Dear Reader, the last time you saw me in Da Nang I was busy getting massaged like a wagyu cattle and taking advantage of the Fusion Maia’s all inclusive spa treatment menu. But I promise that I didn’t spend every minute here on a massage table. Today I am seeing a different and varied side of Da Nang and Vietnam that I’d like to show you too.
The Marble Mountains or five element mountains are a cluster of limestone and marble hills and caves that are situated in Da Nang. Among these is a Buddhist sanctuary where pagodas were erected as a dedication to Buddhist followers and monks. A monk walks past us wearing golden robes. He turns and smiles at us and asks where we are from.
A woman holding incense for sale turns to us. She smiles a beauteous yet surprising smile full of dark purple and black teeth.
The monk is friendly and tells us about the process of the incense lighting ceremony and tells us that he travelled by motorbike from Nha Trang to Da Nang just yesterday which was a very long and bumpy ride. We buy some incense and watch as he lights three sticks-you can either offer one or three sticks, the three sticks signifies the heart, the buddha and the monk or the teacher. Once lit, you place each stick of incense in the bowl in front of the gods. The incense burns and allows the soul to float up to the buddha the monk tells us. And with his yellow iPod in his ears the monk is gone.
Climbing the mountain is tiring work and you can go half way up with the elevator for 15,000VND (about $0.70 AUD) but there is still quite a way to climb. Exhausted and hot we adjourn to a coffee house in the centre of Da Nang for a Vietnamese coffee, something that it is very easy to become addicted to.
There are a range of office workers, construction workers and all sorts of people who sit down and take a break balancing on tiny stools that can’t measure more than 20x20cms (smaller than a cake tin!) and people watch.
Near Cafe 3G there are several other coffee shops all plying the same type of coffee. Traditionally Vietnamese coffee is served as a syrupy thick drink a couple of centimetres in depth and served with a glass of iced, unsweetened tea with ice. You can order the coffee hot or cold and with or without milk – the milk of course being that wonderfully addictive item called sweetened condensed milk.
Lunch is at Beluga restaurant and despite the whale reference here and at last night’s Blue Whale restaurant, there isn’t any actual whale spotting in Da Nang. Whilst we’re eating from a set meal, I take a look at the regular menu and it looks very reasonably priced with most dishes around 100,000 VND ($5AUD).
Quang noodles
The medium sized flat rice noodles come in a small amount of mildly flavoured broth, with hard boiled quail eggs, prawns, chicken, egg and peanuts as well as a crunchy prawn cracker. I’m mindful not to fill up because I can see that we have a lot of food coming as well as an afternoon tea, pre dinner nibblies and dinner afterwards!
Simmered chicken with ginger
The chicken fillet pieces are sauteed in ginger and are tender and full of flavour and go well with steamed rice.
Fried soya bean crispy
I’m not sure what they do to tofu here but it’s much more favoursome here with the flavour penetrating into the actual tofu (do they season it while making it? I wonder). I could easily eat a plate of this tofu which is crunchy on the outside and soft and flavoursome inside.
Steamed sea bass with ginger
This is very much like the Chinese dish where fish is steamed with ginger and shallots and then served with soy sauce and sesame oil. Here all of the flavours are well balanced and this is my favourite course.
Soup of cabbage with minced meat
I must admit that I didn’t have much of this but it did remind me of one of my mother’s soups which is made with pork bones and vegetables. However I ate a bit too much of the fish so I couldn’t really fill up on this.
Pineapple
We finished with pineapple slices and these are sweet and a lovely ending. Again, I wasn’t expecting much, the restaurants that we’ve visited have mostly been empty but the food was good here.
We return back to Fusion Maia and it’s time for another two treatments. Each day has a different theme at the spa using different oil blends from uplifting, nourishing, balancing, calming, awakening, energising and refreshing. This time I have chosen the yogurt splash which is where a yogurt and orange pulp is applied to my body and I am wrapped while this infuses and softens the skin. My brilliant therapist Hoa then wraps me up in a plastic cocoon and gives me a forehead and scalp massage which includes playing with my hair which is so relaxing. I shower the orange pulp and yogurt off me and my skin is soft and doesn’t need any moisturiser at all.
