Goodnight Vietnam

 (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)

21 April 2026

It's goodnight Vietnam, til next time.

We have loved all our Vietnam adventures. From the crazy chaos of Hanoi Old Town, to Tam Coc and the quiet rice fields, rivers and mountains, to Da Nang and the chilled out beach vibe, the glorious limestone Karsts in Lan Ha Bay and we'll never forget gorgeous historic 'chocolate box' Hoi An.

We've probably only scratched the surface in terms of history and cultural exchange, still so much more to discover but that will have to be next time. The food.....it's been amazing 😍 

Quick tourist observations, no one orchestrates the traffic....it just seems to flow smoothly. I'm sure there are mishaps but this kind of 'free for all' would never work in NZ, it would be fisticuffs and someone would end up limping away. I watched a little three year old run out from the cafe, climb up onto the back of a scooter and off he went with his dad. From a young age the kids see how the system works safely, the 'tooting for awareness /I'm coming past you' .....no harsh words or punch ups....maybe it's just they have to make it work due to sheer volume of traffic. 

Crossing the road goes take some getting used to, but they do weave around you and they don't stop for pedestrian crossings, they go around you.

Young people here must complete two years compulsory military service and you don't get out of it if you go to Uni, they give you until you are aged 27yrs to get your service completed.

There is high patriotism on display....they love their flag AND it's everywhere. Have to say as flag design goes, it's a goodie.  

There appears to be high levels of respect for public amenities, hardly any graffiti and the intergenerational family unit is strong. Retirement age is 57yrs for women and 60 for men but with a huge aging population the government is looking at options to extend this age.  Life can be tough, I saw many elderly working on construction sites, wheeling barrows of bricks, plastering and many appear to sleep at the worksite in very humble conditions.

We flew with Vietnam Airlines and they have been great (apart from a 60yr age restriction on sitting in Exit rows....only airline in the world that we have found this. We are a lot stronger and capable than some of the tiny folks sitting in our seats 😁😬😁). We used a local driver in Tam Coc and Da Nang and they were great, excellent drivers and great at sharing local info.

Tourism is booming. Russia, India, Taiwan and Korea represent the highest numbers, increased 40% post Covid. We saw Russian restaurants.  The developers are responding, high rise resort  construction everywhere. I wonder what it will be like in five years time? We saw a fair few Aussie's and Kiwis too.

Medical & Dental tourism is taking off. We had our teeth cleaned and polished in a highly professional dental clinic, 45 mins, lovely hygienist ( she's real, not a model, I had teeth envy😁) and it cost equivalent NZ$11.00. In NZ that would be around $250.00. If I need full on dental work I'm coming back here. We also had a couple of massages here - my back, neck and shoulders never felt so good. Again fully trained masseuse, immaculate clinic, beautiful aromatherapy oils, hot stones and who knew such little hands could be so Strong - best therapeutic massage ever, 60 mins equivalent NZ$16.00!

Did I mention the coffee here? Along with being a world leader in Robusta coffee bean production the coffee culture here is off the charts. New favourite is Lychee Rose iced tea.

Check out the egg coffee in the pic below - white foam, vanilla egg whisked for the centre 👌👌

So many different types of hot and cold coffee, egg coffee, salted coffee, coconut coffee...you get the idea. 

The cafe are uber cool and a hit with the Instagram crowd. 

We loved the vibe too although probably we're not quite the young groover demographic they normally attract 😁

We'll miss the food. We'll miss the little temple shrines dotted around the neighbourhood and the people...so lovely, kind and caring. 

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Hoi An

 (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)

16 April 2026

We had a good drive from Da Nang to Hoi An. As we left Da Nang we passed mile after mile of enormous sea-front resorts like the Marriott, Radisson, Hyatt etc. They had amazingly beautiful gardens, tennis courts, topiaried trees etc and me thinks stunning sea frontages. We  kinda gawped at the gated opulence while across the road were very humble tin shacks.

We're in Hoi An for three days, two nights sooo let's go!  Hoi An is on a river delta and is chocolate box gorgeous. It's a great example of a melting pot of cultures. It was a major trading port during the 16th to 18th centuries. 

It was  an important hub for Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and French traders in addition to the Vietnamese themselves.

You guessed it, it's been declared a  UNESCO World Heritage site. 

Every corner you turn is a little 'wow' moment. 

I can see why the Instagram crowd love it here.

The old shophouses reminded me of Singapore.

The Thu Bon River runs through town and the ornate footbridges and boats  add to the ambiance.

This groovy little town is also known as the city of lanterns.

 

Back in the day early Chinese and Japanese settlers hung lanterns to light the way and to bring good luck. 

As you wander through the gorgeous streets you can see lanterns everywhere. 

You can take a lantern making class or a night boat tour and see all the lanterns being released on the river. Every full moon the town turns the street lights off and only lanterns light the way, now that would be cool to see. 

The little footbridges are all festooned with lights - such a pretty town both day and night.   

Every village has a night market and Hoi An is no different. It was busy as we walked through the stalls. Lots of vendors offering goods, spa, massage etc but no hassle if you politely said no thanks. 

We are staying in a  home stay, trying to support a  local business. It's lovely and just five mins walk from all the action of the old town. The lady of the house runs a tight ship and first instructions were no shoes past the front door😁 which is all good but the little slippers they give you are tiny on our big feet. Luckily we always carry indoor jandals so we had a chuckle with the hostess.

We are in  working neighborhood so not touristy at all, there's even chickens next door but one 👍

Many houses have little garden plots growing herbs, veges, fruits and chillies! Saw a chilli harvest being dried on our street👌

Love that there are no cars or motorbikes in the old town from 9am - 6pm👌and goods are still carted in on trolleys.

The famous Japanese covered bridge has a dog carving on one end and a Monkey at the other end.

The bridge was started in the Year of the Dog and completed in the Year of the Monkey....or was it the other way around🤔😁

There are many temples and pagoda you can visit, but time your run, after 11am it starts cooking up heat wise. 

We got up early and wandered  the streets as the village was coming to life. 

Goldfish  anyone? 

Food pic of the day was this delicate prawn dish tied up with spring onions, mint and Thai basil, so fresh and with a tangy tamarind sauce👌.

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.

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