Da Nang/ The Marble Mountains

Day 3

The last, quick morning in Saigon ended at 7:00 AM hungover, agitated, and scatter-brained as we scurried to the airport, almost missing our short plane ride. When we landed in Da Nang, we saw what a Zalora employee and Da Nang native described as a "Rising Star". Indeed, Da Nang looked a lot like Jacksonville, Florida, except with beach -front access, nicer homes (thanks Japanese investors) and was beginning to look like a rising city. Along the coast, there were many vacation homes that would rival any second homes in Boca Raton (I'm assuming they were Chinese/Japanese/Korean second homes).

As we driver towards our destination, I began to notice that one of the major industries in the area, asides from luxury second homes, was sculpture and agriculture. Towards the interior there were traditional rice farms, and along the shore roads there were many sculpture shops selling Virgin Marys, Aristotles, Buddhas, Confucian and Hindu characters, and some unique pieces. Here I was beginning to put together a better picture of what Vietnam was religiously and culturally. It was a reflection of the old Buddhist and Confucian teachings, some Hindu imagery, Tao philosophy, ancestral reverence, mixed with Western philosophy and Christianity from France (i.e. Cao Dai). Here, on the stretch between Da Nang and Hoi An, it was apparent to me that English was just beginning to be spoken by the locals. The Entrepreneurial spirit was in full effect, with everything from water stands selling Dasani water, to convenient stores, to artisans selling artwork popping up along the roadside to fill the needs of the travelers and trying to get a piece of the action. With so many Aussies and Asian tourists from the North coming to see one of Vietnam's best mountain coastlines and one of their hottest tourist attractions, the locals were taking note of the opportunities and began implementing strategies for generating profits.

When we got to the Marble Mountains, I was blown away. In the Southern US, we have the beach, and then we have the mountains. In Vietnam, the mountains find themselves encroaching into the South China Sea in the most breathtaking way. It reminded me of if West Virginia decided to plop itself into the Gulf. We made quite the spiritual ascent to the top of the Marble Mountains, overlooking farms, beaches, Da Nang, more mountains, and the breathtaking South China Sea. The scenery was gorgeous, with Buddha statues and fountains as well as the beautiful gardens, temples, and music and the smells of saltwater, incense and vegetation were so vibrant.

Where I think much of Da Nang's potential for success lies is in the second homes sector. I think the area is poised to become Asia's premier second home destination. The amazing Marble Mountains are a great place of worship, and its laid-back beaches and charming people poise the city to become in high demand as others begin to discover it. It is already starting to become a popular place for travelers, so common that we actually ran into an Appalachian State University alumni that graduated last year (who saw my App shirt) and talked like old friends.

This day made me realize two flaws in Vietnam's development that are somewhat interconnected. The first is that property rights do not exist in Vietnam. On a legislative level this needs to change. If people cannot own their land (they can own a house, but not the land under it), then the incentive to buy land or improve it is not there. The incentive for foreign investment into agriculture is not there either. This may be the biggest thing, because while the economy of the cities and beach towns are looking more and more modern, the agricultural economy is lagging behind. Perhaps people will be more apt to reform the system and invest in farming if they can actually own their land like they do in the West. Property Rights provide incentive. Second flaw (which I don't know how to reform; simply pointing it out) is that most investment is coming from foreign companies. This does not benefit the Vietnamese economy as much, as most of the first movers in the larger industries are the foreign firms rather than local Vietnamese Entrepreneurs.

Altogether, I was so impressed with the locals response to this new influx of tourists by starting businesses. It is a rather young economy, still developing post communism, and I found that development to be in the stages of innovation and opportunity. With low barriers to entry, and lax business laws, I witnessed a very competitive, salesman based scene with, once again, a powerful female entrepreneurial force.

Ah, tropical paradise. In the back left, through the haze, you can see Da Nang. This was taken from atop the Marble Mountains. As you can see, this is beginning to look like a hot (in both senses of the word) tourist area and beach town. Growing up in the Appalachian Mountains, it was such a long journey to go to the beach. In Central Vietnam, you can have the best of both worlds.

One of the many Buddhas of the Marble Mountains. While many people are here simply as tourists, there are certainly many people visiting as religious adherents.

I had to drink 1,500,769 bottles of water to keep up with my sweat glands.

As a true Appalachian, I'm no stranger to caves, but I've never been in one with religious purpose.

The architecture at the Marble Mountains was magnificient. There is certainly influence from the Chinese and Japanese here, more so, than in HCMC in terms of architecture.