Below is a very brief list of things to do in Danang Vietnam that I plan on updating soon. Please leave your comments below to tell me what you would like to see on this list?

Things To Do In Danang Vietnam

Marble Mountain
20 kms south of Danang.
The Marble Mountains or Non Nuoc are actually five granite peaks they are a great half day trip from Danang or as a stopover on the way to Hoi An. There are caves to explore, temples and lots of stairs. The drinks and trinket sellers can get a little annoying but the climb up to the top is worth it and there are plenty of photo opportunities.

Bana Mountain Retreat
30 kms west of Danang.
Bana has recently undergone a few changes, notably a world record setting cable car, the world’s highest and longest non stop cable car. The highlight, for me, of Bana is really the drive, there is little to do at the top and the restaurant choices are limited and not particularly inviting. The giant Buddha that is visible from Danang is quite impressive.

Beaches
East of the city centre.
There are 30 kms of beaches stretching from Danang all the way down to Hoian and even further south. As you would expect, the beaches further from the city are best, particularly China Beach near the Marble Mountain area. All of the beaches are rarely crowded and most of them have some form of seating and umbrellas for rent.

Flower Spring
20 kms west of Danang.
A spectacular drive (if you take the scenic route past METRO), brings you to a natural stream flowing from the mountains west of Danang. This place is very popular with Vietnamese at weekends and sees very few foreign tourists, which is a shame. A little over done, the flower spring is a series of man made pools of mountain water, with shaded areas, a restaurant, a football pitch and even horse riding available. Most Vietnamese tend to take their own food and pay for a shack to relax, enjoy their self catering And wonderful mountain views.

Hai Van Pass
20 kms north of Danang.
The road up Hai Van pass is a great drive made much safer now that most truck traffic uses the newly completed Hai Van Tunnel. Less traffic means you can spend more time looking at the spectacular views and stopping to take photos. There are some refreshment places at the top and an old bombed out French built lookout.

Fishing Tours
Depart from Tien Sa Port.
It is possible to get a Vietnamese fisherman to take you out for a day or half a day fishing just an hour or two out to sea. The best person to ask for information would be Diem at the Bamboo 2.

I think the way that Vietnamese treat death or at least a death anniversary is wonderful and something I think other cultures could learn from. They don’t focus on the sadness of the fact that the person is no longer here, they foucs on the good times had when they were alive. You could even say they focus on the present and are thankful for the people they have around them and the people who are with them now.

For many people a death anniversary is a good excuse to catch up with family members or friends that they don’t see very often. These occasions are always happy times, I have never seen anyone express sadness during a death anniversary ceremony, possibly because they are too busy chatting, eating or drinking. Thankfully, at least for the celebrations I have attended, there is no karaoke and the conversation doesn’t get obnoxiously loud like it can for a wedding.

As most death anniversary celebrations are held at someones house, it usually means only close family members or friends attend, sometimes people come in shifts if the house is particularly small or the person was very known and well liked. The food served is usually prepared at the house, but ouside catering is quite common, the caterers make a day of entertaining guests wishing to pay respects easy and hassle free, the food is usually quite good.

When it comes to food it is not only the guests who enjoy a meal, the person whose anniversary is being remembered also gets a special meal as do the other ancestors of the family. Religion dictates that on the day of a death anniversary the deceased is allowed back to “our” world to visit family and join in the festivities, in spirit of course. A meal is served on the altar for the deceased complete with sauces, drinks, chopsticks, etc. Guests are expected to bring a little something to put on the altar before enjoying a meal.

Often on the days leading up to a death anniversary dead relatives will visit the family in their dreams to remind them to hold a celebration. Black butterflies before a death anniversary are also a symbol that the deceased is waiting for his or her celebration. On the day after a death anniversary the immediate family is expected to offer gifts to the spirits t take back to the afterlife. The gifts come in the form of paper and must be burned so the dead can receive them, paper clothes, cars or toys for children are common items.

I am not a religious person and I don’t give much thought about what will happen to me when I die. Having said that it would be nice to know that every year people still remember me, still gather in my honor and still go out of their way to buy me gifts and try to let me know that someone cares. I think everyone should make an effort to show respect and take time to remember those that have passed on, so next time you complain about loud funeral drumming think about how you would like to go out and how you would like to be remembered.

Most restaurants and certainly all street food stalls will prepare their dishes to go if requested. This involves simply wrapping everything in plastic, from the meal to the sauces, a side salad and even soup in in a plastic bag to be reheated and eaten at home, most places also throw in chopsticks and spoons. All of this is down while sit you sit on your motorbike waiting less than 5 minutes for your meal to be delivered and done at no extra charge.

