Things to do in Da Nang
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Da Nang
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
The sweet spot: dry, bright, 22 to 30 degrees, calm seas and the lowest flood risk.
Full beach summer: hot, humid, busy with domestic crowds and peak prices, and surf is at its flattest.
Rainy and typhoon season, with October and November the peak to avoid for flooding and cancellations.
Cooler and greyer at 18 to 24 degrees: fine for sightseeing, poor for swimming.
Tet period falls in January or February: some local restaurants close, transport and hotels spike, then the city is festive.
What's on
- Tet (Lunar New Year) January / February
Family holiday when some local restaurants close for several days and transport and hotels spike.
- Da Nang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF) Early June to mid July each year
Several competition nights over the Han River. Base on the Han River and arrive 60 to 90 minutes early.
- Hoi An Lantern Festival 14th day of every lunar month
Old Town turns off electric lights and the river fills with lantern boats. Time a Hoi An evening to it in any season.
- Mid-Autumn Festival September / October (lunar)
Lion dances and lanterns in Hai Chau, a local night out if you are here anyway.
Best things to do in Da Nang
My Khe Beach
A long white sand beach best at sunrise, when fishing boats, swimming clubs and coffee carts fill the shore.
Marble Mountains
Five marble and limestone hills with caves, pagodas and viewpoints, best climbed early before the heat and buses.
Am Phu Cave
A vivid Buddhist underworld cave below the Marble Mountains, paired with the climb above it.
Linh Ung Pagoda
Home to the towering Lady Buddha, with jungle, monkeys and views back across the bay to the city skyline.
Dragon Bridge
The steel dragon bridge lights up at night and breathes fire and water at 9pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Sun World Ba Na Hills
A mountaintop resort reached by long cable car, known for the Golden Bridge, French Village and gardens.
Museum of Cham Sculpture
The largest collection of Cham sandstone sculpture, and the best context for a later visit to My Son.
Con Market
The market where Da Nang eats, with a dense food hall of mi Quang, bun cha ca, banh xeo and avocado ice cream.
Where to stay in Da Nang
My Khe Beach
first trip, all-round beach base
Step onto the sand, with sea view rooms at every tier and a short Grab ride to the river and food.
An Thuong
food, nightlife and longer stays
A compact grid of restaurants, cafes and bars just behind southern My Khe, a few minutes walk to the beach.
Han River and Hai Chau
local life, markets and value
River views, both main markets, the Cham Museum and the best local restaurants, with cheaper rooms than the beachfront.
Son Tra Peninsula
resort-only, nature-first splurge
Jungle, a private bay and monkeys at one great resort, but 20 to 30 minutes from everything in town.
Non Nuoc Beach
big-resort flop and golf
A quieter, wider beach lined with five star resorts near golf and Hoi An, but Da Nang dining needs a ride.
Think twice about
- Lien Chieu and the far northwest industrial coast
Port and industrial area with no beach scene or traveller infrastructure and long rides to everything.
- Son Tra Night Market and Dragon Bridge east-bank strip
Pushy seafood stalls, inflated prices, crowds and noise on show nights. Visit, do not sleep in the middle of it.
- Isolated Non Nuoc and far-south resort strip without a transport plan
Not unsafe, but stranded if every dinner is 20 minutes away and there is no Grab budget or driver.
- An Thuong Walking Street frontage
Bars run late, so it is loud if you sleep early. One street back is quiet and barely farther from the beach.
Best restaurants in Da Nang
La Maison 1888
Central Vietnam's only starred restaurant, serving French tasting menus in a colonial mansion.
Nen Danang
A Green Star tasting menu by Chef Summer Le built on hyper local and foraged ingredients, explained course by course.
Si Dining
A small Italian fine dining room where the menu is rewritten daily from the morning market and local seafood.
Thia Go
Polished, foreigner friendly Vietnamese serving the central classics cleanly, a safe group dinner that is still good.
Fatfish
A modern, reliable seafood restaurant and bar near Dragon Bridge that long stay visitors recommend.
MOC Seafood
A loud, packed tank to table seafood hall where you choose live seafood and agree the weight and price first.
Madame Lan
A big Indochine styled riverfront room serving the full Vietnamese canon, reliable for families and mixed groups.
Mi Quang 1A
The textbook bowl of mi Quang, with turmeric noodles, pork, shrimp, quail egg, peanuts and concentrated broth.
Outdoor things to do in Da Nang
Hai Van Pass
Vietnam's famous coastal pass, with switchbacks, sea views and summit bunkers between Da Nang and Hue.
