Da Nang city is located in the central region, evenly dividing the distance between the capital Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City. Da Nang is also the center of three world cultural heritages: Hue Ancient Capital, Hoi An Ancient Town, and My Son Sanctuary. Da Nang borders Thua Thien – Hue province to the north, Quang Nam province to the west and south, and the East Sea to the east.
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What season is beautiful in Da Nang?
Da Nang is a transitional place alternating between the northern and southern climates, with the dominant tropical climate in the south. There are two distinct seasons each year: the dry season from January to July and the rainy season from August to December.
Late December to late March: The weather is calm and pleasant, ideal for spring trips. Prices of hotel services and meals at this time are said to be the most stable of the year. Visitors should bring more thin coats because it can be chilly in the evening, sometimes with spring rain.
Early April to mid-September: This is the best time to travel to Da Nang, but it is also the peak season for summer tourism, which is quite crowded and expensive. In April, forest trees change their leaves to yellow and red on the Son Tra peninsula.
Mid-September to the end of December: It is no longer hot and sunny, and showers begin sporadically but do not last long. The peak season has passed, so air tickets, accommodation services, and meals are reasonably priced.
If you are planning to come to Da Nang in 2022, you can refer to some upcoming events: the “Excellent Danang 2022” Festival lasting throughout July; Vietnam – Japan Cultural Exchange Festival on July 15; Vietnam – Korea Cultural Exchange Festival from September 1 to 4; Danang Golf Tourism Festival 1/9; Festival “Da Nang Welcomes New Year 2023” on 1/12.
Move to Danang
Visitors from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City often travel by plane, with a ticket price of about 1,300,000 – 3,000,000 round-trip, depending on the time of booking. Flight time is about 1 hour.
With more time, visitors can take the train to experience the scenery along the way, especially the section through Hai Van pass if you come from the north. Train tickets from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang cost about 600,000 VND to 1,100,000 VND one way, corresponding to soft seats with air conditioning and beds in four air-conditioned compartments. Travel time is about 17 to 18 hours.
If you plan to drive your car, you need to spend at least a week on your trip to Danang and should have two drivers take turns driving. From Hanoi, ideally, depart at noon or early afternoon, and spend a night in Nghe An. If going later, sleep in Thanh Hoa, and the following day passes to Da Nang. In the afternoon, you can stop at Quang Binh to rest and explore more.
In Da Nang, guests should rent motorbikes or cars to move flexibly. Car rental is quite convenient and delivered at the airport or hotel with an average price of 100,000 VND for motorbikes and about 1,000,000 VND for cars in a day.
Hotels and resorts
Tourism in Da Nang is developing rapidly. Along the coastal road, visitors can easily find hotels at various prices. Besides, Da Nang also has many other forms of accommodation, such as homestays, apartments, and dormitories located in the center. Depending on your budget and needs, visitors can choose the right one, but it is recommended to book in advance to avoid room burn on weekends and peak seasons.
Because the weather in the Central region is quite cold at night at the beginning of the year, visitors should choose self-contained rooms with full amenities such as private bathrooms, water heaters, hair dryers, irons, and laundry service. Room rates in 4-star hotels are from about 500,000 VND per night.
Famous 5-star resorts and hotels in Da Nang you can refer to include InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, Hyatt Regency Danang Resort, and Spa, Pullman, Furama Resort Danang, Four Points by Sheraton Danang, Novotel, Hilton, Fusion Suites, Danang Golden Bay Hotel. Room rates range from 1,200,000 to 10,000,000 VND per night.
Where to play?
Suburban
A beautiful place outside Da Nang city has Son Tra peninsula, Ngu Hanh Son mountain, Nam O reef, and Hai Van pass.
Son Tra Peninsula
Considered the jewel of Da Nang, the Son Tra peninsula possesses a sizeable primeval forest and many beautiful beaches such as Tien Sa, Da Den, and Bai But. The road on the peninsula winds through the mountains. The location can see the whole city from above, such as Ban Co peak, Linh Ung pagoda, Vong Canh house, Son Tra lighthouse, and radar station, “the eye of Indochina.”
