Danang and Hoi An

Because I got sick in Hanoi, I felt like planning the end of this journey. I was not a fan of Vietnam so far. I had a 30-day visa, though. And I heard many people talk about Danang and Hoi An as great places. In fact, I heard multiple conversations where someone said "Hoi An is amazing! I planned to stay only 3 days but I stayed a whole week!" Alright, I figured, I'll check it out. There's good jazz, too, from what I heard.

Danang is a city on Vietnam's central coast. It's very popular with tourists, especially from Korea. Not far are the Marble Mountains and the My Son Sanctuary. There's also a famous Dragon Bridge with lights and a fire-and-water show on weekend evenings.

I immediately liked it, and the reason why is simple. As usual, I looked for music on my first evening. From the internet, I found the 1920s Lounge. It looked like a nice bar with good music and a lovely aesthetic, so I went hoping to find jazz. Instead, I found a small rock band taking requests.

The band was good but not what I was feeling so I went to the nearby On the Radio. I read that there was live music where, but when I went there was just a DJ and a hypeman. I stayed for a little while because I enjoyed being the only non-Vietnamese person in the room. Then the band took the stage! Playing a few English songs but mostly Vietnamese, this rock band killed it. Melody Band is their name.

I had heard there was jazz in Danang, and I had not yet found it. So I turned back to the internet and discovered the Hat Jazz Band. This small group performs all over the city, so I messaged them asking if they knew of a place where I could bring my horn and play. They invited me to join them at their gig at a sports bar, so I did.

Hat Jazz Band is great. It's led by a lovely husband and wife couple. They told me they used to have a jazz bar where they would recruit and train local musicians to play jazz. Some years later, they closed the bar and kept a small band in circuit at various hotels, bars, and events in Danang. One of their vocalists, Nhung, has a voice even more beautiful than her gorgeous face. Most of all, I was impressed by their kindness. They received me very warmly, encouraging me to join them at future gigs while I'm in town. Meeting them was definitely a highlight for me in Vietnam.

I should talk about my visit to Hoi An. As I mentioned before, many people said they stayed a week, so I planned for 5 days. I found this was maybe too long. The city of Hoi An is beautiful and historic, but there just isn't a lot for me to do. A big problem was that I can't ride a motorbike, so that really limited where I could go.

I did some touristy things too. I booked a tour at My Son Sanctuary to see ruins of an ancient Hindu kingdom. I also visited the Marble Mountains, accompanied by a local woman and her teenage daugther, neither of whom spoke much English. Such is the result of my ongoing experiment, in which I keep my heart open to people and experiences without asking for anything in return.

After 5 days in Hoi An, I returned to Danang. In Hoi An, I stayed at homestays, which were nice, so I thought I'd try a homestay in Danang. It was amazing! I felt so much at home. Before leaving Vietnam, I managed to catch Hat Jazz Band and Melody Band one more time, each.