We headed south out of Hue for the 3-hour drive down famous Highway 1 to Hoi An. Along the route is Dam Lang Co, a fishing village, where we stopped lakeside for a ‘Happy Room’ visit and refreshments. A big hit was the coconut coffee – excellent!
The drive followed the coast of the East Vietnam sea and was beautiful. Just south of Dam Lang Co the road began climbing up coastal mountains and through Hai Van Pass with views of Lang Co Peninsula.
We stopped at the Marble Mountains just outside Da Nang City. Marble Mountains is a group of five limestone karsts considered a spiritual site for the people of Central Vietnam. An elevator took us to the top of one of the karsts where there is a network of caves, towers, and Buddhist pagodas hidden in the caves. The mountains were heavily mined (now restricted) for marble and there are many shops selling statuary along with very persistent streetside vendors.
As we entered Da Nang City, Peter pointed out the beach where the first American Marines landed in 1965 marking the beginning of our direct military involvement in the Vietnam War. Per Peter, the landing was uneventful. They had to charge up the beach and were met by the mayor of Da Nang and a group of schoolgirls who placed flowered wreaths around their necks. They were expecting a ‘Normandy’ like landing.
Da Nang’s beaches, including the famous China Beach, are beautiful and stretch for miles. We were surprised at how large and modern the city is. The equally famous ‘Dragon Bridge’ crosses the Han River in the middle of town. The dragon breathes fire and water on weekend evenings!
At one end of the bridge is the Cham Museum (the ‘Museum of Champa Sculpture’), over 100-years old. Built by the French, the museum contains the largest collection of Champa sculpture and artwork in the world. The kingdom of Champa controlled what is now south and central Vietnam for some 1400 years and was the furthest eastern extension of Hindu influence.
After arriving in Hoi An we took a walking tour of the city’s Old Town. The town is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s old – the site of an important trading port for the spice trade. Its name translates as ‘peaceful meeting place’. Many of the merchant houses date back hundreds of years. Boats ply the river running through town. One prominent attraction is the ‘Japanese Bridge’ dating to the 1600’s. The Chinese tourists are hilarious – they get off their tour bus and line up to get a rickshaw ride through town.
Hoi An is especially known for its tailors and there are dozens of shops which will make custom clothing with one-day delivery. Peter led us to a small family owned shop where Mary had a few dresses made and I was fitted for shirts. It was a fun process!
Our lodging for the next few days is at the La Siesta Resort. It’s a beautiful hotel on the outskirts of town overlooking rice fields. La Siesta assigns every guest an ‘experience coordinator’. Ours was ‘Chloe’, a pleasant young lady who surprised us with an upgrade to the resort’s ‘Club Wing’. The club section has a separate restaurant that serves both Western and local dishes. For dinner, Mary went Western while I enjoyed the local special of the day. Both were great.
Dick