Da Nang, Vietnam

Early that morning, the Diamond Princess rounded the Chan May Point and made her final approach to her berth in the Bay of Chan May. There we swung to port on arrival and docked port side to the quay. By 7:00 a.m. all customs has been cleared and passengers were permitted to disembark. Various law enforcement officials gladly posed for me and were all smiles as we went ashore.

  

The day greeted us with cloudy skies and warm and very humid temperatures around mid to high 80F that got progressively stickier. There was nothing within walking distance at the Port of Chan May, where we docked. Chan May is situated between the historic cities of Da Nang and Hue on Vietnam's south central coast.

  

So we hopped onto a complimentary shuttle bus at the port and took the ride to a drop off point where taxis and drivers could be found. We had no tour planned so instead we hired a driver for the entire day for $25 US per person. It took some negotiating but the price was very reasonable. However, our driver spoke very little English so we got no narration along the way except a limited description of the highlights. We already knew where we wanted to go, which was Da Nang and Hoi An, and what we wanted to see so this didn't pose any problems for us. Our driver was mid-20's and a very careful driver, so much so that we had to tell him to speed up a bit towards the end of the day just so we wouldn't miss our shuttle back to the ship. His vehicle was a small four door, clean and ran well. He was punctual and dependable and the day went very well.

The currency in Vietnam was Vietnamese Dong (VND) with the approximate exchange rate (at the time) of $1 US to 21,000 Dongs. I can't say this enough: it is always a good idea to be sure you have plenty of local currency on hand when traveling. Speaking of currency, it gets so humid in Vietnam that their currency notes from 10,000 VND to 500,000 VND contains plastic to ward off mold and mildew.

The primary language was Vietnamese and we didn't find many who spoke any English. Another factoid: Vietnam is known as a predominately Buddhist nation with over 90% of the local people practicing Buddhism.

Our driver took us over the Thuan Phuroc Bridge which crosses the lower Han River at Da Nang and is the longest suspension bridge in Vietnam. 

Memories of the Vietnam War still existed on the landscape. Old American quonsets lay abandoned and eroding. Vietnam has been a country at war for centuries. In fact, the hills and rivers are filled with what the locals call "con ma", or "the ghosts".

We passed the Marble Mountains (Nui Ngu Hanh Son), a collection of five marble and limestone hills. All of the mountains have caves and tunnels but only one (Thuy Son) is accessible to tourists. The mountains also contain several Buddhist and Hindu sanctuaries with hidden grottoes. The area remains famous for its stone sculptures and the artisans who craft them. The marble for these pieces of art used to come from the Marble Mountains but this was banned recently. So, the stone is transported from quarries in the Quang Nam Province. We stopped at a roadside vendor to see the displays of all kinds of marble pieces, huge to small. The colors ranged from snowy white to pinks, greens and golds. Incredible! 

  

  

A common sight - religious altars of various sizes with offerings of all types of gifts like food, spices and plants.

A gas station - gasoline sits in the glass cylinder atop a makeshift pump. We stopped for a cold local beer on the increasingly hot, humid day. Our driver took us to a small stand out by the street curb that sold beer and soda. Vietnamese are entrepreneurs at heart. This curbside stand (and many others like it) were half business and half living quarters. So we sat in tables and chairs in the vendors living room, which was open to the street with no walls or doors separating it from the street. Felt sort of strange sitting in a stranger's home while their son laid on a bean bag chair near us watching television and a baby cried behind a partition leading into the next room.

  

  

Rice paddies identifiable by the squares of green surrounding water.

Sights along the way...we stopped at My Hoa Temple to look around. The language barrier with our driver prevented us from knowing more about it. But it was beautiful and Buddhist temples were plentiful in Vietnam.

  

  

We arrived at the old, riverside town of Hoi An in the Quang Nam Province, which was about 19 miles (30km) south of Danang. Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage Site Designate and was fabled as being Vietnam's most atmospheric so we had to see for ourselves. I found it to be very eclectic and full of personality with a distinctive Chinese feel to it in the colors, low tiled roof houses and narrow streets. The city also had a glut of tailor shops on most streets.

  

  

  

The old city of Hoi An sits on the banks of the Thu Ban River which empties into the East Vietnam Sea and dates back as early as the 16th century as being a bustling traders port of call. However, the Thu Bon River silted up and cut off trade leaving the town to develop in other ways. It is now a popular tourist attraction.

  

Fishing nets drying in the sun.