Visitors can participate in many exciting activities such as scuba diving to see corals, fishing with anglers, and admiring the city from a helicopter, the top of Ban Co. Mainly, Linh Ung Pagoda. The top of the hill is also a point you should not miss. This place places the tallest statue of Buddha Quan The Am in Vietnam, facing the sea. In the heart of the figure, there are 17 floors; each floor has an altar of 21 Buddha images with different shapes, postures, and facial expressions.
There are side roads leading to many beautiful beaches on the peninsula, such as Bai But, Bai Nam, Bai Da Den, Bai Da, and Mui Nghe. In addition, there are also Son Tra banyan trees and “deer-shape” banyan trees with thousand years old with a unique shape suitable for photography.
The peninsula is also home to hundreds of species of animals. In particular, the brown-shanked douc langur is known as the “primate queen” on the Son Tra peninsula, with a population of about 300-400 animals, which is strictly preserved. To spot these langurs and observe the color emitting from the plumage, visitors need to pay attention when they call or jump from branch to branch.
Note that visitors need to preserve the natural landscape do not feed wild animals. The routes banned from using scooters include the section from Hoang Sa road to the thousand-year banyan tree; the intersection of Yet Kieu Street to the top of Ban Co – Bai Bac; the junction of Yet Kieu Street to Suoi Om, and vice versa. These are the three main routes people and tourists often visit the Son Tra peninsula. Motorcycles with clutch and gears can travel usually.
In addition, the Son Tra peninsula is also attractive with pristine beaches. Nestled in a beautiful strait, Bai But is a place of harmony between the sea and the mountains. There is also Bai Bac, a newly developed tourist destination of Da Nang, located in the bay north of Son Tra. The sea around the peninsula has many beautiful coral reefs. Still, the littering and the unconscious behavior of some people diving to see the coral, such as stepping, kicking, and breaking, cause severe damage.
Fairy Stream
Suoi Tien is one of the significant streams that originate from the top of Son Tra – one of the most beautiful destinations like a fairy scene with white waterfalls, rock formations of many unique shapes, wildflowers blooming, and sweet fragrances. Coming to Fairy Stream, you will be immersed in the beautiful and colorful nature.
Ba Na Hills
This tourist spot is about 40 km from Da Nang. Visitors can experience the chilly air and 4-season weather in a day when visiting outstanding attractions such as Linh Ung Pagoda, Debay Wine Cellar, Le Jardin D’Amour flower garden, and Golden Bridge. Overnight in the French village is also an exciting experience for visitors to Ba Na.
Well of Heaven
Located in Ba Na – Nui Chua conservation area, Well of Heaven has a wild landscape that inspires backpackers with picnics such as trekking, climbing, camping, or bathing in streams.
Starting from the Ba Na cable car parking lot, the backpacker has to conquer 7.5 km of the winding mountain pass, cross the stream, and cross the forest. After passing the first slope, the rest of the way is straightforward. That’s why this place is like an isolated place. Two streams west of Ba Na forest confluence at a gorge and then fall.
Marble Mountain
8 km from the center of Da Nang, Marble Mountain is home to many sacred temples and a system of natural caves. Following the long coastal road towards Hoi An, opening in front of visitors, is a giant “mountain island” named Ngu Hanh Son. Each mountain here has its legends and mysterious beauty with names named according to the five elements theory, including Kim Son (Metal), Moc Son (Wood), Thuy Son (Water), Hoa Son (Fire), and Tho Son (Earth).
To go all the way from Quan Am (Kim Son), Huyen Vi (Hoa Son) caves to Am Phu, Hoa Nghiem, Linh Nha, Huyen Khong, Van Thong, Thien Long, Thien Phuoc Dia (Thuy Son) caves…, you it may take a few days. They are not massive or monumental, but they bring many different emotions thanks to their sacred and fanciful beauty.
Visitors will suddenly turn into a cave or a particular temple following the mountain roads in Ngu Hanh. In Kim Son, there are pagodas and Quan Am cave; Hoa Son has Linh Son pagoda and Huyen Vi cave, Pho Da Son pagoda and cave; Tho Son has Long Hoa and Hue Quang pagodas; Thuy Son has Tam Thai, Linh Ung, Tam Ton, and Tu Tam pagodas.
