Da Nang and Hoi An. Day 1, 2 (Thu/Fri)

Kate, Alex and I were booked on a Jetstar flight from Singapore to Danang in Vietnam. Don't know how she did it, but Kate managed to get Jetstar to put my name on the luggage label. Well done Kate!

Again, travel experience came to the fore when Kate had prepaid for visas into Vietnam, so queues for passport control were not too bad. Paid our money and went through.

Here's a map to show where we travelled. We were in Da Nang (seems that sometimes it's Danang) for 1 night, then 2 nights in Hoi An finishing with 3 nights in Hanoi. Did not have enough time to visit Ho Chi Minh city in the south (the old Saigon) so saved that for next time.

An evening walk to eat resulted in a beer and some spring rolls at one place.... but we felt the rest of their menu was not 'traditional' enough, so we moved on ....
  

...... for some traditional tucker at the next place. This was thin sheets of rice paper with greens plus some skewers of barbecued pork or chicken, with a few other things.  The food was certainly healthy and very tasty. The greens were indeterminate, fine-leafed lettuce or spinach or whatever, but very plentiful and easy to eat.

The biggest challenge was sitting on the very low stools at very small tables. I think 'Kinder' kids in Australia would complain the seats were too small, but too bad. We had to cope.
  

The progressive dinner then moved on to a traditional street corner stall, literally at the corner and on the footpath. Again, the food was beautiful and cheap, cheap. It would have cost each of us about $10 to $12 AUD total for the evening meal across the three locations.
  

Next morning, the views out the window were interesting. A fair bit of street noise. Breakfast in our rooms consisted of noodles, so we were looking forward to a real coffee.
  

There were still ashtrays supplied in rooms so had to get used to that.
  

We booked out of 'The Vanilla Hotel' and were prepared to wait outside, but the Guide was there and ready to go. We had booked a private tour guide for the day so he had an itinerary planned.

A map of Central Vietnam shows the location of the 'Lady Buddha' statue and the Marble Mountains. Most of the coastal strip between Da Nang and Hoi An is now hotels, resorts and villas catering for tourists.
  

We stopped at a beach where traditional fishing boats were beached, including the surprising round or hemispherical boats used for net-fishing in close to shore. They are stable and the nets don't catch on sharp points or edges.
  

A huge statue, dubbed 'Lady Buddha' by westerners, was the next stop. It was an image of the Goddess of Mercy, who looks after fishermen; she is not a 'buddha' but the name has stuck. Made from rendered concrete so not marble as expected.
    

Other marble statues occurred around the area, often quite large.
  

There were numerous Buddhist temples also. These usually had 3 shrines inside and were quite ornate.
  

The 'edifice' marking the edge of the space and perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean was quite spectacular.

There were bonsai trees over the courtyard and a 'bonsaist'? (or topiarist) was hard at work.
  

Nearby, another pagoda was under construction. The bamboo scaffolding looked rather precarious, but I guess that technology has been used for centuries.
  

Back towards Danang and we went past a fishing port. Never have I seen so many fishing boats of all shapes and sizes! Acres and acres of them.
  

A stop for a coffee presented the newly-usual problem of small seats and tables. I guess Darwinian selection dictates that taller people can't sit in coffee shops and drink coffee, therefore cannot go on living ... don't breed and hey presto! Vietnamese are quite small.

  

Down along the river are more shops, mainly restaurants and coffee-shops. Many, many bikes and scooters.
 

Traffic is something which has to be seen and experienced to be believed. Not sure I still believe it! Very few traffic lights at corners and cars and bikes just 'mesh' through an intersection. A lot of beeping of horns etc but we didn't see an accident or crash, so somehow it 'works' amid all the chaos. It took a day or two, but we did get used to just walking across at a measured, determined pace and trusting that scooters and cars just veer and miss you. It is helped by an obvious commitment from all drivers to NOT hit pedestrians, no matter how impatient or rude they might seem - unlike Aus and many western cities.

 

Noticed the footpath gutter (or curb) has a 'mitred' or 'chamfered' edge so scooters and motor bikes can roll up onto the footpath easily.
  

A great looking bridge, just opposite the Museum we visited. The 'Dragon Bridge'.
 

