Da Nang City is located in the Central region, evenly divided between the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Da Nang is also the center of three world cultural heritages: the ancient capital of Hue, the ancient town of Hoi An and the holy land of My Son. 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.
Da Nang's Climate and Weather
Da Nang is a transitional place between the climates of the North and the South, with the tropical climate dominant in the South. Each year there are two distinct seasons: the dry season from January to July and the rainy season from August to December, sometimes there are cold spells in winter but they do not last long and the weather is not very cold.
Late December to late March : The weather is cool and pleasant, ideal for spring trips. Prices for hotel services and food at this time are considered the most stable of the year. Note, visitors should bring a light jacket because it can be chilly in the evening, with occasional spring rain.
Early April to mid-September : This is the best time to travel to Da Nang, but it is also the peak summer tourist season, quite crowded and expensive. April is the season when the forest leaves turn yellow and red on Son Tra peninsula.
Mid-September to late December : The weather is no longer hot, and there are occasional showers but they do not last long. The peak season is over, so airfare, accommodation, and food are reasonably priced.
If you are planning to visit Da Nang in 2022, you can refer to some upcoming events: "Wonderful Da Nang 2022" Festival lasting throughout July; Vietnam - Japan Cultural Exchange Festival on July 15; Vietnam - Korea Cultural Exchange Festival from September 1 to 4; Da Nang Golf Tourism Festival on September 1; "Da Nang Welcomes New Year 2023" Festival on December 1...
Move
Tourists from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City often travel by plane, with round-trip fares ranging from VND1,300,000 to VND3,000,000, depending on booking time. Flight time is about 1 hour.
If you have more time, you can take the train to enjoy the scenery along the way, especially the section through Hai Van Pass if you are coming from the north. Train tickets from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang cost from about 600,000 VND to 1,100,000 VND one way, corresponding to soft seats with air conditioning and 4-berth air-conditioned cabins. Travel time is about 17 to 18 hours.
If you plan to drive yourself , you need to spend at least a week on your trip to Da Nang and should have two drivers taking turns driving. From Hanoi, it is best to depart at noon or early afternoon, and stay overnight in Nghe An. If you leave later, stay overnight in Thanh Hoa and depart for Da Nang the next morning. On the way back, you can stop in Quang Binh to rest and explore more.
In Da Nang, visitors should rent a motorbike or car for flexible travel. Car rental is quite convenient, can be delivered at the airport or hotel with an average price of 100,000 VND for a motorbike and about 1,000,000 VND for a car for a day.
Luxury Hotels and Resorts in Da Nang
Tourism in Da Nang is developing rapidly. Along the coastal road, tourists can easily find hotels with different prices. Besides, Da Nang also has many other forms of accommodation such as homestays, apartments, dormitories located in the center. Depending on your budget and needs, tourists can choose the appropriate one, but should book in advance to avoid the situation of no rooms available on weekends and peak season.
Because the weather in the Central region is quite cold at night at the beginning of the year, visitors should choose closed rooms with full amenities such as private bathrooms, hot water heaters, hair dryers, irons and laundry services... Room rates at 4-star hotels start at around 500,000 VND per night.
Famous 5-star resorts and hotels in Da Nang that you can refer to include InterContinental Da Nang 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.
Top Tourist Attractions in Da Nang
Suburbs
Beautiful places outside Da Nang city include Son Tra peninsula, Ngu Hanh Son mountain, Nam O reef, Hai Van pass.
Considered the precious gem of Da Nang, Son Tra peninsula owns a large primeval forest and many beautiful beaches such as Tien Sa, Da Den, Bai But... The road on the peninsula winds through locations where you can see the whole city from above such as Ban Co peak, Linh Ung pagoda, Vong Canh house, Son Tra lighthouse, "Indochina's divine eye" radar station.
Coming here, visitors can participate in many exciting activities such as scuba diving to see corals, fishing with fishermen, admiring the city from a helicopter, on top of Ban Co... In particular, Linh Ung Pagoda located on the top of the hill is also a place you should not miss. This is where the tallest statue of Buddha Quan The Am in Vietnam is located, facing the sea. Inside the statue there are 17 floors, each floor has an altar with 21 Buddha statues with different shapes, postures and faces.
