Sunday, December 01, 2024

Day Four of My 8 Days' Trip to Danang (The City of Bridges) & Hoi An (The City of Lanterns) in Vietnam


Detailed Postings for Day Four
While waiting for the lift, I decided to check out the views from the top floor of La Charm Hoi An Hotel & Spa that don't face the quaint little Hoi An Old Town. 

Starting my daily regime; jogging! But since this would be my last day in Hoi An, I took the opportunity to take more photographs in case I wouldn't be back again. Apparently I think too much as I would be back in half a year's time! 

Hope you enjoyed the ton of pictures! Those who are keen in visiting Hoi An should consider staying a night or two, and venture out in the morning when the lack of crowds makes you better appreciate the charming beauty of the old town.

Rare sighting of blue in this almost yellow washed out town. It belonged to Hoa Van Le Nghia, supposedly a buddhist temple but the signage in Chinese seemed to suggest a clan association. 

Ventured into Đình Ông Voi Communal House, a village hall where a pair of stone elephants guarded the main compound, and where I got chased out by an elderly man for reasons unbeknownst to me since I don't speak Vietnamese.

Despite the somewhat bad experience, my jog brought me into another area, which appeared to be for residents. Even though I was keen to just reverse my track, the wall in front drew my attention.

Legit looked pretty ancient! 

Of course I am not going to sneak into houses for more photo-taking; that would have been illegal! The Communal House is different as it appeared more like a temple with welcome arms for tourists.

More photographs of Hoi An in the morning. How long do I usually run? Typically, it's 3-4 kilometers but when I am overseas, 5 kilometers would usually be the norm but I am not too picky on the distance. For me, minimum 30 minutes would be fine. 

Hội Quán Quảng Đông, also known as the Assembly Hall of the Cantonese Chinese Congregation / Ong Pagoda. Said to be built in 1885, the original worship was for Mazu and Confucius, although other notable deities like Guan Yu were also added since 1911.

Just like Đình Ông Voi Communal House, guarding the main hall was a pair of phoenixes and not the commonly used stone lions! I would love to step in for a closer look but tickets were required for entry.

It was only on this last day that I checked with the hotel on the numerous ticketing booths I saw at the old town. Apparently, the government implemented an entrance fee or this popular heritage town but given the many access points, ticket holders would have the benefit of gaining access to five out of 22 attractions. Read here for more! 

Back to the hotel for a shower before having a light breakfast at the Charm restaurant of La Charm Hoi An Hotel & Spa. Not eating much as I am going to check out another eatery before leaving for Danang. 

Collected our clean and dry laundry! Nine t-shirts, seven pants, five underwear, one pair of sock; these would have cost me a ton to clean in some countries. We only paid 50,000 dong a kilogram, about S$2.70 and this pack was priced at just 125,000 dong, only about S$7.00! Super worth it! 

I saved my tummy for the above; the amazing white rose dumplings and humongous fried wantons from the White Rose Restaurant, said to be the recipe holder and only supplier for all white rose dumplings in Hoi An! 

So cute!

Alex indulging in mashed potatoes from Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in Vietnam! Menu pricing for your comparison; a zinger cost about S$3.00 and one alacarte chicken piece was almost S$2.00.

Do you know that a lot of people would come to Hoi An and tailor made clothes, including suits and dresses, said to be super value for money and better than Bangkok?! I was aware but since my workplace wasn't anal with attire, I see no need to make any although I should consider some pants given my short legs.

Phap Bao Pagoda, known as the largest in the heritage town and situated right next to Hoi An Lake Park. I was captivated with the temple as it did look rather impressive, but the bicycle full of hats drew away my attention.

Once again, we walked past the Ancient Gate of Ba Mu Temple! 

Although I don't know the names, I remember that such woodcraft would adorn the traditional wooden doors and windows, and guess such workmanship would likely disappear in the next few decades. 

It's popular to rent traditional attire and parade up and down the ancient town, with a photographer in tow. I have no interest, especially when the temperature at noon would have made wearing such clothing extremely uncomfortable. 

If you are the kind of travellers who love heritage experience, you can consider signing up for traditional lantern making! Sorry, I am not such a traveller as I believe in leaving some intricate work to the professionals. Furthermore, my house is too small to accomodate the completed products from such workshops.

Final few photographs at La Charm Hoi An Hotel & Spa; a hotel I strongly recommended for those visiting Hoi An for the first time! The staff members were alway so nice, friendly and accommodating (to my questions) and upon us checking out; they gave us a bag of their local coconut biscuits (they were so good)!

Of course, such incredible service resulted in us spending a lot more in the hotel; from booking local tour, to laundry services and even our private transfer back to Danang! Prices were also very reasonable.

Waiting for the car for our private transfer. And yes, a staff would be on standby to say goodbye to us! I am seldom impressed with the services from hotel staff but La Charm Hoi An obviously took away a piece of our hearts when we left.

On the road, passing by swathes of padi fields, reminded me of our cycling trip, via the Hoi An Village Experience Cycling Day Tour that we booked directly from La Charm Hoi An.

Marble Mountains ahead of us; it was known as one of the must-dos in Da Nang but Alex isn't very keen in climbing mountains and exploring caves. Guess I shall make a trip next May then, with my mom.

Interestingly, we noticed a lot of marble factories in the area selling marble statues! Having them displayed was one sure way to attract attention from potential buyers. 

