Vietnam | Da Nang | Hội An | Phú Quốc | Ho Chi Minh
As you know, I got back from a trip of a lifetime a few months ago. (Yes... getting these blog posts out seem to be getting more and more difficult!) These Christmas / New Year vacations I've been taking the last few years are always an awesome way to end and start a new year. Keeps me motivated in a lot of ways, and makes me even more thankful for the things I have and the people in my life. Not to mention it keeps the creative juices flowing. As a graphic designer this is a must!
To refresh your memory, this was the route Phx > LA > San Fran > Manila > Hong Kong > DaNang > PhuQuoc > Ho Chi Minh > Singapore >Hong Kong > Manila > San Fran > HOME!
Check out my post on Hong Kong for what to do while visiting!
Da Nang | Vietnam
Another amazing place and a complete 180 from Hong Kong. This was a much more authentic experience which I usually prefer. Less city and more rural. But it gets better and better as we continued seeing more of Vietnam. Our first night in Da Nang was pretty mellow. We quickly got to our hotel at the Hoang Ling. This room was very spacious and clean. The front desk staff was extremely accommodating and nice. I would highly recommend it. Did I mention this was only about a $20 room room? Crazy right?! Well, we checked in, dropped off bags and left instantly to do a little roaming. We stopped at a little restaurant called waterfront that had outdoor seating and a great view of the river and dragon bridge. We had a small dinner and I watched the world pass me by and again, had another of those aha moments. I tend to have a lot of those when traveling. After dinner we walked to the nearest massage parlor we could find and spent the next hour and a half being pampered. After so much walking and those crazy long flights, I couldn't have asked for more. A huge perk about visiting Asia, is that massage parlors are a dime a dozen and sooooo dang inexpensive that you can't say no. If I wasn't so curious to see what the city had to offer, I could have easily spent the whole evening here.
The next day we walked over the famous dragon bridge to see a different view of the city. Had some delicious and crazy spicy pho and took a short taxi ride to check out the Marble mountains. A pretty epic area and wow! Such talent. Although I didn't make any marble purchases here, it's totally worth seeing. A cluster of five marble and limestone mountains with incredible carved sculptures. Each mountain named after the five following 5 elements: Metal, water, wood, fire and earth. This stop was just sightseeing. They had little stands with fresh coconuts and fruit which of course I couldn't resist. I would suggest bringing some mosquito spray though. It wasn't really an issue anywhere else but here. After our visit here our taxi driver who was incredibly nice and waited for us continued the short drive to Hoi An. MY FAVORITE!!!!
Hoi An
Seriously one of my most favorite places in the world. The old buildings had so much character and the streets were lined with paper lanterns. The people were the nicest ever! and although there were tourist in the area, it felt incredibly local. I booked a room at the Huy Hoang River Hotel. Another room for under $20. You can travel for pennies in Asia! This place was ideal as far as location. Again, the staff was amazing, the room was very clean and spacious and you had a pretty awesome view of the river and city across the way. We had our laundry done here for just a few dollars and it was ready for us within a day. The town is small enough that you can walk everywhere or you can rent a bike for a few dollars and cruise around town.
Again, we indulged in massages, I tried durian for the first time and most likely the last time ever lol. Disgusting! I did havw yummy mint ice cream and the local tiger beers were flowing! We took a little canoe ride down the river and danced the night away at some local bar. The next day to traveled back to Da Nang to catch a short flight to PhuQuoc
PhuQuoc
PhuQuoc was the more laid back part of the trip of the trip. Although there were a ton of things to do and see it felt pretty chill. Here we stayed at The Lighthouse Hotel. Guess how much this room was? again, under $20/night!!! Unreal. I really enjoyed the location of this hotel. Again, you could walk everywhere and they had a great little cafe on property. Best smoothies!
Things to do:
- Fingernail islands - The ride back in was one of the scariest things i've experianced, but omg was it worth it!! Gorgeous beaches with absolutely no one around. Straight out of a movie. Actually, I believe these islands have been in a few movies! We had a little passenger on board with us too. That puppy you see in the pics below. Brave little guy!
- Rent a vespa! Vespas are the main form of transportation in this town. It's much easier to get around and find parking.
- Rory's Beach Club - Yes, this place is more touristy than most in the area, but the atmosphere is great and you can sit on the sand, watch the sunset and enjoy dinner. You can also get a massage on the beach pretty close to this restaurant
- Dinh Cau Night Market - TONS of food, souvenirs, live music and people watching.
Ho Chi Minh
WANDERLUST: A very strong or irresistible impulse to travel and see the world.
This speaks so true to my heart and soul... So much so that making it permanent made perfect sense on this trip and at this point in my life. I got my 1st tattoo in this random little parlor above a trinket store in an alleyway. LOL I know how crazy that sounds but now that it's done I just love the story behind it. I had told my friend that I wanted to get my 1st one while traveling. While shopping he noticed a sign that pointed upstairs. "tattoo" is all is said so we popped in to see what the place was all about and 30min later I walked out with WANDERLUST on my wrist. I love it!!!
We were only here for maybe 2 days but I had such awesome experiences. Such as crossing the street. I know... Crossing the street? Well, it's by far the craziest thing to do here. You literally just step out in from of hundreds of vespas and cars and hope for the best! You're not supposed to run across because the drivers wont be able to swerve around you. The theory is to walk at a normal pace. Scary AF... After an afternoon of shopping, getting my tattoo, eating far too much as usual and checking into our room at the Kien hotel (which again only cost about $17) we decided to get ready for an epic night out. NEW YEARS!! We bought tickets to an awesome rooftop party at Chill Skybar. Not only were the views incredible but the people, music, performances, drinks and food were awesome too! Bye Vietnam!!! I seriously can't wait to visit again!