We visited the Museum of the Cham kingdom and period. The Chams were a Hindu ethnic group of central Vietnam who were in fairly constant conflict with the Buddhist tribes and ethic groups around them.  After their final defeat, their artifacts and objects of their civilisation were plundered and exported offshore, until the Vietnamese realised these needed to be housed within Vietnam as part of their history and culture. There were quite a few interesting pieces and Kate had the 'I am listening' pose as Tommy the Guide shared the story.

The more arms, the better for Shiva - a Hindu goddess.

... and we saw many dragons with elephant tusks, rams horns, snake bodies and other useful defensive appendages. Obviously a significant historical museum but it's importance escaped me at the time and didn't get full attention from me.

However, the lunch was superb, with various authentic, traditional Vietnamese dishes.
 

Markets are always interesting.
  

The drive to Hoi An along the coast went past what our guide called the 'Five-star-strip'. Basically, it covers all the 20 km coastal strip from Danang to Hoi An. There are wall-to-wall five star hotel chains building large, luxurious resorts, villas and hotels amidst golf courses etc. There must be some concern about this, but I guess it is providing employment as tourism builds rapidly - but at what cost?
 

Along this stretch is the Marble Mountains, a chain of hills of metamorphosed limestone (marble) with a thriving stone-carving industry. The craft has been in this area for many years, way before tourism caused any spike. There are retail outlets or shop-fronts which sell the pieces. There are large marble sculptures which are spectacular but wouldn't fit in my suitcase, so photos have to suffice.

A large house with a big front-entry would suit these pieces. Make that a mansion, rather than a house!

Ironically, this is the outlet which provided a 1.5m high statue of Jesus for the Mercy Reflection Garden at McAuley Catholic College in Grafton, which I had the privilege of developing and overseeing in 2015. A friend, familiar with the area and craft, negotiated the statue design, price and transport of the statue for us and similarity in styles were obvious around the showroom.
  

Several of the prominent limestone and marble hills were still visible below.
 

Of course, tourists are able to (expected to?) climb to the top of some of these peaks.  Gardens, shrines and pagodas are situated on the slopes and in the caves and recesses. The caves etc are typical of any limestone environment.
 

The dragons are large and remarkably detailed.
 

The setting below shows the young child Buddha (lower central right). Our guide kept referring to the child Buddha as (phonetically) ... sack har monie ... It seems this must be Sakyamuni - which Google suggests is the family line of Siddhartha Gautama - the Buddha. Anyway ... many great statues and representations of him throughout the gardens.
   

Many of the caves and recesses had shrines or prayer spaces dedicated to a god or goddess.
  

Others were more 'wordly' with two learned gentleman playing chess.
 

Some of the large caves had incredible decoration and lighting.
 

and shrines..
 

The climb to the top was very tough, with relentless steps, made harder by variable 'riser' and 'tread' distances ...
  

... onwards to the summit!
 

The view was spectacular so well worth it! Part of the 'Five-star-strip' of resorts and hotels is visible in the background as it creeps down the coast. (.. charges down the coast!)

From a vantage point some distance down, a sense of the elevation can be appreciated.
  

The road to Hoi-An cuts through some rice fields.
 

On arrival in Hoi An in the late afternoon, out first destination, after Kate's exhaustive research, was the recommended tailor shop out of the ~600 tailors in the town . Our guide commented.. "Not cheapest! - but good reputation for quality materials and fabrics."
 

After initial negotiation, we strolled the streets of Hoi An. There are always hazards on the footpath. 

 

and the occasional work site with the clear understanding that you need to watch where you're walking! They must have run out of yellow triangle signs, reflective tape, barricades and signage.

   

The fleet of tourist boats on the foreshore in Hoi An all displayed the markings common to all water craft and shipping in Vietnam - the big eyes to keep a look out for any 'demons of the deep.'
 

My phone camera (and limited skills) didn't do justice to the wonderful sunset over the foreshore.

 

As the daylight faded, the lanterns lit up and made a spectacular sight along the streets.  .
 

Street traders set up anywhere but we baulked at trying this type of street food.
 

Evening markets were common and there was intense pressure from the traders.
 

Kate's research pointed to an eatery on the edge of the busy part of town. Great result Kate! Superb food,  very cheap and seemed very healthy as well!
 

... and the lanterns were in full view on the walk home.