Da Nang, the sixth largest city in Vietnam, is a metropolis of over a million people, but it feels smaller and more intimate. The hub of military air traffic in the Seventies during the war in Southeast Asia, it was the sight of where the first American troops landed (by boat) in March 1965. Walking around here now, it’s hard to imagine all of that happening here in this serene seaside tourist destination.

Da Nang

Taking a stroll through town we went down to the beach and of course had to get our feet wet. Right there on the beach was a casino. Definitely a tourist town.

Later, we came to a coffee shop called 43 Factory, and it was so intriguing that we couldn’t resist stopping — especially since they do have decaf coffee, and of gourmet quality, which has not easy to find in this part of the world, up until now. The outdoor booths are recessed into the ground and surrounded by koi ponds. The coffee is available in a staggering selection of varieties, with beans from many different countries; it can be brewed by your choice of three methods, and it can be served with a choice of three types of milk– cow’s milk, soymilk and oat milk.

When the coffee is served, you are also given a postcard-size card with information about your coffee. On the front is the variety and origin and a photo of a coffee farmer. On the back are specifications like varietal, altitude grown, process, harvest date, cupnotes, roast level, roast time, end temperature, calcium hardness, magnesium hardness, sodium, alkalinity, brewing time and temperature, and percent extraction.

At this place, you don’t just buy a cup of coffee. You adopt it.

Da Nang is a city that we’d like to spend more time in. But this time around, we had only one day, and then we had to be off to Hoi An. It was no problem getting a shuttle to take us there — it’s about half an hour’s ride. But after we were dropped at a central point, it took three attempts to book a ride to the school where we’d be volunteering. We almost gave up and began walking.

Hoi An

First, we put in a call for a tuk-tuk on the phone app, and after waiting for 10 minutes it became clear to us that the driver was not making any progress in our direction. So we cancelled that ride and booked another one. Then we waited for 15 minutes on that driver, after which he contacted us and asked us to wait an additional 30 minutes while he ate lunch. Which didn’t sound like something we were eager to agree to at the moment. So we cancelled that one and booked yet another one. The third time was the charm.

Our volunteer position was another last-minute substitution. Originally, we’d been scheduled to work with children at a library in Hoi An, which sounded really interesting. But that opportunity cancelled because of the lack of suitable accommodations for us; so the director with whom we’d been in contact helped arrange an alternative gig.

This was at a little school called Prinberk Academy, which was housed in a building that appeared to have been built as a hotel. Our living quarters, located on the third floor, were quite comfy, and was even supplied with several amenities like toothbrushes and combs. And even honest-to-goodness books printed on paper, rather than on a device.

It looked like, and was, a good gig and a good home for the next three weeks, especially with the view of the Thua Bon River.

10/30/2022