2/14 Vietnam: Da Nang and Hoi An

2/14/2020

I opened the Valentines cards Rebecca had hidden in my bag, and called for an hour tonight, wishing her a Happy Valentines.

This morning I was up again quite early, and had a chance to both work out in the gym at the Cherish, and then run on the Le Loi which is a walk along the Perfume River.  As usual in Vietnam, in the early morning the active folks are out doing Tai Chi and walking and stretching.  The temps were pleasant, and it was nice to be out to experience the real Vietnam.

The buffet on the 11th floor was amazing, and soon after we checked out of Hue for the van ride to Hoi An.  It was along a stretch of the road that used to be the Mandarin Highway, a 56 mile road that was originally built in the 15th century that roughly parallels the coastline tucked between the majestic mountain range and beaches of the South China Sea, passing lagoons, shorelines, passing hamlets and through tunnels.  The most striking part of the drive is a climb up Hoi Van Pass, at 496 meters and 8% grade.  The would be spectacular view was a bit obscured by clouds below, but it was impressive to see cyclists with support vehicles (scooters) climbing the pass.  

On the restroom break, we saw a small table of Vietnamese gamblers playing a card game called “9”. Looked like they had to get 9 cards, and add the 3x3 groups up to 9, confusing.  Kurt tried to jump in, but they wouldn’t let him.

Another interesting point of note was passing an actual leper colony down on the coastline with dozens of families still remaining there.  

On the other side of the Pass, we descended into the area of Da Nang, and stopped at the Marble Mountain, that had a glass elevator up to some tourist cave areas that the Viet Cong  used to use.  

As we were up on the peak of the Marble Mountain, I heard a fighter jet, and looked seaward to observe a Soviet produced MiG that was Vietnamese Air Force.  Quite ironic that it flew over the area of China Beach, so closely held by the Marines in the Vietnam War.  

On the mountain, even though a tourist destination, there were some cool caves, and ponds with some loud croaking frogs, and even a monkey investigating the tourist activities.  

We got to the Lantana Hotel on the river in Hoi An, a pretty touristy town on the coast, and a bustling marketplace.  It was another 15-16 century port town, however, lost its economic viability when the delta of its river silted in.  The buildings remained intact and provide a glimpse of the architecture from that era, though the old buildings are interspersed with modern tourist commercialism.  

The evening was the most striking feature of the day, with lanterns illuminating the whole town from the trees, bridges, boats and even on the river. 

I was disappointed in our dinner at the “Our Restaurant” especially since more strolling through the night market we discovered a couple of BBQ booths of lobster and prawns and other beautiful fresh, inexpensive seafood.  

The jokes about the Vietnamese currency still abound with a group of 6 guys, the “dong” being ever amusing.  

Even though there are less mask wearing Vietnamese than in the bigger cities, the source of amusement never ends when we see someone with a mask pulled down, and smoking, or a baby with a mask on a motor scooter without a helmet, and in this traffic, begs to wonder where the safety priority lies.