On the peninsula, there are side roads leading to many beautiful beaches such as Bai But, Bai Nam, Bai Da Den, Bai Da, Mui Nghe ... In addition, in this area there is also the Son Tra banyan tree and the thousand-year-old "deer" banyan tree with a unique shape suitable for taking photos.
The peninsula is also home to hundreds of animal species. Among them, the red-shanked douc langur is known as the "primate queen" on the Son Tra peninsula, with a population of about 300 - 400 individuals, strictly preserved. To discover these langur herds, in addition to observing the colors emitted from their fur, visitors need to pay attention when they call or jump from branch to branch.
Note, visitors need to preserve the natural landscape, do not feed wild animals. The routes where scooters are prohibited include: the section from Hoang Sa Street to the thousand-year-old banyan tree; the intersection of Yet Kieu Street to Ban Co Peak - Bai Bac; the intersection of Yet Kieu Street to Suoi Om and vice versa. These are the three main routes that locals and visitors often visit Son Tra Peninsula. Manual and manual motorbikes are allowed to travel normally.
In addition, Son Tra peninsula is also attractive for its pristine beaches. Nestled in a beautiful strait, Bai But (Buddha Bay) is where the ocean meets the mountains and forests. In addition, Bai Bac is a newly developed destination for Da Nang tourism, located in the bay north of Son Tra. The sea around the peninsula has many beautiful coral reefs, but littering and the lack of awareness of some divers such as stepping, trampling, breaking... cause serious damage.
Statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara at Linh Ung - Bai But Pagoda, looking towards the peninsula, about 10 km from the center of
Da Nang.
Fairy Stream
Suoi Tien is one of the large streams originating from Son Tra peak - one of the beautiful destinations like a fairyland with white waterfalls, rocks of many unique shapes, blooming wild flowers with fragrant scent. Coming to Suoi Tien, you will be immersed in the beautiful and colorful nature.
Ba Na Hills
This tourist destination is about 40 km from Da Nang. Visitors can experience the cool air and 4 seasons in a day when visiting famous attractions such as Linh Ung Pagoda, Debay Wine Cellar, Le Jardin D'Amour flower garden, Golden Bridge... Spending the night in the French village is also an interesting experience for visitors to Ba Na.
Skylight
Located in the Ba Na – Nui Chua conservation area, Gieng Troi has a wild landscape that is a source of inspiration for backpackers, with outdoor activities such as trekking, mountain climbing, camping or bathing in streams.
Starting from the parking lot of the Ba Na cable car area, the backpacker must conquer 7.5 km of winding steep mountain passes, crossing streams and forests... Once the first slope is over, the remaining journey is very easy. That is why this place is like an isolated place. Two streams from the west of the Ba Na forest converge at a canyon and then flow down.
Marble Mountains
8 km from the center of Da Nang, Ngu Hanh Son is home to many sacred pagodas and a system of natural caves. Following the coastal road stretching towards Hoi An, visitors will see a giant "rockery" called Ngu Hanh Son. With names based on the theory of the five elements including Kim Son, Moc Son, Thuy Son, Hoa Son and Tho Son, each mountain here carries within itself different legendary stories and mysterious beauty.
To go all the way from Quan Am cave (Kim Son), Huyen Vi (Hoa Son) to Am Phu cave, Hoa Nghiem cave, Linh Nha cave, Huyen Khong cave, Van Thong cave, Thien Long cave, Thien Phuoc Dia cave (Thuy Son cave)..., you may need a few days. All of them are not massive or magnificent, but they bring many different emotions thanks to their sacred and magical beauty.
Following the mountain roads in Ngu Hanh Son, visitors will suddenly turn into a cave or pagoda. At Kim Son, there is Quan Am pagoda and 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, Tu Tam pagodas...
Most of the temples here lean against the mountains, although not too high, they are quiet and sacred. With the cool breezes blowing in from the sea and the green space of the mountains and trees, visitors will easily feel a peaceful and serene realm.
