Entree Kibbles: Travel_Vietnam

Showing posts with label Travel_Vietnam_Danang. Show all posts

Sunday, June 29, 2025

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

<<< Day Seven

Detailed Posting for the Day

Last day in Da Nang and you wouldn't catch me spending my last few hours in the hotel as it would have been such a waste of precious overseas time! Hence, let's get out and walk!

To be honest, there's a place I wanted to check out; the banh xeo from Bánh Xèo Bà Tuyết! Don't play play okay as its review score on Google Maps was a high 4.8 from over 300 reviewers.

Located along the above small and narrow lane, this gave me the vibes of Bánh Mì Cô Tiên, which I enjoyed. With high hopes, I stepped in, only to leave with disappointment as the eatery was closed for that day!

Where should I do next? Alex suggested Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe and we happily walked over. Only to be greeted with sadness as the coffee machines were spoilt!

Imagine using beer cans as a holder for incense sticks! What's even more jaw dropping was that the cans were nailed to a tree! Now, I am a tree lover and seeing this was unacceptable!

Eventually, we just stepped in to a supposedly popular coffee shop and had local Vietnamese coffee. What's lacking from this patronage was that I wanted to eat something.... Mouth was itchy....

Nevertheless, always seize the moment, and relax.

I was wondering what this building was for.

Turned out it was the Trung Vuong Secondary School!

A blue church; no, we didn't go in, partly because the notice in English and Chinese was very explicit. "Tourists are not allowed to enter". Fine.

Another crowded coffee shop at about 8.30am. In Singapore, we would have been rushing to ensure we are not late for work! Guess cultural differences across countries can be quite drastic.

Banh mi as my last breakfast in Da Nang City! With a name I Love Banh Mi, I am expecting a lot more for the above eatery as someone with such a deep affection for banh mi would definitely put in extra effort!

My heart felt like the above photo, after digging into the beautiful banh mi with generous filling! Yes, I felt empty, as this was nowhere near the best banh mi I ever have. Not horrible tasting for sure but this was at most a 6/10.

Going through Han Market!

Go early for whiffs of raw meat!

Dead rat. Hm... if you have been following my blog posts on Da Nang City, you would have noticed I am quite "lucky" for past three days; encountering rats on Day Six, Day Seven and now, last day. However, the rat was alive on Day Six and Day Seven.

Checking out from Haian Riverfront Hotel Da Nang! It was a great four-day stay and I faced great service from the housekeeping and IT staff members. Reception staff could have smiled more; trust me, a simple smile does wonders.

Last look of the amazing Dragon Bridge!

GRAB was the best option for us to travel to Da Nang International Airport; hotels really must up their game if they want to earn more tourist dollars.

Drove past Bà Liễu Mẹ Souvenir Shop!

Arrived at Da Nang International Airport. I have the habit of taking photographs of the vehicle I travel in; reason being I would have something to refer to if I happen to leave something behind.

After exploring the departure hall of Da Nang International Airport, it's time to clear the boarding process and board the Singapore Airlines plane (Boeing 737-8)!

Flying off, surrounded by the buildings of Da Nang City which were all so near! In the second photograph, you could even catch the Lady Buddha in her full glory.

Delicious ondeh cake served on the plane, and it was so good to have beer in the air! I shall do that moving forward; reminder for self since I didn't do that in my recent few trips.

A few hours later; the familiar sight of numerous ships parked in the straits and the densely packed blocks of public housing greeted us. Loving it whenever the pilot said over the announcement, "for Singaporeans, welcome home".

>>> Summarized Itinerary

=====

Click here for my 8 Days' Itinerary to Danang (The City of Bridges) & Hoi An (The City of Lanterns) in Vietnam

Saturday, June 28, 2025

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

<<< Day Six

Detailed Postings for the Day

7.00 am and I am already out of Haian Riverfront Hotel Da Nang; I am blaming ageing for the increasingly bad insomnia I have been enduring ever since I turned 30!

Early sun that made jogging still bearable in the temperature hovering only around 23 degrees celcius. This time round, I shall be trying another route, which would hopefully be scenic.

Kopi Coffee; while the second word is a common English word, the first one is a Malay word used in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia! In Vietnam, coffee is known as cà phê.

Nothing scenic along the way.

And at times, I had to jog on the road!

At least the destination was worth it; the famous coastline of Danang! One thing that surprised me; why were there so many people at the beach so early in the morning!? I thought it was just a one-off but in my recent trip, it was the same, with plenty of people IN THE WATER at sunrise!

Now, it's another three kilometers back to the Hotel and I was wondering if I should just take a GRAB so as to save some time. I could have walked back but that's even more time consuming than jogging.

Damn, jog it shall be! Jog more, burn more calories, and eat more later. Bypassing this abandoned building that looked like a nicely decorated restaurant in its heyday.

The site of Son Tra Night Market in the daytime! Quite fascinating to see it being so empty then as it was such a hive of activity when night falls.

Most teens in Singapore would be catching up on their sleep on a Sunday morning but not the Vietnamese teens! Groups of them can be found underneath the Dragon Bridge, practicing Kpop dance moves!

Of course, jogging past the Dragon Bridge.

The icon that I saw daily when I was at Da Nang City.

Remember the Dragon Show where the majestic dragon spewed fire and sprayed water? Above clearly shows the the outlets for the fire (ball-like piece), and water (metal hose)!

Continuing my jog to Haian Riverfront Hotel Da Nang!

After a shower and breakfast at the hotel, let's hit the street again on the final full day of our inaugural Hoi An and Da Nang trip. Checking out the above highly rated souvenir shop; not bad yet not that cheap.

Checking out Bà Liễu Mẹ Souvenir Shop, said to be popular for their local sesame cake. No sampling and I figured the food would likely appeal to those of the older generation; hence, didn't buy a lot, just in case.

