A Coconut Boat Ride at Thanh Dong Village, Vietnam

One of the things on our must do list during our Vietnam visit was riding in a round boat among the coconut forest! The next day after our arrival at Hoi An Ancient City, we looked for the information and hired a taxi taking us to the round boat ride. However, half way before reaching our destination, the taxi driver informed us that the boat ride was no longer available at that location.

Instead of following the map directions on our GPS, the driver started taking us to another location. J. noticed the driver's change of routing without our consent so he stopped him and insisted that he take us to the location according to our original instructions.

We heard that there were a lot of scammers around in Vietnam and needed to be careful. We were right! The boat ride business was still there at the same location; we found it but the place was not as busy as we had imagined. Though the weather was a bit cloudy and we were the only people by the river, we decided to go ahead with our planned activity. Since each round boat could only sit two passengers, we hired two boats plus a boatman for each taking us down the river.

These round boats were special local creations. The boatmen seemed to enjoy their work, especially ours. While rowing our boat down the river, he was playing some happy music on his CD, singing happily and joking around with us and the other boatman most of the way.

The water was calm and the river was quiet with only a handful of boats going down leisurely on the water, very different from the busy crowded scene in Hoi An where it was bursting at the seams with tourists. We passed by cocount trees, vegetations, a few nice houses with docks along the river as well as a couple of restaurants where diners sitting on the patio were waving at us and delighted at seeing us being so happy on our boats where we started dancing to the happy muisc played onboard. Half way of our ride, our boatman stopped rowing.

Taking a fresh reef and with a small knife in his hand, he skillfully started cutting and folding the reef. After performing a few simple cuts, bends and folds, in a few minutes' time, he made two grass rings from Mother Nature, and gifted them, one for each of us!

Before the end of our boatride, we each had a cute green ring on our fingers handmade from a freshly harvested reef along the river. How cute was that!

After the boat ride, we took a walk in the organic garden right beisde the restaurant and enjoyed a delicious local lunch made from the freshly picked vegetables from the farm.

What a wonderful and healthy ending to an enjoyable afternoon of riding in the famous cocount boat! RT, Thanh Dong Village, Vietnam 2026

Withdrawing Cash from the ATM's Was not Easy in Hoi An, Vietnam

Upon arriving to Da Nang, Vietnam, we were able to withdraw some cash from our bank account right away as there was a bank machine right outside the Da Nang Airport.

Therefore, we made the same assumption regarding cash withdrawal when we travelled to Hoi An, a UNESCO Heritage Site about an hour bus ride away from Da Nang and very popular with tourists. Not wanting to charge everything on our visa charge card, we needed to have some cash on hand for small purchases such as coffee and street food etc.

We thought it would be easy getting cash from the ATM machines in this popular tourist town. How wrong were we! Yes, there were a lot of banks and ATM machines on the streets of Hoi An especially in the busy tourist area. We saw quite a few people lining up for their banking business in front of these machines. Not sure if they could do it easier than we could.

We tried withdrawing money both from our own bank account and charge card. However, everyone of these ATMs rejected our cards! It was frustrating as we had such an unexpected difficult time getting money from our accounts via these machines. We even went to a few banks in person and were told that we couldn't do the withdrawal from our Canadian bank.

Finally, a bank employee told us about the HD Bank, one of the few banks that could exchange the currencies for us and might allow us to withdraw money. We went and thank goodess, after much searching and looking, eventually we did find a bank which could help us, the HD Bank, where we could retrieve some cash so that we could continue our vacation in Vietnam with some pocket money! RT, Hoi An, Vietnam, 2026

Hoi An Ancient Town, Vietnam - the Ancient City of Colourful Lanterns

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hoi An Ancient Town ( near Da Nang), Vietnam was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. It is recognized as an exceptionally well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century.

Hoi An was the most famous and bustling international trading port in Southeast Asia. Ships from Japan, China, Portugal, Spain, Holland, and France would come to exchange goods like silk, ceramics, pepper, and spices. Therefore, when planning for our trip to Vietnam, we put Hoi An down on our must see list.

We booked a hotel outside the ancient city, but within a leisurely walking distance in about 10- 15 minutes. After unloading our luggage, we strolled around the neighbourhood checking out the city. We came across a seafood restaurant close to our hotel and had dinner there.

After dinner, we were reenergized ready to spend an evening walking. There was a lively vibe on the streets as we were passing numerous shops, cafe and restaurants. The closer we got near the water, the brighter the streets became.

Exploring the Streets and Less Known Market, Cho Bac My An, in Da Nang

Instead of visiting the famous attractions when travelling, one of the things we enjoy doing is exploring the less known streets and local markets of the city where we are visiting. We did the same thing while we were in Da Nang. Instead of visiting the biggest market where it is busy and filled with tourists, we went to Cho Bac My An, translated as Bac My An Market. It is a medium size authentic local marketplace in the Bac My AN ward of Son Tra district near the famous My Khe Beach.

When staying at a beachfront resort near My Khe Beach, this is the closest major market for buying fresh food. It is also famous for its seafood — many locals and tourists buy fresh shrimp, crab, and fish here and take it to a nearby "quán" (shop) to have it cooked.

At the market, we saw lots of stalls selling fresh seafood and produce including a wide array of local fruits, vegetables, and live seafood.

Desiring to sample some street food, we looked for the dedicated food section serving local specialties. We tried some of the cold drinks there. They were delicious! Besides food vendors, there were many sellers and stores selling everyday goods such as clothing, household items, and Vietnamese provisions.