My next treatment is a foot reflexology massage and is so blissful that I fall asleep drifting in and out and I’m sure I was smiling the whole time. I think they had to tie me down so that I didn’t drift off and float away up into the sky…
Do you know what wakes you up? Afternoon tea! It is served in the bar and restaurant area between 2-5pm and is a very reasonable $15US per person. Drinks are a choice between a very extensive menu of Ronnefeldt tea (both traditional and wellness teas) served either hot or cold or a glass of rose Bottega II Vino del poeti rose prosecco. I choose a cold glass of of the wellness tea “Life and beauty” which is a herbal infusion with tropical fruit and aloe vera.
Our three tier stand arrives and it looks quite a sight, resplendent in hues of pink. The top layer has watermelon and strawberries on a skewer which are sweet and refreshing as well as absolutely divine crunchy and buttery pink sugar cookies. The second tier has a very neat salmon and cucumber roll in a thin wrap which is lovely and fresh (although as the sole savoury item, I was hoping for more). There is also an excellent chocolate and raspberry tart with a buttery crisp shell (not a small feat in this humidity) as well as a moist pink lemon lamington.
The bottom layer consists of a cinnamon scone which has the aroma of mixed spices and cinnamon. It’s not quite a traditional scone, really more a round bun in a scone shape. It comes with a pot of whipped cream and a raspberry jam. There is also a pot of strawberry and ginger pudding which has an interesting flavour to it and is quite strong in ginger. There is one item missing from the list and it is quickly furnished. It was one we were all intrigued to try, a cherry liqueur milkshake which is thick and ice creamy and worth chasing down every drop. The liqueur taste isn’t very strong in this but there is a slight hint. We lie back on the lounges and think about what a lovely day it has been indeed…
After afternoon tea, I leave the rest of the group behind and I’m off on a little trip of my own this afternoon. Joel, the General Manager at Fusion Maia has a degree in “make it happen” and when I asked if there was any possibility of doing some experiences that connected me with local people he quickly made it happen. Fusion Maia has a Fusion Friends programme that allows guest to connect further with Vietnamese culture and people (hence the fusion part). They offer two experiences to allow for this and the first is sitting down to a meal with a Vietnamese family, often one of the staff member’s families, and experiencing real family Vietnamese cuisine.
So today I am meeting my “Fusion Friend” staff member Nicky Nguyen and she and the executive chef at Fusion Maia Dung (the clever chef that made the sweets that we just ate) are taking me to his home nearby. However chef Dung tells me that his wife has prepared the meal because as the executive chef he would most likely give it a resort Fusion Maia feel whereas the whole point is to eat what the every day Vietnamese eats. Normally, if you do this experience you would spend the whole day with them and shop and cook with them but as we have such a short time here they’ve already prepared the food.
We drive to their house which is less than 10 minutes away. We walk past two young men making signs, a hairdresser and arrive at their house. His wife Suong is in the kitchen with chef Dung’s mother in law and they are busy cooking. His wife normally runs a shop that sits on the side of their house and is open from 6am-9pm 7 days a week. But now it is eating time and the smell is delicious as we walk through the very neat, nicely furnished house decorated in the Vietnamese style with lacquer tables and flowers.
Chef Dung explains that on the table is an array of salads including a bowl of banana flower. To this tangle of banana flower he adds a sauce which is a blend of oil, black pepper, sugar, lemon juice, garlic and fish sauce and he offers it to me for a taste. The sauce sings with flavour and he tells me that the key to this sauce is to whisk it for 10 minutes to dissolve the sugar and combine all of the elements. He then spoons some of the dressing and a big handful of mint into the thinly sliced banana flower and combines it with gloved hand. To this he adds some river prawns that have been marinated in fish sauce, chilli and sugar and cooked through.
Our next course is the fresh spring rolls. Nicky explains that for lunch and dinner, there usually is a soup and rice course. Most Vietnamese people eat out for breakfast and it will eat either a Western or a Vietnamese one but for lunch and dinner they always need rice.
