Overnight Train to Da Nang and Stay in Hoi An
July 7th-11th, 2023
Instead of flying, we decided to check out the overnight train to Da Nang. Our train left from Hanoi at 7:50pm Friday, July 7th and we arrived on Saturday, July 8th at 12:10pm. Throughout the 16 hour ride, the train stopped mulitple times. Each time it started again, there was a big jerk and screech. . . but considering noise, movement and tight quarters, we got some sleep. We had two cabins - one for the kids and one for the adults. They were right next to each other so we could hear their shenanigans and bang on the wall if they were getting too loud.
Once we arrived in Da Nang, we got a taxi to our hotel in Hoi An. We wanted to get out of the city and stay in the smaller town with a cool night market and small streets that you could walk around. It was a very nice location on a small little island - we walked the night market every night and saw something new each time. Plenty of shops to check out, food vendors and loud music. Max and Zoe liked the "Dragon's breath" ice cream, which I think is trademarked, so it was called something else. It's fun!
On Sunday, July 9th, we took a day trip to Ba Na Hills, which is a resort on the Truong Son Mountains (1487 meters or 4,879 feet tall). Originally the French colonists build the resort at the top of the mountain, but in more recent years the Vietnamese built the Golden Bridge, a castle and a place called Fantasy Park that is an indoor amusement park. There are gardens and a very large Buddha at the top. There is also a rollercoaster ride on the side of the mountain, but was closed due to thunder.
The next day we decided to just chillax in Hoi An and found some sweet local places - more Banh Mi and a cute little coffee shop that has macrame and embroidered pieces. There are all sorts of little treasures in Hoi An.
