Da Nang, Hoi An and Hue (Days 11 to 14)

We disembarked from our overnight train from Hanoi at Da Nang.  This is the capital of central Vietnam area, previously part of South Vietnam, and has a population of some 40,000.  In the war, there were many thousands of American troops here and this is where they came for their R&R.  The well-known China Beach, as it was known by the Yanks, is now being developed for tourists and there are currently twenty eight luxury beach-side resorts.  I can’t see how these will all be filled, especially given the prices that have been quoted.  According to our guide, one resort is planning to charge $5,000 per night for a single apartment.  But this does include a private butler.

We arrived at the train station at about 10:30 and met our new guide.  It soon became apparent that he is not quite so enamoured with the Government as the guide in the north.  He is from Hue, in what was South Vietnam, and he’s not at all happy with the level of corruption.  He reckons that it will only be ten years or so before they have to introduce democracy.

We left Da Nang for Hoi An and got there in time for lunch.  It has a very pretty old town, with lots of interesting restaurants.  The town is far less hectic than Hanoi, which was a relief.  Unfortunately for me, I’ve not been able to take full advantage of Hoi An and I’ve been in bed all day, with a terrible bout of the squats.  I only hope it clears overnight, as we have to leave for a fairly long coach trip at 9am tomorrow.

I did manage to go out to dinner last night, to a place called Mango Mango.  This is supposed to be one of the best restaurants in the country and boasts that Mick Jagger has been there twice.  The food was excellent and only cost £20, including wine.  Even Mick could afford that!

In two days time, it will be 35 years since the Vietcong ‘liberated’ Hoi An and so the town was decorated with hundreds of the lanterns and it really does look pretty at night.  There’s an old bridge in the centre of town that is very famous and features on one of the banknotes.  We have a lovely hotel just out of town and I wouldn’t mind spending more time here sometime in the future.

The following day we took the coastal route to Hue.  Before we got to the hills, we saw a ship that had been blown ashore in the cyclone they had two years ago.  This was force 14, much stronger than was forecast, and some 250 people were killed.  So far, they have been unable to re-float the ship and are now trying to dig it out!

Although the driving on the coastal road was horrendous, the views were spectacular and, we were told, National Geographic rates it one of the top ten coastal drives.  In the photo, looking down at the beach, you can just about see a leper colony, one of the few remaining in Vietnam.  The government wants to displace the lepers and build a luxury resort there, but it seems they are meeting some opposition.

Tallking of driving, I really never have seen anything like it.  The other day, we were driving along a busy road by China Beach.  There were two lanes each way, with a double-white line down the middle.  On many occasions, streams of cars, buses, lorries, etc. would cross the double line and force any on-coming traffic into the other lane, or, in the case of motor-bikes and cycles, right off the road.  Our guide said that the double line was just for decoration.  For some reason, the cyclists love to ride two or three abreast, despite the fact that other traffic misses them by inches when overtaking.  They just don't seem to care at all.  And of course, overtaking on blind hairpin bends seems to be pretty standard. In the towns, there are zebra crossings, but they are totally ignored and offer no protection whatsover.

I haven’t really seen anything of Hue as I’ve stayed in the hotel all the time. 

Tonight we’re off to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).