Vietnam (Pt. 1)

It was a weekday when I flew into Danang, Vietnam. Set a litttle north of the country, Danang promised a cooler climate than my home country Malaysia, and lots of relaxation.

My flight was delayed by an hour but I landed with enough time to meet my pick up from the airport. After going through immigration and scanning my hand luggage , I had to wait only 10 minutes with the 21 degree breeze giving me goosebumps before I saw a lean Vietnamese man holding a sign with my name on it.

The ride to the hotel was uneventful and the friendly driver pointed out the more popular sites along the way. I was excited. A holiday after 10 months .

Waiting at the hotel were my two travel companions , a lovely couple I have known for many years . They had flown in a day earlier and had done the research and planned the itinerary for our trip.

So the holiday officially starts !

First on the agenda was to take care of lunch. We headed to a Trip Advisor recommended crispy pancake shop set in one of the many alleyways so common in Vietnam. Ban Xeo Ba Duong was a 3 minute trudge down the alley and my oh my , it was bustling with activity . A whole row of cooks churning out pancakes and what have you’s on one side and the other side a row of tables.

It took us awhile to decide what and how to order . We looked at the pictures of the dishes on the wall and pointed to what we thought we wanted to try. It is a known fact that in a land where you do not speak the language , pictures help and pointing and smiling works too.

A few minutes later, a waiter with an aluminium tray burdened by little plates and dishes stopped and unloaded two plates of fresh herbs- sweet basil, parsley, and raw brinjal. Another plate of fresh lettuce was placed on the table as well.

Another few minutes passsed and the same
server stops by and places a plate of grilled meat wrapped around lemongrass stalks and also a plate of pancakes.

A little unsure of what to do, I looked across at a neighbouring table with some locals and emulated what they did : picked up a lettuce leaf, place fresh herbs on it and top it off with the grilled meat. After placing some sauce on the meat, fold the lettuce over like a wrap and bite in.

It was all things I could imagine - juicy grilled pork lightly flavoured with soy and lemongrass, paired well with the sweet basil, parsley and also the bitterness of the raw brinjal. I knew then I had found a new favorite Vietnamese dish .

It was time to try the yellow coloured pancake - that was what this stall is famous for . Banh xeo literally means sizzling cake and refers to the rice flour pancake colored with turmeric . It was flavoured with shrimp and also beansprouts. I dipped it into the sauce and took a bite. It was crispy with a slightly chewy texture around the middle where the flour was a little thicker . Not too salty, it had a nice savoury taste from the shrimp and also a bit of crunch from the bean sprouts. I preferred the grilled meat on lemongrass but this was good too.

Tummies filled we wandered around the streets of Danang, looking at the local products and also taking in the sights.

At cocktail hour (there is always a cocktail hour especially on holiday!) , we decided to take advantage of the hotel’s one for one offer and headed back to the hotel. Up at the rooftop bar, we drank cocktails and chatted while taking in the city view from the rooftop.

True to being Malaysian, we started to wonder what we would have for dinner . We chose a barbeque Restaurant , Unni, and ordered up a storm . The barbeque ribs were very tasty, had a hint of smoke and spice and had a nice bite to it . The platter included grilled prawns, clams, mussels and chicken as well and we soon felt our stomachs groaning with all the food .

We took a walk along the riverfront after dinner, observing locals out on a Thursday night and singing and dancing the night away. It was a good reminder to myself about taking the time to relax and do the things that make me happy.

We came across a coconut product shop and decided to stop to try the coconut jelly. It was creamy, rich and dense, too much after our filling dinner !

Back at the hotel , it was all I could do to keep my eyes open and i was out like a light to end my first day in Vietnam.