[JayJuanGee]

(12-10-2014 02:02 PM)Sweet Pea Wrote:  

All food is cheap, and that includes meat and seafood. To give you some concrete numbers to work with:

Breakfast: Bowl of mi quang without noodles, extra meat. $1.65
Lunch: Rice with beef, pork, and two kinds of fish. And I mean 4 servings of meat, not a couple bites like you may think. $2.60
Dinner: Entire grilled chicken, head and all, in some kind of Chinese spice rub and sauce. $6.60

Yeah, protein powder is expensive. You don't really need it though. I thought the main reason people used protein powder in the West was because it is the cheapest form of protein available. Not the case here.

JayJuanGee, seafood (hai san, don't feel like typing the special characters) and river/freshwater food (dac san) especially are very cheap by western standards. I think you'll be alright. You can order pretty much any noodle soup without the noodles.

If you want to eat a little bit nicer, my favorite restaurant's prices are about:
Clay pot rice: $0.40
Sauteed pork and Chinese sauerkraut: $1.65
Sweet and sour red snapper: $1.65
Pork and garlic in a savory tomato sauce: .......$1.65
Sour soup with fish: $1.41
Braised eggplant and sweet potato stalks: $0.94

These are pretty typical to a class of restaurant that I consider lower midrange. That's only if you don't want to leave it to chance with street food and risk getting really oily or salty food. That being said, the really cheap restaurants I go to are pretty damn good and not very greasy.

Thanks a lot SweetPea. If I could give you another rep point, then I would.. hahahahaha...

you have this knack for providing great detail and to provide a real sense of things on the ground.

I believe that I already read in this thread that many Vietnamese even believe that there is good food choices in the DaNang area, and in that regard, I would imagine that there is regional variability in terms of the kinds of foods that are available in each of the various regions and the prices for certain kinds of foods.

Were those prices and dishes that you outlined in the Da Nang region, or more broadly reflective of overall Vietnam? And, would you or anyone else be wiling to describe your perception of differences - for example, seafood may be more prevalent near the sea, but beef may be more prevalent inland, that is if there are certain areas in which beef are raised (or maybe the beef is imported from Australia or US or somewhere else?)

Edit: By the way, anyone have any issues with the water or drinking tap water? Do most people drink bottled water or maybe tea? I have a pretty strong gut, and I usually am fairly adventurous. Accordingly, I cannot see hydrating only on tea, and I am thinking bottled water is safest.... but a little tap water here and there, is that o.k. or no?

[Patriarch]

Those prices were for Binh Thanh District in Saigon, and representative of what you'd expect to pay when moving just outside of the most expensive area of the city. Close to the Cambodian border, you'll probably pay 1/2 to 3/4 that amount for food, but I'm not sure of the exact prices in Da Nang.

The good thing about Vietnam is that you're never too far from the coast, so you'll be able to get whatever you want almost everywhere.

Don't drink the tap water. Is it going to kill you? Probably not. But none of the locals in Saigon drink it. If you're going to be in one place for a while, you can order a 20L jug of water for less than a dollar, and every convenience store has at least 2.5L bottles for cheap too. I brush my teeth with tap water and shower with it, but that's all.

[Cyclone]

(12-10-2014 03:25 PM)JayJuanGee Wrote:  

Were those prices and dishes that you outlined in the Da Nang region, or more broadly reflective of overall Vietnam? And, would you or anyone else be wiling to describe your perception of differences - for example, seafood may be more prevalent near the sea, but beef may be more prevalent inland

First off I wouldn't touch the seafood along the coast of any of Vietnam. the amounts of contamination are simply not worth it and especially in unregulated seafood. thankfully, IME seafood doesn't comprise too much of the overall diet anyway. beef was huge for some reason.

Water in Saigon i also wouldn't touch haha, but Danang is likely different. still, try your best to have bottles on you at all times, and only drink the tap in emergencies.

Overall if you're going primal, you can expect to pay $5-9 per day in food. I too am primal and honestly ditch the diet every time i go to Saigon, it's just too much hassle especially if you don't speak the language. however there's nothing hard about picking out the meats only and avoiding the noodles (which is what i do in SP anyway). The pork is absolutely delicious, you will love it.
.