Chef Dung rolls a rice paper roll
Chef Dung shows me how to make the rice paper rolls. There are big papers so he simply breaks each disc in half and then dips them into the water quickly and then allows them to rest on the side of the bowl for about 10 seconds. You can then fill them with the cucumber, spring onion, eryngo (sawtooth coriander), salad, beans sprouts and pork and then the pork tenderloin. The ‘nuoc mam’ sauce is simply fish sauce, water and chilli and he explains that you can make up a big batch of this and then just keep it in the fridge for up to five days. The pork tenderloin is marinated in five spice, lemongrass, fish sauce, sugar, garlic and oil for half an hour before being cooked in a frypan.
I try my hand at rolling the rice paper rolls
Everyone takes a half and does their own although Chef Dung makes mine for me and they kindly keep giving me these delicious rolls filled with fresh salad. The rolls are so crunchy and flavoursome I don’t mind a jot! 
His mother in law watches us make them and then retreats once she sees that we can do it. She’s a vegetarian so she doesn’t eat with us.
We finish off with slices of pomelo which Chef Dung tells us is very good for digestion. The pomelo is served as sheathed segments and he removes the white membrane by cutting them with scissors and then peeling it off. And so ends one of the best meals of the trip. I bid the very talented and lovely Chef Dung and his wife Suong goodbye as I’m off to visit a Vietnamese orphanage.
“Hello!” I say and there’s a giggle from a little girl and her friend and they hide behind each other.
“Hello!” they echo back shyly. A boy walks out from his room, looks at me surprised and when I greet him with hello, a broad smile crosses his face and a bright “Hello!” and a wave comes back.
I’m at the Hoa Mai orphanage (meaning cherry blossom). Many of the kids are just coming home from school now-they have half days for school either from 7am-11am or 1pm-5pm and whilst the young kids are there, the high school kids aren’t yet back.
This is a no adoption orphanage and fifty children from the ages of five to sixteen live here. There is one manager and seven staff for all of these charges. We watch as a small group of young boys are kicking the ball in the yard.
The dining room
The kitchen
Six to seven children sleep in each room grouped according to age and gender and the rooms are kept neat and tidy. We also visit the mess hall where they eat which hasn’t been set up for dinner yet. Outside, they have a vegetable garden where they grow food to eat. We are also shown the shed where they grow oyster mushrooms that they sell at market so that they have food to eat. Before we leave, we make a donation to them of cash as well as pens, pencils, books and sweets and it is graciously accepted.
The mushrooms growing to sell at market
The next morning we rise early to get a flight to Ho Chi Minh City and then back home.
).
Fusion Maia Resort
Truong Sa Street, Khue My Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, Da Nang City, Vietnam
Tel: +84 511 3967 999
3G coffee
16 Ba Dinh Street Hai Chau district, Da Nang City, Vietnam
Beluga Restaurant
84 Road 2/9, Da Nang, Vietnam
Hao Mai Orphanage
25 Trần Đại Nghĩa, Ngũ Hành Sơn District, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam
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51 Comments | Add your own
Lorraine you have the best adventures! Italy for the best coffee for me…cliche maybe but still the best coffee and all the atmosphere that goes with it.
the three tier stand looks really dainty!
I so love your stories on your travels, you actually put me there with your detailed explanation of everything. Thank you for taking the time out to share your lifes experiences with us.
I’ve never had the chance to dine at a local’s home in another country. I would love to do it though. I am obsessed by Vietnamese coffee. There is a restaurant in Salt Lake that serves it and I always order it when I go there for lunch! Viet Nam is probably one place I will never get to see, so thanks for the peek…
xxoo,
RMW
Yes I have tried Vietnamese coffee and loved it – anything with condensed milk is good for me! When we went to China for our honeymoon, we did some bike riding in rural western china. One afternoon it was raining and an old chinese man and his wife invited us in for some tea – this was an amazing experience for many reasons (I wish I had your journalistic skills here to tell the story). On another occasion, a young Chinese girl who was desperate to improve her english, invited us into her home – we had a meal with her parents and grandfather – again, a very memorable experience. They were farmers and lived very simply.
