Đà Nẵng

• Vietnam

• 23 December 2022

• 24°

We flew from Bangkok back to DaNang, Vietnam to meet up with the kids for Christmas. 

We thought we would be living on our new sailboat and spending Christmas sailing but alas it is not to be. We have come to terms with it.  Vietnam is a very cool spot to be for Christmas and New Years. 

Đà Nẵng

• Vietnam

• 23 December 2022

• 24°

Amongst the craziest travel chaos because of a huge winter storm all across Canada, they all succesfully arrive! Yay! 

Hội An

• Vietnam

• 24 December 2022

• 26°

We all rented scooters and head to Marble Mountain and Hoi An.

Marble Mountain

The funny thing is when we were in Vietnam in 2012 we took the kids to Marble Mountain, so this is our second time going as a family! lol

Marble Mountains is a group of five limestone peaks situated seven kilometres from downtown Da Nang. The five karsts (called Ngu Hanh Son in Vietnamese) are named after the five elements: Kim (metal), Thuỷ (water), Mộc (wood), Hoả (fire) and Thổ (earth). Over centuries, Marble Mountains has held special significance for the people of Central Vietnam. The ancient Cham revered the karsts as a spiritual site, and Vietnamese emperors from Hue and legendary generals passing through paid visits to the peaks, adding to their store of legends. 

Marble Mountains is home to a network of caves, tunnels, towers, and pagodas built by Mahayana Buddhists and the Nguyen Dynasty Kings. The structures and shrines blend harmoniously with nature: Vine tendrils drip from above, frangipani and poinciana trees drop their blossoms on the stone paths, and the pagodas’ ornate roofs sparkle in the tropical sun. It’s a setting that easily captures the imagination.

Hoi An

Next we scooted to Hoi An.  

Emblematic of Hoi An, this beautiful bridge was first constructed in the 1590s by the Japanese community to link it with the Chinese quarters. Over the centuries the ornamentation has remained relatively faithful to the original Japanese design. When you cross using your Old Town ticket, one of the stubs will be snipped away, so if you cross the bridge again, just say your ticket stub for the bridge has been taken already, otherwise the ticket checker will remove another stub.

The structure is solidly constructed because of the threat of earthquakes. The entrances to the bridge are guarded by weathered statues: a pair of monkeys on one side, a pair of dogs on the other. According to one story, many of Japan’s emperors were born in the years of the dog and monkey. Another tale says that construction of the bridge started in the year of the monkey and was finished in the year of the dog. The stelae, listing all Vietnamese and Chinese contributors to a subsequent restoration of the bridge, are written in chu nho (Chinese characters) – the nom script had not yet become popular.

The French flattened out the roadway for cars, but the original arched shape was restored in 1986.

Cua Dai Beach 

Stopped of at the beach on the way back to the hotel. 

Cua Dai Beach is situated on Cam An Ward, roughly 4km away from the centre of Hoi An Town - Quang Nam Province. It is always listed as one of top beaches of Vietnam owing to its pristine soft white sand, crystal-clear yet deep blue water, crispy sunshine, cool salty breeze, slightly sloped sea floor and the gentle waves.