[peloozoid]

Any recommendations for girl friendly hotels in Da Nang?

[w00t]

sounds good but almost too good to be true..

wheres the downside? language barrier? conservative girls?

[JJ Roberts]

Wouldn't say that there are no scams in Da Nang.

I had a rented motorbike when I was there and the local police took it, claimed is was parked in a place where it's not allowed (it wasn't) and wanted a bribe to give it back to me.

Apart from that, the only noticeable thing about the place is that Da Nang is the city where American troops first landed during the Vietnam war.

I would rather live in Hoi An personally.

[Papi Rico]

(01-25-2015 11:54 AM)peloozoid Wrote:  

Any recommendations for girl friendly hotels in Da Nang?

I had no issues at Royal Star Hotel, more or less where you need to be for $25/night.

[peloozoid]

Is someone at the moment in Da Nang?

my wing man and me are going to be in Da Nang from Jan 28 till Feb 2

[Windom Earle]

I'm heading to Ho Chi Minh City & Da Nang later this month.

Will be holidaying for 8 days with a local Vietnamese girl who I met only last weekend whilst she was in my country for a brief work trip.

I'm not normally this spontaneous, but this girls pussy is like crack to me, haha. Without a doubt, best bang to date (being a squirter helps).

Should be a fun trip, even if I'll be exclusive with this chick the whole time.

[Beyond Borders]

(01-25-2015 11:58 AM)w00t Wrote:  

sounds good but almost too good to be true..

wheres the downside? language barrier? conservative girls?

If you go in the wrong season, it is a bit quiet, cold, and rainy. And the seas off the coast of Nam can be formidable swimming that time of year. Not a big deal if you've got the money to taxi, cold weather clothes, and just plan to take in the scenery and go out hitting the clubs, etc. It was a bit much for moto-ing around everywhere as cold rains kept grabbing us.

I would assume the girls are a bit conservative, though they were definitely eyeballing when I was there. Conservative girls isn't a downside to me, though, so I suppose it depends on your priorities.

I will say that there are massage shops where you can walk in and they'll line up 12 - 15 cuties all with big sheepish grins like they've never had a white guy come in before. Not my thing but I admit I was tempted to give it a go. Anyways, the real point is that where there are girls working in massage shops you can bet there are girls willing to face the social stigma that comes with dating a foreigner. So if meeting non-conservative girls is high on the list of priorities, you may not find it target-rich, but you'll probably find something. I would say it's probably not a completely optimal spot for a playboy but more a guy who likes a steady girl or dating for somewhat longer stretches.

Language can be an issue too. DaNang has its own unique dialect.

Oh, I think I forgot to mention some fat guy asking me to take a pic of him on the beach and then offered me a blowjob when I handed his camera back. That was interesting, given that it was late morning in a clean and very non-touristy place. Most certainly not a seedy area.

But anyways, why stretch for downsides? We're all travel-wise enough to know that nowhere is perfect and everywhere has its gives and takes. DaNang is a fascinating little city, though, and would make a great long-term living destination (if preferably on a seasonal basis). Gets my full recommendation.

One thing I can't remember if it was mentioned or not about Da Nang - surfing. Perhaps not the best for beginners, but it got a little claim to fame for the G.I.s who would stand guard for each other while hitting waves during the war.

[Beyond Borders]

(12-10-2014 01:51 PM)JayJuanGee Wrote:  

(12-10-2014 01:05 PM)crisj Wrote:  

I would describe the food as 'ok.' There are two main supermarkets here which you'll need a motorbike to get to, but the choices are a little limited and im finding eating healthy and getting consistent levels of protein in a challenge. Luckily i've started dating a local girls who sells protein at the gym, although it's still hugely overpriced at around $70 a tub

I find your above statement about protein to be of interest to me. I am planning to travel through that area for a couple of weeks, so a couple of weeks is NOT a big deal; however, my travel companion keeps laughing and telling me that she is going to turn me into "noodle man."

My preference is to eat meat and paleo type whole foods - yet you are indicating that you are buying protein in a tub, which sounds far from whole and/or natural. Also, next to the sea, so wouldn't there be seafood eating options?