This is the best thing about travelling – those glimpses into how people really live in other, different countries. I am lucky that my in-laws are from Malaysia and India, so I regularly get to eat fabulous food in Malaysia and Singapore, in their homes, but the China experience was with strangers who were kind and generous enough to invite two foreign strangers into their homes.
I’m always fascinated to see what’s in local supermarkets as I figure it gives me good insight into whats eastern in that area, (like packets of boiled peanuts found at my sisters location but never ever sold in this state) but how lucky are you to actually eat with the locals! It would have been wonderful indeed to have had the time to shop and cook with them to.
Vietnamese coffee is certainly sweet, but comforting all the same!
Dear Lorraine, would you be kind enough to send me a pic of the bathroom vanity, I am adding an ensuite on to my house in Tasmania and really like the look of the twin vanity area, do you recall what the basins are made of? My best to you Roz
Another great post Lorraine! So much there to comment on. I do think the little stools are hilarious. They remind me of when I go to parent/teacher night at Alfie’s school and I have to sit on one of the children’s chairs. It’s quite a skill positioning an adult sized bottom on a child-sized chair. The shoes are lovely – and what a bargain!
What an amazing trip! I loved reading about the orphanage and The Marble Mountains
What a great trip Lorraine! Spa indulgence, interesting food, sight seeing, local experience and shopping. What more could you ask?
People watching from cages on bustling Vietnamese streets and wondering how much condensed milk to add to the usually small cups is lots of fun. Staying out of the way of ladened motor bikes and locals in markets and enjoying the guest experience in family homes certainly broadens travel perspectives.
I love your photos of the people – they are amazing. I want to steal your Zara shoes, so watch out!
Sorry Lorraine that was meant to say tables not cages. XXX Uggh. Should have checked!
You are such a lucky lady. I have always wanted to travel to Vietnam, it always looks amazing.
I have only been to a few places os, so i would have to say the coffee is the best here in OZ. Then again im also more of a tea girl, so im not a great judge
I’m not a coffee drinker so no tips on the world’s best I’m afraid.
When I was in Spain years and years ago we had lunch at my uncle’s cousin’s house. She is pretty wealthy and it was a very formal, traditional lunch. It was my first taste of gazpacho. Oh how I loath it! The rest of the lunch was great though.
Another great post about Vietnam. I’m going to have to visit!
Am I the only one who read “Chef Dung” more than once? And out loud?
Vietnamese coffee is possibly the best coffee out there – I am bias I know! Oh how I loved and miss travelling in Vietnam
ps I won’t use your image just to show my builder. Roz
Lorraine I feel that I’m travelling with you!
Your coverage of different countries and regions of Australia are excellent and makes me want to get up and go there. Thank you.
What a delightful ending to your Vietnam saga I have enjoyed so much! Am trying to imagine you covered in yogurt and orange pulp: beguiling
! And am fascinated at Chef Dung’s advicee to whip his dressing for ten minutes – shall try to see if that makes a difference. Lovely Buddhist photos [remember I am one!]. Yes, I have been fortunate to dine at lots of private homes overseas. It is especially precious to get such an invitation in the East I feel, as many of the people one meets can be quite reserved. I always felt it to be a special treat in Japan, where so much of the entertaining is in restaurants. And, to me, those have been the best meals truly 
!
Thanks for your review about beautiful vietnam and yummy food too. Now I know where to go for my next holiday.
What a delightful adventure indeed, TRUE!
One I again thoroughly enjoyed reading, experiencing the photos through your unique view!
I think dining the the locals adds greatly to the holiday,
When was in Egypt, was invited to the island where the Nubians live, eat, wed, live their entire lives and stay!
What a humbling experience will never forget, TRUE!
They prepare Nubians foods and made chips for the first time as they heard Aussies love their chips too!
Food was served by our host with a large HUGE silver tray on her head,
With multiple dishes prepared, hibiscus tea…their warm, welcoming gestures was much more than anything said!
What an interesting place i can see why my brother returns there every year for a holiday.
