Da Nang : Part 2 - Introduce Pho and Han Market

Vietnam was a place I wanted to go, but it has never been on a must-go list of mine. At the back of my mind, I was fearful of the USD currency that I needed to use. It's 3 times more than the Malaysian currency. So, I always put on hold countries that have a bigger currency than Malaysia. After visiting Da Nang, I realised that there is nothing to be afraid of, be it currency, language or environment. All you need to have is a smile, a paper, a pen and lots of courage. 

In this trip, I spent about RM500, which does not include flight ticket of course. Flight ticket was RM420, which I bought a year back.

06032013 - After close to 6 months of not seeing the airport, this trip to Hoi An was very much anticipated. I was excited in seeing the airport, my favourite place in the whole wide world. Our trip is mainly to Hoi An, but the nearest airport is Da Nang. I have heard of Hanoi and I thought my friend must have mispronounced when she mentioned Hoi An. So, I did my research, printed out the papers on places to visit in Hoi An, and Da Nang. I had been busy with work, and so the only place I could read my materials is on the plane.

After the 3 hour flight, we reached Da Nang. And for the first time, I see a dog sniffing luggage in the airport. Really tight security. Are drugs smuggling that rampant in Vietnam?

When we exited the airport, my friend informed us that she found a cab ride that costs USD10. There was also a signboard that states the price range for places that you are planning to go. That is good. When you are in a new country, travellers are always the target of cheats, and we have to rely on the goodwill of people.

The roads were filled with lots of motorbikes and bicycles. Honking was heard everywhere from the motorbikes to alert their presence. It is actually the most normal sound here, although initially it was annoying because we do not do that in Malaysia. I guess, it is because in Malaysia, there are more cars than motorcycles. But as you get used to it, it sounds like music. Haha! Then, I saw the many cables at the pole. I always see that in my friends' photos, and now I am seeing them for myself. Nothing beats personal experience.

After about 30 minutes ride, we reached Daia Hotel. For USD25 per night. The room is actually spacious. If you are really on a budget trip, it can definitely fit 4 persons. Breakfast is also provided. The room has also a mini fridge. As I stayed on in Vietnam for the next 5 days, I realised that all the hotels we stayed in has the same type of room and same services. Some rooms are even bigger. They really cater to tourists. The hotels have free wifi too. 

After checking in, we went for a walk around the town. There were lots of Vespa around. I have a motorcycle license but looking at the traffic, I am afraid to rent a motorcycle. Well, it is mostly I have only rode the motorcycle once after I got my license last year in May. Haha! I have got 2 friends who are not afraid to rent the motorcycle and ride it around. My friend told me it is surprising to see the abundance of Vespa in Vietnam. As for me, all motorcycles and scooters look the same to me. Same like cars. Here is a secret which is not a secret anymore now that I am typing it out - Up till last year, I could not differentiate a Mercedez and a BMW even by their logo. Last year, I made an effort to memorise the logo. Today, I get confused sometimes. Yes, your response is either (a) eyes wide open in disbelief (b) mouth gaped (c) laughing and wondering how is that possible. 

We saw a stall along the route that sells something made from rice noodle. Of course, when we see something new, we are all gung-ho to try it out.

We took this that costs VND10,000. For conversion, remember : VND10,000 = RM1.50 or USD0.50. This dish tastes yummy especially with the sauce. Shredded meat is sprinkled on it. I am very sure it is pork.

I saw a customer requesting for ham. Which costs VND20,000 (RM3 / USD1).

We kept walking looking for a place to eat. Then, we saw a travel agent that my friend was very sure has currency exchange services. Sure enough, she was right. The conversion they offered us : USD1 = VND20,850. Apparently, it is a good deal. They accepted Malaysian currencies too : RM1 = VND6500 which is similar to the rate in Malaysia. So, we exchanged USD100 per person. Straight ahead from this place, we found a shop that sells 'pho' - the must-have meal that consists of rice noodles, beef and herbs.

Bowl of 'pho' that costs VND40,000 / RM6 / USD2. It is expensive, if you ask my opinion.

In Vietnam, it is a norm to have mint leaves eaten with each meal. It tastes awkward initially, but soon after, it became quite tasty. Maybe that explains their smooth complexion.

We continued our walk and saw lots of flowers for sale. Like almost everywhere! And with flowers, there were rattan baskets too.

We passed by a stall that sells 'you tiao' - fried bread stick. My all time favourite snack. I mean, if there is nothing I am not sure what to have, I will just grab this. It costs VND3000 a piece. It is oily, as expected. Nothing exceptional. The one in Kunming with its special sweet sauce was yummy.

We continued our walk, and it brought us to a large building. My friend quickly identified it as the market. The way to know the life of the locals is to go to the market. And lucky us, the market we went to is the Han Market. It is recommended for a visit in the websites. The Market is so large. We just focused on the food section. We did not go upstairs where the clothes were sold.

We stopped at a place selling lots of ham, and the lady seller offered us a slice. It was delicious! We bought them at the end of the trip. 500g for VND80,000 (USD4 / RM12). 

Then, we saw a fruit stall and we bought some fruit juice. The fruit juice is gloriously sweet and thick! We had avocado drink! The avocado drink here differs from the one I had in Bali. This one is just the avocado fruit, and with sugar of course, but the one in Bali has swirls of chocolate inside. A cup is VND20,000 (RM3 / USD1) each.

  

Then, another stall owner stopped us to let us try her shredded pork. It has hints of ginger inside. Delicious. Spicy. Yummy. Good move she did, because we bought a 500g pack. VND150,000 (RM22.50 / USD7.50) for 500g. We even bought some on the last day of our trip. It is addictive. They even sell shredded beef too, but that is slightly more expensive at VND200,000 (RM30 / USD10) for 500g.

Next stop - the start of our beer nights!