We are flying to Da Nang from Ho Chi Min city en route to the ancient city of Hoi An.
Our flight was scheduled for a noon departure. The ticket agents at the counter were somewhat slow. Our guide explained that they have very strict requirements in terms of the process they have to follow and that there was great pressure to ensure that the ID and names on the ticket match etc. Even then, we found it odd that it took them so much time. But what the heck, it only takes time and we had plenty of it. We got to the airport at around 9:30. By the time we got checked in our baggage and got our boarding cards it was a quarter past ten or so. So we went to the gate and settled down. There was a little bit of confusion when they announced a gate change. Because of the heavy accent, none of us realized that there was a gate change. Our tour manager came by and told us to move over to the next change because of the change. It also turned out that the plane wasn't yet at the gate. It arrived 15 minutes past the hour. By the time we got in it was almost 12:45. We landed almost at 2.
Da Nang was a major U.S. air base in Vietnam during the Vietnam war. It was also the busiest with more than 2500 air operations every day. It was shutdown somewhere in 1972 as part of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam. Today Da Nang is the largest city in central Vietnam. It has mountains in the west and the South China Sea in the east. The Vietnamese call it the East Sea and not the South China Sea. It has two seasons: Wet and Dry. It turns out that we have arrived during the wet season that lasts from September through March. But this part of the wet season is light. We were told to expect rain that could come suddenly and be prepared with umbrellas etc. The hotel where we are staying even has free umbrellas for guest use. The attraction in Da Nang is the beach on the South China Sea. So this is where we headed first.
We walked along the beach a little bit and took in the sights and sounds of the beach. A nice touch on the part of Gate1 was to provide a can of beer for every person in the group. So we wandered around the beach with the can of beer! I thought that was cool. There was an interesting statue we could see on an island a few miles off the beach. It looked like an image of Mary, but it was actually the goddess of the sea to protect seamen and boats from the fury of nature. We spent about a 1/2 hour on the beach.
We piled into the bus and headed south to the ancient city of Hoi An. Hoi An sits on the banks of the Thu Bon river which flows east into the South China Sea. The estuary of the river forms a natural harbor. The Thu Bon river is also deep enough to accommodate smaller vessels. Traders from China and Japan would take advantage of winds from the North East to head down to Hoi An for trade. They rented space to stay for the duration of the North East wind. When the wind turned South West they would head back to their respective countries.
Our flight was scheduled for a noon departure. The ticket agents at the counter were somewhat slow. Our guide explained that they have very strict requirements in terms of the process they have to follow and that there was great pressure to ensure that the ID and names on the ticket match etc. Even then, we found it odd that it took them so much time. But what the heck, it only takes time and we had plenty of it. We got to the airport at around 9:30. By the time we got checked in our baggage and got our boarding cards it was a quarter past ten or so. So we went to the gate and settled down. There was a little bit of confusion when they announced a gate change. Because of the heavy accent, none of us realized that there was a gate change. Our tour manager came by and told us to move over to the next change because of the change. It also turned out that the plane wasn't yet at the gate. It arrived 15 minutes past the hour. By the time we got in it was almost 12:45. We landed almost at 2.
|
|
Da Nang City
Da Nang was a major U.S. air base in Vietnam during the Vietnam war. It was also the busiest with more than 2500 air operations every day. It was shutdown somewhere in 1972 as part of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam. Today Da Nang is the largest city in central Vietnam. It has mountains in the west and the South China Sea in the east. The Vietnamese call it the East Sea and not the South China Sea. It has two seasons: Wet and Dry. It turns out that we have arrived during the wet season that lasts from September through March. But this part of the wet season is light. We were told to expect rain that could come suddenly and be prepared with umbrellas etc. The hotel where we are staying even has free umbrellas for guest use. The attraction in Da Nang is the beach on the South China Sea. So this is where we headed first.
 |
 |
 |
 |
China Beach in Da Nang
We walked along the beach a little bit and took in the sights and sounds of the beach. A nice touch on the part of Gate1 was to provide a can of beer for every person in the group. So we wandered around the beach with the can of beer! I thought that was cool. There was an interesting statue we could see on an island a few miles off the beach. It looked like an image of Mary, but it was actually the goddess of the sea to protect seamen and boats from the fury of nature. We spent about a 1/2 hour on the beach.
We piled into the bus and headed south to the ancient city of Hoi An. Hoi An sits on the banks of the Thu Bon river which flows east into the South China Sea. The estuary of the river forms a natural harbor. The Thu Bon river is also deep enough to accommodate smaller vessels. Traders from China and Japan would take advantage of winds from the North East to head down to Hoi An for trade. They rented space to stay for the duration of the North East wind. When the wind turned South West they would head back to their respective countries.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Ancient City of Hoi An
Hoi An was in important trading post, particularly for ceramics, for merchants from China, Japan, European countries and India. The city lost its importance because Da Nang became the more important trading port. After the Vietnam war the city became a UNESCO heritage city. Funds were available to restore the city into its original look and feel.
There is a still lot of Chinese influence in the city. Although the Japanese were also there along with the Chinese, they left a long time ago. Not much of the Japanese influence is left except for a bridge connecting two sides of the city split by a canal. The Japanese built the bridge to demonstrate their superiority.
We ended the day with a fabulous dinner, Vietnamese style. So far all my ideas about Vietnamese food have been blown away. This evening dinner had several servings of combinations of vegetables and meat. The food was flavorful and not spicy. When we get back I am going to explore Vietnamese food further.
No comments:
Post a Comment