Zum Wilden Mann

Da Nang , fifth largest city of Vietnam, is surely one of the names remembered from the Vietnam war, more aptly called the "American war" in Vietnam, is today a booming commercial center. During the war, the city was a major air base used by the South Vietnamese and US air forces. It fell to the North-Vietnamese communist forces in 1975.

The year of the goat was coming. Our journey included the days of the Tet, the Vietnamese New Year. While this caused some logistical hurdles, especially with flights, we could enjoy the festive atmosphere. Cafes were packed with local people and Vietnamese tourists.

Ever thought of crossing a river on the back of a dragon, just like a fairy tale hero? In Da Nang you can! The impressive Dragon Bridge is the main landmark of the town. On weekends it breathes fire, but the major of Da Nang had just died and therfore this spectacle was suspended. The bridge is also a convenient starting point for a visit of the remarkable Cham Museum and a walk along the quay with the Han Market and countless cafés and restaurants.

The Apsara restaurant features some copies of Cham sculpture and they have performances of traditional Vietnamese music, which we can recommend.
The market is most interesting as all markets in Vietnam.

The Museum of Cham Sculpture has the world largest collection of Cham sculpture.

The origin of the Cham seems to be in Indonesia and Borneo. Their Hindu / Buddhist religion explains the similarity of their art to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, where they also form a minority, though most of the Cham in Cambodia have converted to Islam.

The My Khe beach / China beach stretches over 40km south to Hoi An.
During the Vietnam/American war it was a recreation area for the American GI's.
A comment in Wikipedia says " It (China beach) was just a nickname by the geographically challenged American soldiers."
Today it is a developing area, with partly luxury hotels and resorts, partly pure desert and partly construction site.
For us it is a secret, why Forbes Magazine listed the beach as the 7th best beach, but as long as this helps to keep masses away from the real beautiful spots, it's OK.

You see this statue everywhere in Vietnam: in pagodas, parks, holy caves. Often called "Lady Buddha" and in a way the name is correct. She is a Bodhisattva, a human being who has achieved spiritual perfection, full detachment from greed, envy and earthen desires. The Bodhisattva could eventually exit the cycle of death and rebirth, but instead decides to come back among his/her fellow humans in order to help them to rise to the same perfection. The esplanade under the white Lady Buddha is a lovely viewpoint over the bay of Da Nang, the river and the town.