Most of the temples here can lean against the mountain, although located not too high, but quiet and sacred. Along with the cool breeze blowing in from the sea and the green space of mountains and trees, visitors will quickly feel a realm of peace and serenity.
In addition, if you want to try the adventurous feeling, you should experience climbing in Van Thong cave or dropping from the top of the mountain to a height of 25m.
Hai Van Pass
Hai Van Pass is about an hour by motorbike from the center of Da Nang with a length of 21 km, with the highest peak being 496 m above sea level. Hai Van means “sea of clouds.” Jeremy Clarkson once commented this place, host of the reality TV show Top Gear (UK), as “one of the most beautiful coastal roads globally.”
There are two roads through the Hai Van pass: the road tunnel through the Hai Van pass (not for motorbikes) and the Hai Van pass.
The road tunnel through the Hai Van pass is open daily, with a fee. Tunnel closing time is from 3 am to 4 am every day to clean, repair, and maintain tunnel items. If you follow the tunnel, you will not be able to enjoy the scenery or visit some famous places on Hai Van pass.
Hai Van Pass is open daily, free of charge. Visitors should choose this route to experience the feeling of conquering the pass and enjoying the scenery. Visitors should note to reduce speed every time there is fog.
At the beginning of the year, visitors can take photos of “hunting clouds” at the famous bend, Hai Van Quan peak, the garden “in the clouds” opposite Hai Van Quan, or go down to Van village to swim. The ideal time to visit is sunrise or sunset.
Nam O Reef
Located about 17 km from the center, Nam O Reef is located in Hoa Hiep Nam Ward, Lien Chieu District, Da Nang City. The name Nam O referred to the southern gate of Dai Viet country 700 years ago. This reef is a densely populated place, mainly practicing fishing gear. Nam O is also famous for making firecrackers and traditional fish sauce.
This place is a long rocky beach with many strange shapes covered with green moss lying on the beach. Sunset and dawn are two times when many people go to the rapids to get good photos. In this area, there are also famous Nam O fish salad and Nam O fish sauce passed down through generations of coastal villages here.
Ghenh Bang
Ghenh Bang has been a famous destination among Da Nang backpackers for about three years. This place is located on the Son Tra peninsula, about 15 km from Da Nang city center, in the direction of Hoang Sa street. Ghenh Bang, together with Gun cape, Nghe cape, Golden sand beach, and Black rock beach, have created natural landscapes that attract tourists to explore.
With a road with the sea about 2 km long, Bang rapids have flat sand beaches, large and small rocks protruding into the sea, and coral reefs. Visitors to Bang rapids often prepare firewood, snacks, and drinking water, for camping or picnic during the day.
Craft village
14 km southwest of Da Nang center, Cam Ne mat village belongs to Hoa Tien commune, Hoa Vang district. This place has long been famous for traditional flower mats in the Nguyen Dynasty’s inner court.
Tuy Loan rice paper craft village is located in Hoa Phong commune, Hoang Vang district, about 15 km from the city center. The town is over 500 years old and is suitable for the journey to discover the history of Da Nang. The village is famous for making rice paper and Quang noodles.
Non-Nuoc stone art village is located at the foot of Ngu Hanh mountain. The nearly 400-year-old traditional craft village is famous for its beautiful and sophisticated stone art products, created by artisans’ skillful hands.
Hoa Trung Lake
This artificial lake provides water for daily life and cultivation for people in Hoa Lien and Hoa Son communes, Lien Chieu district. The lake is surrounded by floating islands, suitable for tourists who love to explore, camp and picnic. You should prepare enough food and water for overnight camping by the lake, but you should pay attention to cleaning up and taking the trash home.
Hoa Trung Lake is 20 km from Da Nang city center. It takes about 40 minutes by motorbike to come here. From the city, run Au Co street (Hoa Khanh market), you go in the direction of Ba Na, find Hoa Ninh parish. Turn left to see the concrete road, and keep going all the way to this road. You will see the trail is only 30 cm wide. If you have trouble finding your way, ask the locals.
Ecotourism destinations
Suggested addresses are Hoa Bac Commune Ecotourism Area, Lai Thieu Ecotourism Area, Suoi Hoa Ecological Area, Suoi Luong – Hai Van Park Ecological Area, Hoa Phu Thanh Tourist Area, and Sinh Tourist Area. Thai Ngam Doi, Nui Than Tai Hot Springs Park, Phuoc Nhon Hot Mineral Tourist Area. Most eco-zones provide entertainment, dining, and accommodation and require an entrance fee.
