| After days of engulfing ourselves in the poetic | | | | it was a lantern city on the sea. |
| scenery and walking under the fanciful light of the | | | | Lying on canvas chairs, we breathed in the sea air |
| lanterns during the Hoi An ancient town nights, we | | | | and sunbathed while my son built sand-castles. |
| went to Cua Dai Beach, one of the most beautiful | | | | Afternoon is the best time for visitors to swim |
| beaches not only in the central region but also in | | | | and relax in the soft waves. |
| the country. | | | | Sea food dishes prepared by local cooks are |
| With 125km of seashore from Dien Ngoc to Dung | | | | excellent and especially fresh. We ate two special |
| Quat Bay, the beaches in Quang Nam province | | | | dishes : steamed lobster and chao ca mu (grouper |
| have kept their character, maintaining their rustic | | | | gruel) at Tan Loc restaurant which is under the |
| nature, fresh air and sunlight. | | | | direction of a young female chef. Both the lobster |
| Cua Dai Beach, 4km from Hoi An ancient town, is | | | | and the grouper were fresh-caught and purchased |
| considered one of the most beautiful beaches in | | | | from local fishermen on Cham Island early that |
| Quang Nam. This special beach stands out with | | | | morning. |
| restaurants, hotels and newly-built modern resorts. | | | | It was the second time I ate lobster. The first |
| Roads are lined with colourful clusters of wild | | | | time was at a fancy restaurant in Ha Noi, but the |
| flowers planted to relax visitors. | | | | taste was different. |
| From Ha Noi, we flew with our nine-year-old son | | | | The sea air and the skills of the local cook |
| to Da Nang and arrived in Hoi An city at 9am on | | | | brought us the fresh flavours of the sea. |
| a Vietnam Airlines flight. After checking in to the | | | | Additionally, prices here were reasonable; about |
| Hotel Vinh Hung Hotel, in the centre of the city, a | | | | half compared to Ha Noi restaurants. |
| kilometre from Hoi An ancient town (about 25 | | | | Friendly young female servers with healthy |
| minutes walk), we decided to head to Cua Dai | | | | sunburnt complexions talked easily with foreign |
| Beach immediately in a bid to steer clear of the | | | | visitors in English, happy to take the opportunity |
| scorching heat of the centre. | | | | to introduce their country. |
| At the low cost of VND15,000 per day, renting a | | | | "They (local villagers) are friendly and speak |
| bicycle is popular among visitors to Hoi An City. | | | | English very well. The beach is clean and the sea |
| Beach goers, especially foreign visitors and young | | | | is blue. I will come back," an Australian visitor told |
| people, tend to enjoy pedalling a bicycle the short | | | | us with a smile. |
| distance from town to Cua Dai Beach. It took us | | | | Cua Dai’s waters are plentiful with sea life, |
| about 30 minutes to pedal our way there. | | | | making fishing a popular form of entertainment |
| Motorbikes and taxis are also available for families | | | | for tourists. Visitors can hire small boats to go |
| with children and elders. | | | | fishing. |
| The beaches are stretches of white sand, with | | | | We like Cua Dai Beach because it was not |
| moderately salty, shallow water which stays a | | | | overloaded with visitors and the local people are |
| lovely shade of blue year-round. At night, the | | | | warm and honest. I also found the local people to |
| surface of the sea is filled with the pinpoints of | | | | be trained and cultivated with the essential skills |
| lamps from thousands of fishing boats. I imagined | | | | needed to serve guests, including foreign visitors. |