Adventure To The Crown International Club, Danang

The purpose of a casino — pardon, club. 

I think casinos are some of the most wonderful, yet weird combination of human activities: their sole purpose is for people to make (or lose) money, that’s it! The fine inner workings — that the average visitor does not see — is so incredibly fascinating!  I don’t consider myself a casino connoisseur, far from it actually… but I do really enjoy dressing up and flitting around these great establishments. Often they are beautifully decorated and feel timeless. I find it quite amazing that you could spend hours gaming, eating and shopping and never see daylight. If you don’t pay attention to the time, it could fly away while you are unaware and having fun. This in itself is dangerous.

Curtiss and I drove by the Crown International Club when we first arrived in Da Nang, Vietnam. Since that fateful scooter ride, it has been seared into my memory. I was enchanted by the colored water fountain in front and the brightly lit sign — we had found a taste of Vegas in Vietnam and I needed to check it out! For the culture…

The night we chose to visit, we had a wonderful meal at Fusion Maia Da Nang, we looked great and felt wonderful! When we arrived at the casino entrance, the lights were blazing and I was enchanted! We were ushered through the elaborate doors by beautiful ladies dressed in traditional Vietnamese clothing.

In the foyer, we had to show identification to prove we were not Vietnamese.

Turns out it’s illegal for locals to enter, as was built for foreigners and for their entertainment. I found that factoid a bit distasteful.

The main gaming hall had slot machines and gaming tables, as expected.

It was very brightly lit and professional feeling; sadly, my hopes and dreams of exploring a sexy gaming-hell in Vietnam were doused.  Groups of people were cheering around tables and feeling festive.  We weren’t quite sure what they were saying or for what, but people were having a grand time!  Personally, I love that energy, people are so hopeful that their next turn will win the mega jackpot… which then turns into the next roll and the next.

As this was a “cultural experience,” we asked about playing the slots.

The machines only accepted USD, so we needed to exchange local Vietnamese Dong into some familiar dollars. The stewards were more than eager to help us exchange the bills and get us playing.

I feel we reached a point where we started to entertain ourselves.

While seated in front of the same gold slot machine we kept up a rather good running commentary, giving those around us a play-by-play. Some folks looked rather bored and dead in the eyes, like they had committed some serious time there — I hope we livened up the evening!

As an added bonus, we couldn’t exactly read the instructions on the machine; but most slots work in a similar fashion: you put your money in, push a button, start to lose you money, make a little bit back, then lose it all! I’m proud to say we made a 700% profit! We left the place having made $7, enough to buy a couple of cocktails at the Crowne Plaza.

There are many incredible hotels near the club that we suggest checking out to book a stay…

The closest is, of course, the Crowne Plaza. We had an incredible dinner at Fusion Maia — after poking around a bit, we found the resort to be truly beautiful.

You may also what to check out Furama Resort and Hyatt Regency Danang Resort & Spa.

That my friends, is a successful casino… err, club experience!

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