Vietnam - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 871

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
Besides exploring the Cham Museum ,
it's possible to organize tours to Nam O
Beach , where American troops first
landed in Vietnam, My Khe , a long,
narrow strip of golden sand, Monkey
Mountain with its giant Buddha statue
and some truly remarkable temples
inside the Marble Mountains to the south
of the city. To reach the outlying sights,
rent a motorbike or hire a xe om or an
Easy Rider via Sinh Tourist (see p.873) to
take you around.

Phuong Nam 38 Tran Cao Van. Perch yourself on a plastic
chair at this friendly, family-run spot and order deep-
fried spring rolls with mushrooms (from 30,000VND),
Vietnamese mains (from 40,000VND), salads and delect-
able fruit shakes (15,000VND). Daily 10.30am-8pm.
Take 34 Tran Cao Van. Austere Japanese restaurant with
traditional seating and wonderfully affordable sushi sets
(from 50,000VND), as well as tonkatsu, gyoza, noodle
dishes and more. Wash it down with an avocado shake or
sweetened cucumber juice. Daily 11.30am-9.30pm.
Xuan Trang 42 Chu Van An. Above-average Vietnamese
place serving a mix of Western and Hue speciality dishes
- try the nem lui , grilled pork with peanut sauce, fresh veg
and rice paper (60,000VND) or the banana flower salad.
Daily 11.30am-9.30pm.

The Cham Museum
The Cham Museum , at the end of Bach
Dang (daily 7am-5pm; 40,000VND;
W chammuseum.danang.vn), is the most
comprehensive exhibit of Cham art in
the world, giving a tantalizing glimpse
of the artistically inspired culture that
ruled most of southern Vietnam for a
thousand years. he terracotta and
sandstone figures of the Hindu pantheon
are on display here, from Shiva, Vishnu
and Lakshmi to Ganesh and Brahma, as
well as stylized animal figures, garudas
and graceful apsuras (nymphs). here is
also a scale model of My Son (see p.882)
and exhibits on Cham culture today.
Exhibits are grouped according to their
place of origin: My Son (4-11C),
Tra Kieu (Simhapura; 4-10C), Dong
Duong (Indrapura; 8-10C) and Binh
Dinh (11-15C).

11

DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE
Brown Eyes 56 Chu Van An. Late-night bar-club playing
rock and punk, with a pool table and happy crowds
comprising mostly inebriated backpackers. Cocktails are
two-for-one from 5-10pm. Daily 5pm-late.
DMZ Bar 44 Le Loi. The hottest spot in town, crowded with
a mix of locals and backpackers on any given night, with a
free pool table, nightly drinks specials and an extensive
food selection, including pizza (from 70,000VND). Cocktails
from 55,000VND. Daily noon-midnight.
Why Not Bar 21 Vo Thi Sau. Western food (including
some good veggie pizzas), football on the big screen, a
pool table, good deals on beer and streetside seating are
the draws here. Daily 5pm-late.

DIRECTORY
Bank Saigon Bank, 50 Hung Vuong; Vietcombank, 30 Le Loi.
Bike rental Bicycles ($2-3/day) and motorbikes ($5-7/
day) can be rented from most hotels, guesthouses and cafés.
Hospital Hue Central Hospital, 16 Le Loi T 054 3822325.
Pharmacies 33 and 36 Hung Vuong.
Post o ce 8 Hoang Hoa Tham.

Nam O Beach
Fifteen kilometres northwest of the city is
the palm-fringed Nam O Beach , where
American troops first landed in Vietnam
in 1965. Residents of Nam O village are
famous for their goi ca - Vietnamese
sashimi that consists of raw fish
marinated in a special sauce and rolled in
a spicy powder.

DA NANG
Da Nang is Central Vietnam's dominant
port and its fifth-largest city. hough
there are few sights in the city itself
beyond the exceptional Cham Museum,
greater attractions lie just outside. Da
Nang is also a major transport hub with
air connections as well as road and rail
links, and it's the main access point for
China Beach. During the American War
it served as a massive South Vietnamese
airbase and played host to thousands of
US troops, as well as refugees searching
for work.

My Khe (China Beach) and
Non Nuoc Beach
hirty kilometres of white sand stretches
from the Son Tra Peninsula to Cua Dai
Beach in Hoi An. he most well-known
section of the beach is My Khe (China
Beach), where American servicemen from
all over Vietnam were sent for R&R