I often joke that tourists who arrive in Da Nang or Hoi An look like they’ve escaped from a war zone. Their faces tighten into stress lines and a grim ‘what’s next’ body language. They have a wary, half-shocked expression after battling traffic in Ho Chi Minh City or negotiating the narrow streets of old Hanoi.
I’ve stopped on my motorbike many times to help lost backpackers or old tourists, fresh out of the bus from wherever, only to be answered with a snappy “We don’t want anything, thank you!” Oooo… Well pardon me for stopping! They have been so harassed that even I’m the enemy! Yep, they’re expecting the same dramas they encountered from the places they just escaped.
Then they discover the center of Vietnam. Sometimes called miền Trung, it’s a revelation to many.
It’s one of the things I really like about central Vietnam, which is an oasis of serenity in the overall roaring, shouting, tooting, laughing and weaving chaos that’s called Vietnam. Oh, by the way, when I talk about central Vietnam, I mean from northern Thanh Hoá to southern Bình Thuận. If you want to argue about that, please meet me in the pub later!
So chill out… put your feet up, order a Larue beer and feel the vibe of where I live.
It often amazes me that hotel management here in Hoi An, where I live, become flustered when people arrive in Da Nang or Hoi An and decide to stay longer. What would you expect? It’s ‘chill central’. Most expats here know the feeling. We felt the same when we first visited the center.
You arrive, planning to spend two or three nights in a mad scramble to ‘experience’ Vietnam and suddenly realize that this is not too bad…in fact, rather nice really. You let a sigh of relief, abandon that lonely planet tour plan and begin mentally settling down. After a day or two, you start to notice the scenery; I mean really notice it, the lush deep greens, and the meandering rivers sparkling in the afternoon sun, the wild yellow and purple flowers growing everywhere. The slower pace begins to seduce you and you start wearing Vietnamese hats. Well, maybe not that far…
It’s all here… manageable traffic, great beaches, glorious mountain scenery, room to move, and things to see without risking your life crossing the road. Tourism-wise, the center has a unique ability to offer visitors spectacular scenery, tour activities and a glimpse into local life in a close-up manner utterly impossible in the cities of the far north or south. Yet still be home in time for dinner on the beach. You could ride winding roads into the clouds, visit the truly amazing Son Doong Cave or the ethnic tribal villages overnight in the central northern mountains.
But let’s not rush around. I sometimes think the Vietnamese don’t quite get it that what they like about Vietnam is the same as what we like. Stuff like the chance to watch the world go by while having a beer next to the river in Hue. The opportunity to pitch a table and umbrella on Da Nang beach and invite your friends around for a beer, as some funny friends of mine recently did. Or the seriously lazy afternoon at An Bang beach, Hoi An, white wine in hand while taking ‘selfies’ to your friends in freezing Europe.
It’s a holiday, right? So why the heck are you getting up at 6:00 am to go on a tour? Just chill out! Sleep late, ride a bicycle around, take a chance on ordering Larue in a local restaurant (the seafood is great in the center) or watch the vegetables grow.
Huh? Vegetables? It’s a strange thing that people will pay to see vegetables grow as my friend Deborah Nolan, a great writer, noticed recently. The foreign fascination with the rural Vietnamese lifestyle is a huge draw card. Just outside of Hoi An is Tra Que vegetable village where tourists can see, smell, eat and participate in the work on growing… vegetables. Tra Que is famous for the scented gardens and its traditional style of cultivation. It’s a good chill out session too, potter around the village, gaze across the rice fields, check your emails… Hey! Stop that!
Oh, did I mention the beach? It’s one thing to have margaritas at An Bang or Danang beach but an experience to do the local beaches on a quiet morning as the fishermen prepare their soup bowl-shaped boats or watch five guys string out fish nets and delicately repair them with hard, calloused hands with fine thread. It’s not a tour. You don’t have to get back on the bus at the beck and call of a young bullying tour guide. Just stop, take your time and take that feeling of the world we left behind decades ago.
It’s still possible to find totally unspoiled (no horrible resorts) beaches in the southern areas of Quang Ngãi or Phú Yên, and just stay for a while and forget Wi-fi, mortgages, bosses, politics, the economy and people you hate that you have to work with. More work to find, less stress to spend in.
Yep, I love my central Vietnam and I haven’t even written about half of it yet in my stories! So do yourself a favour and forget covering Vietnam in Guinness Record Book time, don’t worry about the next ticket to wherever and tell your friends to come to the south central chilling coast of Vietnam!
I’ll be the one in the corner of the bar on the laptop. Buy me a beer and let’s chat…
Hey! Let’s chill out in central Vietnam! Related image(s)
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