Notes from running a bilingual city guide on two subdomains

Danang Plus is a small independent guide for Da Nang, Vietnam, with two versions - one in Vietnamese at danang.plus and another in English at en.danang.plus. The English edition is a static site built using Astro. This report shares some practical insights from maintaining two language versions of the same guide, which could be useful for those planning a similar project.

Instead of using separate /en/ folders, subdomains were chosen for the English edition. This approach made sense because the two versions were written independently rather than being machine-translated. Each version had its own editorial priorities and could be deployed separately. However, the downside is that each subdomain is treated as a distinct property in search tools, requiring verification, monitoring, and submission of separate sitemaps.

When writing for the reader, it is essential to understand that English-speaking visitors often seek different information than local readers. For example, a page on renting in Da Nang must explain deposits, contracts, and temporary residence registration, things that a Vietnamese reader would already be familiar with. Conversely, a Vietnamese page on the same subject can focus on neighborhoods and prices without needing to include those details.

Each edition should be treated as its own content plan, rather than a carbon copy of the other. This approach allows for more useful and relevant pages on both sides. Keep facts that change frequently, such as prices, opening hours, ticket costs, and transport fares, in one place. Adding a "last checked" date next to these volatile facts makes it clear which pages require review and indicates to readers how much to trust a particular number.

Sitemaps should be organized by content type. The English sitemap index is divided into posts, pages, categories, and authors. This structure helps identify which types of pages are or are not getting indexed in a search console, allowing updates to be submitted only for the changed sections. It is also beneficial to use a canonical URL per page and maintain a consistent trailing-slash convention.

Linking related guides within the text, such as from a beach guide to where to stay in Da Nang, helps both readers and crawlers navigate the site.

Lastly, it is important to keep images compressed and sized appropriately for the layout. This can be automated due to the static build process. Additionally, displaying the date a guide was last updated near the top of the page is helpful for readers. While these insights may seem straightforward, treating each language edition as its own, reader-focused content and making the date of every changing fact visible significantly improved the overall quality of the guide.