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Vietnam
> Danang & Hoian |
DANANG
Da Nang was
the landing point of both the French and the Americans during their stints in Vietnam.
When the French established a garrison in Da Nang (then called Tourane), more soldiers
died from disease than the associated fighting in establishing the garrison. There is now
a small cemetery dedicated to them.During the Vietnam War, Da Nang was the home to one
fifth of all US servicemen based in Vietnam. This made Da Nang on of the heaviest defended
cities in South Vietnam, yet it eventually fell to the North Vietnamese in 1975 with
hardly a bullet fired.Da Nang marks the halfway point between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
and was the first place to organize its own local communist party committee. The city is
fairly featureless, and if you are coming from the tranquil setting of Lang Co, Hoi An, or
anywhere for that matter, Da Nang is an extreme disappointment. It is a busy, dusty,
colorless city, the fourth largest in Vietnam, and one of the largest business centers.
Unless you are in Da Nang for business, chances are you will pass straight through. Da
Nang does have a fascinating Cham Museum that contains an excellent collection of Cham
art. However, the main reason for staying in Da Nang is in the surrounding region. China
Beach, the Marble Mountains, Hoi An and My Son are all within striking distance of Da
mange, though it is more pleasant to stay in Hoi An and visit these sights.
HOIAN
Hoi An is small and peaceful, the kind of place where you
will probably get stuck fo r a few days, whether it is intentional or
not. Originally known as Faifo, this antique town is bordered on its southern side by the
Thu Bon River, along which there is a number of small cafes. Despite the fact that it is
now a tourist haven, the artistic atmosphere and local friendly people create an inviting
environment.Hoi An’s importance as a port city developed in the 17 century and
remained so for a long time. There used to be canals parallel to the streets, so
merchandise could be loaded straight from the back of houses onto the boats. Hoi An’s
continuance as a port lasted right up until the early years of the 20 century, when the
river became silted up forcing the cargo ships to call at Da Nang instead.In the past Hoi
An has been used by the Japanese, Portuguese, Dutch, French and the large remaining
Chinese community where all sorts of produce and wares were traded. Remnants of these past
traders’ influences can still be seen lining the streets of Hoi An. There are nine
different types of historical sites n Hoi An with an average age of 200 years. They
include private houses, family chapels, community halls, communal houses, temples,
pagodas, bridges, wells and tombs. Many of these buildings have been maintained close to
their original form, allowing you imagination to recreate a prosperous trading town. The
houses are small and colorful with wooden doors, window shutters and ornamental furniture.
A pleasant change from the iron bars and metal grates of other towns.Hoi An is full of
shops selling artwork, from lifelike memorial family portraits, to stylized images of Hoi
An houses and streets. Next door to the art shops are places selling souvenir statues,
ceramic plates, and ‘antique’ bowls. At the market place beside the river, you
can pick up almost anything you want. Tourists are often being lured into the markets to
buy silk and to have quality garments tailor made. You can have anything from dresses and
trousers to shirts and hats made for a cheap price.Another noticeable quality of Hoi An is
its relative silence. There are few cars and people do not feel the urge to use their
horns every two seconds. The streets are filled with the hum of voices, motorbikes and the
shuffling of thongs along the ground. Hoi An is small enough to get around on foot, and
you will need a set of wheels if you are going to Cue Dai Beach, or on a day trip to the
Marble Mountains or Da Nang.A relaxing activity around sunset is to hire a boat from the
waterside by the market place. Many of the locals will wait on the river and offer you
this service throughout the day and night.
 Cham Museum
The Cham Museum is the main attraction of Da Nang and is
worth the trip, even if it is from Hoi An. This old sandstone building houses an excellent
collection of Cham art and sculpture. The museum was built between 1915 and 1916, with Da
Nang being chosen due to its proximity to the themes of Cham architecture, and was
enlarged in 1936 as the collection of works increased. There are now over 300 pieces of
sculpture and they are all original pieces of work. The subjects of the sculpture range
through a vast ten rooms of the museum bears the name of the district in which the relic
were found.
