Da Nang Post Lockdown
Da Nang was on fire. After we settled back in from An Lao we hit the streets of Da Nang and it was electric. The Beaches were open, businesses were resuming operations and the markets were alive. the world didn’t look much different than it had before the outbreak. It was really great to see the world finding its way again.
We spent the next couple of days lounging on the beach and, at least for myself, floating in the beautiful waters of the east sea. It was so wonderful and refreshing soaking up some rays and cooling off in the waves. As always Diem stayed under our seaside hut and never ventured in the water. Few locals ever do, their disdain for the sun is interesting. It may be 100 degrees outside, but you’ll always see the woman covered from head to toe. They even make Velcro skirts just for throwing on quickly before a motorbike ride. I can’t imagine wearing a long heavy cotton wrap and a long sleeve coat or sweater, facial coverings, a wide brimmed hat under your helmet and maybe gloves in this tropical heat. Death would come quickly.
I can’t say I blame Diem for her trepidation to the sun. Da Nang was beginning its first heat wave of the year when we returned. On our departure some 8 days ago she was mild and wonderful. Low humidity and 82 or 83 by day and upper 60’s at night. A few cooling showers here and there in the late afternoon. Truly perfection in every meteorological way. When we returned the temperature had begun creeping into mid to upper 90’s and the humidity was mounting. Rarely getting below 80 at night. Summer was clearly here to stay.
Settling In For the Long Haul
It was becoming clear that my time in Vietnam was beginning to look more indefinite than anything measurable. Diem and I decided to purchase a motorbike. Every time we went anywhere in Da Nang we had to rent one and a purchase was beginning to make more sense. Diem was excited, it would give her mobility even after I returned to the US and it was just something we really needed. We purchased a couple of new helmets and had the bike delivered to the apartment for inspection. You could really see the excitement in Diem’s face. It would give us great freedom and mobility.
A Trip to Hoi An
After a few days that tugging, nagging urge to get moving was mounting in both myself and Diem. We decided to take an overnight trip down the coast to the ancient trading village of Hoi An. It would be a great opportunity to see what our new motorbike would do. Hoi An seemed to have become our go to day trip or overnight romantic jaunt. It was only 40 minutes or so south and it was an incredibly easy way to get away for a change of scenery. I booked a guide for a day trip to My Son. A ruined city about two hours outside of Hoi An deep in the Jungle. An ancient Champa kingdom city dating to the 4th century. A site I had tried many times to get to, but to know had been unsuccessful.
Some Surprises
Given the absence of foreign tourists these days, I was able to find a beautiful little boutique hotel offering rooms for $15 dollars a night and we packed for our overnight excursion. We arrived in Hoi An around 2pm, checked in and headed out to the beautiful ancient trading city center. It was not the Hoi An either of us was expecting. I have often become unimpressed with Hoi An’s tourist vibe. People everywhere, massively crowded streets and peddlers of trinkets, children’s toys and boat rides hounding your every step. Now there was nothing.
The all clear had already been given to open business and get the economy going, but with the borders still locked up tight, there was no one coming. The endless rows of tailors, lantern makers, souvenir vendors and restaurants were all still boarded up. They knew no one would be coming, at least not until the borders opened, so they didn’t even bother. As we continued down the streets towards the river walk an unexpected emotion came over me. Sadness. This town was part of the rejuvenation of Vietnam. Named the most beautiful town in the world in 2019. It helped to cement Vietnam as a tourist destination and help her grow from the ashes of the war.
The lockdown, global pandemic and economic crash may be more than this economically fragile ancient trading town can handle. I hope that is not the case as it is one of the most architecturally charming towns in the world.
The Bourdain Banh Mi
We walked around getting what may prove to be once in a lifetime photos of the empty streets of Hoi An. A few of the more popular eateries were open, including Banh Mi Phuong. The sandwich shop was made famous by Anthony Bordain and a place I have visited before. Though it too was not the scene I remember. Every time I’ve been before I had to wait in a line down the block. This trip Diem and I were their only customers.