Cam Thanh Coconut Forest
Basket boat rides in a water coconut forest, paired with herb villages, An Bang Beach and a cooking class.
Cham Islands
A biosphere reserve reached by speedboat for snorkelling over coral, seafood lunch and a fishing village walk.
Son Tra Nature Reserve
A dawn safari to find red shanked douc langurs with a conservation guide, plus macaques and hornbills.
My Son Sanctuary
UNESCO listed Cham temple ruins in a jungle valley, best on an early morning or sunset small group tour.
Ba Na Hills Golf Club
A Luke Donald designed mountain course through native forest and valleys, floodlit and 25 minutes downtown.
Legend Danang Golf Resort
A coastal golf resort pairing a Greg Norman course with a Nicklaus course on the road to Hoi An.
Montgomerie Links
Colin Montgomerie's championship course south of Da Nang, a longstanding favourite resort round.
Best hotels in Da Nang
TMS Hotel Da Nang Beach
A modern beachfront tower with a rooftop pool, the top scored My Khe pick in the stay guides cited.
A La Carte Da Nang Beach
A beloved mid range beachfront hotel with a rooftop infinity pool and bar and sea view rooms with kitchenettes.
Cicilia Hotels & Spa Danang
A budget hotel with pools a short walk from My Khe Beach, at the edge of An Thuong.
Golden Lotus Grand
A newer upscale hotel in the An Thuong food zone with a rooftop infinity pool, keeping evenings walkable.
Sofiana My Khe Hotel & Spa
A mid range An Thuong hotel with rooftop pool, bar and spa, under 100 metres from the night market and beach.
Rom Casa Hostel
A shipping container hostel with dorms, privates and a pool, the solo traveller social base in An Thuong.
Novotel Danang Premier Han River
The riverfront luxury pick with a sky bar and Dragon Bridge views, best placed for fireworks nights.
Wink Hotel Danang Centre
A clean mid range centre hotel with breakfast, coworking space and river views.
Is Da Nang expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₫750,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₫1,850,000 a person |
| Splurge | ₫4,000,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Sun World Ba Na Hills: a few days ahead
- Cham Islands: a few days ahead
- Son Tra Nature Reserve: a few days ahead
- My Son Sanctuary: a few days ahead
- Bach Ma National Park: a few days ahead
- Son Tra Paragliding: a few days ahead
- Hoa Phu Thanh: a few days ahead
- La Maison 1888: weeks ahead
- Book Ba Na Hills tickets and transfers ahead in June to August and on holidays, and go on a weekday on the first cable car.
- Book La Maison 1888, Nen Danang and Si Dining days to weeks ahead, as Nen and Si are small rooms.
- Book InterContinental, TMS and Han River hotels early for fireworks festival nights, when river view rooms sell out first.
- Book Cham Islands trips and Bach Ma treks two to three days ahead from February to August, and keep a flexible day in wet season.
Is Da Nang safe?
- Da Nang is notably safe and orderly by Vietnamese big city standards, but use a hotel safe and watch drinks in late bars.
- The sea is the real risk in rainy season, with rough surf and rip currents. Swim between flags and never at night.
- Choose busy stalls cooking in front of you with high turnover, and drink bottled or filtered water, not tap water.
- Scams are mostly commercial overcharging. Keep receipts or a menu photo and ask hotel staff or Tourist Police for help.
Da Nang travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Seafood by weight without confirming price per kilo, total weight and cooking fee before grilling.
- Son Tra Night Market stall owners steering you to seats. Decide your stall, check menu prices and watch the bill.
- Han Market opening prices, which assume bargaining. Counter around 50 to 60 percent and walk if needed.
- The Ba Na Hills buffet lunch, called average food at tourist prices. Snack on the hill and eat properly back in the city.
- Marble Mountains marble shop stops on tours, where prices are not for informed buyers.
- Golden Bridge at midday, when it is wall to wall. The photo needs the first cable car up.
- Street taxis without a Grab comparison or agreed total first.
Getting around Da Nang: public transport and more
- Grab is the system for cars and bikes, with the fare shown upfront and short cross town rides costing a few dollars.
- Walking works inside An Thuong, the beachfront and the Han River promenade, not between those zones in the heat.
- Rent a scooter only if licensed with an IDP and experienced. Most visitors should use an Easy Rider for Hai Van Pass.
- A private car by the day suits Ba Na Hills, Marble Mountains plus Hoi An, or Hue. Compare two or three quotes.
- The airport is 10 to 15 minutes from both the river and the beach. The Heritage Train is the scenic route to Hue.
Who Da Nang suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Da Nang your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store