Vietnam Part 4: Da Nang

A fabulous beach. Not for swimming. 

Da Nang is an up and coming city in the South of Vietnam. Having recently suffered enough via slower methods of transport, I flew there from Hanoi to meet up with Eric. Da Nang appears to have recently been discovered for its potential as a prime tourist destination. It is currently exploding with construction projects for resorts and hotels. Like a puppy with massive paws, there was way more infrastructure than what was required by the current residents (take note, Auckland).

The darker side of tourism. Workers operate in shifts so construction of this massive hotel can continue 24/7. The rusted green shacks beneath the building were built to house the workers during the project. 

As I sat on the hotel bed, wallowing in air conditioning and shamelessly eating my way through an entire family packet of gummy candy, I started to notice incessant bird noises. I went into the hall where the 'caws' were echoing but...no birds. I stuck my head out the window and realized the noises were sounding right across the city, but still I could see no birds. Odd. I thought about it and decided the only bird big enough to make such a loud, continuous noise would probably have to be a pterodactyl - definitely extinct. Maybe the noises were fake? When I shared these ideas with Eric, he became concerned that I was going crazy, so we both set about looking for birds to prove our own theories. It turns out that littered around the city, on top of tall buildings, are large speakers that blast non-stop bird sounds (and I am not crazy). After dark, and when you focus on the sounds too much, it gets a bit annoying, but during the day it does make the city feel more "nature-y". 

The view from the roof of our hotel. There are bird speakers out there somewhere. 

We had two nights and one day to spend in Da Nang. In consulting The Oracle (TripAdvisor) for things to do, we came across Asia Park. Asia Park is a large theme park that is (obviously) built to represent the different regions of Asia. It is well staffed and has all the things you would expect from a theme park including mascots, manicured lawns, fountains, background music and cool rides.  It was deserted - there were more staff than guests.  Walking around an empty theme park at night is one of the most bizarre things I have experienced. It feels like going back to a level of Spyro the Dragon after you have completed it and collected all the crystals. Every now and then we came across another small group of people and exchanged "can you believe this?!" looks.

Eric and I outside an abandoned Angkor Watt replica at Asia Park.
Half excited, half "wtf is going on"...

My main concern was that because the park was empty, we would not be allowed to go on the rides. On the contrary, when we walked up to rides, the attendants would stand up, look embarrassed for slacking off, strap Eric and I into the opposite side of whatever ride it was (so as not to throw the gigantic contraption off balance) then turn it on. I highly doubt our $12 entry fee would have come close to covering the costs of our near-private visit. Clearly, this park was built under the expectation that Da Nang will soon be inundated with tourists.

This picture really captures the creepy-ness of the empty amusement park. We went around that Sun Wheel twice because we had been told there would be fireworks for Guy Fawkes. There weren't.

View from the Sun Wheel: one half of empty Asia Park.

One of the best things you can do during the day in Asia is book a tour. They are social, super cheap, and enable you to see way more than you would be able to adventuring on your own. We signed up for a tour that visited the Lady Buddha and Marble Mountain. Marble Mountain (a big hill by NZ standards) contains two large caves titled Heaven Cave and Hell Cave. I did not so much like Hell Cave, which was full of sadistic models of mostly women being tortured for exclusively female evils such as lying and prostitution. (Un-fun Fact: According to our guide in Hanoi, in practice women do not inherit property in Vietnam - a concept I am only vaguely familiar with due to Downton Abbey.) There is progress to be made.

The mystical entrance to Heaven Cave.

Here, Eric poses for the cover of his next Christian Rock album.

Our guide, Snail, was very friendly, informed us in great detail of his love life, and even had a hand-sign for our group. At the end of our tour, Snail took us to a marble factory and insisted we buy something to support the local community. I cannot think of a more ridiculous thing to try and sell backpackers than marble statues. Sure, the statues were cool, but nobody in their right mind would carry around a marble statue whilst travelling. The tour company was very optimistic in thinking backpackers would ship home 7ft statues of Buddha. According to reviews, most tours in Da Nang end this way.

Lady Buddha. Serene. Definitely not a liar or a prostitute. Several strangers took photos of Eric and I here, we must look like celebrities. 

Da Nang was worth visiting, though one day and one night would have been enough. I imagine it will be a very different place in a couple of years when all the hotels and resorts are complete.

Next stop: Hoi An <3

Bonus pic! I could not find the entrance to this ride, but it looked awesome. Maybe a small world replica?