Hello my lovelies!
My Danang getaway was wonderful and here's some highlights of our Vietnam adventures!

Day 1

We flew out on the early morning 7.55am SilkAir flight on Friday 21 May. It was a tad early for a night bird like me but the folks at SilkAir made it totally painless! The check-in at Terminal 2 was quick and it was "service with a smile", which really did set a positive tone for the trip plus we got upgraded to Business Class so was definitely in good spirits! Yay!

My travelling companion? My mom! She's my best friend and soul mate and we were all set to enjoy some good quality time together!

When we boarded the plane, I was met with more smiles from the cabin crew...I'm lovin' the positivity! We also met our Class 95 winner for the week, Jennifer Lee who brought her aunt, Mdm Lim, as her travel companion. She's a true blue Class 95 fan and a bundle of exuberance!

Danang is a short 3.5hr flight from Singapore and really before you know it, you've arrived! But first, the journey...ahhh...Business Class, now that's the way to travel. Big cushy comfy seats with ample space to prop my legs and all my barang! So comfy I fell asleep for most part of the flight! And whoever said plane food sucks really should taste the fried prawn noodles with sambal served for breakfast. It was really delicious and I chucked down every tiny morsel of it!

With Captain Jorge & First Officer Yusoff at the helm, it was a smooth flight and we also got to take pictures in the cockpit after we landed. To be honest, I was a tad nervous about accidently pressing one of the million buttons inside. But all went well and I made sure I kept my hands to myself!

First impression of Danang? Lots of beautiful greenery and hot! Like 40 degrees Celsius, but nothing a tropics girl like me can't handle! At the immigration, we were welcomed by another friendly face, Rahman, the SilkAir representation for Danang. He's a total sweetie and made sure we secured all our luggage, and even gave us his contact should we need his help during our stay. (Thanks Rahman! xoxo)

On the way to the hotel, we must have passed some gazillion motorcycles. Ok so I exaggerate but really, there are more motorcycles in Danang than cars or vans. There's even a saying in Vietnam that cars and vans are like stones in a stream while the motorcycles are like the water flowing around them. Visually, it really is an apt description!

After about a 20 minute drive, we checked into Sandy Beach Resort, which is near the famous Marble Mountain. The best thing about the hotel? A private beach with beautiful powdery white sands and clear waters. Our room wasn't quite a room, it was more like a suite! It was spacious and clean and even had a powder room!

Totally knackered, we opted for room service and had our first meal in Vietnam. Tasty Vietnamese spring rolls & Pho Bo (beef noodle soup)! It was the cheapest room service I've ever had, S$5 for the whole bowl of Pho Bo! Amazing.

Day 2

Rejuvenated from a good night's rest, my mom and I were all geared up for the full-day tour to the Royal Citadel of Hue (population size just 300,000) to see the sights of ancient Vietnam. To get there, we drove East for about 2.5hrs via the spectacular Hai Van Pass. The drive is considered one of the most beautiful in Vietnam and it took us through both rural & coastal settings. Along the way, I noticed a huge Buddha statue looking outward to sea and learnt that because Danang is so close to sea, these statues are erected at costal points to watch over the people.

Once in Hue, Tommy, our friendly chatty tour guide who speaks excellent English, took us on a 45 boat ride on the Huong River to our first destination, the Thien Mu Pagoda meaning Heavenly Mother Pagoda. Built in 1601, it is Hue's oldest & most beautiful pagoda, thought to be the symbol and spirit of the Hue people. Considering it's over 400 years old, it's very well preserved. I'm impressed!

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it's more like a park since it also has several temples and about 80 monks living on the premises. Legend has it that when the King moved from Hanoi to settle in Hue, he dreamt that he needed to walk along the Huong River with burning incense. Once the incense stopped burning, that was where he should build a pagoda as a tribute to the deities and so he did exactly that!

Our next stop, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Imperial City!

I learnt from Tommy that Hue was the capital of the Nguyen Dynasty Emperors who ruled from 1802-1945 and The Imperial City was where the Emperors stayed. In fact, it's like Vietnam's version of The Forbidden City in China.

It's 568m by 640m wide and surrounded by brick walls with an existing moat that has water channeled from the Huong River. One thing I found interesting was the many entrances at the front, 5 in total, all side by side. Apparently, the middle entrance could only be used by the Emperor, the 2 flanking it were used by ministers and important people, and finally the entrances on the extreme right and left were for common folk and animals. Luckily we entered by the entrance for the ministers and important people!

