This is not unique to Da Nang, Vietnam, or even Asia. We hear stories about how the restaurant industry has been nearly collapsed by Covid restrictions around the world such as when New York City has stated that up to 50% of all of their pubs and restaurants will likely be closed permanently. These stories are global, i realize this but these pics are the only stories that I can verify with my own eyes by simply going for a walk.
I want you to keep in mind that all of these photos were taken on just ONE street in my area called An Thuong 4, which at one point was a bastion of activity and affluence attracting customers from all over the world. Now, you can most likely walk end-to-end and never spot another person.
We'll start with BBQ Seomin, which was extremely popular with the Korean visitors who constituted a very large portion of the overall tourist mix. With no Korean travelers this place is hanging on by a thread. I have heard that the owner actually owns that land and is staying open only and losing money (because who wants Korean BBQ for take-out?) only so that he can continue to pay his staff. I have heard all of this money is coming out of his own pocket because the business has very few, if any, customers, in a day.
Capu's was one of the unfortunate ones that opened when it appeared that Da Nang was having a revitalization when the government was encouraging domestic travel to the area. A mere 10 days or so after they opened, two lockdowns within 11 days of one another were declared lasting 3 weeks each. I have been told all the staff have been let go and they have no immediate plans to reopen, perhaps ever.
Steakhouses are rare in this area and Rhapsody gave up really early on, hence the dismal state of the façade. When the government banned all incoming international flights back in March of 2020, it wasn't but a few weeks before Rhapsody closed their doors for good. I presume they were renting the premises but I don't know if this is true.
Geckos has never been open. I do not know the story behind this one but I think that that perhaps the new builders got a really good deal on the rent and foolishly decided to build a new bar hoping to allure the expat population with cheap beer and good times. With the newly declared policy where almost all expats are being told to exit the country, they will almost certainly fail.
Lastly, we have Athena Greek Restaurant, which has been open for takeaway any time they are allowed. I actually know the owner personally and he is a nice guy. He too is hanging on by a thread and according to him they are taking in about 1/20th of what they used to on a daily basis. Because the food delivery services such as Grab take 20% of all food sales, you frequently see the owner making deliveries on his own. He also prepares most of the food by himself as well because try as he did, he couldn't afford to keep most of his staff on board. He loses money every month and has told me recently that if things don't change very soon, he too will have to shut up shop permanently.
That's just one street out of scores of areas in Da Nang that likely all look the same. Tens of thousands of people are out of work because of the pandemic and the restrictions placed on businesses. The thing that is most infuriating to the owners of these places is that massive supermarkets are still open and always have been, as are the restaurants inside of those establishments. Also, a mere 15km down the road none of these restrictions exist and the people of Da Nang keep asking "why?"
We are meant to be reopening in the next few days but if the past is any sort of indicator of the what the future holds, I wouldn't get your hopes up about this lasting very long.