I also read somewhere on the forum that when ordering food, a guy can just ask for extra protein and pay a little extra for that like $1 or $2.

This exactly. I order extra meat a lot of the time. If you were doing long-term, you could also keep plenty of meat and eggs at home to get your protein fix while in and eat regular when out. Markets in southeast asia often sell hard-boiled eggs, too, and that's a good go if you feel you're missing some protein.

I think the lack of protein is way overrated though. Sure, a lot of dishes and specific restaurants skimp, but most restaurants outside the street carts have their share of meat-heavy or all-meat dishes. It's usually a matter of just being willing to pay for it or knowing where to shop and eat.

For example, when my Thai buddies and I would get hungry in the middle of an all-day or all-night drinking session, a few of us would get elected to make a run to the market or a local street vendor, and sometimes all we'd bring back was loads of fish, pork, larb, fried or barbecued chicken, and whatever the fuck. OFten we'd grab a soup and some sticky rice, but the majority of these meals were straight up meat, and these guys weren't exactly wealthy.

Barbecuing up piles of meat while drinking beer was another common occurrence.

Often even on a night alone in my room, I'd just stop somewhere and grab a rotisserie chicken and sticky rice for dinner off a cart near the 7/11.

So, I'd say that, yeah, you can often get skimped on meat in meals when in SEA, but that doesn't mean the options aren't there.

(12-11-2014 09:49 AM)Cyclone Wrote:  

(12-10-2014 03:25 PM)JayJuanGee Wrote:  

Were those prices and dishes that you outlined in the Da Nang region, or more broadly reflective of overall Vietnam? And, would you or anyone else be wiling to describe your perception of differences - for example, seafood may be more prevalent near the sea, but beef may be more prevalent inland

First off I wouldn't touch the seafood along the coast of any of Vietnam. the amounts of contamination are simply not worth it and especially in unregulated seafood. thankfully, IME seafood doesn't comprise too much of the overall diet anyway. beef was huge for some reason.

Water in Saigon i also wouldn't touch haha, but Danang is likely different. still, try your best to have bottles on you at all times, and only drink the tap in emergencies.

Overall if you're going primal, you can expect to pay $5-9 per day in food. I too am primal and honestly ditch the diet every time i go to Saigon, it's just too much hassle especially if you don't speak the language. however there's nothing hard about picking out the meats only and avoiding the noodles (which is what i do in SP anyway). The pork is absolutely delicious, you will love it.
.

DaNang supposedly has the cleanest beaches and water in the country, so maybe if you buy local caught you're not doing too bad on the seafood. I still ate the seafood everywhere I went, but I'm kind of stupid. So there's that.

[The Llort]

(02-06-2015 08:45 AM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  

Language can be an issue too. DaNang has its own unique dialect.

Quirky vietnamese dialects aside...do the people speak English? My experience in 2nd tier Asia is 95% do not, and you'll be met with a blank stare in response. It can be really wear you down after a while.

[Beyond Borders]

Sure, it can be a challenge. But it's a foreign country, for godsakes. lol

You can't let things like people not speaking English get in your way. Which is why I didn't give the subject much treatment.

Anyways, you get a lot of blank stares. It's often a mixture of shyness and shitty English. You're usually able to manage somehow. Part of traveling is learning to improvise and developing patience. I personally don't see it as a downside and aside from being caught up in certain frustrating emotions don't think of it much.

When I do find myself getting impatient, I try to reflect on myself rather than the place I'm in. As in what does it say about me if I go all the way around the world and lose my cool when people don't speak a language that isn't theirs... I hear there are a lot of Vietnamese who speak English in America.

Think of the challenges in any country as an opportunity for self-growth. That's what travel is supposed to be about. If you're going to be there a while, learn the language.

[The Llort]

That 'going native' approach is very good and well if you're going to stay in a place for years...

But if you just want to rent a beach bungalow for a month a big language barrier is a problem. Ordering food, getting directions, dealing with the police, dating,etc...all become a monumental pain in the ass.

And as a guy who travels around a lot, I can't exactly learn the local lingo is every country I go to. It's just not realistic.

Anyhow, you were there for a few days, right? What percentage of the people would you say spoke basic English?