In the city
Bridges
Da Nang is known as the city of bridges in Vietnam. Dragon Bridge, Han River Swing Bridge, Tran Thi Ly Bridge, and Love Bridge are attractions that attract visitors to sightsee and check in. Right next to the bridge of love is a statue of a carp turning into a dragon.
In particular, Dragon Bridge is more crowded on three weekends when there is a dragon performance of spraying water and spitting fire. From 9 pm, many tourists and people gather on the bridge, the two banks of the Han River, or nearby tall buildings.
Traffic at both ends of the bridge stopped for 15 minutes during the show. Visitors should choose an appropriate standing direction, wear a raincoat, or cover an umbrella to avoid getting wet when watching the water spray performance.
Song Han Bridge is the first swing bridge in Vietnam. The Han River Bridge is 487.7 m long and 12.9 m wide with 11 spans, including two cable-stayed spans. The bridge located on the pier in the middle of the river can rotate 90 degrees parallel to the flow direction for large ships to pass. The project symbolizes the combination and consensus between the government and the people, built by the Da Nang people.
Thuan Phuoc Bridge is the largest cable hammock bridge in Vietnam. The bridge has a length of 1,856 m and a width of 18 m, with two abutments at the two ends of the bridge and two towers that hang cables plugged into the river bed.
Tran Thi Ly Bridge is named after the heroine of the resistance war against the US in Quang Nam province. The bridge is located south of Dragon Bridge, about 1.5 km from Dragon Bridge. There used to be an old bridge with the same name, but it was replaced by a new bridge-like today.
My Khe Beach
My Khe Beach was once voted by Forbes magazine (USA) as one of the six most attractive beaches on the planet and in the top 25 most beautiful beaches in Asia in 2021 by TripAdvisor. The beach stretches for 900 m on Pham Van Dong street in the Son Tra district. Watching the sunrise on My Khe beach, visitors have the opportunity to learn more about the life of local anglers.
City Children’s Cultural Palace
Da Nang Children’s Cultural Palace is a check-in point popular with young people thanks to its design based on the idea of the puzzle game Tangram. This work received the 2016 National Architecture Gold Award, awarded by the Vietnam Association of Architects. This destination is located on 2/9 street, Hai Chau district. The palace has three floors, including multi-function areas, amusement, and entertainment areas, classrooms, libraries, and halls.
Museum
The Museum of Cham Sculpture is located at No. 2, 2/9 Street, Hai Chau District. This museum is the only one about Cham culture, preserving relics of the ancient Champa Kingdom. The museum is open from 7 am to 5 pm daily, admission tickets cost 60,000 VND per turn, automatic interpretation service and viewing of artifacts information by application, 4D scanning technology.
Da Nang Fine Arts Museum is located at 78 Le Duan, Hai Chau district. The museum keeps and displays more than 1000 modern artworks and artifacts of folk art and traditional handicraft products. Opening time is from 8 am to 5 pm daily, the ticket price is 20,000 VND one time (50% discount for students).
The Buddhist Museum is located on Quan The Am Pagoda campus, at 48 Su Van Hanh, Ngu Hanh Son District. Here, visitors can admire more than 200 ancient artifacts about Buddhism. The museum is open from 7 am to 5 pm daily, free to visit.
Danang Cathedral
Tourane Church (French colonial period), also known as the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus or the Cathedral, was started in February 1923 on the vacant land of Rue du Musée (now Tran Phu Street, Da Nang). They were designed and built by priest Vallet. Local people often call the project a close name, the Chicken Church, because there is a characteristic gray chicken statue on the church’s roof.
Fresco alley
Da Nang mural village project at masterpiece 75 Nguyen Van Linh street (section near Dragon bridge, Hai Chau district). The mural village is located in an alley, but right at the entrance are signs introducing the destination. Visitors will park their cars from the outside to walk inside.