Pictured is chicken rice with soup, a side salad and soy sauce on the side which cost less than $2 and I only had to wait 3 minutes. But chicken rice isn’t the only thing available, almost anything can be cooked quickly and wrapped to go: banh xeo, fried rice, beef stir fry, fried noodles or anything else you fancy. So next time you are in need of a quick bite think about the Vietnamese version of drive through and fast food.

Three places I recommend for a quick feed are Kim Dy Restaurant at 182 Tran Phu Street, Food Stall on the corner of Phan Chu Trinh and Thai Phien Streets, diagonally opposite the service station, Tai Ky near 91 Nguyen Van Linh Street is also a great option.

If you are reading this post with the hope of understanding these new visa, work permit and residence card regulations I am sorry to disappoint you but I am just as lost as you are. I have been living in Vietnam for the last 7 years and have seen regulations come and go, the current mess is as bad as it has ever been for expats living here, it seems a large number are scrambling to get organized and to get legitimate visas.

I will try to shed a little light on the situation and offer some advice about how to extend your stay in Vietnam as easy and as painlessly as possible.

VISAS:
As I understand it, anyone with a current 6 month business visa or any visa for that matter who does not posses a current work permit will not be issued with another visa or an extension for anymore than 1 month. I also think that a maximum of 3, 1 month, visas will be issued at which point leaving the country and re-entering will be required.

It is my understanding that the law hasn’t actually changed, it is just being enforced, since 2000, the law has been in place where all foreigners on a business visa were required to have a work permit and a contract with a local company, it has taken time for the issuing of the law and the enforcement of the law to catch up to each other.

This will be of the most inconvenience to anyone whose visa is due to run out soon, giving you little time to get a work permit, your 3 monthly visas will be used up quickly while waiting for Vietnamese stamps and paperwork to be issued. I am familiar with the work permit process, it can take anywhere upto 7 months to get that little blue book in your hand.

For any new teachers to Vietnam, it is perfectly acceptable to go out with your class. Teachers and students quite often socialize together, I would recommend that you do so in groups rather than with individual students.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my students for the respect they have shown me. I know that if I were a teacher elsewhere such as Australia, Korea or Turkey i would not be treated with such courtesy that I am usually shown here. I am not even aware of a day in Australia where students are expected to buy gifts for their teachers.

Thanks to my present and past students, you are the reason I enjoy teaching.

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A word of warning, get shopping done as soon as possible, the 3 days before the new year are arguably Vietnam’s busiest shopping days. You may have already noticed how Metro and Big C are busier than usual.

Tet is officially only three days but most shops will be shut down for longer than that. Expect some shops and restaurants to open on the 17th, more than likely with increased prices. With each day more shops will be open. Expect business to be back to normal on the 22nd of February.

Businesses which tend to stay open are coffee shops, which usually add a surcharge, and hotels, which in some cases double their prices.

This is just a post to let you now that you can now find local weather information about Danang and the rest of Vietnam right here on InDanang.com. If you scroll down the page you will notice a map in the sidebar. The map provides basic temperature for the current day.

The map is interactive meaning that you scroll around Vietnam or check out the weather in other countries, you can even zoom in and out.

For a more detailed forecast for the weather in Danang, click on Danang, then click on “get forecast”. This will open a new window with a detailed seven day forecast for Danang.

Due to the rarity of any theatre production in English in Danang, I expect Danang’s expat community to turn out in force as well as a large local following. The timing is perfect for this play and its story has broad appeal across all ages and nationalities. I hope this is the start of a new trend where events that take place in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi also take the opportunity to appear in Danang.

A Christmas Carol
Trung Vuong Theatre
35 Phan Chau Trinh Street
Danang
8pm

For more information about dates and times in other cities, check the LeQuy Duong website: www.lequyduong.com

The commercialization of Christmas in Vietnam is not on such a large scale as it is back home, but decorations and Xmas sales in supermarkets and department stores are a common site. With this acceptance of Christmas in Vietnam is is much easier for expats here to celebrate Christmas just as though you are home, bigger dinners with good friends.

For every Christmas I have celebrated in Vietnam I have happy memories usually involving a big buffet lunch in a fancy hotel in downtown Saigon. On one occasion while I was living in Hanoi I had the good fortune of having a good old fashioned family Christmas, albeit with somebody else’s Kiwi family. Christmas is what you make it whether you are traveling working or at home, and regardless of your enthusiasm for Christmas it should be seen as an excuse to relax and enjoy time with friends, and family if you are lucky enough.

I am currently working on a list of hotels or restaurants in Danang that will be organizing special Christmas lunches and dinners. If you know of any places that will have something special on the 24th or 25th of December, please let me know so I can write about it and let the rest of the Danang expat community know. I am already aware of the Bread Of Life Christmas specials, I will give more details next week.