Hai Van Pass is about an hour's drive from the center of Da Nang. The pass is 21 km long, with the highest peak being 496 m above sea level. Hai Van means "sea of clouds". This place was once commented by Jeremy Clarkson, host of the reality TV show Top Gear (UK) as "one of the most beautiful coastal roads in the world".
There are currently two roads through Hai Van Pass: the Hai Van Pass tunnel (not open to motorbikes) and the Hai Van Pass road.
The Hai Van Pass Tunnel is open daily and charges a fee. The tunnel is closed from 3am to 4am every day for cleaning, repair and maintenance of tunnel items. If you go through the tunnel, you will not be able to sightsee or visit some famous places on Hai Van Pass.
The Hai Van Pass is open daily and free of charge. Visitors should choose this route if they want to experience the feeling of conquering the pass and enjoying the scenery. Visitors should note to reduce speed whenever there is fog.
At the beginning of the year, visitors can take photos of "cloud hunting" at the famous bend, the top of Hai Van Quan, the "cloud garden" opposite Hai Van Quan, or go down to Van village to swim in the sea. The ideal time to visit is dawn or dusk.
Ghenh Bang
Ghenh Bang has been a famous destination among backpackers in Da Nang for about 3 years now. This place is located on Son Tra peninsula, about 15 km from the center of Da Nang city, in the direction of Hoang Sa road. Ghenh Bang, along with Sung cape, Nghe cape , Vang sand beach, Black rock beach... have created natural landscapes that attract tourists to explore.
With a road to the sea about 2 km long, Ghenh Bang has flat sand beaches, large and small rocks jutting out into the sea, coral reefs... Visitors to Ghenh Bang often prepare firewood, snacks, and drinking water for camping or picnicking during the day.
Craft village
14 km southwest of Da Nang city center, Cam Ne mat village is located in Hoa Tien commune, Hoa Vang district. This place has long been famous for its traditional flower mats, which were once present in the royal court of the Nguyen Dynasty.
Tuy Loan rice paper village is located in Hoa Phong commune, Hoang Vang district, about 15 km from the city center. The village is over 500 years old, suitable for a journey to explore the history of Da Nang. The village is famous for making rice paper and Quang noodles.
Non Nuoc stone carving 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 carving products, created by the skillful hands of artisans.
In the city
The 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 tourist attractions that attract visitors to visit and check-in. Right next to the Love Bridge is a statue of a carp transforming into a dragon.
In particular, the Dragon Bridge is more crowded on three weekend nights when there is a performance of dragons breathing water and fire. From 9pm, many tourists and locals gather on the bridge, on both sides of the Han River or in nearby high-rise buildings.
Traffic on both ends of the bridge will be stopped for 15 minutes during the show. Visitors should choose a suitable direction to stand, or wear a raincoat or use an umbrella to avoid getting wet while watching the water show.
Han River Bridge is the first swing bridge in Vietnam. Han River Bridge is 487.7 m long, 12.9 m wide with 11 spans, including two cable-stayed spans. The bridge section on the middle pillar of the river can rotate 90 degrees parallel to the flow direction to allow large ships to pass. The project is also a symbol of the combination and consensus between the government and the people, built with money contributed by the people of Da Nang.
My Khe Beach
My Khe Beach was once voted by Forbes magazine (USA) as one of the 6 most attractive beaches on the planet and in the top 25 most beautiful beaches in Asia in 2021 by TripAdvisor. The beach stretches 900 m on Pham Van Dong Street, Son Tra District. Watching the sunrise on My Khe Beach, visitors have the opportunity to learn more about the lives of local fishermen.
Museum
The Museum of Cham Sculpture is located at 2, 2/9 Street, Hai Chau District. This is the only museum about Cham culture, preserving relics of the ancient Champa Kingdom. The museum is open from 7am to 5pm daily, with an entrance fee of 60,000 VND per visit, with automatic commentary services and viewing of artifacts using an application and 4D scanning technology.
