For most backpackers Da Nang is a two-day stop, and those two days hold more than you expect: beach, mountains, caves and a bridge that breathes fire, all within half an hour of each other. That is exactly why something always has to give. It does not have to be a problem, because this city is spread out and the best moments here are usually on the ride there.
A few things really belong on your list: the coast road over Son Tra early in the morning, the caves in the limestone hills south of the city, and an hour on the sand before the sun gets too strong. Others look great in photos and ask for a whole day plus a good chunk of your weekly budget, so save those for when you have the time. Choosing up front gets you more here than booking an extra night.
So where do your days in Da Nang go, and what do you keep for later?
Where to sleep, how to get around and how many days to plan are all on our Da Nang page.
The coast road over Son Tra, just after sunrise
The Son Tra peninsula, which everyone calls Monkey Mountain, is our favourite place around Da Nang and also the one the fewest travellers visit. You ride a loop along a narrow coast road with empty bays below you, fishing boats on the water and the city skyline across the bay. At the top stands the Lady Buddha, which you can already see from the beach.
A scooter costs about four euros a day, and the full loop takes half a day. Watch the climbs, because they are steep and some rental shops ban this route outright. So ask before you ride off.
Set off just after sunrise. The light is low, you meet hardly anyone and you have the best chance of spotting the red-shanked douc, one of the most beautiful monkeys in the world.
Our verdict: our favourite in Da Nang, and it costs you nothing but fuel
The Marble Mountains
Nine kilometres south of the city, on the road to Hoi An, the limestone hills of the Marble Mountains are full of caves, pagodas and viewpoints. Am Phu cave underneath is laid out as a walk through the underworld. For hills you barely notice from the road, that is a surprisingly big story.
Entry is about €1.50 and the lift to the top costs about 60 cents. It is open daily from 7.00 to 17.30. By scooter you are there in just under half an hour, and it fits nicely with the ride on to Hoi An.
Wear shoes with grip, because the steps are worn smooth. Go as early as you can: by eleven the coaches from Hoi An are in the car park.
Our verdict: absolutely, and give it half a morning
A morning on My Khe Beach
Ten kilometres of sandy beach right in the city, with hostels and cafes within walking distance. My Khe regularly turns up as one of the best city beaches in Asia, and for once that is not just talk: the sand is pale, the sea is clear in spring and you can swim, take a surf lesson or do nothing at all.
The beach is free, a lounger costs about €1.50. Go before eight or after four, because between eleven and three the sun here is merciless and you end up indoors anyway. Around sunset the promenade fills up, and that is when it is most fun.
Always check the flags. In autumn there is a strong rip current and the loungers disappear, and after sunset there are no lifeguards. Do not leave your things unattended when you go in the water, either.
Our verdict: go, just not between eleven and three
The Dragon Bridge that breathes fire
The Dragon Bridge over the Han river has become the symbol of Da Nang. By day it is a bridge with a dragon on it, at night it lights up in every colour, and at the weekend it actually breathes fire and then sprays water over the river.
That happens on Saturday and Sunday evenings at nine, and it costs you nothing. Get there half an hour early if you want to be at the front, because half of Da Nang comes to watch and the riverside fills up fast. From the beach side it is a fifteen-minute walk.
Plan your days around it if you want to see it. Arrive on a Monday and leave for Hoi An on Wednesday, and you will simply miss it. Then it is a bridge like any other.
Our verdict: only if you are there at the weekend, but then do not miss it
The Hai Van Pass to Hue
The mountain pass between Da Nang and Hue winds up right along the coast and is one of the most beautiful stretches in Vietnam. On the other side waits Hue, the former imperial capital, with a citadel and old temples where an afternoon disappears easily.
The most popular day trip from Da Nang does the pass by train and combines it with the Imperial Citadel, a few historic temples and lunch. On your own, the train gets you to Hue in about three hours, the bus or a car in two and a half.
Is Hue on your route anyway? Then do the pass as a travel day rather than a day trip. You see exactly the same and you do not have to come back the same evening.