On another note the book The Tuscan Sun i won has been well received , I took it to my garden morning yesterday and there were many interested parties , there are those in the community that breed rabbits for food so rabbit recipes were snapped up we have also all agreed that soup and fresh sour dough will be on the agenda for morning tea in winter once again thanks for the inspiration in the kitchen
When I holidayed in Bangkok recently, my friend’s maid and chef – who is like a member of the family having lived with them for about 25 years – cooked for us using rice her family grows themselves. She also showed me how to make traditional Thai meals from scratch. So simple and delicious.
Ahhh, how fun to live some of my life thru you, Lorraine. I’d love to try some of the little gems on the three tier stand. What DeLIGHTS <3
Great Shoes! Now tell me, do you really need another pair of shoes? HaaHaa. Xxx
What a wonderful trip, especially because you got to experience some of the real life there, not just the touristy spots. The orphanage is a sobering reminder of how Vietnam is not only beautiful, but still beset with the growing pains of any developing country. I feel for those children there who have to grow up with no family around.
What a special experience. That’s my kind of holiday!
I’ve never had vietnamese coffee, I’d say that Australia probably does the best coffee, though I’m also partial to a Turkish style sweet black stove top coffee too.
I am not sure if I tried vietnamese coffee, but I love their sandwich, the one they make in Seattle in International District. Those sandwiches are the best I ever tried!
Going to a local market, and (if lucky) visiting someone’s home is a culmination of any trip.
Great shoes!
I’m blown away by how much Vietnam has changed since 1996. An elevator in Marble Mountain! Five star hotels and spas. Back inthe day there were 2 5 star hotels in the whole country!
As to coffee – Australia is consistently good coffee if you know where to go. None of the Italian or French disdain for milk in your coffee after the approved local time, and no drip coffee that’s been stewing for hours like in the US. if you’re in Adelaide you should visit Red Berry Espresso at Glenside, where Walter tells you where the beans are from and roasts them in store. It’s a tiny shop with fabulous coffee.
I love that you get to visit realy local places too
hahaha but hey I wouldn’t complain if you didn’t get to chance to go and just did treatments all day long hahaha
I really like the 3 tier stand for the Afternoon tea YAY!
LOL Mr Bao does that too whenever, I buy his food from a place I’ve visited he polishes it off within a day ~
I don’t think I’ve had Vietnamese coffee before, but in my opinion I think we have pretty good coffee here in Melbourne. I wasn’t drinking coffee when I went to europe last so I’m not sure if they’re good hehe ~
Italy makes the best coffee in the world, without question! No matter where you go here you will get a great coffee for about €1!
I lived in Italy and I can honestly say that Australia (Melbourne specifically) does better coffee not questions about it! I have been lucky enough to be invited into homes in Fiji, Hong Kong & Italy for traditional meals and they have all been amazing (if not always my cup of tea food wise) in their own way. I think it’s great you asked to experience some of the local ways….hotels all get a bit “same same” after a while! Great post NQN!
I love the afternoon tea platter! Such a different way of presenting
It all looks so lovely that I must add this destination onto my wish list 
Iced Vietnamese coffee is, like, the best thing ever! Would definitely go down a treat after all that climbing!
Want to visit Vietnam one day, not just for the food but also the beautiful scenery and the lovely people. Thanks for sharing!
Oooh, I want the tofu and the sea bass! And the cinnamon scone. And the massage from your last post. AND THE SHOES OH THE SHOES!
The food is DEFINITELY a great reason to head over to Vietnam: it always seems so fresh, exciting, and delicious. Vietnamese coffee, alas, is another story; I’ll pass. The last time I had ca phe sua da, I was shaking horribly for hours!
Hi Lorraine, love vietnamese coffee especially a iced one in hot weather. You are very lucky to have eaten in a locals home, it’s a great way to experience the food. Not sure if you make rice paper rolls at home but if you do there are these plastic stackable plates with holes in them, after you have dipped the rice paper you put them on the plates and it helps the sheets dry nicely so they are not soggy. Not sure if I have described well but they make rolling really easy and you can have the sheets ready as you are making them.
Thanks for the tip Stefanie! I’ll look for them next time I’m at the store!
Oh my gosh, I was OBSESSED with Vietnamese coffee while I was in Vietnam! My boyfriend and I were drinking around five a day, and then I was wondering why it was so hard to type emails home – jittery hands anyone?
