August 23, 2026

On our fourth port day in Nha Trang, Bosco, Terri and I took a quick 50 minute flight north to Da Nang, Vietnam to do some deeper exploring inland. Downtown Da Nang spans the Hans River, that opens out to the Da Nang Bay and the East Vietnam Sea. Today, Da Nang is one of the quickest growing cities in Vietnam, known for it's youth (median age is just 35) and dynamic environment.

Once we landed we did a quick checkin at the hotel and then went to the 3D Art Museum. This place was alot of FUN! It took a minute to figure out how to use their QR Codes & App. But the images really sprang to life once we figured out the subtletles.

After the Museum, we headed downtown to check out the waterfront area around the Dragon Bridge and grab some dinner.

It was great to see the city lighting up and it was pleasant around the waterfront area, but the crowds were starting to gather for the weekend show. We lucked into the best dinners of our trip, by checking google maps, for a highly rated Banh Mi Sandwich place. Turns out it wasn't even a restaurant, just a family cart that was doing a brisk business selling just 4 types of sandwiches and fruit juice.   OMG was that sandwich YUMMY! I want to find again and again!

On weekends, at 9pm the Dragon Bridge comes alive as the Dragon actually breathes fire then sprays water out it's mouth. We watched from our hotel, The Fivetel's, rooftop pool overlooking the River Hans as it was still very Hot and we could avoid both heat and crowds, this way.


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    Looking out over River from Hotel Rooftop Pool

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    Boats all getting in position for 9 pm show

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    Fire Breathing Dragon!

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PATTAYA , THAILAND

By Pat Patrick • October 7, 2026
We just had 5 days in the Port of Laem Chabang , Thailand. When we were here in mid-July, we spent that time exploring Bangkok, which is about a 2 hour drive NW of Port. This time we went to explore Pattaya which is south of Port on coast just about 45 minutes drive. Our fellow shipmate, party planner Eddie put together a fun Friday night touring the Pattaya walking street drag shows. He even recommended a hotel he had stayed at before that was right in the same area and a great location for the beach, bars and restaurants. All we had to do was book a room, show up & have fun!

2nd YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF SAILING THE WORLD

By Pat Patrick • October 1, 2026
WOW!! I can't believe it has been two years of sailing around the World already for me and my fellow shipmates on the Villa Vie Odyssey! We left Belfast, Ireland back on September 30, 2024 and it has been such a great adventure to date! We have been to 201 different ports, some more than once, during those two years, with much more to come!

APOPO, SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

By Pat Patrick • September 29, 2026
Before coming to Cambodia , I sadly have to admit I was unaware of the landmine problems they face. On our first night in Siem Reap, where we hiked up the hill to try and see the sunset views, there was a small band of men playing instruments and our tuk tuk driver explained to me they were victims of landmine explosions who had lost limbs or their sight and were trying to make money via donations to support their families.