  

Fishing trips and guides are popular in the old town of Hoi An. This elderly woman sat waiting to offer her services during peak fishing hours.

I found the charm of Hoi An to be obvious.

  

The historic Japanese Covered Bridge (Chua Cau) of Hoi An. The bridge was built in the early 17th century and restored many times later. Chua Cau was one of the most famous architectural projects of Vietnam. It was also chosen to be part of the design of the Vietnamese 20,000 dong note (currency) which has been in use since 2006. The bridge is a combined vision of Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese architectural harmony made of wood, joined with small pagoda (actually a shrine), roofed with yin yang tiles and built of stone foundation to worship God Bac De Tran Vo, who prevents water disasters to town and people. Chua Cau is regarded as a sword put on the back of the water monster called Cu, whose head is in India, body in Vietnam and tail in Japan to exorcise and prevent it from moving and causing floods and earthquakes.

  

   

The entrance to the bridge has a red board chiseled with three Chinese characters of Lai Vien Kieu, the name of the bridge given by Seigneur Nguyen Phuc Chu when he came to Hoi An in 1719. Also, a small reminder of suffering during the Vietnam War was a donation box for victims of agent orange. For those who are reading this and are too young to know, agent orange was a highly toxic chemical used during several wars, including the Vietnam War. It was named for the orange striped barrels in which it was contained and it was sprayed on vegetation to destroy it during jungle warfare. Those who came into contact with it developed horrendous burns and cancers. 

    

Shops that sold lacquered souvenir pieces and such. In the 1930's, the fine art painting using lacquer was perfected by the Vietnamese. Depending on the piece, the painting can take several months because the lacquer is applied in layers and left to dry. 

  

More colors of the old city of Hoi An...

  

Finding a small cafe, we sat down and enjoyed some sandwiches and more cold drinks. At this particular cafe, ice cream was being sold. Take a look at the one option in a variety of flavors...durian. Now I mention this because durian has a bit of fanfare behind it, shall we say. Below is a photo of the durian fruit. It looks like yellow bladders inside a spiny melon. But it is the smell that really attracts the attention. Regarded as the "king of fruit" in Vietnam, you either really like it or really hate it. The aroma is powerful and pungent, like eating Limburger cheese. The smell is so strong (and I quote "rotten onions, turpentine and raw sewage") that it has been banned from many public places. Now, to make a delectable thing like ice cream out of it...well, I didn't have the guts to try it. But, you get the point.

  

And more of the character of Vietnam...women posed for me while wearing the traditional conical hat for sun protection and using a carrying pole (also known as a shoulder pole) to transport fruit. Handmade baskets ideal for being used on bikes, which were commonly seen in Vietnam.

  

As we headed back to the ship, we passed along China Beach, another famous place during the Vietnam War. This is where soldiers used to come and find relaxation. Now it is a mecca for resorts and surfers who find the beautiful beach a popular tourist hang out. Notice the turtle shell-like object sitting on the beach. It is called a "coracle" and is made of willow, reeds and bamboo with resin. These are fishing vessels used by the locals. They were many on the roadside drying or being repaired, on the beach or in the water...we saw quite a few.

  

See the white object on the mountainside in the distance? Our driver was so anxious to take us to see this huge marvel but we never had the time. It was the Jesus Christ Statue of Vung Tau. Requiring a walk up 800+ steps, you meet the 105 foot (32 meter) statue which was completed in 1993. It was obvious our driver was very proud of the marvelous landmark.

We witnessed many ways the locals used various forms of transportation to their advantage from trikes, bikes and motorcycles. Notice the small kid clinging to the driver on the motorcycle...amazing. And it was common to see drivers and riders wearing masks over their mouths and faces as a barrier from smog. They also wore long sleeves/hoodies even in the sweltering humidity to protect their skin against the intense sun. Air pollution became a more noticeable concern in a few of the places we visited, such as Vietnam and Thailand. 

  

This was the entrance to the Hai Van Tunnel, the longest I have ever ridden through. It measured approximately 4 miles long (6.28 km) and connected the two cities of Da Nang and Hue along Highway 1.

A sign reminded me we were in a communist country.

We were delivered safely back to our shuttle bus drop off point in Hue. Again, we did a lot and saw a lot in one day. Vietnam was interesting in so many ways but visually, it was impressive. I enjoy places that are vastly different from home and that offer peaks into another lifestyle much simpler or more complicated than our own. Vietnam had all those characteristics, and more.

Next, our journey takes us to Nha Trang, Vietnam: Asia and Australia 2014