I was more captivated by this quaint, little cafe that was somewhat hidden in a small alley; Trình Cà Phê. It was full of customers although you may wish to note that it has since moved to another location.

On the street again.

Personal joke between Alex and I; and it was a shock! Maybe I should have just headed into the shop and ask how the owner came out with this name!

This should be a sparrow right?

Plumage seemed right although there was something off.

Da Nang Fresco Village - pretty rundown, pretty boring, pretty small. Drop by only if you are in the vicinity. p.s. this was in March 2024; there's a chance things might have improved since then. Might.

Alex doesn't like temples but I do. However, the urge to visit wasn't as strong in Vietnam since I don't understand the language and hence, usually have no way of knowing the history, the purpose of the temples if there is no English translation.

Impressive building that reminded me of the sanctums that connects to Kamar-Taj, headquarters of the Masters of the Mystic Arts in the Marvels universe. Interestingly, the sign outside stated "Samdi - Museum of the Ancient World"! It's not opened though.

Gigantic teddy bear!

The weather was hot that day and Alex wasn't enjoying the walk! I guess I am quite the freak as I love to use my two legs for the noble purpose they were supposed to be used for.

Oh my god, when was my last time seeing a cyber cafe?! That was all the rage in the 90s when desktop computers were expensive, and laptops were reserved only for for the rich.

To please Alex, I persuaded him to take a haircut at Salon 3 Man so that he can relax and enjoy the air-conditioning. It's real common for Alex to visit a hairdresser when he is overseas, for reasons unbeknownst to me.

At 70,000 dong (less than S$4), you would be shocked by the services that came with the haircut at Salon 3 Man! It included shaving, face washing, shampooing, drying and styling, and lasted 50 minutes!

I would be totally bored if I were to be stuck in the hair salon. Therefore, I ventured out on my own, albeit within the immediately surroundings, and came to a pet shop.

Frankly, I was appalled with the housing conditions for the pets. One cage was rusting, another too small for the terrier and two looked too terrified. I think I shouldn't work in a pet shop when I retire; maybe I should just work for an animal welfare society.

Hitting the street again.

And it was so hot!

A thirst quenching drink at Bông Food & Drink.

The Kumquat and Salted Plum Tea!

Roof structure of the APEC Park. We didn't explore the park given the heat even though I understand it "stands as a testament to the collective spirit of APEC, showcasing sculptures contributed by member economies as gifts to Vietnam".

An Long Temple - how did it managed to get so elaborate given the small area it occupied?! Located next to the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture, it's worth a visit for those fascinated with religious abodes in Asia.

Infringement of IP; tom and jerry pet shop!

Rainforest Da Nang; a restaurant that had since closed down. A pity as I believe its facade would have been quite a stunner back when it was operational. A search on Google Maps revealed it had a review score of 4.5 four years ago. Likely a victim of COVID19.

Bánh Bèo Tâm - Vietnamese Steamed Rice Cakes but my heart was with Bánh Lọc from the same eatery! So regretted not going back last month!

Hot, hot, hot.

Nice flowers though.

Another chocolate session at Maison Marou Chocolate Flagship Cafe! I can't even remember how many times we visited the cafe; four or five times I think.

A rat!!!

After a short rest in the hotel, we strolled out again and chanced upon an auntie who looked so chilled; sheltered from a blooming bush of bougainvillea flowers, and digging into a ear of grilled corn, that's what life should be at that age.

There's one last thing we needed to do on this final day, and it required us to cross the Han River via the Dragon Bridge! My second time crossing the bridge on the same day.

View on my left; Han River Bridge in the third photo.

Setting sun at about 5.20 pm. Don't bother getting a good shot at the bridge since the sun sets in the direction opposite from the Danang beaches, blocked by buildings and more buildings.

Panoramas; one from Nikon DSLR, one from iPhone 14 Pro Max. Guess which one is which? Right guesser, would just be right. No present. Haha.

I took this countless times; whenever I am on the Dragon Bridge. You would spot the Nguyen Van Troi Walking Bridge, the Tran Thi Ly Bridge and the 115-meter tall Sun Wheel at Da Nang Downtown.

Reaching the head of Dragon Bridge. Frankly, I really do enjoy walking along Dragon Bridge in the evening. It was relaxing, especially with a breeze; helped as well that temperature was a nice 23 degrees celcius.

Tượng Cá Chép Hóa Rồng - The Dragon Carp Statue! It might seem small from far, but actually stood at 7.5 meters tall; slightly shorter than our beloved merlion.

Love Pier - best destination for lovers at Da Nang with its heart shaped lights and love locks (chargeable)! Not exactly a pier in my honest opinion.

For better view, go have a coffee at Marina Coffee. Security is tight, to deter non-customers from accessing the privileged spot, I guess.

Son Tra Night Market was still in the midst of setting up!

Why did we visit Son Tra Night Market again? After my first, unforgettable, lobster dinner, we decided to make have it again as our last dinner in Danang! So, here's our 2nd Lobster Seafood Dinner!

We almost had our portraits drawn at Son Tra Night Market!

Sadly, the queue seemed a bit too long for us to endure.

I have had Singaporean fried banana, Indonesian fried banana, Thai fried banana. So, we should also try Vietnamese Fried Banana! Verdict; I would rank this second, below our Singapore version.

Last photographs with the majestic dragon from the Dragon Bridge!

Beautiful Han River Bridge even though the main distraction came from this humongous digital screen that was literally the entire facade of a skyscraper! Gosh.

The lighted Dragon Bridge.

Last look of it on our last night.

What was that building with the lighted icon of a bird with its wings spread out?! I ran a check on Google Maps; would it be the 4-star Mường Thanh Grand Đà Nẵng Hotel??