Many vendors also sold flowers on the street. J. bought a piece of luggage with a self lock included at a very good price, nice colour and design too. He was happy about that.

We also had an early dinner at a restaurant where they served their customers outside. The Bac My An Market is a great place to experience local life in Da Nang away from the tourist crowds! Beside the market, we also explored the streets and passed by some interesting shops.

The one I like the most was a spacious place where parents can drop off their kids to play in the various play area while enjoying coffee and watch them in action. What a creative business idea!

RT, Bac My An Market, Da Nang, Vietnam

My Son Sanctuary, an UNESCO Site Near Da Nang, Vietnam

After enjoying our breakfast at the My Son Resort, we called a taxi taking us to the My Son Sanctuary and spent almost the whole afternoon there.

My Son was recognized by UNESCO in 1999 as the only surviving evidence of the vanished Champa civilization, which dominated Southeast Asia for centuries. Built by the Champa Kingdom between the 4th and 13th centuries, it is a group of temples dedicated to the Hindu gods.

My Son is the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom which became part of Vietnam in the 15th century. It is a unique architectural marvel! The temples are constructed from red bricks, stacked without visible mortar, yet they have stood for centuries. The techniques used to bind them and the intricate carvings on the stone remain a mystery to researchers.

We could see that there were employees working on a number of places at the sanctuary. The site has been lovingly restored and shows the intricate Hindu inspired carvings and architecture.

We watched a couple of cultural performances at the sanctuary and were dazzled by the colourful costumes, songs and dances.

The scenery of My Son Sanctury was enchanting, quiet and calming! With mountains in the background, quiet water reflecting the lush vegetation, we enjoyed our walk among the ruins and hiking on country roads along a winding river.

We had a culturally rich and delightful afternoon at the My Son Sanctuary! R.T. My Son Sanctuary, Vietnam

Memorable Moments at My Son, an UNESCO Site Near Da Nang, Vietnam

After the Sunday Service, our Grab driver came to pck us up and drove to another town nearby. We got out of the Da Nang city and passed by rural area of Vientnam. Arriving at the My Son Resort Hotel in late afternoon, we were wowed by this beautiful hotel. Instead of having 2 good size beds, we got a family suite with two bedrooms facing the infinite swimming pool of the hotel.

The weather was pleasant, not hot at all and we took advantage of the swimming pool going for a dip. It was very cool at the beginning but once we were immersed in the water, it felt fine. We met another couple at the swimming pool and J. had a good chat with the gentleman.

After a good swim, we went out of the hotel, exploring the neighbourhood and looking for a place for dinner. The hotel staff told us that there were not many shops nor restaurants close by except for one place. We walked for a few minutes and came across a casual neighborhood small family run eatery. There were a few young people eating and we went in for our dinner too.

Not knowing what to order due to the language barrier since the menu items were all in Vietnamese, J. started talking to the young men eating at the next table. They were very friendly and they invited us to try some of their dishes so that we would know if we wanted to order them. We struck up a good conversation with them and we had a good time talking with the Vietnamese young people. They asked where we were from and we told them Canada. They got very excited and wanted to exchange some currency with us since some wanted to keep a few Canadian bills as souvenior. It was fun conversing with the local people even though our common communication language skills were limited.

It was moments like this, talking and interacting with the local people often made our vacation trips memorable. We had a great first day here at the My Son disrict and looked forward to visiting the My Son heritage site the next day.

RT, My Son Heritage Area, Near Da Nang, Vietnam The architecture of this hotel is quite special, a bit more European than we had expected.

Attending a Church Service in Da Nang, Vietnam

No matter where we travel to around the world, one thing we always remember to do is to find a church and attend the service there on Sunday.

We were visiting Da Nang, Vietname and off course we did the same thing. We learned from visiting the various places in Vietnam that there used to be quite a number of catholic churches in the country. But after the fall of Saigon in 1975, the new government viewed the Catholic Church, like all organized religions, with deep suspicion. It was seen as a potentially counter-revoluntionary institution with deep ties to the fromer colonial power ( France) and the defeated South Vietnamese regime. Therefore, the government's primary goal focused on the nationalization of the church property and the repurposing of buildings which meant many of these confiscated buildings were then used for secular purposes.

When we started looking for a church, it was not difficult for us to find an English church where we could go and attend the Sunday Worship. We went to a church close to where we were for our first English church service in Vietnam. Since we were leaving Da Nang the same afternoon, we had our lugguage with us. The church lady who welcome us to the church kindly allowed us to bring our lugguage in and kept them at the back of the church.

Surprisingly, ther Sunday Service was so well attended that the church had to put out extra chairs along the aisles in order to accommodate more people. It was nice to see God's house was full!

The church service started with some nice singing, a song I knew very well, God's mercy ... Then followed by a message about God's people's standing still. It was a very good message which I still remember quite well afterwards.

While Ancestor Worship is the most wide spread belief in Vietnam followed by Buddhism - the largest organized religion in Vitename with about 10 - 12% of the population while Catholicism is the second largest organized religion, with about 5.3 to 6 million folowers, around 7% of the population and the smaller communities of Protestants, approixmately 650,000 believers. We were delighted to learn of the religious freedom exisiting in a communist country like Vietnam. This gives us hope that more people in Vietnam and beyond will be able to learn more about Jesus and God's love and His plan for eternal salvation! RT, Da Nang, Vietnam, 2026