8th March: Hoi An, Vietnam to Danang, Vietnam

It was our final morning in Hoi An but rather than rush to leave, we savoured a final amble into the old town. Kaja had found a tea house yesterday that we went back to. Her herbal tea had the profile of buckwheat tea but with hints of ginger. My drip filter arabica from Dalat was fragrant with the sweet aftertaste of wine. We also shared a plate of delicately flavoured local biscuits, ranging from chocolate to ginger and green tea.

The place itself was the most interesting thing, however. It was begun by a group of young Vietnamese physically impaired people in 2000 as a craft centre, which is still running out back. They expanded to open the teahouse later, with the staff now all being deaf. Ordering is through written cards and/or sign language, and each table also has a set of pre-labelled wooden blocks to communicate some standard café requests. There is also a silence policy, which is lovely (when people respect it!).

One place it definitely isn’t silent is on the streets! Beeping in Vietnam is on another level to anywhere else in Southeast Asia and isn’t far off the volume in China. Time for a bit of a moan. I’ve been struggling with generally being overwhelmed this week and the constant beeping is a real struggle to deal with. As far as I’m concerned there is never a reason to beep whilst riding a motorbike or driving a car. Doing so is an inane and a weird reaction to finding traffic or other people near you, which surely startles people into having accidents. Being in or on a lump of metal also doesn’t make you more important than people on foot, if anything less so, so drivists should have patience and dignity. Also, if something hazardous is developing, surely you hit the brake not the horn?! I’ve never understood it and I don’t know why vehicles are made with them at all.

Fortunately, there is generally less traffic in Hoi An than elsewhere in Vietnam as the old town is (in theory) car free. This is one major appeal for many, which should be a hint that more of the world should be car free. People love it, even if car-funded politicians make them believe otherwise.

We crossed the bridge over to Cam Nam, the island on which we were originally going to stay, for a bit of a walk before we had to move on. This area is more traditional and laid back, with the majority of streets and buildings still being lived in by locals. The back streets are still filled with papaya trees and the sound of cockerels. It was here that we grabbed a quick snack of Vietnamese savoury pancakes with herbs in rice paper, and watermelon juice. One final Hoi An snack!

We made it back to the hotel just in time for our pre-booked taxi back to Da Nang. The family in the hotel came out to say bye, with the mum of little Robin (we never knew her name) giving us hugs. We asked her to pass on a mini heart, medium heart, and big heart to the cutest little girl we’ve met on our travels.

The 45-minute drive back up the coast took us past the same buffalo-tilled rice fields opposite high-end gated that resorts that we’d passed heading south. The distant Ba Na hills were shrouded in cloud. Our hotel for our only night in Danang is right beside the River Han and its famous bridges. We were going to come straight through here without stopping to board an onward train, however, on weekend nights one of the bridges does something special. As today happens to be Saturday, we’re leaving in the morning instead.

It was cloudy and breezy looking out over central Danang, but it had still been a pleasant 24C when we’d arrived. Heading back out not long later, we were therefore surprised to be a bit chilly and beat a hasty retreat to change into trousers and coats. The UK is going to be a bit of a shock if 20C feels like this! A few spots of rain blew in on the stiff breeze and after a short riverside walk, we instead headed into the more sheltered backstreets. Keeping with the theme of today, there was a gorgeous temple complete with dragons on the roof and front wall. We sat in a little local restaurant for veggie versions of mi quang noodles and com ga rice. My huge bowl of noodles and warming soup was exactly what I needed this evening!

We had a couple of hours to chill before the main event, so popped back to the hotel. Danang sits to the east and west of the Han River, which flows into a bay on the northern edge of the city. The eastern half, which we’re in, is set between the river and a long sandy beach which stretches all the way south to the edge of Hoi An. Overlooking this vibrant city, huge amounts of construction are visible. The riverfront towers were illuminated at night with displays we’ve not seen since China.

At half 8, it was time to venture back out for the Dragon Bridge spectacular! We found ourselves a spot amongst the crowds at the eastern end of the 600-metre-long bridge, where the dragon’s head sits. The entire structure is designed with a dragon’s body undulating along its length with the tail at the far end in old Danang. At exactly 9 pm, the traffic was stopped, and the dragon breathed 6 pulses of fire. We could feel the heat and watched as acrid clouds of black smoke drifted overhead. Whatever they were burning wasn’t pleasant! Still, it was an impressive sight as three more times the dragon pulsed fire.

The vast crowd oohed and ahhed, before suddenly screaming and running as the display ended with huge jets of water. Being downwind, we got completely drenched! Somehow, I managed to keep the camera lens dry (phew for water sealed bodies and lenses!) and keep taking photos, but our clothes were soaked through. In a break in the water spray, I spotted a gap and got through just out of range of the next jet. Kaja didn’t get so lucky as people panicked again and she got blocked just within soaking range. It was hilarious and enlightening to see the panic in a crowd that a bit of water can cause. Personally, I found it invigorating and walking back was the most relaxed I’ve felt all week.

Enjoying a nice warm shower, I could see the towers of the city reflecting in the river. It was a view that I savoured and breathed in to remember this trip by.