[TheBulldozer]

I can't speak for Da Nang directly, but 95% of my time in Vietnam is spent with in an area where Vietnamese is the only language spoken and understood. Know a few phrases and you'll be fine.

Xin chao!(sin chow) = hello
Cam on(cam uhhhn) = thank you
Vo, Vang(vuh, vuhng) = yes

[Global Entry]

I'm probably not typical, but for a month stay in an apartment, I'd consider hiring an auntie to come clean and cook. I'd say this would be a good idea in Cambo, Thailand and Vietnam - haven't been to Laos but probably there too. Too expensive in China at this point.

This woman, if you've set it up properly, will more than pay for herself if you let her do the shopping and she cooks for you. She'll be charged half or less what you'd pay at the local wet market, for sure, and you won't have to eat out every meal (and might avoid some stomach distress thats typically among non-veterans of the scene, especially on arriving).

Then you can focus on whatever it is you went there for - beach, sightseeing, girls, etc.

I hired a guide in Vietnam for around 5 dollars a day (in Hanoi). He worked perhaps 3-4 hours with me each day, and I'd tip him out, so he probably averaged 10-15 per day. He was a nice guy who was selling fake zippo lighters on the street and he was more than happy to take me up on my offer, practice his english, and bounce around Hanoi with me. He loaned me his motorbike, which had zero brakes and was a death machine, but I don't blame him for that, he just weighed half my weight and it was probably fine for him. He even tried to open girls for me, but frankly, my game was better than his (including whatever WGP might exist in Hanoi (not too much)). Of course, he could translate, and that did end up in a double date with a girl (who it turns out was getting married a week later), me with this girl, and guide with his girlfriend (pretty good pull for this guy, I was impressed). (Incidentally, if anyone wants to use him in Hanoi, I have his contact info. - I recommend him wholeheartedly, assuming his financial situation is stable, as that can certainly change people's behavior).

If you're going to meet girls who speak english first and foremost, don't go. Not the place for you. You'll have a lot more choices in Bangkok, Shanghai, or Manilla/Cebu. I've harped about this a few times - go to integrate into the culture, don't roll in with your "foreigness" and try to get people to bend to you. It will not help you get laid, and the very culture of most asian cities is about fitting in, not sticking out.

There is a saying in China (which is the dominant cultural influence historically in most of these places) - "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. "

(02-06-2015 10:49 AM)The Llort Wrote:  

That 'going native' approach is very good and well if you're going to stay in a place for years...

But if you just want to rent a beach bungalow for a month a big language barrier is a problem. Ordering food, getting directions, dealing with the police, dating,etc...all become a monumental pain in the ass.

And as a guy who travels around a lot, I can't exactly learn the local lingo is every country I go to. It's just not realistic.

Anyhow, you were there for a few days, right? What percentage of the people would you say spoke basic English?

[Beyond Borders]

(02-06-2015 10:49 AM)The Llort Wrote:  

That 'going native' approach is very good and well if you're going to stay in a place for years...

But if you just want to rent a beach bungalow for a month a big language barrier is a problem. Ordering food, getting directions, dealing with the police, dating,etc...all become a monumental pain in the ass.

And as a guy who travels around a lot, I can't exactly learn the local lingo is every country I go to. It's just not realistic.

Anyhow, you were there for a few days, right? What percentage of the people would you say spoke basic English?

Yeah, I've never spent more than in a month at a time in Vietnam, though I'd like to. And while I was addressing the idea of DaNang as a living destination, which is what I assumed this thread was about, I was only referring to learning language for long-termers.

Whether dealing with years or months, though, I just don't understand the perspective of wanting to travel the world while avoiding places with a communication barrier. We may just have different travel/life philosophies.

It''s supposed to be a pain in the ass, y'dig? Or, at the very least, it being a pain in the ass shouldn't be a huge concern on the list because it comes with the territory. I travel to learn - not to follow the path of least resistance.

That's just me - everyone's different, I suppose. I don't mean to be an a-hole about it; I just may not be the best person to field questions like that because in the context they just make no sense to me.

MaleDefined has provided a pretty apt description. We all know where to find the mainstays for ease of travel and English-speaking ability when we're looking for them - and they're probably not 2nd or 3rd tier cities on the less-touristed coasts of Vietnam.