Marble Mountain
The Marble Mountains are made up of five limestone outcrops in isolation from the
surrounding plains, each riddled with caves and grottoes, with some made into pagodas and
shrines. Each mountain represents one of the five elements of the universe, being water,
wood, fire, metal and earth. The main mount, representing water, has a path to the top
with two entrances open to tourists. You can also enter from the second entrance at the
reverse side, farther down the road, which is a much less strenuous climb. The top offers
spectacular views of Da Nang and the surrounding Marble Mountains. A better vantage point
is reached through a small hole at the top of one of the caves, with the views including
China Beach and Cham island.As you start climbing the stairs, you will be accosted by
young children offering to guide you or sell you stone carvings. The guides can be quite
good value, as for payment they often just want you to buy a small stone carving, a great
pressie for the folks back home. Come of the larger caves have been transformed for
religious purposes, and Buddha statues are guilt within them along with all the associated
guardians. Some of these caves are quite eerie with the pungent smell in incense sitting
in the air and the walls all covered in bullet marks from small arms fighting during the
Vietnam War.During the Vietnam war there was some violent fighting which went on in cave
to cave battles. In Huyen Khong cave, one of the large holes in the ceiling was caused y a
bomb. Within this cave there are a number of shrines, temple guards and Buddha statues,
and there are still stalactites on the ceiling. Off to the side of the cave there are two
small stalactites that are believed to represent breasts, one is dripping whilst the other
is dry. According to legend, when Emperor Tu Duc entered and touched one of the
stalactites, it stopped dropping and never has since. At the base of Marble Mountains
there are a large number of stone carving shops reminiscent of Mahalliburipuram, India, as
all you can hear is the endless chipping away of stone. All these stores are very keen to
sell you a three foot high temple dog.
China Beach
China Beach extends north and south of the Marble Mountains and was made famous
by the war and subsequent TV series. China Beach is within cycling distance of Da Nang and
it was this close proximity that led to it being used as an R&R destination for
American soldiers during the war. It is a long beach that stretches all the way down to
Cua Dai beach at Hoi An, though you will get a larger surf at China beach. China beach
actually hosted Vietnam’s first International Surfing Competition in 1992. There is
some controversy as to whether this was the real China Beach or if it was the beach called
My Khe, further to the north.
My Son
My Son has what is arguably the best collection of Cham art and architecture in
its natural setting in Vietnam. It is  somewhat of an arduous
journey to get out there, but is well worth the effort. If you are not willing to risk
life and limb to visit Angkor, at least My son will give you a little taste of what it
must be like. Unfortunately some of the monuments were destroyed by the war or thieves,
but what remains is still considerable. Many of the structures are overgrown with dense
vegetation but you can get inside some of them.
Merchant Houses
Many of the old merchant houses are lived in by the locals, but fortunately are
beautifully preserved. They ca be typically described as having a narrow and lofty
interior with a barrel vault ceiling. The street entrance has a shop front where the
merchant used to display his goods. This is still used for his purpose n modern Hoi An
with its numerous galleries and antique shops. There is also a back room where the
merchant’s family, apprentices and servants lived. The entire inside of the house is
made of deeply polished hardwood. Walls, columns and entrances are decorated with poems,
words, symbols, and patterns. Much of the heavy ornate furniture are originals, however
some pieces are replicas. Private houses in this style open to travelers include Tan KY
House that has staff that speak fluent English and French.
Japanse Bridge
This bridge was built in 1953 by the Japanese, although this may be hard to pick
by its name! Its base is made of stone, and the rest of ironwood, jackwood and other
hardwoods. The bridge’s purity has been ruined over time with Chinese and Vietnamese
ornamentation. There is a pagoda built into one side of the bridge, which is normally
closed to foreigners unless you specifically request it opened. The bridge is still used
as a popular thoroughfare and is on the western end of Tran Phu street.
Phuc Kien Community Hall
This is a Chinese Community Hall, but has other uses as a temple, shrine, place
of ancestor worship, and a venue for conferences. The Chinese maintain practicality in
their worship but since most things in life ca not be guaranteed, superstition also plays
a large part in their religious beliefs. The rear contains an altar dedicated to the three
gods of health, wealth, and longevity. Three is even a goddess who will stop your baby
crying for a sufficient tip. Other community and assembly halls include: the Hainan
Chinese Assembly, the ChaoZhou Assembly Hall ...
Cua Dai Beach
This beach is the closest to Hoi An, is very beautiful and is well worth a visit
to cool off when the heats starts to get to you. The only eyesore are the bizarre changing
huts and bungalows. It is an incredibly long beach with loads of room to wander off for a
bit of personal space, which is so difficult to find in Vietnam. If you spend a day at the
beach and elect to take a deckchair, you will be asked to buy either a baguette, some
lovely pineapple or a drink, otherwise you will have to pay for the seat. All these prices
are inflated, but the pineapple in particular is delicious.
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