Jeune Street

Lita and I had a chance to be touristy today, visiting the Marble Mountains, My Son, and Hoi An — all in the vicinity of Da Nang. The first is a series of, you guessed it, marble mountains, that rise out of nowhere in the middle of rice-paddy land. It’s a sacred place with pagodas and Buddha statues, and below there are dozens of workshops churning out enormous marble statues.

My Son and Hoi An are both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but they couldn’t be more different. My Son is a cluster of ruins that date back to the Hindu Champa civilization, which developed in Vietnam between the 4th and 12th centuries. A lot has been destroyed in the past 40 years, including the most significant site which was bombed by the US during the Vietnam War. But there was still lots to see — overgrown with moss and surrounded by jungle and crickets.

Hoi An is an old trading village, which show influences of Chinese, Japanese, French, and young adult backpacker cultures. It’s a beautiful town, famous still for its silk and tailors, and it’s not a secret anymore. We were amazed to see so many foreigners, as they we remain quite a rarity in Da Nang. Hoi An was enchanting, though, with its quaint coffee shops, generations-old clothing stores, and a laid-back atmosphere that comes with being so close to the beach (which we visited afterwards for a swim).

I managed to find a new battery charger today, so here are photos from our day:

Marble Mountains

Marble Mountains: Temple

Marble Mountains: Cave Sanctuary

Marble Mountains: Cave Santuary Guard

Birgitta rubbing the Buddha belly for 3 wishes

My Son

My Son: Pedestal

Main site from a distance

My Son: Religous Sites

My Son: Red Brick Temple

Hoi An

Hoi An: Old Town

Hoi An: Old Town

Hoi An: Cao Mihn Cloth Shop

Hoi An: Yaly Couture

Hoi An: Yaly Couture

Hoi An: Cyclos