[The Llort]

Fair enough, BB.

I suppose there are two schools of travelling thought. One being to learn about the local culture as you are keen on doing.
For me, I'm in SEA to enjoy warm weather, cheap COL and easy women while taking my online ventures to the next level. Spending hundreds of hours learning a language not spoken beyond the borders of a single nation doesn't really fit into the agenda.

But hey...we all have different priorities.

[RIslander]

^^BB, Thank you for your insightful posts. I have not been to Central or North Vietnam but my experience in the South is that there is no stigma associated with local girls dating a foreigner. Being a foreigner will help you lay the 5s and 6s in the South but after that you'll need game and style. I have heard Da Nang is more conservative than HCMC. For example, HCMC will give you unlimited girls on tinder. I did not see a single profile when I spoofed my GPS to Da Nang.

My experience in the South is that if you speak Japanese the pool of people you can speak with increases dramatically. There is heavy Japanese investment in HCMC. Is this true in Da Nang as well?

[Cyclone]

Hey all, i'm going to be hitting up Da Nang for about 5 days next week. Looking forward to updating this thread with some insights. Been trying to hit this region for 2-3 years now. Sadly, i got caught in a major scooter crash here in Singapore, and have been MIA (i.e. no cold approach pickup or hitting the gym or even typing), but we'll see how up to shape i can get myself out there. Friday night in Danang, Saturday night in Hoi An. This topic's been a great refresher

Cheers~

[Cyclone]

Da Nang, Dream City for Remote Workers

Happy Sunday yall, pleased to announce that Danang indeed lives up to the hype - both RVFs hype and my own, as I'd been trying to check DN out for some years now. I'll try to format this in somewhat the same way as my Singapore Datasheet

The City

Da Nang is situated between large mountains and a seriously long beach, so it's great for active men. There's not much to do during the day, with 2-3 solid sites of interest, but surprisingly DN greatly makes up for it at night. I was blown away by the sheer number of night spots running their course through the roads. While small business reigns supreme, there's a handful of "modern" chains such as your Pizza Huts and KFCs, just enough to keep you tethered although malls are lacking in A/C. The main attraction would be along the river's west bank. However, all resorts and establishments aimed at the 40+ crowd are in the southeast sector of the city.

Locals are much more friendly here than the attitudes of Hanoi or Saigonese out here. All around my block people would say hello, from chicks to security guards. Girls are hotter than expected, even hotter than the ones in the airport which is the 1st time that's happened to me ever. Still, I find vietnamese girls (and their language) pretty annoying compared to Thai or Chinese girls. Was freaked at first when I heard DN is the 3rd-most populated with expats - and fastest rising - but rest assured they seem to have zero presence/influence here. That means 1) high white god factor 2) lots of industrial / business opportunities waiting to be infiltrated

The only con about Danang is the lack of mystery. Everything is plainly laid-out, there's no secretive areas in the city or exciting gang-related activity. It's not romantic and lacking in style and history - DN has an identity crisis; neutral, stuck between city and countryside atmosphere, and scared to try new things. But, if you want to clear your mind or have a solid harem it's probably hard to care.

Bars & Clubs

Like other posters have said, pickup at the venues was a mostly fruitless affair. Sometimes I went out with hostel dudes, sometimes solo, once with a chick I met on WeChat. I can say for sure that rolling solo is *not* a very successful approach - unlike at street cafes, girls kinda wonder what you are doing talking to them. While there are some wild Saigonese-type dancers out there, the combination of insanely loud music, cliquey attitudes, sober girls doesn't exactly make it an SNL paradise.

Thankfully, 1) there is not much prostitution going on here 2) English levels are pretty high, if your target doesn't speak English, certainly one of her girlfriends does.

Venues:

Bamboo Bar - on the corner at Bach Dang, this multi-story bar had a lot of expats and a great spot to get insider information on DN. I think it has a rep for westerners to hang at because a bunch of college dudes kept trying to talk to me to practice English or something. Both sets I approached afterwards were from Saigon (!) for some reason there are actually a lot of Saigonese doing business trips in DN, got their #'s and kept saying "come visit me in SG.." oh well. Music surprisingly loud even on weekdays but come if you've got pool game.

