SnapDragon in Vietnam: Part 1.

We’ve been here for three weeks, and I gotta say. . .

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It’s incredible.

Greetings, Dear Reader. I’m here in Da Nang, Vietnam. Bare feet. Tank top. Feeling overdue for another top-tier coffee.

After a two-hour car ride, 19-hour (two-leg) flight, and a crazy cab adventure, we flopped with our bags at the A La Carte hotel. Delirious and almost giddy, we washed up and looked out the windows, out into the nighttime.

Goodbye USA. Hello Vietnam.

So naturally, after traveling so far (have I mentioned how crazy-active our two young kids* are?!) we slept and stretched and showered. We enjoyed the amenities to the fullest extent. Breakfast buffet? Rooftop pool? Room service?

Yup.

We then probably ventured out a bit too soon, but The Dragon Bridge was calling to us. (This trip has been about two years in the making. We’ve seen like every YouTube video about Da Nang. We were actually there. Here!)

And then, of course, we got sick. I guess climbing all over the airport and eating candy off the airplane floor catches up to a kid. So we rested, gave children’s Tylenol, and then I visited the pharmacy down the street for meds for us grownups. I returned with a bag full of antibiotics and cold medicine, for $7. No consultation, no bullshit. Just Google Translate and a helpful Vietnamese pharmacist.**

So once our colds passed, we were like creatures anew, ready for anything!

The beach is nothing shy of glorious. We could feel the anxiety leaving our bodies as the waves lapped against our feet. Laughing, we smiled and said Xin chào! as the local people lovingly interacted with our children.

Children seem so valued here, so welcome. As someone who has been greeted with looks of confusion—and subtle irritation—at how my kids learn and play in my home country, this change of mindset is noticeable, and appreciated. Our hotel even had a playroom just for kids, right inside the breakfast area. So you could sip your coffee and let the youngsters jump and clamor with toys.

So simple. So smart.

We’ve also been to three different indoor kids playgrounds, each for just a few US dollars. Our favorite one, called a Kids’ Cafe, had scrumptious lunch and coffee options. Yesss.

And speaking of food, we’ve sort of failed on that front. (And to no one’s fault but our own.) Due to our kids’ award-winning pickiness, we’ve eaten an embarrassing amount of pizza and French fries since arriving in Vietnam. I should also mention that I don’t eat meat or fish, and my husband is deathly allergic to iodine, often found in seafood. (I know, I know. Anthony Bourdain would spit in our general direction.)

So these first few weeks we’ve managed only a few spring rolls and some rice dishes here and there—all definitely on point—but our hope is to venture out a bit more. Just yesterday both the kids ate some of a ham and cheese Bánh Mì and it was a major victory for our family. My husband and I practically high-fived each other in happiness.

So in short? This place is just lovely. We spent a week in Hoi An, which I will save for another post.

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I’ll leave you with a few photos, Dear Reader. More posts to follow in the coming weeks.

Love to all.

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SnapDragon is a writer, painter, and curious observer of human behavior.

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*Seriously though, they were champs. For reasons I’m unsure of, WiFi was unavailable for the duration of our 19 hours of air travel. We had even “fasted” from iPad use for three days prior to the trip and everything, but alas. They rolled with it and deserve a medal for possibly the most patient 3- and 5-year-olds we’ve ever known.

**Such ease is more or less unheard of in most of American society. (In my 37 years of experience, anyway.)