They had upgraded a few things since my last visit. Paper bags the Banh Mi’s were served in now had a picture of, and a few sentences about the man himself. I ordered the combo and a Heineken to stave off the heat. The sandwich is a combination of most of the meat options. Strips of half moon shaped firm chicken pate. Gelatinous, fatty and tender slices of braised Vietnamese bbq pork. Strips of Pork loin and steak. Fresh cucumber, carrots, daikon, lettuce, baby basil and cilantro. A couple of sauces and the beautifully crispy exterior and soft tender interior of the Banh Mi or bread. Magnificent as always. I ate mine and half of Diem’s.
We sat in the empty restaurant and enjoyed the best sandwich in the world. It was an incredible experience to sit in this iconic restaurant alone, but it only strengthened the severity of the aftermath of the pandemic. I can’t imagine the struggle everyone in town is dealing with. The questions with no answers. When will they return? When will the people come back? Unfortunately only time will tell.
An Early Evening
The sun was beginning to set and it was clear that the night market would not be open tonight. I was in the mood to visit a local spot and have a nightcap with Diem, but that also proved to not be worth the hassle. So we decided to call it early. Our transport was due to pick us up at 7 am and I was eager to get to the ancient city of My Son. We ordered a pizza to the room and settled in for an early morning.
A Very Early Morning
I opened my eyes and looked around the room. I could see light creeping through the top edge of the curtains and felt that it must be a street light. It felt way too early for sunlight. I looked at my phone. It was just before 4. I laid in the dark hoping for more sleep, but it would not find me. unfortunately I was too excited. We haven’t explored much in two months and I was really ready to get moving. After a half hour I got up and peeked out through the curtains. It was daylight creeping in. I’m up now. I began packing and getting things ready
We were expecting to be back in Hoi An by early afternoon and the family operating the hotel agreed to allow us to check out late. I didn’t want to rush when we returned so I began packing and getting everything in order. Around 6 I stirred Diem and we began to get ready to leave. We had to be on the street in front by seven and showers and morning maintenance would need to be completed.
The Car That Never Came
We were on the street as expected and Diem walked a few yards up to get us a coffee and some breakfast. A delicious little to go box with sticky rice, a couple of chicken wings in a spicy sauce with fried shallots. It was very good and just what I needed. We sat on the street in the mounting heat and waited. As time pressed on I called the number given to me in the confirmation email. Disconnected. This wasn’t good. Found another number, also disconnected.
I finally found the address for the local operator Rose Travel Services. And conveniently enough it was only a half a mile away. The hours showed that they opened at 7:30. It was 7:45. We jumped on our motorbike and headed in that direction with all speed. We arrived a few minutes later to a building shuttered and seemingly abandoned. I thought I could see someone in a window over the gate and began to call out. Hello, Xin Chao, Em oi. A man maybe a few years older than myself eventually opened the door and Diem explained our predicament.
An Unfortunate Development
It turns out that the sanctuary of My Son has not reopened to visitors. The company I purchased everything from was an online offshore booking agent that handles English language sales for the local operators. Apparently there was a massive disconnect between the online booking agent and reality. The gentleman was able to work everything out and I was assured a full refund would be issued.
What Now?
We arrived back at the hotel and began plotting our next move. We began to do more research on the things we were interested in and found a very inconsistent reopening reality. The Imperial city of Hue was only a couple of hours north. But it’s temples and ancient sites had also not reopened yet. We decided to go home and regroup. We checked out, loaded up, and drove the 40 minutes North back to Da Nang. It was still very early by the time we arrived home and Diem and a few of her friends found an afternoon swimming spot that was accepting visitors.