Golden Pine - small but insanely popping bar at the end of Bach Dang. Girls have a bit of a hipster edge and it's predominantly locals drinking towers of beer, only saw 2-3 foreigners. Personally I had a bad night here as this was the time I rolled solo but who knows what happens after 2am.

Phuong Dong - overall a waste of time, not unlike the big dodgy clubs of Saigon. All it does is make your mouth water at all the smoking hot girls there, and fucks up your game for putting them on a pedestal. Not that you can talk to them anyway. My hostelmates certainly had a good time and got ripped off by some chick that kept manipulating them into buying cocktails XD I felt pigeonholed into the sex-tourist group and couldn't build rapport with anyone.

I did *not* visit Sky 36. Actually, I did not find out about it until I left DN. But I imagine it's like Phuong Dong. In any case, felt more successful opening girls at street cafes around 8-9pm, overall.

Getting Girls

So, how TO get girls in Da Nang. You've got to flex your daygame muscles and open up tons of sets in the day during various tourist sites OR by the river. They were extremely successful. Just do either of the 2 things:

1) insert yourself into their photos. works *every* time and gets them laughing and flattered that they were the "chosen ones" for the foreigner to tease. This segues into looking at the picture, telling them to take a picture with your camera, showing them your old pictures of USA or wherever... until you get the facebook or #. Their girlfriends will approve. It helps a lot if you know random vietnamese phrases like "oi zoi oi", "[girl] ya hoi" "toi niep" to perk them up. If you're not living in DN, lie about it. I personally would tell them I was looking for a university job ("Dai Hoc") here. It implies long-term stay and avoids the whole english-teacher persona.

2) ask them an extremely dumb / sarcastic questions at tourist sites. For reference the top 2 tourist spots are the White Pagoda on the upper peninsula, and Marble Mountains down south. I personally throw in a lot of off-the-wall innudendo about Buddha, babies, rice wine. It helps if there's an event going on or some kind of public game show so you can ask them dumb questions about the show. The best part about DN is that most sets are all-girls, so I actually never had to deal with dudes out here. With your *extremely* dumb Q's, most western women would get the sarcasm, but VNese of course don't and are instead instantly intrigued.

Despite being daytime you've got to run extremely direct game. Do NOT beat around the bush here and you cannot take yourself seriously, VNese are obsessed with romance and automatically see every foreign dude as a romantic opportunity. Tease them about not having a boyfriend, act all heartbroken about a previous girl, tell them you have a baby already, anything blatant that gets the gears going. If you're new to pickup it might be hard to dive directly into sexual teasing but especially when they initiate, never backtrack onto more formal topics. Strangely, as night sets in I found it becomes less appropriate to be sexual/direct, perhaps because of prostitution stigma, hope others can confirm this.

Mall game: I visited 3 malls during my stay and the experience was horrendus. Not only are the girls working there fugly but they seem to really want to *only* do their job. As if their managers are hovering over them at all times. I don't understand why Jakarta, Manila can have such an epic, playful mall game scene and Vietnam's be shit.

Online game: I used both WeChat and Tinder during my week here. Wechat worked wonders, almost every girl accepted my greeting. There's a guide on WeChat in RVF that is for China but works the same in VN as well, just with more prostitutes. Tinder was also okay for me especially compared to Singapore, but at least half of them were actually from Saigon. Get them on a yes ladder ("do you have motorbike" "do you know a famous mi quang" "are you with a friend soon") before getting them to meet. I met with 1 chick here via WeChat though she turned out to be kinda wierd. My online game here was too aggressive and that will NOT work, these chicks take fucking days to warm up to you, want you around for the long haul before investing which is why DN is ideal for 6-month long haul remote workers. Unlike Phils/Indonesia, girls here DO have lives and busy healthy social circles, so they're not exactly dropping everything they've got going on to meet you.

Hoi An

I'm not sure how you can make a datasheet about Da Nang without mentioning Hoi An, a gem just 30 minutes ride away. As much of a Vietnam-purist I am (after all, I did live here for 1 year) Hoi An was honestly a more pleasant experience. I didn't go into this town with the intention of pickup but it turned out to be a goldmine. You would think that other than a weekend trip with your date, Hoi An can't work itself into your pickup.. Allow me to blow your minds...