Market
Located on Ong Ich Khiem Street in the city center, Con market is one of the oldest and largest markets in the coastal city. Con Market is considered a snacking paradise with many restaurants that are always crowded, selling a variety of food, from breakfast to lunch and most late afternoon snacks. Banh beo, rice paper rolls with pork, Quang noodles, snails, and tea are priced at 10,000 VND. In addition to dishes, the specialties bought as gifts are also sold a lot, such as fish sauce, squid, and beef rolls.
Han Market is located in the city center, near the Han River turning bridge, with four sides adjacent to Hung Vuong, Tran Phu, Tran Hung Dao, and Bach Dang streets. The market dates back to the 40s of the last century, but with a convenient location for both road and waterway traffic, this place is increasingly developing and bustling.
The city has a lot of seafood markets, but the most attractive is still the area located along Vo Nguyen Giap street and the coastal roads of Son Tra District, Da Nang. The stalls display all kinds of freshly caught seafood, from oysters, snails, and crabs, to fish, shrimp, and squid, which are very fresh.
In addition, Da Nang also has bustling night markets such as Helio night market (September 2, Hai Chau), Son Tra night market (Ly Nam De street intersects with Mai Hac De, Son Tra), Thanh Khe night market West (Yen Khe 1 street, Thanh Khe district), Le Duan night market (144 Le Duan, Hai Chau), Hoa Khanh night market (Nguyen Canh Chan street). These are all bustling shopping and dining paradises at night for both locals and visitors.
Experience
See Da Nang from helicopters and planes
Helicopters depart from Nuoc Man airport and fly around to see Ngu Hanh Son. Then, the helicopter circled again to the Dragon Bridge, along the Han River, for visitors to see the Han River Bridge, Thuan Phuoc Bridge, and the impressive high-rise buildings of the city.
Arriving at Son Tra peninsula, the helicopter circled to the sea, saw the giant statue of Quan Am Buddha in Vietnam, then circled back to Da Nang beach back to Nuoc Man airport. The ticket price for a 12-minute tour is currently 2,140,000 VND per person – a 25% promotion from April 28 to July 31, 2022.
Surfing, rowing SUP
You can sign up for surfing lessons and SUP rowing at Da Nang surf school on My Khe beach. This is the first school in Vietnam with instructors certified by ISA (International Surfing Association). It would be best if you prepared bathing suits and sunscreen. Notably, the SUP rowing class is suitable for the physicality of many people.
Cruise on Han River
Boats take guests from the tourist pier down the Han River, see the city center at night, and admire the unique bridges of Da Nang. Boats serve food and music depending on the needs of visitors. Some tours offer sightseeing, dinner, and fire-breathing experiences. Fares range from 150,000 to 500,000 VND per person.
Danang Nightlife
The weather in Da Nang at night is excellent, even in the middle of summer. Going out to the street to cool off, you will not feel hot. The city is not too noisy and busy. The people are kind and friendly. Food and beverage services, restaurants, and bars are open late at night, making it convenient for visitors to go out to eat at night and sip coffee.
Specialties
Quang Noodles
Quang noodles do not have an “immutable” recipe but are very diverse in flavors, such as Quang noodles with shrimp meat, Quang noodles with snakehead fish, and Quang noodles with crab cakes. Quang noodles are dry food, and a bowl of noodles never now missing roasted peanuts and crispy sesame rice paper.
If you come to Da Nang on the first day of the lunar calendar, finding a bowl of meat noodles will be challenging. Instead, it is Quang vegetarian noodles with the main ingredients of tofu, mushrooms, and tubers.
A small bowl of Quang noodles is about 15,000 VND, and a large bowl is about 20,000 – 30,000 VND. In addition, with a unique bowl, the price can be up to 40,000 VND.
Pork rice paper
A relatively simple dish, however, it is the careful selection of ingredients that makes the dish special. Pork is only taken from the butt or shoulder, and the accompanying vegetables must be fresh such as lettuce, basil, lettuce, banana flower, cucumber, green banana, and bean sprouts. Pork is an irreplaceable dipping sauce. Pork rice paper is sold at about 50,000 – 200,000 VND per serving.
Cau Mong smoked veal.
Da Nang people also call this dish by the familiar name “Cau Mong smoked veal.” When the veal comes out of the oven, it must have two rare, well-cooked meat layers. The skin is cooked to transparency and is both crispy and soft.