Sunny Farms
Her friends met us at the apartment and Diem, myself, our two girls, three of Diem’s friends and two of their children loaded into a three row SUV and we headed for the hills just west of Da Nang. We arrived at Sunny Farms about a half past 2. It wasn’t incredibly crowded and we took a pavilion near the swimming area. It was essentially a concrete walled pool with large river stones covering the bottom and pavilions lining its edges. Hammocks hung both under the pavilions and out over the water. Clean water was continuously fed into the swimming area and it drained over a low spill damn at the opposite end. The area was adjacent to a river which accepted the overflow from the swimming area. A rather genius way of having a swimming area without the hassle of pool maintenance.
They brought a large straw mat and placed it on the floor of our pavilion and we sat around in the shady forested swimming area and ordered lunch. The girls wanted to swim so we Diem got the girls ready and I changed in the shower house. I lowered myself in first to check out the lay of the land. There were several adults and children swimming and it looked shallow, but one can never be sure.
A Swim
The water was cool and refreshing. The entire swimming area was shaded so the water wasn’t bath water like the sea had been. The girls, a little unsure, did pretty good. They both had on life jackets as per Diem, but little Xu would not let go of me. We bobbed in the refreshing water and I found a raised large flat rock that the girls could stand on. I worked with Su for a bit teaching her some basic swimming techniques. We mostly just splashed around until Diem called us to eat.
A Wonderful Picnic
Wed dried off and sat legs crossed on the straw mat as the food began to be delivered. Dish after dish, it looked amazing. Sauteed chilled shrimp with fresh cucumber and tomato. Glass noodle soup with a rich broth, chunks of beef and fresh green onions. A wonderful chilled salad of baby mint and basil, strips of fried bbq pork, fresh chili and vegetables in a tangy slightly sweet vinaigrette. A whole chicken seasoned and grilled over open flame with limed salt and black pepper. Fresh Mango and Lychee. We sat under the pavilion and ate through the afternoon.
The Farm
The property was also a working organic farm. After I was finished stuffing my face I had to check out the property. It had much of the fruit that grows in An Lao, just on a larger scale. Rows of coconut, banana, Lychee and jackfruit. Mango trees, countless fruits and vegetables I was completely unfamiliar with. A large chicken coup in the back with a few additional geese. Used to keep pests off the plants and for fertilizer, it was a very sustainable farm.There were footpaths that connected the areas and bridges that crossed the small ponds and streams. It was a very beautiful place. The owner was out watering the trees and doing some maintenance and I stopped for a chat.
He sells a lot to the local markets, but makes most of their money from the swimming park that sits at the front of the property. They offer food and beverage service for their visitors and he mostly keeps his life low key. The family’s home near the front was small. Mostly just the kitchen to service guests and a front living area. He said they mostly sleep under the pavilions in the hammocks and enjoy the sounds of the night. Sounds pretty awesome to me.
Hidden Farmers
After my conversation I wondered a great deal of the property. Towards the end of my walk I came across something that intrigued me a great deal. I found a fruit bush of an unrecognizable fruit, but the plant was harboring something else. On the underside of the leaves was a colony of ants. They were covering the plant from ground top, but only hidden from the sun in the shadows and undersides of the leaves.
They were a species of fungus farming ants. I had read of such ants before, dispersed in tropical climates all over the world, but I had never seen a colony in the wild. The most commonly known species is the leaf cutter ant. It uses leaf cuttings as the aggregate to grow their crops. Most people have seen the images of the large ants crossing distances with their leaf cuttings held high. This species was smaller and a more primitive farmer. Encouraging the fungus to grow under the leaves, providing moisture and nutrients and harvesting as needed. I sat and watched hem work for some time.
We enjoyed the day until the sun was late in the sky and we ordered our car home. It had been a great few days, though our plans were often changing and things were evolving by the hour. I didn’t mind, I was just happy to be on the move and I know Diem was too.
Click Here for more posts in Hoi An, especially for a reference point to the empty streets
or Click Here for Sunny Farm’s Facebook page
