DA NANG, VIETNAM
Sites: Marble Mountain, Mỹ Sơn Ruins, Firework competition
Stay: AirBNB Near Da Nang Beach
2024-06-07, 20:40
Scooter rentals cost 100.000 Vietnamese Dong now for one day. We take them out to the Monkey Temple. After about 20 minutes, we are refused entry at the entrance for some reason, but we don't fight it. Instead, we go to the marble mountain again.
The same touts, the same infrastructure, and the same temple. However, this time, blue skies and a scorching heat. It hasn't changed that much from when I was last here, from what I remember. I suppose for a heritage site, that's a good sign. I forgot how remarkable the landscape was though. The Karst mountains are a bold statement on the otherwise flat beachlands.
A couple of friends and I decide to be more courageous with our driving after our successful trip to Marble Mountain, so we go to Mỹ Sơn. About 40 kilometers out, Mỹ Sơn is a collection of Hindu-inspired ruins built from the 8th to 12th century A.D. by the Cham people. The journey there takes us through the countryside. There are stretches of deep green rice fields that are empty because of the extreme heat. We also pass a cemetery, which looks like a Chinese ceremony but far more organised and ornate. Each tomb seems to have an commemorative arch painted in various, vibrant colours, with each tomb neatly placed next to its neighbour. About 30 km in, we stop by a cafe with seats within a koi pond.
The Mỹ Sơn ruins are stunning. Only recently curated, the ruins echo the history of cultures that have come before, underlining the importance of religion in humans since the beginning of our species. There were also residual bomb pits that were the result of the Vietnam War, echoing the realities of war on the preservation of culture. There are several groups of ruins that we walk around, soaking it all in.
At night, we book a fancy dinner since it turns out there is an international fireworks competition. We go to the top of a hotel to have an all-you-can-eat buffet, and watch the fireworks. There's firework shows, and then there's firework competitions. The latter go much harder and much longer, with each show lasting about 25-30 minutes, and going all out. The choreography is like this: a teaser; booms, each one deeper and louder than the next; an intermission of 30 seconds of small streamers; and the finale which is non-stop lighting them. It's surreal, the day we've had.
Impressions on Da Nang compared to my last two times here? I did not realise how much a beach resort destination it was. The coast line is huge and stretches on. The Vietnamese also seem to have a good sense of fun. This is the first time we are staying near the coast, and in the mornings and evenings the beach is full of people. There are people walking around shirtless near the coastline, and people bathing in the water, much more so than we've seen even in Hong Kong or Singapore. There are beach bars lining parts of the beach as well, with good views of the water. They've definitely utilised the water well, and I'm here for it. It's giving.. Macau, beach edition.
