Danang, Vietnam

We went to Danang in central Vietnam for a bankers club event last week. It's a gorgeous, sunny place which is being promoted by the Vietnam government as the "next Phuket" and in the spirit of tourist promotion they played excellent & lavish hosts to us. 

We also spent a day in the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Hoi An. What a lovely place. I loved it and cringed at it at the same time. The 15th century town, then a vibrant port developed by the expat Chinese & Japanese merchant communities in Vietnam, has some stunningly old architecture & the derelict state of those buildings lends it an old world quaintness. It has sadly become such a tourist ghetto now...there are these beautiful antique shophouses but they sell Prada hand-bag knock offs and mass produced Vietnamese art knock offs. I wish there was some deliberation on what establishments are aligned in a tasteful manner to a town so rich in heritage. It's a must-see town nevertheless. Add that to your travel list please!