{"id":185,"date":"2014-07-27T16:37:33","date_gmt":"2014-07-27T08:37:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gautamkhattak.wordpress.com\/?page_id=185"},"modified":"2015-08-07T12:06:11","modified_gmt":"2015-08-07T04:06:11","slug":"asia-vietnam-central","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.gautamkhattak.com\/wordpress\/asia-general-synopsis\/asia-vietnam-central\/","title":{"rendered":"Vietnam – Central (Hoi An, Da Nang, Hue)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vietnam – Hoi An, Da Nang, Hue <\/strong>by Gautam Khattak<\/p>\n

Last updated:<\/strong> August 21, 2011<\/p>\n

Disclaimer:<\/strong> These are notes I\u2019ve written or gathered from various sources. I have not experienced all things in this document nor is it intended to be a definitive guide.<\/p>\n

General Tips<\/strong><\/p>\n

Currency:<\/strong> VND \u2013 Vietnamese Dong<\/p>\n

Conversion Tool:<\/strong> http:\/\/www.google.com\/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=100+usd+to+vnd<\/a><\/p>\n

(Update for current rates)<\/p>\n

100 USD = 2.04 Million VND<\/p>\n

1 USD = 20,408.16 VND<\/p>\n

100 VND = .0049 USD<\/p>\n

Tipping:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tipping is not expected but very much appreciated in Vietnam. Considering that people earn about $100 USD a month, a tip of $1 goes a long way. Those that often deserve the tip don\u2019t ask for it, others will include it their price for service and still ask for more money.<\/p>\n

Local Customs:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Transportation<\/strong><\/p>\n

From Da Nang we rented a taxi for a fixed price to Hoi An. Just make sure you negotiate the price before you get in the car. It should be about $15-17 US.<\/p>\n

In Hoi An we rented some scooters for $5 a day. We paid another $5 for fuel to fill the tank but after driving to Da Nang and back we had half a tank left so if you\u2019re not going to spend a lot riding around then don\u2019t fill it up.<\/p>\n

To get to Hue we booked a bus from our hotel Pho Hoi Riverside Resort.<\/p>\n

Tourist Destinations<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hoi An<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hoi An is a small little town and cool to hang out. Eat the food, walk or ride around. We took scooters and rode to Da Nang. We went to China (where the old show Cua Dai Beach and China Beach and Apocalypse Now was filmed). Then we went up to see the Lady Buddha (you can see it from the highway).
\nJapanese Bridge \u2013 There is a bridge in Japanese architecture built in the 17th century. Japanese settled in this town in large numbers following a treaty with local Nguyen lords signed in the early 1600s. Hoi-an at that time was underdeveloped, but the Japanese envisioned transforming the town into a great trading center. The Nguyen Lords allowed the Japanese to construct streets, pagodas, and other infrastructure, along with housing for the merchants. The bridge is one of a handful of architectural treasures still extant from that era. The bridge doubles as a temple, with shrines to several deities located inside. One theory of the bridge’s religious purpose is that it was built to subdue a world-spanning ‘mamazu’ dragon monster, whose head was located in India and its tail in Japan. The movement of the tail was believed to cause earthquakes in Japan. As Vietnam was located in the area of the mamazu’s back, the bridge was intended to pin the mamazu down, thus preventing any earthquakes.
\nCham Ruins of My Son \u2013 You can take a bus tour Ruins from the Cham City from the 7th century. My Son is thought to be where the remains of Cham Kings were kept after cremation. The Cham people lived here between the 4th and 13th centuries a had a unique culture which owed its spiritual origins to Indian Hinduism developed on the coast of contemporary Viet Nam. This is graphically illustrated by the remains of a series of impressive tower-temples located in a dramatic site that was the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom for most of its existence. If you\u2019ve seen Siem Reap Cambodia this isn\u2019t all that impressive but it is a UNESCO site.
\nMarble Mountains – 25km north of Hoi An, the Marble Mountains comprise five majestic granite peaks. At the beginning of the 19th century, King Gia Long while passing through this region named the mountains after metal, wood, water, fire and earth.<\/p>\n

There are many beautiful caves in the ‘Water’ mountain and if you climb the 157 stone steps to get to the pagoda you will be rewarded by an impressive panorama.
\nHai Van Pass \u2013 The longer way to Hue from Da Nang is through the HVP (shorter way is through a tunnel) is a 2 mile long mountain pass between Da Nang to Hue. The view from the pass is quite beautiful.
\nHue<\/strong><\/p>\n

I did a city tour in Hue. Booked it through a tour agency in the central part of town.<\/p>\n