One interesting thing about Hue that sets it apart from the rest of Vietnam is the predominance of Chinese influenced architecture. It's everywhere! For example, the consistent division of the properties in the Imperial City is according to Confucian philosophy.

Unfortunately much of the Imperial City was destroyed during the Tet Offensive in 1968 between North and South Vietnam. About 90% was destroyed. Restoration works began in 1996 but there's still a long way to go. You can actually see bullet holes in the walls and ornaments and I wonder why people never learn that nothing good ever comes out of war.

Before heading off to our next destination, we enjoy a nice cool drink, and Tommy our tour guide shares some tales with us. The one I like the most is of King Minh Mang, the 2nd king of the last dynasty. Apparently he was an extremely virile man who had 504 concubines. One night he slept with 6 of them of which 5 became pregnant so he's been revered for his virility ever since. There's even some sort of wine that's sold which is reputed to be what gave him that virility and is considered as Vietnam's version of Viagra. Unfortunately if you're getting any ideas about this, Tommy says it's all hogwash! Whahahahhahahahahha!

Our final destination is Tu Duc's Tomb, the solemn permanent shelter of the 4th Nguyen King.

Tu Duc is the most loved King of the Vietnamese, longest reigning (1848-1883) and also most unfortunate. When he ascended the throne, the French invaded, and although he didn't surrender, it was futile to fight. And despite having 104 wives, he had no children, due to small pox when he was young therefore the label "unfortunate/unlucky".

The mausoleum was actually built before he died and it was like his second home where he worked, lived and loved. Apparently a lot of the philosophies he left behind are still being studied today.

What I found interesting was near his tomb, terracotta soldiers & horses stand guard and interestingly they're all quite "vertically challenged". Apparently Tu Duc was quite short so the terracotta soldiers could not be taller than him! Being vertically challenged myself, I empathize with him.

Tu Duc also wanted a crescent moon shaped pond in front of his tomb to remind his people that no one's perfect, that we are all like crescent moons - that we need to strive to become better, fuller.

Since Tu Duc did not have any children, it is unknown if he is actually buried on the site as his loyal subjects were afraid another dynasty might take over and disrupt his eternal rest.

Day 3

We're on our own for the third day and Jennifer and I decided that we would visit My Son, another UNESCO World Heritage Site together with her aunt and my mom. It's like a smaller version of Angkor Watt we're told and about 1.5hrs drive from our hotel.

First thing first, My Son is pronounced as Me Sen (as in fern without the r). We were calling it "my son" for quite a bit before we were embarrassingly corrected. Haha!

At My Son valley, there are still important Hindu temple and towers which are symbols of Champa art from 4th to 13th century. The ancient Champa people were raised to be masters of the art of brick building. The technique in building these ancient temple and towers remains controversial. The bricks were smoothed and laid closely and securely without any mortar. I also notice a lot of artworks and carvings of deities, priests, dances, plants, animals & sacrifices on the bricks. My Son serves as an example of cultural exchange and the integration of external cultures, especially the art and architecture Hinduism with the native culture.

Our final destination, the ancient town of Hoi An.

It's a sleepy quaint little town with brightly painted walls. Oddly enough, the majority of shops there sold the same things- maxi dresses and winter coats! I did however buy myself a lovely sunhat for 50,000 dong! It's 16,000 dong to S$1 so what a bargain! I was beyond pleased. ;)

Day 4

Time to head back home and we were booked for the 6.30pm flight back to Singapore. I must say the SilkAir flights have excellent timings so no time was wasted and we could truly maximize our stay.

At the airport, we were upgraded to Business Class again for the flight back and you should have seen our faces. It felt like Christmas morning and all four of us were grinning like Cheshire cats. A wonderful end to a wonderful vacation, just like icing on a cake.

Amidst the orangey hue of the setting sun, Captain Razali and First Officer Kelvin Cheah flew us back home and it was quite a picture postcard moment. The perfect way to say goodbye to such a beautiful, unspoiled place.

I had a wonderful 4 days in Danang with only one regret, not having the foresight to bring my bathing suit to enjoy the cool clear waters and powdery white sands! (Note to self, always pack swim wear on further journeys.)

A big thank you to our winner, Jennifer and her aunt, Mdm Lim, for being such wonderful travelling companions and also to SilkAir , especially all the staff we met along the trip, for the wonderful experience!!

And if you're planning a trip, and want a mixture of the sun & sea with interesting places to discover (especially those steeped in history), then Danang's really the perfect choice.

xoxo
Love,
Yasminne