Day 130 – Da Nang to Hue
Train Journey via the Vietnamese Coast on NYE
Today we left Danang Seawind Beach Hotel and ordered a Grab (uber like app) to take us to Da Nang Train Station (85,000 VND / $5.18 AUD). We went past another landmark, which is the Dragon Bridge. As the name suggests, this massive bridge has been constructed to look like a dragon. Very creative!
Da Nang Dragon Bridge
We bought tickets to Hue, from the train station for the 12:45pm train which cost 81,000 VND / $4.94 AUD per person. There are different types of seats but we purchased the soft seats, which are very large and comfortable. We had lunch across the road at Mi Quang Que Xua, and then came back to the station to wait for the train. The train arrived on time, with an announcement in Vietnamese. We just followed the crowd. Our train came to the platform closest to the door. The train only left the station at 1.11pm. The views from the train were very nice as the train followed the coast.
Lunch at Mi Quang Que Xua Soft seats are very comfortable
We taxied from the Hue Train Station to New Life Homestay for 50,000 VND / $3.05 AUD. Once we got to the homestay, we could tell something was up. It ended up being that the room was unavailable as the AC unit in the room had an issue. They told us they messaged us, but since we didn’t have Wi-Fi we didn’t know. After a quick online search we went to Shark Hostel, a short walk away. Here we were welcomed in by extremely friendly staff.
One of the coolest taps I’ve seen during our travels
We then walked around town in search of somewhere to have dinner. Since it was New Years Eve, we decided to go all out with a 5 course meal at La Carambole Bistro, all for the price of 572,000 VND / $34.89 AUD! The meal would easily have cost over $100 AUD back home. It was delicious.
La Carambole Bistro 1st course
After dinner, we decided to head back to the hostel and just watched a movie until midnight. It was the coldest New Years I’ve ever experienced. I must say I prefer summer days of the Southern Hemisphere during the festive season!