In the morning<\/strong><\/p>\n

Minh Mang Tomb<\/p>\n

Khai Dinh Tomb<\/p>\n

Tu Duc Tomb<\/p>\n

Conical Hat Making<\/p>\n

Incense Making Village<\/p>\n

In the afternoon<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Citadel – The Imperial City at Hue is the best-preserved remnant of a vast citadel and royal quarters that once existed on the site. It has been declared a UNESCO site and the remaining buildings have been lovingly restored. But, much of the site was so badly damaged that it has been given over to vast rice fields that cover most of the Purple Forbidden City. Even so, the remaining buildings are sufficient to give the visitor a sense of how the Vietnamese interpreted Chinese imperial architecture and adapted it to their culture.<\/p>\n

Thien Mu Pagoda – is the oldest monastery in Hue and one of the most important culture centers in Vietnam. It is on the banks of the Perfume River and about three kilometers from downtown Hue.<\/p>\n

Dining & Nightlife<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hoi An is known for its food and for a reason. The food in Central Vietnam is unique to the region and quite tasty.<\/p>\n

There are a few dishes that are not found in other areas.<\/p>\n

Cao Lau<\/em> is a thick noodle dish with pork that seemed more like Chinese cuisine \u2013 liked this dish.<\/p>\n

Fried wontons<\/em> is the wonton wrapper fried and topped with ingredients \u2013 liked this dish but quite messy.\u00a0 Banh xeo<\/em> is a rice paper pancake roll filled with fresh ingredients \u2013 liked this dish.<\/p>\n

White rose<\/em> is steamed rice paper filled with shrimp \u2013 didn\u2019t like this as much.<\/p>\n

Vietnamese Coffee is quite sweet since they use condensed milk instead of cream or milk.<\/p>\n

Beer is also extremely cheap ~ draft beer is usually less than 8000VND.<\/p>\n

Most of all the restaurants and caf\u00e9s have free Wi-Fi which is nice.<\/p>\n

Treat\u2019s Caf\u00e9 <\/strong>and Re-Treat Caf\u00e9<\/strong> (only difference is location) – Good food and cheap prices.<\/p>\n

Banana Leaf Caf\u00e9<\/strong> \u2013 This restaurant had really great food and a good view of the river from the 2nd<\/sup> floor balcony. BUT if you don\u2019t like rats running around the floor you may not like it (but the food is really good) J. The restaurant showcases some of the Hoi An delicacies.<\/p>\n

Before and After <\/strong>\u2013 A fun expatriate bar located in downtown Hoi An. Fun place, good music. I recommend this hangout.<\/p>\n

Mandarin Caf\u00e9 (Hue)<\/strong> \u2013 This caf\u00e9 is definitely worth a stop if only to see the owner Mr. CU. He is an amazing photographer that has his pictures up for display and purchasing. He is also super nice, we tried to buy like 2 prints each and he ended up giving us an extra 3 each for free just because he\u2019s that nice of a guy.<\/p>\n

Shopping<\/strong><\/p>\n

Central Vietnam is a good place to get custom shoes made. Other than that I didn’t do any shopping.<\/p>\n

Lodging<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hoi An<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pho Hoi Riverside Resort<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 This hotel was pretty decent and had an exotic vibe to it. The breakfast was included and not too bad. The shower wasn\u2019t all that great and the Wi-Fi didn\u2019t really work in our room. The hotel was in a good location, just outside the main part of town but on the other side of the river so it had a nice view.<\/p>\n

Hue<\/strong><\/p>\n

Canary Hotel<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 Clean and decent hotel in a centralized location. Nothing too fancy but I\u2019d stay here again.<\/p>\n

Helpful Links<\/strong><\/p>\n

Itinerary I followed (my first visit)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Day 1 (Saturday):<\/p>\n