Da Nang Fine Arts Museum is located at 78 Le Duan, Hai Chau District. The museum preserves and displays more than 1,000 modern art works and folk art artifacts and traditional handicraft products. Opening hours are from 8:00 to 17:00 daily, ticket price is 20,000 VND per visit (50% discount for students).
The Buddhist Museum is located in the Quan The Am Pagoda, at 48 Su Van Hanh, Ngu Hanh Son District. Here, visitors can admire more than 200 ancient Buddhist artifacts. The museum is open from 7am to 5pm daily, free of charge.
Danang Cathedral
Tourane Church (during the French colonial period), also known as the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus or the Cathedral, was started in February 1923 on an empty lot on Rue du Musée (now Tran Phu Street, Da Nang) by Father Vallet. Local people often call the building by a familiar name, the Chicken Church, because on the roof of the church there is a typical gray chicken statue.
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 snack paradise with many stalls that are always crowded, selling a variety of food, from breakfast, lunch, and most of all, afternoon snacks. Banh beo, rice paper rolls with pork, Quang noodles, snails, sweet soups... are popular with customers with prices starting from 10,000 VND. In addition to food, specialties to buy as gifts are also sold a lot such as fish sauce, tamarind squid, beef rolls, tre...
Han Market is located in the city center, near the Han River swing bridge, with 4 sides bordering Hung Vuong, Tran Phu, Tran Hung Dao and Bach Dang streets. The market has existed since the 40s of the last century, but with a convenient location for both road and water traffic, this place has increasingly developed and become bustling.
The city has many seafood markets , but the most attractive is the area along Vo Nguyen Giap Street and the coastal streets of Son Tra District, Da Nang. Here, stalls display all kinds of freshly caught seafood, from clams, snails, crabs, to fish, shrimp, squid... very fresh and delicious.
In addition, Da Nang also has bustling night markets such as Helio night market (2/9 Street, Hai Chau), Son Tra night market (Ly Nam De Street intersecting with Mai Hac De, Son Tra), Thanh Khe Tay night market (Yen Khe 1 Street, Thanh Khe District), Le Duan night market (lane 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 tourists.
Experience
View Da Nang from helicopters and airplanes
The helicopter departs from Nuoc Man airport, flies up to see Ngu Hanh Son from above. Then, the helicopter circles back to Dragon Bridge, along Han River for visitors to see Han River Bridge, Thuan Phuoc Bridge and impressive high-rise buildings of the city.
Arriving at Son Tra peninsula, the helicopter circled out to sea, saw the largest statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva in Vietnam, then circled back and flew along Da Nang beach back to Nuoc Man airport. The ticket price for a 12-minute tour is currently 2,140,000 VND per person - 25% discount from April 28 to July 31, 2022.
Surfing, SUP
You can sign up for surfing and SUP lessons at the Da Nang Surf School on My Khe Beach. This is the first school in Vietnam with instructors certified by the ISA (International Surfing Association). You need to prepare swimsuits and sunscreen. The SUP class is suitable for many people's physical condition.
Cruise on the Han River
The boat takes visitors from the tourist pier along the Han River, allowing them to see the city center at night and admire the unique bridges of Da Nang. The boat serves food, music, etc., depending on the needs of the visitors. Some tours offer sightseeing, dinner, and watching the Dragon Bridge breathe fire, with ticket prices ranging from 150,000 to 500,000 VND per person.
Night Play
Da Nang at night is cool, even in the middle of summer. Going out to enjoy the cool breeze, you will not feel hot. The city is not too noisy or crowded. The people are gentle and friendly. Food services, shops, and bars are open late, convenient for tourists to go out for a late night snack or sip coffee.
Da Nang’s Culinary Delights
Quang Noodles
Quang noodles do not have a "fixed" recipe, but are very diverse in flavor such as Quang noodles with shrimp and meat, Quang noodles with snakehead fish, Quang noodles with crab cakes... Quang noodles are a dry dish and a bowl of noodles never lacks roasted peanuts and crispy toasted sesame rice paper.
