Food · 4 min read
Be Thui Cau Mong: Roast Veal on Highway 1, Dien Ban
Be thui Cau Mong is young calf roasted whole, sliced thin and rolled in rice paper with herbs and mam cai: where it is from, how it is made and eaten.
Food & heritage of Quang Nam–Da Nang.
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Heritage · 9 min read
Hoi An Old Town: Heritage, Assembly Halls, Tickets
Hoi An old town through old photos and monuments: UNESCO listing, tube houses, assembly halls, the bridge, full-moon night, tickets and distance from Da Nang.
Heritage · 7 min read
My Son Sanctuary: History, Towers, Tickets and Transport
My Son Sanctuary from a wooden temple to a UNESCO site: Champa history, brick towers, the lost A1 tower, tickets, hours and how to get there from Hoi An.
Food · 6 min read
Mi Quang: Origins, Phu Chiem Village, How It Is Made and Three Shops
How Mi Quang began, why its name points to Phu Chiem village, how the noodle is steamed and three shops worth the trip.
History · 9 min read
Hoi An History: The Faifo Trading Port and Old Town
Hoi An from Sa Huynh and Cham ports to the Nguyen lords' port of Faifo: Japanese and Chinese quarters, the Japanese Bridge, decline, UNESCO.
Heritage · 8 min read
Marble Mountains: History, Caves and the Stone Village
The Marble Mountains (Ngu Hanh Son) from old East Sea islands to special national monument: the Non Nuoc name, Cham traces, Tam Thai, Am Phu cave, stone craft.
People · 9 min read
Co Tu People of Quang Nam: Guol House, Weaving, Festivals
Who the Co Tu are, where they live in Quang Nam, Da Nang and Hue, the guol house, brocade weaving, the new-rice festival and villages to visit.
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People · 7 min read
Cau Ngu Festival: Whale Worship and Ba Trao in Da Nang
Cau ngu is the fishermen's festival of the whale spirit Ca Ong: lunar dates, the two-day rites, the ba trao rowing chant, heritage status and where to go.
History · 4 min read
Dien Hai Citadel: Da Nang's Fort of the First Defence
Dien Hai Citadel in Da Nang: built under Gia Long, the defence against the French-Spanish fleet, monument status, restoration and what to check before visiting.
Heritage · 7 min read
Dong Duong Buddhist Monastery: History, Tara and Thap Sang
Dong Duong monastery in Da Nang: who built it, the Dong Duong style, the Tara bronze, what remains today, monument status, restoration news and how to visit.
Food · 4 min read
Hoi An Chicken Rice: Origins, How It Is Made, Ba Buoi
Hoi An chicken rice: golden rice cooked in chicken broth, shredded chicken and Tra Que herbs. Origins, Ba Buoi, Ba Minh and prices.
Food · 6 min read
What to Eat in Hoi An: Beyond Cao Lau and Chicken Rice
Hoi An's own dishes, from banh dap and white rose cakes to banh no, banh to, banh xoai and corn che, with when to eat them and where each is sold.
Crafts · 5 min read
Ma Chau Silk Village, Duy Xuyen: History, Revival, Visit
Ma Chau silk village in Duy Xuyen, Quang Nam: mulberry, silkworms and weaving, the decline and the revival, and what to know before you visit.
Food
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Food · 6 min read
Ngoc Linh Ginseng: Where It Grows, Price, Real vs Fake
Ngoc Linh ginseng of Nam Tra My: how it was found, where it grows, its protected name, the festival, dated prices and how to spot a fake.
Food · 6 min read
Quang Nam Home Dishes: Snail Soup, Ca Sao, Flying Fish
Everyday home dishes of Quang Nam, sourced from the press: stone-snail soup, ca sao from the Thu Bon estuary, grilled flying fish and flying-fish roe salad.
Food · 4 min read
Banh Beo of Quang Nam: From Hue Bowls to Hoi An and Da Nang
Banh beo came from Hue and grew bigger and thicker in Quang. The name, the bowl, the shrimp-and-pork topping, eating it with a bamboo knife, and three places.