Firstly, Hoi An is frequented by domestic travelers throughout central Vietnam - primarily Da Nang and Hue. 80% of visitors are still Vietnamese trying to have a good time and blow some money. What this does is it weeds out the shitty girls - and you are left with the hotter, richer, and English-speaking girls - in other words, exactly what you wanted in Da Nang anyway. The problem with countryside DN mentality is they don't even "get" what's the advantage of being with a foreigner; you have to access the upper echelon to find the ones that do. Hoi An is like a convenient filter that gets you exactly the girls you want without having to explore every corner of Da Nang, so that once you go back you've already got a harem lined up.

Secondly, remember that going to street events / tourist sites are the #1 way to hook in with groups of Vietnamese chicks. Well Hoi An is littered with traditional street events, all throughout the year. These are exotic even for Vietnamese girls, so you can bond over the experience together. Again do the insert-self-in-pictures thing, and ask them silly innuendo questions about the event and the gigglethon won't end. They don't live in Hoi An, and you won't bang them in Hoi An, but you should give it 100% because you are smart and think long-term. I've had a couple groups invite me to Da Nang and ask to hang out, and it was gut-wrenching knowing I wouldn't be going back.

*as a side-note, go from Thurs-Mon, that's when Hoi An is most packed. For a more personal experience, Tues/Weds clear up

Venues: there are about 5 bars / clubs in the entirety of Hoi An. The entire town shuts down after about 9:30pm, and your best bets on the action are to hang by the main bridge (that connects to island) and pick up flyers being handed out by foreigners trying to promote their bars. Although their "deals" are ripoffs, they are the place to meet tons of DTF backpacker chicks. The biggest bar was called "The King" and was comparable to the venues in DN. If that's your scene you should also stay at the "Sunflower Hotel" which is where that party's at. There's also a bar dedicated to Couchsurfing (yes, it's called "Couchsurfing bar") on the east side of Tieu La - there, at least you'll find some Vietnamese local chicks in the mix. Note that Tinder here was chock full of white girls who are probably looking for a guy with a private room.

For a more detailed rundown on how to bang conservative Vietnamese girls, I did a quick write-up on Afarang's blog, which a lot of was inspired by Da Nang.

Hoi An is the overall superior experience - better food, better sights, more authentic feel, better hospitality and hotter girls place it well above Da Nang as an experience, but obviously not as a place to base yourself. For remote workers, DN's endless cafes and top-notch 3G Viettel experience (better than Singapore's) and untapped business markets gets it an A+.
.

[Brodiaga]

Cyclone,

Awesome datasheet! What do you think is a reasonable monthly budget for a location independent long term resident in Da Nang?

[Cyclone]

No problem man, we've helped each other out before. A breakdown of monthly costs,

Rent: i found 3 places in the city center through locals that were all $100/month, included A/C and were generally clean. However, we can bump that up to to be on the comfortable side. $200
Food: if you include some grocery shopping, every day you'd spend about $5. So per month that would be $150, but we can bump that up for those rare splurges. $200
Drink: if you drink, VN is the cheapest place to drink on the planet. It's 15 cents for draft beer in Hoi An, which means you can get fucked up off 6 beers for just $1. But, let's say per week you blow $4, so that's $15. Let's factor in coffee since that's a big part of life here, 75 cents each, every other day = $12. So total we can round that up to $30
Transport: assuming the motorbike comes out free (i.e. buy it from a local, sell to a foreigner for same price); you blow about $2 to fill your tank, if you do that every 5 days that's $12 per month for gas. However, factor in parking, which is on average 25 cents per day (cafes/venues do not charge assuming you'll buy something inside), so that's +$8 rounded up. $20

Per month = $450 total living including rent. If you want to include travel and random purchases like clothing, we can bump that up to $600 per month for living in Da Nang. For reference, when I was living in Thai Nguyen up north, I spent on average $270; however rent was provided free.

   

[RIslander]

Solid writeup Cyclone, worthy of a rep. I'm planning to hit Da Nang next month, second time to Vietnam in a year... you going to be in town?

[Buster]

+1 Great information.