Our port of call for today is Da Nang, Vietnam, a step up from our first stop up the river near Phu My, which was extremely industrial. Da Nang is a city with a total population of 1,256,000 people as of April 2025. It comprises of a very large area as well as Paracel Islands off of the coast. The weather has a rainy season from November to December, and a dry season from January through October. And the currency is the Vietnam dong @ 26,337 dong to the $1 USD.
We were here a year ago, if memory serves us right. Since we had toured Hoi An and Hue previously, we decided to see how far we could get by walking from the port area. It looked do-able, but the further we got, it appeared we were walking in a purely military and industrial area, with the city still miles away. Due to the remoteness of the area and the humid heat, we took a taxi back to the port. Fast forward to today, and the ship kindly provided a free shuttle to APEC Park in the city center. These shuttles ran every 15 minutes from 7am to 12pm. As you can see, our time was very limited today, so this shuttle worked out quite well. All aboard was 12:30pm.
There were few customers at breakfast, but we did get some nice info regarding those personal neck fans we had asked about earlier in the trip. A very sweet friend brought her new neck fan, which resembled a set of headphones. What a great idea to use in this tropical weather, as well as in the summertime at home. Then another fellow breakfast-goer happened to come by and said he just bought a set of those in the photo department on the ship. Even better because Amazon does not deliver to the Volendam, ha-ha. We will have to check this out when the ship leaves the port this afternoon.
As for us, we left the ship around 9am and joined the shuttle bus waiting for customers. We sure appreciate having this option, since in recent years the complimentary buses have been fewer and fewer. As for the weather, it was going to be warm, but breezy. The temps were in the mid 80's and the humidity was 70%. Early in the morning there was a dense haze, but later, the winds picked up and we actually had some sun. The bus ride was about ½ hour with scenery all the way. The outskirts were industrial, but as we entered the downtown area, it was much nicer than Phu My. It was also located on the Han River. We crossed over the famous Dragon Bridge that has a water and light show on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but only at night. Obviously, we would miss it.
Our drop-off point APEC Park, right on the waterfront of the river. The building there had an info table set up where convenient maps were handed out. Outside near the street, tons of taxi drivers were offering cheap tours. We must have said "no thanks" a dozen times within 5 minutes of leaving the bus. From here, we strolled through the park, making our way to the river and a good vantage point to take photos of the Dragon Bridge. We did remember being at this stop years ago while on a tour. Since we were on our way out of town, our visit was short and probably the first of several restroom stops. Today we followed the esplanade along the river which had many eateries, mostly fast-food style and cafes with tables and chairs under awnings. There were benches along the way, but due to the time of day, about 99% of them were in the hot sun. Most all of the food venues were not opened until later of course. Cold beers sure would have been nice. There was one wood-fired pizza café here but would not open until much later. In fact, we ran into a friend who also likes pizza, and told us about it. We all agreed that the tri-colored bougainvilleas in large pots were gorgeous. From a distance, they looked artificial, but looking closer, they were real and probably well-fertilized.
In the distance, we could see another bridge spanning the river called Tran Thi Ly Bridge and a flywheel called Sun World behind it. More than likely, another night event. This area near the river seemed to be full of high- end hotels and this promenade would serve them well. The time was getting away from us, so we turned around and headed back to the park. In the center of this park was a innovative upper level, shaded with a wild design of a roof. Of course we needed to see what was up there, and it turned out to be a concert venue. Also up there were two separate groups of Asian tourists taking photos of their groups wearing and tossing coned Chinese hats. Very amusing…..
Going down a ramp, we were back at the bus stop. If we had more time, we could have visited the Han Market, which resembled Paddy's Market in Sydney, only smaller. We were told it was a 20 minute walk, so we did not attempt it. Did we need anything there? Nope.
We were back on the ship by noontime and eventually ordered a light lunch. Around 1pm, Captain Frank came on with his news of the day. He predicted 15 to 25 mph winds tomorrow with swells up to 8 feet. We had 300 nautical miles to reach Halong Bay going north and following the Vietnam coast. He guessed our docking would be around 8am with the Crystal Serenity docked across from us. He said the pier was new as well as the terminal. And the good news again was there would be a free shuttle to downtown. We left the port by 1:45pm after a tour arrived back late.
Our veranda was so hot, you could have fried an egg out there. It sure did not stop the dragon flies from landing on the walls, floor, and railings. Good thing they did not bite. We worked online until dinnertime.
Our appetizers were one pork and seafood spring roll with glass noodles and an everyday shrimp cocktail with the red sauce. Love it. One of us had the tenderloin and rice chimichanga-style and the other had the everyday lasagna. Desserts were a sliced banana, and one thin slice of blueberry pie without the ice cream by accident.
The World Stage hosted vocalist Matthew Croke with a magical brand-new show. Don't you just love the descriptions. Good reviews, however.
Tomorrow we will visit the final Vietnamese port of Halong Bay, a first time for us.
Bill & Mary Ann