Food · 6 min read
Banh Kho Me Cam Le: the Seven-Fire Cake of Quang
Banh kho me from Cam Le, Da Nang: exam-season rations of Quang scholars, the seven-fire cake, the craft villages, charcoal baking, box prices and where to buy.
Crafts
All 6 guides →
Crafts · 5 min read
Phuoc Kieu Bronze Village: Gongs, Bells, Heritage
Phuoc Kieu bronze-casting village in Dien Ban: its long story, the unsettled founder, how gongs are cast for the Central Highlands, and how to visit.
Crafts · 4 min read
Tra Que Vegetable Village, Hoi An: Seaweed, Herbs and Visits
Tra Que vegetable village near Hoi An: how seaweed feeds the beds, which herbs grow, its heritage titles, and the farming and cooking visits.
Crafts · 10 min read
Kim Bong Carpentry Village, Hoi An: History, Guilds, Visit
Kim Bong, the carpenters' village across the river from Hoi An: where it came from, its guilds, boat building, the ancestor ceremony and how to visit.
Crafts · 5 min read
Non Nuoc Stone Village, Da Nang: History, Stone and Craft
Non Nuoc stone-carving village under the Marble Mountains: Thanh Hoa carvers, an old stele, court stone workers, the quarry ban and the craft.
Heritage
All 11 guides →
Heritage · 8 min read
Hoi An and My Son Itinerary: One, Two or Three Days
One, two or three days for Hoi An, My Son, the Marble Mountains and Cu Lao Cham: the order, the bus, tickets, and tips for kids and older travellers.
Heritage · 8 min read
Cham Sculpture Museum, Da Nang: The Tourane Garden
How the Da Nang Cham museum grew from a statue garden into the Musée Henri Parmentier: builders, dates, My Son and Tra Kieu pieces, hours and tickets.
Heritage · 5 min read
Cham Towers in Quang Nam Beyond My Son: Bang An, Khuong My, Chien Dan
The Cham sites of Quang Nam beyond My Son: octagonal Bang An tower, Khuong My, Chien Dan, the Dong Duong monastery and Tra Kieu, with age and condition.
Heritage · 9 min read
Cu Lao Cham: History, Monuments, Boats and Calm Season
Cu Lao Cham island guide: ancient settlement, a Chu Dau shipwreck, Hai Tang Pagoda, speedboats from Cua Dai, ticket price and the calm-sea months.
History
All 4 guides →
History · 9 min read
Da Nang Under Attack: The Landing in Old Prints and Maps
Da Nang (Tourane) under attack, told through old prints, maps and Nguyen court records: the fleet, the ramparts, disease and the allied withdrawal.
History · 4 min read
French Tourane: The Chessboard Town on the Han River
Tourane was Da Nang under French rule: how the city began, its street grid, stations, tram to Hoi An, church and airport, in old postcards.
People
All 6 guides →
People · 3 min read
Tuong of Quang Nam: Classical Theatre and Where to Find It
What tuong (hat boi) is, how it took root in Quang Nam and Da Nang, the mandarin Nguyen Hien Dinh, the national heritage recognition and where to see it.
People · 8 min read
Bai Choi: The Singing Card Game of Central Vietnam
What bai choi is, how the huts are built, the card deck, the three-part ho thai call, two theories of its origin and where to hear it nightly in Hoi An.
People · 7 min read
Phan Khoi: Bao An Writer Who Opened New Poetry
Phan Khoi, born in Bao An, Dien Ban: Bible translator, journalist in three regions, author of the poem Tinh gia, honoured by streets in his home region.
People · 9 min read
Quang Nam Scholars: Laureates of the Nguyen Exams
Quang Nam as a land of scholars: the first Tien si Le Thien Tri, Pham Phu Thu, the Five Phoenixes, Huynh Thuc Khang, Tran Quy Cap and Phan Chau Trinh.