I LOVE the view of the marble mountains! Looks like you had a fab trip!
What an informative and inspiring post! As I’m planning a trip to Vietnam in late summer, there were quite a few ideas I could pick up.
On a culinary side, first thing would be the coffee! Coffee is really not the first thing coming to my mind when thinking about Vietnamese food and I had no idea they have a special variety.
Cheers,
Tobias
Woah you are lucky! Love your shots of the locals.. so professional
AND 1 KG of sweets? Your man must be a frequent visitor to the dentist!
My husband has been wanting to go to Vietnam for the longest time and after your great trip Lorraine, I’m ready to pack the suitcases,( especially if I get to fly Business class like yourself)!
Love everything about this story, the culture, food,the treatments, shopping,religions, the country, did I mention the food!lol
Need to source the Bottega II Rose Prosecco, looks divine along with the High Tea, it’s ever-so-pretty!
I’ve not tried Vietnamese coffee but am being totally biased now in saying that Italy has the best coffee, it’s a religion over there you know.
A monk with an iPod? Purple Teeth? Sounds like an interesting vacation. Those little stools would certainly get sucked up into most North American…
The cooking course looks amazing…you have really made me want to see Vietnam. Do they speak English well enough that one would not need a guide? My only hesitation to visiting an Asian country is that I cannot even guess at the Language. Business Class on the flight sounded amazing, lucky you!
The shoes…size 8 for me, please!
And to answer your lovely questions: I’ve had tea at a Berber household in Morocco; does dining with my family in Hungary count? What about friends in Switzerland and Germany and England?
Oh, this was a grand post. I love everything about it. What an interesting “take” on afternoon tea. Dining in a local’s home is just the best gift anyone could give–I still remember a multicourse meal I had in the home of a Thai friend in Bangkok years ago. Yum.
Durian lollies?????????? Can’t imagine them.
Goodness, where to start!
1. I *love* Vietnamese coffee! Being Malaysian I think I was born with an addiction to condensed milk
2. Such a lovely idea to offer tours to locals’ homes, it’s often so hard to discover the local culture as a tourist!
3. Very jealous of your trip, looks like you had a wonderful time
xox Sarah
In 2002 I was so privileged to be taken in Ho Chi Min City by a friend to the house of a very famous former Education Minister who had fought in the tunnels and was so revered that visiting dignitaries are taken to meet her, not the other way around – and the country gave her the house we visited, plus another for her to enjoy holidays. She had cooked all day, then sat back and let her family serve us all the food – all of which was fabulous, along with a wonderful[and large] house. Two days later, we had dinner with an ex-employee of my friend and when we arrived, the neighbours who lived across the road had supplied their front room for us to sit in and eat, while all the cooking was done in the other house. Each meal was superb [well, isn't all Vietnamese?] but have to say the second experience won out as all the neighbourhood were sitting on the road between the two houses, watching the food being served [and of course commenting on it] and us eating each. Fish bowl came to mind – but such generosity from both groups was overwhelming and that’s why I give Ho Chi Min city a very big thumbs up for all types of experiences.
I wasn’t a coffee drinker when I went to Vietnam so never tried it. We did a trek through the mountains in Sapa & stayed in the homes of local tribes people & ate with them. It still rates as one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.
Your zara shoes look so cute!! I wish I can go to Vietnam and eat the local food!
Wow, this is a fantastic adventure! The high tea looks amazing, along with everything else. The people pictured look really intriguing and welcoming; something really captivating about meeting new people overseas.
we’ll be moving to Malaysia in a few months and Vietnam is top of the list for a visit! I LOVE their food…coffee is nice..better than Malaysian coffee
For freshness and attention to detail…we are very fortunate here in Oz (sydney especially) as the coffee is exceptional. Even better than when in Italy! I’ve been very fortunate to have experienced eating with locals in quite a few countries, it’s always the highlights of our trips. I also try to sniff out the local markets as they are always so interesting and the locals are more than happy to explain to me what they are selling 
I loveeeeee vietnamese coffee! Mainly because I’m lactose intolerant but I can have condensed milk and I love coffee cold, so it’s the best combo.
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