Day 2 (Sunday):<\/p>\n

Day 3 (Monday):<\/p>\n

Vietnamese Phrases<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
English Phrases<\/td>\nVietnamese Phrases<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
English Greetings<\/strong><\/td>\nVietnamese Greetings:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hi!<\/td>\nch\u00e0o<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Good morning!<\/td>\nch\u00e0o bu?i s\u00e1ng<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Good evening!<\/td>\nch\u00e0o bu?i t?i<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
How are you?<\/td>\nb?n c\u00f3 kh?e kh\u00f4ng?, kh?e ch??( informal )<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
I’m fine, thanks!<\/td>\nC\u00e1m on b?n t\u00f4i kh?e<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
And you?<\/td>\nB?n th\u00ec sao?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Good\/ So-So.<\/td>\nT?t \/ cung t\u00e0m t?m<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Thank you (very much)!<\/td>\nC\u00e1m on ( r?t nhi?u )<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
You’re welcome! (for “thank you”)<\/td>\n\u00d0?ng ng?i ( don’t mind asking for my help )<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hey! Friend!<\/td>\nN\u00e0y!, \u00ca!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
I missed you so much!<\/td>\nT\u00f4i nh? b?n l?m<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
What’s new?<\/td>\nC\u00f3 g\u00ec m?i kh\u00f4ng?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nothing much<\/td>\nKh\u00f4ng c\u00f3 g\u00ec nhi?u<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Good night!<\/td>\nCh\u00fac ng? ngon!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
See you later!<\/td>\nG?p l?i sau nh\u00e9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Good bye!<\/td>\nT?m bi?t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Asking for Help and Directions<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
I’m lost<\/td>\nT\u00f4i b? l?c<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Can I help you?<\/td>\nT\u00f4i c\u00f3 th? gi\u00fap b?n di?u g\u00ec?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Can you help me?<\/td>\nB?n gi\u00fap t\u00f4i d?oc kh\u00f4ng?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Where is the (bathroom\/ pharmacy)?<\/td>\nPh\u00f2ng t?m ( nh\u00e0 thu?c ) ? d\u00e2u?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Go straight! then turn left\/ right!<\/td>\n\u00d0i th?ng, sau d\u00f3 r? tr\u00e1i \/ ph?i<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
I’m looking for john.<\/td>\nT\u00f4i dang t\u00ecm John.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
One moment please!<\/td>\nL\u00e0m on d?i m?t l\u00e1t!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hold on please! (phone)<\/td>\nXin gi? m\u00e1y!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
How much is this?<\/td>\nC\u00e1i n\u00e0y gi\u00e1 bao nhi\u00eau?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Excuse me …! (to ask for something)<\/td>\nXin l?i cho h?i?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Excuse me! ( to pass by)<\/td>\nXin l?i, l\u00e0m on nh\u00e9!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Come with me!<\/td>\n\u00d0i v?i t\u00f4i<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Good\/ Bad\/ So-So.<\/td>\nT?t \/ x?u \/ b\u00ecnh thu?ng<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Big\/ Small<\/td>\nL?n \/ nh?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Today\/ Now<\/td>\nH\u00f4m nay \/ b\u00e2y gi?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tomorrow\/ Yesterday<\/td>\nNg\u00e0y mai \/ h\u00f4m qua<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Yes\/ No<\/td>\nC\u00f3, v\u00e2ng, d\u00fang v?y, ? \/ kh\u00f4ng<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Here you go! (when giving something)<\/td>\nC?a b?n d\u00e2y.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Do you like it?<\/td>\nB?n th\u00edch n\u00f3 ch??<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
I really like it!<\/td>\nT\u00f4i th?t s? th\u00edch n\u00f3.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
I’m hungry\/ thirsty.<\/td>\nT\u00f4i d\u00f3i \/ kh\u00e1t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
In The Morning\/ Evening\/ At Night.<\/td>\nV\u00e0o bu?i s\u00e1ng \/ t?i\/ ban d\u00eam<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
This\/ That. Here\/There<\/td>\nC\u00e1i n\u00e0y \/ c\u00e1i kia. ? d\u00e2y \/ ? d\u00f3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Me\/ You. Him\/ Her.<\/td>\nT\u00f4i \/ b?n. Anh ?y \/ c\u00f4 ?y<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Really!<\/td>\nTh?t sao?, V?y \u00e0?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
What? Where?<\/td>\nG\u00ec co? ? d\u00e2u?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
What time is it?<\/td>\nM?y gi? r?i?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
I love you!<\/td>\nT\u00f4i y\u00eau b?n!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
I feel sick.<\/td>\nT\u00f4i c?m th?y m?t.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
I need a doctor<\/td>\nT\u00f4i c?n d?n b\u00e1c si.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
One, Two, Three<\/td>\nM?t, hai, ba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Four, Five, Six<\/td>\nB?n, nam, s\u00e1u<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten<\/td>\nB?y, t\u00e1m, ch\u00edn, m?oi<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\"'China<\/a>

‘China Beach’, Da Nang<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The View, Da Nang<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Fishing<\/a>

Fishing boats in Da Nang<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Rural<\/a>

Rural Life, Hoi An<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Working<\/a>

Working for a living, Hoi An<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Rice<\/a>

Rice Paddies, Hoi An<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Lantern<\/a>

Lantern Shop, Hoi An<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Perfume River, Hue<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Coy<\/a>

Coy @ The Royal Citadel, Hue<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Royal Citadel, Hue<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Buddhist Pagoda, Hue<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vietnam – Hoi An, Da Nang, Hue by Gautam Khattak Last updated: August 21, 2011 Disclaimer: These are notes I\u2019ve written or gathered from various sources. I have not experienced all things in this document nor is it intended to be a definitive guide. General Tips Currency: VND \u2013 Vietnamese Dong Conversion Tool: http:\/\/www.google.com\/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=100+usd+to+vnd (Update […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":188,"parent":86,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-185","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gautamkhattak.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gautamkhattak.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gautamkhattak.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gautamkhattak.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gautamkhattak.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=185"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.gautamkhattak.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":725,"href":"https:\/\/www.gautamkhattak.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/185\/revisions\/725"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gautamkhattak.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/86"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gautamkhattak.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gautamkhattak.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}