The dipping sauce is made from whole anchovies with sugar, garlic, chili, ginger, and roasted sesame. It is almost like a pork roll when eaten with herbs and rice paper. Cau Mong veal has a price ranging from 350,000 to 380,000 VND per kg.
Nam O fish salad
The fish of this dish can be sardines, anchovies, or carp, but the best is still herring. The characteristic of Nam O fish salad is the dipping sauce made from boiled fish juice mixed with Nam O fish sauce, chili, tapioca starch, and monosodium glutamate. In addition to the usual accompanying vegetables, Nam O fish salad also has wild toads, healthy barbs, brocade leaves, and orchid hearts, which only grow on Hai Van pass.
Visitors can eat fish with vegetables, roll rice paper, or mix fish with vegetables and dipping sauce. In addition, the wet fish salad is attractive with fresh and sweet fish meat absorbed in the rich, spicy broth prepared from the famous Nam O fish sauce. Nam O fish salad costs about 80,000 VND per serving, enough for two people to eat.
Pancakes with spring rolls
Delicious banh xeo shops are concentrated on Hoang Dieu, Trung Nu Vuong, Chau Thi Vinh Te, and Dong Da streets. The average price is 20,000 to 100,000 VND, depending on the number of cakes and spring rolls.
Central pancakes are usually as small as a plate, so they are crispy, and when rolled, the rice paper is more suitable. The accompanying condiment is hot soy sauce, just the right taste to dip the cake.
Noodles with seasoning sauce
This noodle is a famous specialty that is easy to find in Da Nang. A whole bowl of vermicelli with pork, pork ears, beef patties, spring rolls, herbs, papaya fibers, or thinly grated young jackfruit, with a cup of seasoning sauce. The indispensable spice of the Quang dish is the fleshy taste of peanuts and crispy pieces of cake.
Enjoying vermicelli noodles in stalls, sidewalk shops, or in the market will give you the best taste.
You can try seasoned vermicelli noodles at Con market or Han market in the afternoon, priced from 15,000 to 30,000 VND per bowl.
Rice noodles with grilled pork
Like vermicelli with seasoning, grilled pork vermicelli is a familiar dish to Da Nang people. This dish is effortless to find. The price is about 15,000 – 30,000 VND per bowl. Grilled pork vermicelli in Da Nang is served with soy sauce, both fatty and flesh, made from pork liver, ground meat, soy sauce, and other ingredients.
Mixed jackfruit
Mixed jackfruit is a favorite dish of many people. The main ingredients are young jackfruit, pork skin, dried beef, and peanuts; mix well and then break the rice paper to eat. The price of each plate of mixed jackfruit is about 20,000 VND.
This dish is concentrated in the “snack village” on Bui Thi Xuan street, at the foot of Tran Thi Ly Bridge, or the old lady’s mixed jackfruit shop in the alley on Ly Thai To road no sign, but it is always crowded with customers. If you are a tourist, you should arrive before 5 am to get a seat and learn more about this dish.
Snail
Snails in Da Nang are often processed in many flavors: from stir-fried coconut, fried with chili pepper until boiled, they are all fragrant and hot. This dish is served with sour and spicy papaya fiber according to the taste of the Central region. The price for each part is from 15,000 to 30,000 VND.
Salted yogurt
Salted yogurt, priced at 1,000 VND per jar, is a snack sold in an area at the foot of Tran Thi Ly bridge.
The owner usually brings out a tray of about ten jars of yogurt with a plate of white salt. How much customers eat will be charged now.
Da Nang salted yogurt is soft and not too fatty. At first, other people will feel the salty taste of salt, then the sweetness of yogurt will stay in the throat. The price is 1,000 VND a jar.
What to buy as a gift
Ong Chanh, Ba De, Cam Le sesame cake, My Khe seaweed, Nam O fish sauce, fresh seafood or dried squid, and dried fish are famous specialties of Da Nang, easy to find and buy. and pack luggage.
If you want to buy souvenirs, you can choose silk paintings, embroidery paintings, oil paintings, decorative objects made of stone, ceramics, wood or stone art artifacts at Ngu Hanh Son, or clothes from silk and silk fabrics.
