[redcode]

In this thread I’ll post my photos taken in and around Danang, in central Vietnam
Google Street View has very limited coverage in my region so I hope my photos will offer an insight into how everyday life looks like in this part of Vietnam.

 

[redcode]

I went to a coffeeshop to see a friend before he went back to his hometown. The coffeeshop is in an alley. There are way more alleys than proper streets in Vietnamese cities.

Then I took a stroll along the river

 

[redcode]

That building on the right was the tallest in the city (and in central Vietnam) when it was inaugurated. Then it was overtaken by the d*ldo-shaped building next to it. That’s the new city hall. And the old city hall was in those beige buildings at the bottom left.

They’re working on transforming the old city hall and city council precincts into the municipal museum. The museum is currently in an godawful building occupying the citadel (nearby but not pictured). Once the museum moves out, they will restore the citadel to its original state (ie during the French invasion of Vietnam)

Looking south along the river. That big glassy boxy building stands on the plot of the oldest French mansion in town! Yep that’s how they treat architectural heritage in my city 💩

Some new developments near the city hall. The one on the right was intended to be a hotel. But a little something called covid happened 😂 now they’re turning it into a mixed use building

 

[christos-greece]

Great, very nice photos from Vietnam

 

[redcode]

It's been gloomy the past couple of days, so let's revisit these photos I took 2 weeks ago, when it was nice and sunny. October is a month of contrasts in Danang. It's the second wettest month of the year, but it can still get quite sunny. During the early days of the month, daily temperature can get as high as 32C, but by the end of the month, it may plunge to the low 20s, which is quite cold for us folks in central Vietnam.

Let's start with this new development by at the corner of 2 main arteries in the beach district. The plot stood empty for a decade or so before the building on the right got above ground. It's currently the tallest building in Danang (and again, central Vietnam ). The one on the left is set to be even taller, at 199m, just 1 metre shy of SSC's threshold for skyscraper at 200m.

We're following the beach road to go up that mountain today. We're not going all the way to the peak though. The mountain is a peninsula situated about 10km from the city centre. It has 2 main peaks, with lots of rocky and sandy beaches, smaller peninsulas, and bays along its coast. It's also a nature reserve home to the biggest confirmed population of red-shanked douc (Pygathrix nemaeus) anywhere in the world.

We're now less than 1km away from the actual mountain. The beach in the picture isn't popular with beach-goers but it's a landing site for local fishermen and can get very bustling after a bountiful catch as people here love to buy fish fresh off the net.

A few kilometres deeper into the mountain. You can see the beach district skyline on the left and centre. On the right are more distant buildings in the city centre.

Beautiful, innit?

This spot is about 7.5 km from the foot of the mountain. There's a nice patch of grass between the road and the cliff, some rock you can actually sit on to have a picnic, and of course, this breathtaking view.

Looking south and you can see the Cham islands. It's not very far from Danang but it falls under Hội An's jurisdiction. The islands are mostly empty with rocky coasts, but there are a few settlements with some really nice sandy beaches on the main island.

That's it for now

 

[redcode]

Some photos from my bike rides around Hòa Khánh, a neighbourhood in Danang

The district's main artery, also the trans-Vietnam national route 1A.

A Catholic parish church.

Some campus buildings of the University of Danang housing the Polytechnic.

Looking towards Danang city centre along the rail road from that same overpass.

Looking at the other direction. The next major station will be Huế, some 100km away. The single-track route is Vietnam's main rail artery, running from Đồng Đăng on the China border to Saigon in the South via Hanoi, Vinh, Huế, Danang, Quinhon etc.

A leafy avenue. The trees has just got a trimming in preparation for the typhoon season.

 

[redcode]

Let's have a look at Hội An, Danang's sister town 30 minutes down the coast. The town played a vital role in Vietnam's history between the 16th and 18th centuries as tax revenue from the booming trading port financed Vietnamese rulers' efforts to establish Vietnamese rules on newly conquered territories. Today it's one of Vietnam's most visited cities.

Some street photos:

A cute cafe on the 2nd and 3rd floors of an old house. There was also a nice bookstore on the 1st floor. They're all gone now though, courtesy of Miss Rona

A riverfront coffee shop. It used to be a restaurant popular with foreign tourists, but again the pandemic (or more specifically the absence of tourists) shut it down. Now the owner of the property is running a coffee shop catering to locals.

The view from the balcony

The Hoài River, a branch of the Thu Bồn River flowing through Hội An. I took these two photos barely one day after flood water receded from the embankment. Hội An is notoriously low-lying and it gets flooded several times a year. So far it's been flooded twice this year, and the monsoon season is far from over.

Night market

View from a beach bar. While the town itself is situated along the river, its jurisdiction covers a stretch of nice sandy beaches.

 

[Romashka01]

Some areas reminds me of Caribbean 🙂 Beautiful pics!

 

[Gratteciel]

What an interesting thread! I don't recall seeing a thread about Vietnam before.
Thank you very much for sharing your photos with us, Redcode!

 

[redcode]

Some areas reminds me of Caribbean 🙂 Beautiful pics!

What is it that reminds you of the Caribbean? At the 16th parallel, we are at around the same latitude as the Lesser Antilles so I suppose there’s a degree of similarity in vegetation and climate.

What an interesting thread! I don't recall seeing a thread about Vietnam before.
Thank you very much for sharing your photos with us, Redcode!

Hehe I searched through a few index pages and found no thread about Vietnam indeed. So I thought I’d share some photos from my region

Thank you both for visiting, by the way! Hope you enjoyed the photos

 

[Romashka01]

What is it that reminds you of the Caribbean? At the 16th parallel, we are at around the same latitude as the Lesser Antilles so I suppose there’s a degree of similarity in vegetation and climate.

Landscape and architecture, looks like Dominican Rep. or Trinidad & Tobago 🙂

 

[redcode]

Some street scenes from this morning

A busy intersection just south of the city centre:

Looking west from Dragon Bridge

Looking south towards Trần Thị Lý Bridge:

Beach district:

Hàn River Bridge with the city centre skyline:

An intersection in the city centre:

 

[christos-greece]

Great, very nice updates once again, redcode

 

[redcode]

Danang on a sunny winter morning

Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus - seat of the Diocese of Danang

Han River

 

[Nightsky]

Danang looks so nice, modern and wealthy! So much has changed in Vietnam during the last decades, just like in China.

 

[christos-greece]

Great, very nice photos from Danang

 

[redcode]

A Buddhist temple just south of downtown

A small park on the east end of the Dragon Bridge

Close-up on the dragon

Murals on the pillars of the bridge

Decorations for the upcoming lunar new year

City skyline

 

[christos-greece]

Great, very nice photo updates; that dragon bridge is really great