his vegetarian lifestyle. He also patiently taught us how to pray using specific gestures and movements around a small cushion on the marble floor (dividing men from women). It was a simple, peaceful place where everyone was welcome. Even two, not so practicing Catholics, from 6,000 miles away!
The Marble Mountains
Wanting to follow in the footsteps of Michael Palin, the marble mountains, more specifically marble mountain (Thuy Son is the only mountain accessible to tourists) was on our list of must dos. We rocked up at 7am, more than ready to scale the 156 giant, jagged steps carved into the rock face all the way to the summit. We weren't quite prepared for what was ahead. The base of the mountain was full of vendors shouting over each other to get the attention of the seemingly ONLY white people in the vicinity. We politely said “we’ll be back later” not realizing that this meant they would literally hunt us down!
Wanting to follow in the footsteps of Michael Palin, the marble mountains, more specifically marble mountain (Thuy Son is the only mountain accessible to tourists) was on our list of must dos. We rocked up at 7am, more than ready to scale the 156 giant, jagged steps carved into the rock face all the way to the summit. We weren't quite prepared for what was ahead. The base of the mountain was full of vendors shouting over each other to get the attention of the seemingly ONLY white people in the vicinity. We politely said “we’ll be back later” not realizing that this meant they would literally hunt us down!
 | The caves dotted throughout the mountain were once home to a Viet Cong hospital. They now house Buddhist and Hindu temples, adorned with multiple alters, burning incense and ‘happy Buddha’ statues. During the war, the caves were blasted by bombs, leaving them with large craters in the roof where sun streams in, creating a calm, spiritual atmosphere.  |
Once we got to the entrance we were handed a very rudimentary map and we set off on our assent. The climb was tough. It was 30C, 85% humidity and only getting hotter. Not to mention that health and safety is not really a Vietnamese priority (handrails were less than sturdy and steps were slippery). I made it a little over half way before having to turn back because of the height. Cian kept going solo (applause well deserved). From the top, the five mountains are visible – each representing one element (metal, water, wood, fire and earth).
 |  |
I can’t go without mentioning the second entrance to Thuy Son mountain! If you weren’t in a very active mood, the second entrance to the mountain has an enormous concrete lift (like something from a James Bond movie). Standing tall, and incredibly ugly, the narrow lift shaft is tied to the mountain by a walkway designed to shuttle tired tourists up and down to see the temples and caves without the headache of the climb. The second entrance was brimming with ‘white people’, all eager to buy their lift ticket! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted but we gave that one a miss!
| China Beach (My Khé) Running for 20 miles along the coast from Da Nang to Hoi An, China beach is cited as one of the top ten most beautiful beaches in the world. Of both tourist and military significance, American troops were sent here for some rest and relaxation during the war and it was they who christened the area “China Beach”. |  |
With a backdrop of the Marble Mountains, the beach may be familiar to us Westerners for scenes of surfing soldiers in the movie ‘Apocalypse Now’ but it is well used by locals who treat it as their back garden. It is a fantastic place to waste time, especially during the early morning when elderly locals perform tai chi exercises in the rising sun, and the modest fishing boats are set to work for the day.
Dragon Bridge
When you arrive in Da Nang, you are almost sure to spend half your day crossing the Han River. From any crossing point, the most colourful structure on the horizon has to be the Dragon Bridge. Designed by a group of American Architects, the bridge was opened just recently (2013), and holds six lanes of traffic. The locals are very proud of the impressive structure that spans more than 2,000 ft. While we got time to appreciate the bridge itself, we missed it changing colours at night and blowing fire and water on Sundays - like all good Dragons do.
When you arrive in Da Nang, you are almost sure to spend half your day crossing the Han River. From any crossing point, the most colourful structure on the horizon has to be the Dragon Bridge. Designed by a group of American Architects, the bridge was opened just recently (2013), and holds six lanes of traffic. The locals are very proud of the impressive structure that spans more than 2,000 ft. While we got time to appreciate the bridge itself, we missed it changing colours at night and blowing fire and water on Sundays - like all good Dragons do.
The Locals
Perhaps because the locals were less familiar with tourists than in some more trodden places, they were all keen to talk to us and practice their English. We made a new friend in Wayan who gave Cian a ride back to the hotel on the back of her motorbike! She also did well to sell him some marble from the base of marble mountain (a Turtle for a long life, and an Elephant for strength) made by her parents from Marble dust they imported from China! The Vietnamese government recently banned rock extraction from the mountain realising that they could make more from Marble mountain as a tourist attraction than by cutting into the rock to make huge marble statues. Overall, it was the people that were the most endearing about Da Nang, hugely helpful, enterprising and above all things memorable.
Perhaps because the locals were less familiar with tourists than in some more trodden places, they were all keen to talk to us and practice their English. We made a new friend in Wayan who gave Cian a ride back to the hotel on the back of her motorbike! She also did well to sell him some marble from the base of marble mountain (a Turtle for a long life, and an Elephant for strength) made by her parents from Marble dust they imported from China! The Vietnamese government recently banned rock extraction from the mountain realising that they could make more from Marble mountain as a tourist attraction than by cutting into the rock to make huge marble statues. Overall, it was the people that were the most endearing about Da Nang, hugely helpful, enterprising and above all things memorable.
RSS Feed