Around the World in 87 Days: Days 46-48: Danang/Hoi An

Taking a quick break from the bustling city life, we headed to central Vietnam for a little beach relaxation.

Most people fly into Danang and head straight down to Hoi An, a much quainter, touristy town, but Heather had stayed there before so we decided to use Danang as our home base. Danang is supposedly the 5th largest city in Vietnam, although we would never have guessed it upon arrival. Roads seemed completely empty so we arrived at our hotel in no time. Located just off the beach, we payed $37 a night for a well appointed room with a waterfall shower and free breakfast - talk about a steal!

We quickly ventured out to the beach in search of lunch, only to find the ENTIRE beach deserted! There were also plenty of restaurants but no one seemed to be eating. It was an odd atmosphere, but we ended up settling on one with beachfront dining and were treated to some amazing banana flower salad and fresh fish.

Banana flower salad

Thirsty fish

Now getting back to the beach... Danang's beach is spectacular! We've been lucky enough to visit a few nice ones in our lifetime, and this one is pretty darn good. Forbes' magazine even ranked it as one of the "world's most luxurious beaches." There are miles of fine white sand yet when we went in mid-afternoon, it was empty. Yep, almost completely empty. I could count the number people within a kilometer of us on my own two hands. It was so eerie that I went back to the room and googled "what's wrong with Danang beach?" I was sure there were sharks, deadly jellyfish or carcinogenic levels of pollution, but my search turned up nothing.

Beautiful beach - EMPTY!

Reassured, we headed back down to the beach, rented some chairs and an umbrella for $1.50 and drank some coconuts. 5 pm eventually came and with it, the locals. It started with a trickle, but then they came pouring out and it never seemed to end, even when dusk came. We're still not sure why dusk was the popular hour. Perhaps it was the end of the work day or maybe the locals don't want to tan, but for whatever reason, it was good to see that this beach was finally getting some appreciation!

Stan's Corona moment

Even with everyone out on the beach, there was still plenty of space for all. If I were an investor, I'd have started snatching up property years ago. There are developments underway; surely this place will become the next big thing. It reminds me of some of the places my parents took us to as kids that are now over developed. It will be interesting to come back in 10 years or so.

Traditional boat which teeters a lot as you can imagine

The next day we headed down to Hoi An to mill about the historic town. The town was much more interesting than Danang but also catered more to the tourists. We walked about all afternoon perusing the many hundreds of shops. Hoi An is famous for its fine tailoring, and custom garments were offered to us at least a dozen times but we weren't really in the mood for serious shopping, let alone carrying more clothes around for the next month. I did pick up a couple of ties for $4 each and Heather even had her eyebrows threaded for the first time. I had never seen it done but for $1, it was quite a treat. Heather left with perfectly sculpted eyebrows!

Ooooo check out those brows

Another reason for visiting Hoi An was to try its famous regional cuisine. The town has some distinct specialities that we were eager to try. We ended up having lunch and dinner at restaurants owned by a local woman that were highly recommended online and by Lonely Planet. She even offers cooking classes at her newest restaurant, Morning Glory, which we wanted to take but didn't have time. Instead we left with her cookbook to try some dishes out when we get home.