If you come to Da Nang on the first day of the lunar calendar, it will be difficult to find a bowl of meat noodles. Instead, there is vegetarian Quang noodles with main ingredients from tofu, mushrooms and tubers.
A small bowl of Quang noodles costs about 15,000 VND, a large bowl costs about 20,000 - 30,000 VND, and a special bowl can cost up to 40,000 VND.
Pork rice paper
A fairly simple dish, however, it is the careful selection of ingredients that makes the dish special. Pork is only taken from the butt or shoulder, the accompanying vegetables must be fresh and green such as lettuce, basil, fish mint, banana flower, cucumber, green banana, bean sprouts... The fish sauce of the pork roll is an irreplaceable dipping sauce. Pork roll is sold in portions of about 50,000 - 200,000 VND per portion.
Nam O fish salad
The fish used to make this dish can be sardines, anchovies, or snappers, but the best is still herring. The special feature of Nam O fish salad is the dipping sauce made from boiled fish stock, mixed with Nam O fish sauce, chili, tapioca starch, and MSG. In addition to the usual vegetables, Nam O fish salad also has wild coc, lan, tram leaves, and tim lan, which only grow on Hai Van Pass.
Visitors can eat fish with various vegetables wrapped in rice paper or just mix fish with vegetables and dipping sauce. In addition, the attractive wet fish salad has fresh, sweet fish meat soaked in a rich, spicy broth made from famous Nam O fish sauce. Nam O fish salad costs about 80,000 VND per serving, enough for 2 people.
Banh xeo nem lui
The delicious banh xeo restaurants are concentrated on Hoang Dieu, Trung Nu Vuong, Chau Thi Vinh Te, Dong Da streets. The average price is from 20,000 to 100,000 VND per portion depending on the number of pancakes and spring rolls.
Central Vietnamese pancakes are usually as small as a plate, so they are crispy and fit better when rolled in rice paper. The accompanying condiment is hot soy sauce, just the right amount of flavor to dip the pancakes in.
Vermicelli with fish sauce
This is a popular specialty that is easy to find in Da Nang. A full bowl of noodles has pork, pig ears, beef sausage, spring rolls, herbs, shredded papaya or young jackfruit, and a bowl of fish sauce. The indispensable spices of Quang dishes are the rich taste of peanuts and crispy rice noodles.
Enjoying vermicelli with fish sauce at street stalls, sidewalk restaurants or markets will give you the most complete taste.
You can try vermicelli with fish sauce at Con market or Han market in the afternoon, priced from 15,000 to 30,000 VND per bowl.
Grilled meat noodles
Like vermicelli with fish sauce, vermicelli with grilled pork is a familiar dish to Da Nang people. This dish is easy to find, priced at around 15,000 - 30,000 VND per bowl. Vermicelli with grilled pork in Da Nang is served with soy sauce, a rich and fatty taste made from pork liver, minced meat, soy sauce and some other ingredients.
Vermicelli with fish sauce Grilled meat noodles
Jackfruit salad
Jackfruit salad is a favorite dish of many people, the main ingredients are young jackfruit, pork skin, dried beef, with peanuts, mixed well and then broken into rice paper pieces to eat. Each plate of jackfruit salad costs 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 jackfruit salad shop in the alley on Ly Thai To Street - there is no sign but it is always crowded with customers. If you are a tourist, you should come before 5am to have a seat and learn more about this dish.
Suction cup
Snails in Da Nang are often prepared in many ways: from stir-fried with coconut, stir-fried with lemongrass and chili to boiled, all of which are fragrant and hot. This dish is served with sour and spicy papaya noodles, true to the taste of the Central region. Each portion costs from 15,000 to 30,000 VND.
What to buy as a gift
Mr. Chanh's pork roll, Mrs. De's pork roll, Cam Le sesame crackers, My Khe seaweed, Nam O fish sauce, fresh seafood or dried squid, dried fish... are famous specialties of Da Nang, easy to find and pack.
If you want to buy souvenirs, you can choose silk paintings, embroidery paintings, oil paintings, decorative objects made of stone, porcelain, wood... or stone art artifacts in Ngu Hanh Son, clothes made of silk and silk.