From Hanoi, we flew to Da Nang, a city on the central coast of Vietnam and kind of like the “California” of Vietnam – the winter weather here was sunnier and warmer than Hanoi. The setting is quite pretty with green mountains surrounding the city and long stretches of beachfront and resorts along the South China Sea coast, making it somewhat of a vacation destination. Da Nang is the 5th largest city in Vietnam and a major port.
A snapshot of Da Nang from our taxi.
Our purpose in coming to Da Nang was to visit the UNESCO World Heritage town of Hoi An, a picturesque village just about 30 minutes south by taxi. Several centuries ago, when Vietnam was just being “discovered” by European explorers, Hoi An was a major port and trading hub for much of Asia.
A view of the village of Hoi An with the river boats.
The 18th century Japanese covered bridge, the symbol of Hoi An.
A temple in Hoi An.
A street scene in Hoi An.
Hoi An is now a primary tourist destination—with well-preserved 15th-19th century architecture and lots of shopping and restaurants along the Thu Bon River. Speaking of shopping, good values can be found here – I got a wooden ship (junk) model for $25 and my daughter bought a couple pairs of custom made leather sandals and my son bought a leather wallet, made overnight after they copied the best features of his current wallet!
My ship model. A bargain for $25.
Some fashionable shoes for sale in Hoi An!
The Thu Bon River is the lifeblood of Hoi An – providing a highway for transportation, access to the sea and sources of food. We took an hour tour along the river – very enjoyable, with views of homes, boats and daily life along the riverfront.
Demonstration of how to cast a net on our Thu Bon River cruise.
Our river boat guide.
View along the Thu Bon River.
The evenings are when Hoi An shows its best, with the decorated lights along the river, and lively sounds coming from the restaurants, shops and bars around the town.
Hoi An comes alive at dusk, with the tourists looking for food and drink after the day’s adventures.
A dusk river boat ride.
One of the many tailors in Hoi An.
My Son Ancient Hindu Temples – A Good Day Trip from Hoi An
Another thing we did while in Hoi An was hire a taxi to take us out to the My Son ancient ruins, another UNESCO World Heritage site, which was about 37 kilometers (20 miles) distant. These are ancient Hindu temples, constructed between the 4th and 14th centuries.
View of the ruins of My Son.
One of the better preserved temples at My Son.
Most of the temples were built out of brick rather than stone. There is a large visitors center and interpretive signs in English at the major temples. The ruins are some distance away from the visitor’s center, and you can either walk or take a cart ride provided by the park.
Another temple at My Son.
This ruin has been restored; the UN is providing some funds for restoration of these temples.
Detailed carved writing (with some bullet marks) can be seen on this stone.
While this site in its current state does not compare to the ruins found in Siem Reap, it is nonetheless interesting, partly for the history and partly because there was significant fighting here during the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, much of the site was destroyed during bombing runs by the U.S. Evidence of this can still be seen in the bomb craters.
Bomb crater (the mud hole at bottom of photo).
Some ruins are still covered by dense jungle foliage.
Unexploded land mines are still in the area too, so don’t wander off the main paths.
Going out on patrol in this dense jungle must have been no fun (some ruins can also be seen).
It was rainy the day we visited and I can only imagine how miserable it would have been to slog through the humid, wet jungle for days and weeks on end constantly in fear of being shot or captured. Plan about 4 hours for the round trip from Hoi An, which leaves about 2 hours for the site visit.
The Independent Tourist 