Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [202]
Immigration police 7 Than Quy Cap. The place to go if you’ve lost your passport or have similar difficulties.
Post office Main office at 60 Bach Dang, poste restante at no. 66; other branches at 80 Hung Vuong, 41 Tran Quoc Toan and 20 Dong Da.
Silks and tailoring Outlets line the north end of Phan Chu Trinh (try Hanh Silk Shop at no. 91), although the best quality and prices are in Hoi An.
Tour agents and open–tour buses An Phu Tourist, 20 Dong Da 0511/381 8366, anphucndn@yahoo.com; Vietnamtourism, 83 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai 0511/382 3660, vitoursdad@dng.vnn.vn. An Phu Tourist’s open-tour buses stop outside their office, while other operators drop off and pick up passengers outside the Cham Museum; local tour agents will be able to help with tickets and reservations.
The central provinces |
Around Da Nang
The main places worth visiting around Da Nang are beaches, from Red Beach (Nam O) in the north where the first US Marines came ashore, down the broad, bleached-white fringe of China Beach (My Khe), and continuing all the way south through Non Nuoc to Hoi An. Of all the beaches in Vietnam, these are the most coveted by international developers, though only one resort has been completed so far along this empty, attractive coastline. A note of warning, however: there’s a powerful undertow off this coast and when the northeast, winter monsoon blows up, riptides become particularly dangerous. Guards patrol the main swimming beaches during the day, where flags also indicate safe spots. Best months on the beach are April to August, with the peak season for local holidaymakers in July and August.
Heading south down the coast, past old US installations occupied these days by the People’s Army, you come to a group of abrupt hills constituting the coast’s other main tourist attraction, usually a stop on the trip to or from Hoi An: the Marble Mountains. The five limestone and marble knobbles are peppered with sacred caves, wrapped in legend – and liberally sprinkled with souvenir stands. For generations Non Nuoc Village at the mountains’ base has resonated with the chink of stone masons chiselling away at religious statues, memorials and imitation Cham figures. Another possible excursion is to Ba Na, west of Da Nang, where an old French hill station has been developed as a summer retreat.
Up the coast from Da Nang, Highway 1 zigzags over the Hai Van Pass, affording sweeping views of the bay and north to the brilliant white sands of Lang Co beach. From here you can head into the mountains to explore the walking trails of Bach Ma National Park, where the remains of another French-era hill station are swamped by some of the most lush vegetation in the whole of Vietnam. All three places can be visited on a long day’s excursion from Da Nang, or covered on the road to Hué.
* * *
The central provinces | Around Da Nang |
Moving on from Da Nang
Heading on up the coast to Hué it’s a difficult choice between road and rail over the dramatic Hai Van Pass. If you plump for the train, ask for seats on the right for the best views as the train hugs the cliff. Highway 1 winds much higher but keeps inland, and clouds often shroud the top. Open-tour buses (45,000đ) pick up passengers outside the Cham Museum or from An Phu Tourist at 20 Dong Da; services stop briefly at the Hai Van Pass and Lang Co Beach. Alternatively, hire a car and driver ($25–45) for the three-hour trip so you can enjoy the scenery at your leisure. Local buses for Hué leave from the main Lien Tinh bus station but go through the new road tunnel, bypassing the Hai Van Pass.
Travelling south from Da Nang, xe om compete to whisk you off to Non Nuoc (for the Marble Mountains and beach) for 50,000đ, and to Hoi An. A one-way ride to Hoi An (45min) should cost 100,000đ including waiting