Vietnam on Motorbikes: Week 3

Day 15: Hoi An

Today we explored the Hoi An old city. It felt more like a market than an old city, but still fun to explore. The paper lanterns hanging in this picture are iconic to Hoi An.

Day 16: Hoi An

My 22nd birthday!

We spent the day at the beach with new friends and ate sushi at a local restaurant for dinner.

The hostel had a big event planned anyway, so I just considered that my personal party and had a great time.

Day 17: Hoi An

Hoi An is a great place to get custom tailored clothes for $10-$20. I went to Violet’s after a recommendation from hostel staff, but there are tailors all up and down the street.

There are also a lot of shoe repair stands, which was a lifesaver! My sandal straps had been all but ruined after 6 months of heavy wear, and for $2 I was able to have the problem-strap replaced.

Day 18: Hoi An - Da Nang

24 km / 15 mi

Happy Thanksgiving!

After a short motorbike ride to nearby Da Nang, Mak and I celebrated Thanksgiving by snuggling KFC and mashed potatoes into a Vietnamese movie theater. It turned out that “The Grinch” was complete in Vietnamese with no subtitles, but I think that only added to the experience.

Fun fact: all the popcorn served at south Asian movie theaters is sweet. We ordered cheese popcorn to try and taste something more American, but even that bag was just sweet popcorn sprinkled with cheese powder. Butter and salt popcorn is not available!

Day 19-21: Da Nang

So much rain!!

With a 100% forecast of rain for the week, we have settled in to our hostel to wait it out. There are some beautiful landmarks in the area that we really want to see, and because we have the time we have decided to just relax and wait for the sun to return.

Rest days are also allowing my ankle to heal, which is probably a good thing - I haven’t been real easy on it.

Here is how we are filling our rainy days:

• Watched the Grinch completely in Vietnamese with no subtitles at the theatre - it was awesome

• Celebrated Thanksgiving by smuggling KFC and mashed potatoes into the movie theater for the new Harry Potter movie (this one was in English)

• Hanging up our hammocks on the hostel roof and reading

• Tried the BEST pizza in Vietnam (or so we decided)

Hopefully this rain clears up quickly, and week four will be vibrant with awesome experiences we have lined up, including marble mountain, the Golden Bridge, Hai Vân Pass, an abandoned waterpark, and more!