Last week I started telling you about our week in Vietnam. I had to stop because it was getting somewhat long so here’s the second part!

Find Part 1 Here

After the two day tour with Hoi An Express, they dropped us off at another homestay in Hoi An. This one wasn’t along the beach but on a small island named An Hoi opposite of the old city area. As soon as we dropped our backpacks off, we headed back into Hoi An to walk around and find something to eat. Since it was a weekday the city was a little less calm but no less beautiful.

The next morning, we walked around the daytime version of Hoi An for the first time. The old city isn’t blocked off from traffic during the day so there were a few more cars and motorcycles to dodge as we headed down to pick up some tailored clothes we had made. Halie was picking up 3 dresses and I a blazer. We ate lunch at what Anthony Bourdain has dubbed the best banh mi in Vietnam (it was really, really good but the only banh mi I had in Vietnam so not sure if I can make the claim). Then we grabbed a taxi to head back into Da Nang.

So Da Nang is an interesting city to visit. It’s fairly large. The third largest in Vietnam at 1.5 million people or so. But in the world of tourism, it’s not a hot destination. If you look up things to do in Da Nang, everything listed is outside the city (Hoi An, Hue, Ba Na Hills, etc.). After dropping our backpacks off at our AirBnb (down a quiet alley where an old man screamed “xin chao” at Halie so she screamed it back [the old man responded with a giant smile]), we started to walk through the city. If you read anything about Da Nang, rule number one is to not walk around. It’s hot, nothing is close together, sidewalks are sparse, motorcycles are crazy and cars are even crazier. Sounds like a perfect time to walk. We ended up at the beautiful Dragon Bridge, Cau Rong. My picture doesn’t do it justice for multiple reasons but mainly because I’m behind the dragon and the dragon is almost too big for the pic:

We were walking across the bridge as it became dark. Suddenly, the dragon was illuminated! Then it changed colors! Then again! We looked like little children as we walked across the bridge awe struck at a few lights on a dragon.

A few kilometers of walking (and being looked at like purple aliens) and a few drinks later, we met up with some friends who work at Halie’s school. After dinner, we found a bar next to the beach and spent the rest of the night drinking to the alternating sounds of waves, a singer-songwriter performing, hip-hop and dance music, an incredibly drunk party and a small girl that sang “Let it Go” for some reason.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Next morning we hit up a few markets around Da Nang, ate lunch and had a few more drinks along the beach with our friends. Then it was time for our flight to Ho Chi Minh City. As I talk about this city, I didn’t want to go through a chronology of events like I’ve been doing but wanted to focus on a few cultural takeaways.

First off, Ho Chi Minh City has one of the coolest vibes of any major city I’ve ever been to. It’s young and active and communal. There’s coffee shops, tea shops and bars everywhere you look and at all hours of the day you’ll find crowds sitting inside and out. If they’re sitting outside, the patrons will grab one of the short stools stacked by the door and use that as a perching place to enjoy their beverage. And side note, the coffee I had in Vietnam was some of the strongest and tastiest coffee I’ve ever had. If the sidewalks weren’t covered by people sitting on small stools, they were used as parking for the millions (and millions) of motorcycles. Our AirBnb was actually above a coffee shop (behind the torn sign):

Quick story about our AirBnb. The place was watched over and taken care of by the owner’s uncle. He was an old Vietnamese man that lived next door. Had absolutely no English skills but was incredibly welcoming and happy. So welcoming that each morning, as Halie and I were leaving the apartment, he insisted we take a shot of his moonshine from a clear plastic bottle. We couldn’t say no! The second morning, as we had drinks at the coffee shop and after our now customary shot of moonshine, he also offered us some fruit to eat. It complimented the shots well!

While we walked around Ho Chi Minh City, we saw the footprint of French colonialism, American intervention into war and politics and Vietnamese communism. We visited the War Remnants Museum, which consisted of gut-wrenching photography and military tools of destruction leftover from the Vietnam War. Although I was well aware of the propaganda-driven nature of the story the museum was trying to tell, it was still emotionally moving and heartbreaking to see the destruction the war cause in Vietnam. Whether it was photos and stories of citizens still dealing with the affects of Agent Orange dropped by American planes or the heroic stories of journalist who lost their lives to make sure people back in the states knew the horrors of war, it was all difficult to take in.

Alright, I guess that’s about everything I wanted to talk about. We had a great trip, we’re ready to go back. Next time we plan on hitting Hanoi and Ha Long Bay in northern Vietnam. As last time, check out a few more pictures:

Google Photos album for Part 2