Beyond Pho – Goodbye, Danang
Since the 19th century, Danang has replaced Hoi An as the preeminent trading port in central Vietnam. It remains as such today. In terms of the American War in Vietnam, Danang was the first location in South Vietnam that received the U.S. Marines. Apparently, this first group of combat troops arrived in March 1965 at the Nam O Beach “greeted by a bevy of ao-dai-wearing Vietnamese girls bearing cheerful flower garlands.”[i]
We returned late morning into Danang, and our first stop was the Museum of Cham Sculpture. As introduced in an earlier entry on the My Son Ruins, the Cham people were known for their superior skills in craftsmanship. The sculptures on display in this museum are again another living proof.
Lunch was at a neighborhood restaurant. It was a covered space but the style was much like at the street stalls. We had to resort to pointing at the pictures, for we could not communicate. Our noodles came out quite good, and with our tummies satisfied we headed out for a walk in the city.
We walked through the Dragon Bridge and back. The Dragon Bridge is the longest bridge in Vietnam at 666 meters long.[ii] It serves as the overpass of the Han River, leading the way directly to the My Khe beach. We had a clear, on-the-ground view of the golden dragon as we walked through the bridge. Apparently, on the weekends and on special days of festivities, the dragon would spew water and breathe fire. It only takes a little imagination to know what a magnificent a sight it would be.
We had quite a bit of time before our scheduled flight back to Hong Kong. There was a theme park in the city, and it would have been the perfect closure for our trip, but we figured that we were not spending more money. It was expensive. Instead, we sat down at Highlands Coffee, which served all breeds of Taiwanese tea drinks.
It was a wonderful trip. I already looked forward to the next sojourn in Vietnam.
[i] Lonely Planet: Vietnam (2014) at 186-187.
[ii] Da Nang by Hotels.com; see also the Wikipedia on Dragon Bridge.