Of the places we've visited in Vietnam, this city very much strikes me as the most westernized, with a keen and readily apparent global pulse - for better or for worse.
Danang is Vietnam's third largest city, located midway up its coast.
A vibrant and largely industrial city, it's perhaps best represented today by this now iconic new "fire breathing" dragon bridge, that must make quite the impression at night!
Many new construction projects are apparent, including several beachfront resorts.
The one that caught my eye as particularly unattractive and obtrusive, at least from our passing tourist's perspective, is the US $130 million Hyatt Regency Danang Resort & Spa and Beach Resort complex (including Ocean Villas and Marriott Hotel), pictured below.
And, of course, there's already the ubiquitous casino, pictured below...
"China Beach" was named for its location along the South China Sea by American and Australian troops during the Vietnam War.
Before the TV show of the same name, it was principally known by Americans as a place that troops would go to for Rest and Relaxation (R&R) during the Vietnam War, and as the location of an important and helicopter-based evacuation and trauma unit.
According to Wiki: "The base was considered one of the world's busiest airports during the war, reaching an average of 2,595 air traffic operations daily, more than any airport in the world at that time."
A Mr. Ron Berryman was apparently there during the war and offers some excellent and poignant observations of what that experience was like at his post, here: http://military-intelligence.wikispaces.com/China+Beach.
I'm not sure Mr. Berman would recognize it today, with its fully westernized penguin trash cans and legions of Coca Cola umbrellas.
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