Quê Hương: Da Nang

Da Nang

Da Nang is the fourth place I visited. Its most prominent feature is its beach: My Khe that stretches along the coast of Da Nang. When we went to the beach, it was an archetypal beach day; the sun was out, the sky was azure, the waters were clear, I drank some coconut water, laid under an umbrella on a lounger, and soaked in the breeze. It was the most relaxing moment in the entire vacation. I felt like the trope of a rich guy on a business trip, he's on his break, lounging under an umbrella in his sunglasses and Hawaiian shirt without a care in the world because he just got a huge paycheck. Anyways, after that, I visited Da Nang's night market and saw the iconic Dragon Bridge in all its fire and water-breathing glory. Days later, I visited the Cam Thanh Coconut Village, just outside of Hội An, and rode through the coconut forest in a round basket boat. Then I visited the city of Hội An itself, strolled through its illuminated night market, sent off floating lanterns into the river, and went on a river boat. I know a lot of boats, and cruised through the pitch dark using the lit-up streets as our guide.

Bà Nà Hills

Bà Nà Hills, similar to Ha Long Park, is a park located at the tippity top of a tall hill, accessible only via cable car. We ascended into an extremely cold fog. To be honest, it was a nice change from the heat and humidity terrorized me. Once we got there, we made our first stop at the iconic Golden Bridge, a bridge hanging over the cliffs being held by giant stone hands, with the fog making the atmosphere almost mythical. After admiring the bridge, we then entered the section where the French and Greek inspired castle stood, strolling through the small gardens outside before entering the castle itself. Inside were marble statues, marble pillars, gargoyles, and suits of armor, stuff you don't see often unless you're an actual king or queen. There were even two domed areas with two different giant dresses that one could go up and it would look as if one were wearing the giant dress, and no, I didn't do it, but if I did, I am sure I would've looked very bonita. After, we went outside into another garden-type area full of sculptures of different body types, very odd but very cool. I got to give it to Vietnam, they have a vivid imagination, whatever grand or crazy thing they can think of it they will build it.

Chùa Linh Ứng, Imperial City of Huế and Thiên Mụ Pagoda

Just outside of Da Nang, we visited Chùa Linh Ứng, a pagoda full of Buddhist temples, Buddhist statues, and gardens. There, I got to see the statue of the sleeping Buddha and the towering female counterpart, the Lady Buddha. I was actually really excited to go there, especially when I learnt that there might be monkeys over there, unfortunately I didn't see any monkeys myself, but my mom did, which is how I got that photo. Days later, we visited the Imperial City of Huế, a city within Huế fortified on the perimeter with imposing brick walls, and within these walls are pagodas, temples, and colonial-era buildings. There, I got to explore the different pagodas and temples, and even learn a little about the dynasties that once ruled Vietnam. A pocket of history only accessible to us because of the efforts of hard-working carpenters, stonemasons, sculptors, bricklayers, and painters, which is awesome. I bring this up because when we visit these extroadinary creations and do our touristy things, rarely do we really think about the people, time, and resources it must've taken to create these things, and I was reminded of this when I saw a photo in one of the temples of a group of artisans being awarded certificates for their work and that just made me happy when I saw it. Later that day, we went around Huế itself and visited the Thiên Mụ Pagoda. It became cloudy when we got there, and just looking up at the pagoda felt like, I don't know, like peace, I guess.

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