Da Nang

(Usual waiver applies to grammar, typos, spelling as I'm posting via  a small phone screen on the hoof 🤭, click on the pics to zoom in)

 9 April 2026
Good flight from Hanoi to Da Nang. We could actually see blue sky as we flew in to land. 

We are staying in Son Tra which more of a beach-side area than a city vibe. We can walk to My Khe beach in six minutes, although you have to time your run.....it's still mega hot, 34°C even with the sea breeze.

We have an apartment for a week so we can relax and not be rushing from A to B daily. Plus we have colds/sore throats we need to shake so staying put helps recovery me thinks. As does having a washer/dryer...luxury!

Quick facts: Da Nang is the fourth largest municipality in Vietnam by population and the largest by geographical area. Although It has the fastest growing economy it still has that relaxed beachy feel. There is no doubt about this area changing and being developed, the skyline is scattered with new high rise towers under construction.

Da Nang’s beaches stretch for miles,all the way from Hoi An in the south and we head there in a few days.

The beach front is lined with cafes, seafood restaurants, brewpubs and beach clubs.

This coast is famous for its fresh seafood so we got to taste a few options 😁

We took a drive out to the Lady Buddha statue that sits majestically at Linh Ung Pagoda on Son Tra peninsula about 30 mins northeast of downtown Da Nang. Perched over 200 meters above sea level it's a beauty.

The statue stands with her back to the mountain, facing the East Sea. Her gentle eyes look down while one hand forms a sacred mudra and the other holds a vase of blessed water. On top of her crown sits a smaller Buddha statue, about 2 meters tall.

Locals believe the Lady Buddha protects Da Nang from storms and blesses fishermen with safety and good fortune at sea

Ling Ung pagoda is glorious. The gardens are spectacular and you could wander here for hours. 

There are numerous Buddha sculptures and pagoda.

In contrast to the Lady Buddha is the Pink Cathedral. This is the only church built in Danang  in the French colonial period, in 1923 for Danang’s French colonial population.

Vietnam has the fifth-largest Catholic population in Asia, with approximately 7 million Catholics, which is  approx 7% of the total population. As we travelled south it was interesting to see very traditional French style churches and cathedrals dotted in amongst the villages, some simple and some very grand.

Given the expanse of coast it's no surprise there is a big fishing fleet here. There are commercial boats that work off shore and small round boats that seem to work the inner shorelines.

The commercial fleet is slowly upgrading to international standards. 

With the present fuel costs, our driver told us many fishermen can't afford to put out to see at the moment.

If shopping is ya thang.... there's numerous markets here where you can get just about anything. We checked out Han Market but with many more weeks of travelling we don't need any extra baggage. Interesting to wander around and see the huge variety of food, spices, clothes and goods for sale.

The food here is amazing. It ranges from fine French patisserie  to Bahn Mi to light and fresh Vietnamese food that tempts your taste buds 😁

The range of fruit here is amazing and so fresh.

Hotel Bullani Sabi Hotel & Apartments 

Thung Nham Ecotourism

(Usual waiver applies to grammar, typos, spelling as I'm posting via  a small phone screen on the hoof 🤭, click on the pics to zoom in)

8 April 2026

Another hot day so we had a bit of  a lazy morning. We had travel bits and bobs to organise and laundry to be sorted. It's a tough life 😁.

We did manage a short walk around the Tam Coc lake. 

Tam Coc is still a traditional village in many senses. Getting your washing done on the lake edge seems an every day occurrence.

The locals often exercise together in the park on the lake edge - they looked as cool as cucumbers!

We found a local cafe run by some young guys and had a fantastic lunch - vegan food, poke bowls, egg coffee..... yummy! 

We had booked a driver to take us to Bich Dong pagoda and then on at 4.30 to Thung Nham Bird Park to see the birds coming home to roost. Before we actually landed in Vietnam I had thought we could cycle from A to B in Tam Coc but the humidity is a killer. Lots of hot, sweaty tourist biking about looking frazzled. I know I would have had a meltdown in those temps so was very glad we took the air conditioned car option.

So let's go folks. Bich Dong Pagoda is approx 600 years old. 

The pagoda’s gate is what makes it famous with the traditional Vietnamese style - three doors, and a bridge that connects the gate to a lotus ponds.

There are three pagoda staggered up the hill side and tucked into a limestone cliff.

So you guessed it, it involved climbing in 36°C heat. Everyone looked hot and sweaty. No glamour shots possible in that humidity. The top pagoda was carved into a cave.

A very beautiful and peaceful place to visit with shaded gardens, lotus ponds and statuary.

Next stop was Thung Nham Bird Park.  We wanted to do this when the birds were coming home late afternoon. 

The bird park was set in a beautiful garden park and natural wetland. 

The topiaried trees were a sight to behold. Might try this at home 🙂

Beautiful butterflies were flitting about. Especially beautiful was a gorgeous big black velvet butterfly which I missed getting a pic of, but so beautiful.

Next stop was the bird roosting area. This meant more rowing. 

Being rowed through the bird roosting area was amazing. So many birds flying in and so many on nests. My phone camera photos don't do it justice unfortunately. It was awesome!

White egrets, storks, bitten and heron were quite happily  going about their business. Fantastic.

Fun fact, in Hanoi we thought we saw a NZ wax eye in a cage. Turns out there is a native bird very similar, a Vietnamese green-backed white-eye.

We have had an amazing time in little Tam Coc, Ninh Binh. We stayed in a small family run hotel and tried to support the local village run enterprises. The surrounding environment is blessed with natural wonders and a rich cultural history. It's an area punching above it's weight in natural beauty. Our driver told us post Covid, Tam Coc tourist numbers have gone through the roof and show no sign of stopping. New national big chain hotels are rapidly being built and the locals are worried about how sustainable all the development is...... and what will happen to everyday village life.

Tomorrow we fly from Hanoi to the coast and park ourselves up in Da Nang ...hoping for sea breezes 🙏.

Tam Coc Hotel Sueno