Adra Writes

February of last year, I spent a glorious week in Da Nang, Vietnam. I choose this location for no other reason than I had read a New York Times article on the food culture in this city and, well, that was good enough for me.

I stayed in a pleasant hostel just 5 minutes from the beautiful riverfront where you can find shopping, eating, and market places to visit.

I arrived with no specific itinerary and no idea what I wanted to do. All I wanted was to enjoy sunshine and warm weather for the first time in months (winter in Nanjing, China is gruesome and dreary).

After walking around the small city for a day, I decided that all I wanted was to do nothing. I didn’t want to travel around, I didn’t want to go sightseeing, and I didn’t want to feel the hustle and bustle of a city any larger.  I was tired, coming out of winter depression, and needed to enjoy being still in a beautiful place. It was perfect.

Each day I would wake up at my leisure, put on some comfortable shoes, and walk to a breezy open “coffee shop” where I would sit down and read Sophie’s Choice. I enjoyed the simplicity of watching throngs of Koreans go up and down the sidewalks, the motorbikes rush through the intersection, and occasionally chatting with other patrons sipping coffee.

Evening time would come, and I would return to my hostel to freshen up and venture out for a dinner. The hostel staff was so pleasant and helpful to give me recommendations for restaurants and I found that I particularly enjoyed an expat bar on the riverfront overlooking the technicolored Dragon Bridge in the moonlight. The staff were more than friendly, the food was nice, and the other guests were generally enjoyable. I even made a  friend for an evening chatting about permaculture and irrigation methods for farming.

Some days I would take the long walk to the beach and enjoy sitting in the sand and more Sophie’s Choice. I found that the beaches were also frequented by locals and tourists alike and they were not terribly crowded, generally clean, and there were food stands to choose from or nicer dining options if you liked.

One day I decided that I wanted to do a little hiking, so I had a super nice taxi driver take me to Marble Mountains. They looked beautiful online and they did not disappoint. I found the hiking not too strenuous, and there was great signage to help you find your way around. There were caves and shrines to explore. The summit provided a clear and pleasant view of the coastal city. It was honestly just so nice to have an easy hike on a beautiful day. I think these are the things we take for granted in our daily grind. It is nice to take a step back and enjoy some trees and good views.

Near the end of my week, I decided that it would be a shame if I didn’t go visit the nearby city of Hoi An. It was a short bus ride away and I decided that I had had enough coffee for the morning and felt up to a small adventure.

It was a typical tourist attraction with overpriced fees for entering the historical village and the restaurants were definitely overpriced compared to what I had been spending in Da Nang. But it was a pleasure to get out and walk around in some different scenery and browse the cute shops. They had lots of leather and fabric shops, so I think this would be a great place to have a special and unique souvenir made for yourself or friends/family. I can’t say that it was anything special as you can find these replicated cultural places of interest all around Southeast Asia and after a while, they are one and the same. But if it is your first time, I think it is something you should definitely do.

All in all, Da Nang was great and it was so cheap. Unbelievably cheap. I think that including my hostel for 7 nights, I spent somewhere around 200 USD, which is just under 30 USD a day. However, you could definitely go cheaper than that if you are on a budget or doing long-term travel.

The general atmosphere is very chill and comfortable. There are definitely things to do if you wanted to soak in more of the cultural or even hiking experiences they offer. The people are warm and friendly, taxi drivers were even pleasant and helpful. I only had one taxi driver (at the airport upon arriving of course) who totally lied and tried to rip me off.

I hope I can return to Vietnam and visit some other places and get a better feel for the country, people, and culture. But sometimes I think it is important for people to recognize that an international (or not) vacation isn’t always about going and doing and seeing and taking pictures and trying to do everything in 9 days or two weeks. I mean, you get home and you need a vacation from your vacation at that point. It’s always good to take a real R & R, whatever that looks like to you and give your mind, body, and soul some time to recuperate from the hustle of your normal life and routine.