Vietnam Part 2: Da Nang and Hanoi

Flying into Da Nang airport the only context I had was the “Last Flight Out of Da Nang” I learned about through a coworker who lost a high school friend that day. When I told her I was taking my vacation in Vietnam, she told me the wild story about that flight, and how it would be one of the final straws to end the conflict in 1975.

Our tailoring down time in Hoi An gave us time to explore the central and poppin’ city of Da Nang. It is the biggest city in the region, full of modernity and is well known for its energetic nightlife. If you decide to skip the tailoring in Hoi An, Da Nang is the place to be. It’s a beach town on one side, and a big city on the other. Fabulously, Molly’s family-friends have lived in Da Nang for nearly 15 years and we had the awesome opportunity to meet them for lunch and try unique Vietnamese coffees.

Vietnamese coffee is world famous for being incredibly strong (that’s my type!), but even more unique is the lack of milk in the country. To accommodate the lack of milk, the Vietnamese use condensed milk, coconut milk and a very special whipped egg yolk option called (you guessed it) egg coffee, which I’d recommend eating with a spoon. It’s incredibly tasty!

In Da Nang one of our new friends tried a corn coffee for the first time, and it looked unique - I was glad she tried it for the group. I opted for the coconut coffee which was so delish, I’m still not over it. It’s more like more like a frozen coconut smoothie you pour strong express on top of to mix and enjoy - lawdhamercy!

The cherry of Da Nang was our dinner at La Maison 1888 inside Vietnam's InterContinental Da Nang Sun Peninsula Resort hidden within the mountainous outskirts of the city. As our Uber drove up the winding roads towards the entrance, we were stopped by police instructing us to get out by the side of the road, and for our driver to leave! The level of security for whoever was staying at the resort was so intense. We watched in confusion as a 10-car motorcade exited the grounds, but then a luxe VIP sprinter van picked us up after about 5 minutes and drove us up the rest of the way. Who were they? Not sure, but my goodness, WHO ARE WE?!

that look when - someone tells you to “get out of the car, someone is on their way to come get you” after a ten police SUVs speed away in a convoy.

We were the first to arrive in the dining room for an early 5pm reservation, and had the entire restaurant to ourselves for the first hour of our 5-course experience (who are we?!). The head chef is three-Michelin-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire, and the menu is the frenchiest of French. The waiters befriended us on that “most professional waiters of all time” tip, and the service was unmatched - sheesh!

We delighted in course after course with detailed descriptions of each dish. When it came time for the main entree, our waiter asked “do you know what sweetbreads are?”. The answer to his question was yes, but it was my first time trying the classic french dish of lamb thymus gland.

You wanted a FRENCH menu? Enjoy toots. It was dope - the delicate sauces and expert dollops of lemon curd cut the “gland” taste, but the texture was new. Hey, we’re expanding our palates here, so I had to stay focused on the flavor and not the “mouth feel”.

Dessert was exquisite, and we were served 6 unique treats, one of them being a Vietnamese coffee dessert which was my favorite. The meal ended with the waiter pushing out a silver trolley to our table, revealing gourmet candies and smaller desserts. That trolley really was that “five star” touch you hope for. Pure delight!

Molly’s birthday was a few days later, so when the reservation asked “is this a special occasion” I of course, answered “birthday” so we were surprised with another birthday dessert (with candle!), a rose for the birthday girl and a polaroid keepsake! Happy Birthday, Molly!

The next day, to add to our days of glee and delight, we took a ride on the famous basket boats through a coconut forest! The basket boats are traditional fishing boats, but the tourists love ‘em! We had a little lady rowing our circular boat with such force and strength, there is no way she can go unmentioned.

At the start of the ride, she asked “if I wanted to try” and she handed me a paddle to move the boat forward - about 20 strokes in i was feeling the burn, but doing my best. But then she told me to stop - not because i was going “wheeew” in exhaustion, but because I really think I was slowing her down! Shoutout to her!

An added novelty of these boat rides is an optional $5 to have a man spin the boat like a rodeo bull while you hang on for dear life. It almost had me yelling “again! again!” like a little kid, but I had some restraint and let the other people have a turn. When I go back to Vietnam, I will definitely spend more time in Da Nang. There is a real energy in the city and even though we did some big stuff, there is so much more I would love to explore and see. HIGH marks, Da Nang!

Hanoi: After we wrapped Hoi An and Da Nang, we flew out for Hanoi, the capital in the North. Hanoi would be our home base before leaving for the hills of Sapa for a motorbike tour of the rice fields and a 2 night cruise through HaLong Bay. We stayed in central Hanoi which is full of markets, motorbikes, street art and a full-on passenger train that charges through the middle of the city several times a day. The local shops have taken advantage of the train, and the tracks are lined with cafes and restaurants where you sit and wait for the train to fly by top speed in front of your face! A thrill the cafe workers take very seriously. When the train whistle blows, they run wild, instructing you to back-the-hell-up and get your damn phone out of the way of the train. I was so impressed, it was so fun and not a single hair was split - they’ve got train street on lock!

We also had Bun Cha seated on the infamously tiny stools, and this was my dish! The broth was the umami that you pray for and the pork meatballs were grilled and smoky. With the side of rice noodles, cilantro, lettuce and hot chilies (not pictured, but essential) - I was sold. Standing up to leave the tiny table, I nearly flipped the table by accident, but I was zero fails!

The fails started the next day when I left my phone in the hotel room for our city tour which included Japanese pagodas, The Temple of Literature dedicated to Confucius (built in 1070!), the mausoleum of Hoi Chi Minh himself, and The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. All of the pictures below were taken by Molly, the realest!

Remember for the next post that I remained fail-free up until this point. What's an “adventure” without the need for a little miracle at some point…?