Da Nang is Vietnam’s fourth largest city and located centrally in the country. Da Nang isn’t my favourite place in Vietnam, it’s a bit of busy, noisy and colourless city, a bit like an industrial town. You’ll find most tourists only visit the Cham museum and stay in Hoi An instead of Da Nang. But saying this, there are some cool tourist attractions, and the relaxing beaches are a highlight.
Getting There and Away
Train
There is a railway station on the Haiphong street. The reunification express Hanoi-HCMC stops here.
Plane
Several airlines have weekly direct flights from places like Bangkok. The airport is around 3 km from the city centre.
Taxi
You can also take a taxi to and from Hoi A directly for a fixed price of 10 US$. You can probably find tourists to share a taxi. Taxis to the city center cost around 2 US$, and taxis to Hue cost 30 US$.
Bus
Local buses can be booked at the intercity bus station (3km from city centre). Tourist busses pass by at the Cham museum or the marble mountains for a short visit when they are travelling to Hoi An or Hue. It’s possible to get on the bus there.
What to Do in Da Nang
Golden Bridge
The Golden Bridge (in Vietnamese: Cầu Vàng) is a really impressive 150-metre-long (490 ft) pedestrian bridge in the Bà Nà Hills resort. You’ve probably seen pictures of this bridge on Instagram and other places, we’ll, visiting Da Nang gives you a chance to see if in real life!
Cham Museum
This is a small museum with an exposition of the Cham art and sculptures from different regions in Vietnam. I think it is one of the recommended things to see in Da Nang, located at the Nu Vuong and Bach Dang street. Entry price is: 20.000 VND.
Cao Dai Temple
An impressive temple on Hai Phong street, close to hospital C.
Marble Mountains
Located around 11 km from Da Nang, this is an area made up of five limestone hills (Kim Son, Tho Son, Thuy Son, Moc Son, Hoa Son) each with caves, pagodas and shrines.
Thuy Son is the main hill with two entrances (40.000 VND). There are some nice pagodas, caves with shrines inside and viewpoints on Danang, China beach and the other four hills. At the bottom of the hill are several marble factories, souvenir shops and budget restaurants.
There is an open tour bus stops for 45 minutes here. This is hardly enough to climb all the way up and literally run down again. BTW, we did it and the view was not that good.
China Beach
11 km from Danang – the beach lies next to the marble mountains (walking distance). A good place to stay instead of Danang city. Quiet area, no tourists (only Vietnamese) and a beach of course. The Furama Beach resort used to give good deals, but now that Danang airport has become an international airport, tourists come from everywhere, so the good deals are finished. Non Nuoc Seaside resort: together with the Dong Hung hotel the best accommodation you can get at the China Beach.
Where to Stay
There are lots of accommodation options for all budgets. If you want to stay in or close to Da Nang then I recommend the China Beach area. Booking.com usually has the best prices, these hotels are recommended:
• Bach Dang hotel, Bach Dang 50
• Faifo hotel, Haiphong 120
• Hai Au hotel, Tran Phu 177
• Hoa Sen hotel, Hung Vuong
• Danang hotel, Dong Da 5
• My Khe Guesthouse, My Khe
• Orient hotel, Phan Chu Trinh
• Royal hotel, Quang Trung 17
• Song Hang hotel, Bach Dang 36
Restaurants & Cafés
These places are recommended to eat and drink:
• Cafe scout, Tran Phu 113, large open-air watering hole in the centre of town.
• Can Restaurant, Bach Dang 74, seafood specialties beside the river.
• Christies Harbourside, Tran Phu 112, Western menu (pizza, pasta, seafood).
• Hana-Kim Dinh restaurant, Tran Phu 112, Vietnamese and Asian cuisine.
• Yellow river restaurant, Tran Phu 38
• Thanh restaurant, Bach Dang 76, seafood and western dishes.
• Vinh Hung restaurant, Tran Phu 14 B, restaurant and café with tour and sightseeing info.
If you like cities, you might also like to view my other guides to Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang and Hanoi.