World Travel with Bob: Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang

We enjoyed our 2011 visit to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the villages along the Mekong River. As Vietnam is only a two hour flight from Yangon, we decided to add an extension to Da Nang, Hue and Hoi An to our Myanmar trip. This would give us an opportunity to visit the central Viet Nam area.

With flight availability dictating our schedule, we flew into Ho Chi Minh City for a one night stay at the Sofitel Plaza Saigon. A modern hotel, this was within easy walking distance to the central downtown area and under $160 for the night, including a delicious breakfast buffet. I've noticed that Asian hotels focusing on business travelers generally host lavish breakfast spreads - including Asian hot noodles and dishes, regional juices and fresh fruit slices, yogurt, muesli, a variety of breads, along with western style eggs, omelettes and breakfast meats. My guess is that this is possible only with lower labor and produce costs.

We stopped at our favorite Cuc Gach Quan for our only dinner in Ho Chi Minh City. Once again, we were not disappointed. This restaurant is housed in a multi-storied house. Each room is unique in decoration and offer intimate dining areas. The menu selections are so broad that we find its easier to simply ask the waiter for suggestions. We enjoyed a banana flower chicken salad, stir-fried morning glory, fried tofu with lemongrass, ginger chicken, carmelized pork, rice beers and freshly made juices - all under $40USD.

The next morning, we had about a half-day before our flight to Da Nang. This provided plenty of time to walk into the central downtown area. We could see the street decorations being placed in preparation for the upcoming Tet celebrations.

Along our walk, we stopped at the Rex Hotel. The rooftop bar was a perfect spot to have a cafe sua da and retreat from the increasing morning heat. The Rex has an interesting history. Built in 1927 as an European automobile dealership and auto garage, in 1958, it was converted into a hotel complex. During the Viet Nam War, the hotel hosted the daily 5pm communication update by the US Armed Forces. In 2003, the Rex Hotel underwent extensive updating. The hotel is owned by the government tourist agency.

Rooftop Bar,Rex Hotel
© 2016, R. Ono

Ho Chi Minh City is Very Cosmopolitan
© 2016, R. Ono

Evening Motorscooter Traffic, Ho Chi Minh City

Moving on to Da Nang

Arriving at the Da Nang International Airport around 7pm, we were picked up by Tommy, our guide that would accompany us from Da Nang, Hue and Hoi An. As we drove through Da Nang, we could see a modern city, the third largest in Viet Nam, that was very clean and much less traffic than Ho Chi Minh City.

We stayed two nights at the Hyatt Regency Resort in Da Nang. This resort sits on 50 acres with over 1,900 feet of beachfront. It is only about five minutes driving time from the Marble Mountains. We were booked for a standard hotel guest room ($270USD), but received a free upgrade to a condominium unit ($350USD). The third floor condo unit had a full kitchen, large great room, separate bedroom, walk-in closet and bathroom with separate tub and shower. Our unit was located at the extreme north end of the resort complex, overlooking the beach. I can't recall staying at a hotel with a larger grounds footprint. A map was needed to navigate ourselves around the property and, frankly, a bicycle would also have been helpful. After returning to the US, I noticed that VRBO/Homeaway listed a similar condo unit in the same resort for $200 per night. This figure may not include resort fees and/or breakfast buffet access.

Overall, our two-night stay in Da Nang was enjoyable and convenient as a homebase for day tours. We particularly enjoyed a seven course Vietnamese seafood dinner at the resort's Beach House restaurant. This included shrimp mousse on sugar cane, wok-fried squid, pork-rib soup, bamboo chicken, steamed tilapia, mong-toi leaves, rice and a banana sago in coconut milk dessert ($65USD for two). Departing Da Nang, we were on our way to the Imperial Citadel in Hue, a 2.5 hour drive away, over the Hai Van pass.

While in Da Nang, we spent one morning at the resort gym and pool. In the afternoon , our guide picked us up to start a tour of the Marble Mountains, (aka Ngu Hanh Son). There are five marble mountains and they are named after the five elements; Kim (metal), Thuy (water), Moc (wood), Hoa (fire) and Tho (earth). The mountains are very close to the location of the American Marble Mountain Air Facility that was used during the Viet Nam (or American) War.

All of the mountains have cave entrances and numerous tunnels; however, we entered Water (Thuy Son) Mountain for our tour. An elevator took us half-way up the mountain and we continued our visit via stairs. As we climbed up the interior of the mountain, we were provided with wide panoramic views of the surrounding areas and the other marble mountains. There are a number of religious grottoes that are visited along the climb, including Huyen Khong and Tang Chon, and many Hindu and Buddhist sanctuaries, the pagoda Tam Thai (built in 1825), Tu Tam and Linh Ung and the tower of Pho Dong. The sanctuaries feature statues and religious scenes carved from marble.

During the Viet Nam War (or American War), the Viet Cong reportedly maintained a hospital in Huyen Khong. Later, a Marine observation post, "Crow's Nest", was located on the top of Water Mountain. This post was used to protect the US Marble Mountain Air Facility.

As we left Da Nang, we were left with some mixed feelings. With the beach shoreline being developed by large hotels, condominiums and golf course companies, the local residents seem to have diminishing beach access. I wouldn't be surprised if this area takes on the appearance of a Hawaiian resort shoreline in the next ten years.

World Travel with Bob

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Saturday, February 6, 2016

Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang - 2016

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