After Saigon, we headed to the mountain city of Da Lat. Unfortunately, their airport was under construction (scheduled to reopen shortly after we left), so we had to hire a driver to take us from Saigon. The five-hour twisty and turny drive took us up, up into the mountains, at a very quick clip IContinue reading “Da Lat: City of Whimsy and Magic”

One of the things I have been most affected by during our time in Vietnam is the role of Vietnamese women, in war and the sacrifices they made for their country and their people, especially over their more than 40-year fight for independence. There is a well known Vietnamese traditional saying and cultural proveberb thatContinue reading “Vietnam: Women in Wartime”

Hoi An is a city about 45 minutes drive south of Da Nang, known for its historic ancient town, yellow painted colonial buildings, and picturesque bright green rice fields. It is also known for its many tailors offering custom pieces with a short turn around time. When we were having cold feet about committing toContinue reading “Side trek to Hoi An”

We ate a lot of great food during our time in Da Nang. One of our first meals was at a seafood spot nearish to our hotel called Hai San Chudinh. I mentioned in my first Da Nang blog that we stayed across from Man Thai Beach which has less tourists than the popular MyContinue reading “Da Nang: The Food”

Our first stop in Vietnam was the beach town of Da Nang. A popular tourist destination for the Vietnamese and foreigners alike, it was a vital hub for the Americans during the Vietnam War, and home to one of the worlds’ busiest airfields at the time. In fact, we stayed quite near Son Tra Mountain,Continue reading “Hot Dang, Da Nang”