Crown International Club - said to be one of the best casinos in Vietnam and it operates 24/7. Maybe because it was daytime, the club didn't look like it has any customers from the outside.

Beautiful beach view on our right! I didn't manage to book a hotel stay by the beach for this trip as I was too lazy to change hotel. Since I have experience in Da Nang by now, my trip in May would consist of a two-night stay along this same beach!

Driving along the most iconic bridge in Da Nang; the Dragon Bridge (Cầu Rồng)! You would be able to spot our hotel on the second photograph! Guess which one.

Arrival at our hotel in Da Nang; Haian Riverfront Hotel Da Nang. Strange to be alighting in front of the cafe in the hotel, instead of the entrance. There's a reason for it; we need to take the elevator to the hotel reception on level two. 

Attempted to check in at 1pm; sadly, the room wasn't ready. Oh well, at least there's an option to keep our luggage with the hotel first, and then explore the great outdoors before the official check in at 3pm.

Ticking off one of my must-dos in Da Nang; checking out the Maison Marou Chocolate Flagship Cafe! Their chocolates were so famous; you can see them in the airports at Vietnam and said to be the must-buys for families and friends back home! Personally, I prefer Alluvia. 

Exploring the streets; modern buildings, international cuisines, a contrast to ancient Hoi An. One thing to note, Da Nang is a tourist destination for South Koreans and you can see many Korean restaurants. Some menus in eateries might even include translations to Korean.

Promenade alongside the Han River that featured sculptures and a direct view of the 666-meter long Dragon Bridge (Cầu Rồng) that appeared to be jumping in and out of the river.

Our hotel for the next few nights; Haian Riverfront Hotel Da Nang. One of the main reasons I chose this hotel was its proximity to the promenade which would be nice to jog along, and its view of the Dragon Bridge. 

Checked in to Haian Riverfront! 
And here's a video of the pool and gym level. 

The highly rated Golden Lotus Oriental Organic Spa which has a score of 4.9  from over 9,000 reviewers! I wanted to try but there's no available slot. Price list as appended above for your reference, and comparison.

Eventually went with the nearby Destiny Spa & Massage; not too bad and I was offered fresh cut mangoes after the body massage. Click here for more details!  


Looked like there was a thriving flower industry around Han Market, with bouquets and baskets of bright, vibrant flowers on display! Quite an eye-opener in a city! Is it near to some festivals like teacher's day or mother's day etc?

p.s. can be quite messy.

The equivalence of the famous Ben Thanh Market @ Ho Chi Minh City, Han Market / Cho Han was said to cater mainly to the tourists. Pros and cons in my humble opinion; maybe pricier products but language would be less of a barrier.

Pizza 4P's at Indochina Mall! Strangely, we didn't attempt a visit this time at Danang even though it's a must-eat in both my trips to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi! 

Indochina Mall - quite quiet and nothing much inside. Correct me if I am wrong but if you are a shopping centre enthusiast and love shopping in malls in Bangkok etc, I would think Vietnam might not be suitable for you.

Made the wrong assumption that the big Cong signage was for the popular Cong Cafe but it's actually a spa and nail salon. No wonder the building was in yellow, and not in the signature army green used by Cong Cafe. 

Chùa Long Thơ; a Buddhist temple with a multi-storey pavilion right behind the main entrance, standing out from the surrounding modern architecture. 

Wonderlust - Bakery and Coffee; with full glass windows, and a rooftop section, I almost stepped in for a cuppa coffee but I had to resist. Drinking heaving caffeinated drink so late would mean a restless sleep later. Excuses for sure as I was hungry and preferred a meal. 

Sometimes I took photographs without knowing why I took them. Hence, I do, at times, stare at the photographs for a few minutes to figure out. And for the above, it was because of the building with the words "poker" across. Guess there would be a casino housed in the building!

Introducing to you the Pink Cathedral! 
Shall have a proper post for it soon.

To bank on the pink cathedral's popularity apparently, this was this pink spa right opposite! For the untrained eyes, like mine, it's the same shade of pink!

Dinner at Ngu Pho - Serving Hanoi's Cha Ca Lang; loving the grilled fish, which was one of the best meals I had in Hanoi last year and one that I would introduce to my family when I am there in mid December! 

Xom Moi Garden, with its fairy tale like environment. It was supposed to a collection of five different eateries and judging from the reviews, I am saving it for my next trip to Danang! 

Let's walk across the Dragon Bridge! 

Trần Thị Lý Bridge and right behind, where the ferris wheel was, would be Sun World Asia Park, also known as Da Nang Downtown. Helio Night Market is near the theme park. 

Dragon Bridge again; aside from its spectacular design, a nightly show on weekends would see the dragon head spewing fire and water. Unlike legends in the Western world, the Asians, particularly East Asians, see dragons as being highly auspicious. 

Alex couldn't stand the strong wind! 

Exploring Da Nang's largest night market; Son Tra Night Market! I shouldn't say too much as you would have a better "picture" by checking out the post here. 

My best takeaway from Da Nang would be my cheapest lobster meal ever in the night market! So many stalls to choose from and I guess I was lucky that the one we selected served a damn mean tasting lobster! So much so that I wish my mom, a seafood lover, could have joined me! 

With a heavy, satisfied stomach, I was keen to walk 1.5 kilometers back to Haian Riverfront Hotel Da Nang but our dear Alex couldn't endure another walk in the strong wind across Dragon Bridge. We had to GRAB instead. =_= 

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Vomited by Cavin Teo at 2:18 PM
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