Dong Hoi

I'm writing from a comfy chair, in my room at a four-star beach resort, overlooking the sea, on an island off the coast of Dong Hoi. And, through a strange twist of events, I'm staying here for free. Jahmila and I are in Dong Hoi, visiting Becca and helping her pack all of her stuff since she's being relocated to Hue University. Last night we went to a small, basic hotel in the city, since Becca's room is too small for the three of us, and is furthermore so mold invested that I'm actually a little sick now. After dropping off our stuff at the hotel, we went to a little cafe down the street. There, we met "Alex" (aka Hoang Anh), a young man who studied in the US and whose family owns the Sun Spa Resort. He invited us for a complimentary stay at the resort, and after some hesitation, we accepted the offer. We piled into his BMW, picked up our stuff from the other hotel, and drove across the bridge to the island and its Sun Spa Resort. We have two great rooms that overlook the sea, yummy breakfast, access to the gym and suana.... How is this my life?


This resort is the first of its kind in Dong Hoi, a quaint coastal town that, for the most part, remains in its natural state. In other words, it has yet to become an overexploited, unsustainable tourist destination. The beach is pristine, unscarred my tacky hotels and water sport kiosks. In ten years, though, this place will be another Nha Trang, for better or worse.

Becca, however, has had quite a challenging time at her uni here, and Fulbright is thus relocating her. She's spending the weekend packing, tying up loose ends, spending time with students. Yesterday some of her students took the three of us to the Outdoor War Museum, which is run by the aunt and uncle of one of her students. The musuem is several kilometers outside of the city, and is actually a well-preserved system of undergound houses, schools, tunnels, and even a "hospital" and nursery that were used by the Vietnamese during the war. The land is pocked with bomb craters, some evolved into ponds, others morphed into small valleys, overgrown with shrubs and wildflowers. While the grounds are well-kept by the aunt and uncle of the student, nothing is marked in Vietnamese or English, so having the students with us to explain everything made the experience especially memorable. Other students have cooked meals for us, taken us to the beach....They've all been so hospitable, which isn't surprising.

I'll be in Dong Hoi for another day or so. We might go to Phong Nha Caves, near Dong Hoi tomorrow. When I leave Dong Hoi, the first stop will be the DMZ in Dong Ha. We're having a good time in Dong Hoi, though, especially now that we're vegging at this luxuuuurious hotel. I'm anxious to travel more, but a little relaxation can't hurt....