Our verdict: the most beautiful ride in central Vietnam, and at its best as the leg to Hue
Ba Na Hills and the Golden Bridge
The Golden Bridge, held up by two enormous stone hands, is one of the most photographed places in Vietnam, and in real life it is genuinely impressive. It sits on top of Ba Na Hills, an hour inland, and you get there on a cable car that climbs straight up through the mountains.
A ticket costs about €35 including the cable car, which is almost two days of backpacker budget. Plan on a full day and go as early as you can. It is often in cloud up there, so check the webcam before you set off, or you will be standing on a bridge in grey soup.
Know what you are going to: Ba Na Hills is a theme park with European architecture and rides, not a mountain village. With that in mind it is a great day out, and the Golden Bridge is even more impressive in real life than in the photos.
Our verdict: fun if you have the time and the budget
Eating in the neighbourhoods across the river
Da Nang eats like the port city it is: lots of fish, lots of shellfish and dishes you roll yourself at the table. The best known is mi quang, yellow noodles with very little broth and lots of herbs, and beyond that you eat fresh spring rolls, rice with grilled meat and banh mi off the cart.
Cross the Han river and walk into the ordinary residential streets. There you pay about half of what they charge on the promenade: count on around €1.80 for a meal and 60 cents for a beer. With Grab you are across from the beach in ten minutes.
Finish with a ca phe sua da, Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk. Order it in the morning before you get on the scooter, not in the evening, or you will not sleep.
Our verdict: every day, and not on the promenade
Got time to spare in Da Nang?
The bridges at night
The lit-up skyline and the bridges from the water make a lovely picture, and you get the same view for free from the riverside. If you are at the Dragon Bridge at nine for the fire, you have already seen the best of it. Still want to get on the water? An evening cruise on the Han river is a relaxed way to round off your last night.
Seafood a few streets from the sea
The big places along the beachfront are fun and charge about double what you pay a few streets further back, for fish from the same harbour. Walk fifteen minutes inland or cross the river and you eat brilliantly for half the price. On a daily budget of twenty euros, that leaves you plenty for the rest of your day.
Ba Na Hills or a day trip to Hue
Both are full days with an early start and a long ride back. If you have two days, pick one of them and use the day you have left for Son Tra and the Marble Mountains, which are both within half an hour. If you have more, they both fit easily into your week.
Da Nang between September and November
In those months the sea pounds the coast, the loungers disappear and there is often a red flag up. Da Nang is still a great city for eating and seeing the bridges then, so just plan your beach nights somewhere else during that time. From February to May it is dry, sunny and calm here, and then this is one of the best coastal cities in Vietnam.
Our top five in Da Nang
Only got a few days? These are the five we would do no matter what:
- The coast road over Son Tra by scooter, just after sunrise
- The Marble Mountains, ideally before the coaches from Hoi An arrive
- An early morning on My Khe Beach
- The Dragon Bridge with its fire and water, if you are there at the weekend
- The Hai Van Pass, as a day trip to Hue or as the leg to your next stop
Still got time after that? Ba Na Hills and the Golden Bridge are the obvious extra day, as long as it is clear up top. Otherwise, cross the river and eat your way through an afternoon in the neighbourhoods where promenade prices do not exist.
So what do you really have to do in Da Nang?
Everything on this list is worth your time, but the best thing about Da Nang is the combination: the beach in the morning, riding up a mountain in the afternoon and dinner for two euros in the evening, all on the same day. Not many cities in Vietnam pull that off.
If we had to pick just one thing, it is the scooter. Rent one for four euros, set your alarm for sunrise and ride the coast road over Son Tra. You pass almost nobody, you look out over bays without a soul on them, and by the time the rest of the city wakes up you are already sitting across the river with an iced coffee.
And do not expect another Hoi An. Da Nang is modern and spread out, but it is also the place where, after three weeks in Vietnam, you finally get a morning with nothing to do. Use it for exactly that.
