For some reason, while I was traveling in Southeast Asia, many backpackers around me opted to skip Da Nang. But we realized that there are MANY things to do in Da Nang and that it’s worth visiting 100%!
Don’t go to Da Nang, they said. It sucks, they said. But why, I replied?
Of all the backpacker hostel-recommended bus routes up and down the coast of Vietnam, none included Da Nang as a stop. Most went straight from Hué to Hoi An, a smaller city newly popular among backpackers for its custom tailors. Da Nang is about three hours from Hue and one from Hoi An, is the third-largest city in Vietnam, and is actually really damn cool.
There are gorgeous bridges, a beautiful high-rise dotted skyline that reminded me a lot of a less-developed Miami, and plenty of mountainous areas and beaches near the city craziness that are absolutely gorgeous and a blast to explore.
My dad was based here during the war, so I knew that I wanted to go to Da Nang in advance. I was so surprised to hear people tell me that there wasn’t much to do there, and that it was a skippable stop – it absolutely wasn’t true! Despite hearing not to go, we went anyway.
Here are 9 amazing things to do in Da Nang Vietnam and 9 reasons to ignore the hostels and agents and actually make a good stop in the amazing city of Da Nang. And here’s how to get to and from Da Nang in the process!
More on Vietnam:
- 2 Week Vietnam Itinerary
- My Vietnam Travel Stories (Part 1)
- Exploring Caves in Phong Nha National Park
Things to do in Da Nang
From mountains to the city, here are all the amazing things to do in Da Nang that you must NOT miss on your trip to Vietnam.
Get Lost in the Big Bustling City
Da Nang is actually the third-largest city in Vietnam, after Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. The city is completely alive and bustling with motorbikes, high-rises, and people moving through their days at a fast pace.
In such a large city there is so much to discover and so many places to explore. Just driving around the streets was exciting as we debated on what we wanted to do next. There are plenty of bars and cafes, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and historic places to check out. There’s also a huge coffee culture here!
Visit Asia Park While in the City
While exploring the city, make sure to ed at the amazingly unique theme park called Asia Park, right in the center of the city. It has lots of different amusement rides and different areas based on different Asian countries (hence the name).
It’s a fantastic place to spend an evening after a day of explorations, as Asia Park is a fun place to be any time of day. MAke sure to check out some of the rollercoasters and of course the iconic ferris wheel.
Check out the Beautiful Bridges – Don’t Miss the Dragon Bridge!
Da Nang is basically set right where the mouth of a river hits the sea, situating the city on either side of a pretty wide river mouth. The 4 or 5 bridges that span this gap are beautiful sights to see- all massive, and designed very beautifully.
The most well-known in Da Nang is the Dragon Bridge, which is a bridge with a huge golden yellow dragon winding through it. If you drive up next to it, you can see that this grandiose metal dragon winds above and below the bridge for its entirety, and it apparently blows fire on weekends. Rad.
Try Amazing Food in Da Nang (It’s Known for its Food)
Da Nang is especially known for its amazing food options. There are a few special dishes specifically known to this city, amazing hole-in-the wall Vietnamese places on each corner, and a lot of fancy lantern-clad restaurants with extensive foodie options as well.
Most of them give you free unlimited tea as well!! Our hostel gave us great recommendations for the most famous food places to go in the city. One of the BEST ways to ensure you have a great Da Nang food experience is by taking a top-rated food tour.
Explore the Idyllic Ba Na Hills and Golden Bridge
You have probably seen the Ba Na Hills in photos on social media, but just didn’t know it! The Ba Na Hills are just outside of Da Nang and are home to the famous Golden Bridge that looks like two giant hands holding a thin golden bridge.
You must take a cable car up to these hills, and the views are simply incredible! You can easily take a scooter up here, but if you are more comfortable there are also great tours that take you to the best points of interest in the Ba Na Hills including the Golden Bridge, French Gardens, and more.
Go Shopping!
The first thing I noticed when we hit the outskirts of Da Nang on our motorbike were the dozens of big outlet-type shops and stores lining the main roads – all advertising great prices!
As we drove around more, we became pretty excited to check out some of them out to try and find some good deals. You could definitely spend a whole day shopping here.
The city center has even MORE shopping centers and busy malls, where you could surely find pretty much anything you are looking for for a great price. Either that, or you can pick up some great souvenirs from Da Nang.
Get a Great Dose of Culture at the Museums – Cham Museum, History Museum, and More
Da Nang also has a few museums you can visit if you’d like to get a dose of history and culture. One museum, called the Cham Museum, covers some history and sculptures of indigenous Vietnamese people dating all the way back to the second century.
The Historical Museum covers a lot of Da Nang and Vietnam’s history and struggle with the French and Americans, the Ho Chi Minh Museum is popular also with a replica of president Ho Chi Minh’s home, and the Museum of the Fifth Military Zone covers a bit of the Vietnam War and broadcasts a lot of captured planes and military equipment.
Da Nang was a big base during the Vietnam war, but much of it has been built up now. My dad was based here and couldn’t believe the city had grown from the dirt roads and shacks he knew to high rises and bridges!
Get Best of Both Worlds – City and Nature
If you ask me, Da Nang is the best kind of city: Big and bustling, but also really close to beautiful nature and places to get away from the city buzz. It’s like taking the best city vibes of Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi and combining them with the best of Vietnam’s coastal cities too.
If you drive right out of the enormous city you can get to beautiful beaches and mountains within just a few minutes. So there you have it: options. You are neither stuck in the craziness of a city or a secluded area. You can have either one at any time.
Spend the morning at a cafe in the city and then head to the beach or out into the mountains overlooking the city.
Relax at Beautiful Beaches – Especially My Khe Beach
Da Nang spans over two coastlines and a river. These two coastlines are both home to gorgeous beaches. So it’s not impossible to spend a few hours in the city and then the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the sand under a bamboo umbrella.
The best of both Vietnam’s worlds are brought together here! My Khe Beach stretches miles and miles down the coast too so you aren’t spoilt for choice on where to set up. This is the closest beach to the city, and unlike some city beached in the world, it’s actually gorgeous and serene!
Find Amazing Views on the Monkey Mountains
The south side of the river mouth opens up into a huge cliffy peninsula known as the ‘monkey mountains.’ My dad actually recommended this place to me because this is the exact place he was based during the war.
We had a huge scooter adventure on the little tiny sidewalk-sized roads that span these mountains, and actually even saw a few little monkeys scurrying around! There were some gorgeous resorts, a butterfly reserve, amazing views of the sea, and unreal views of the skyscraper-dotted skyline of Da Nang in the distance.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can hike or climb to the top of Sơn Trà Mountain for incredible views of the Lady Buddhe and Da Nang city. Highly recommended!
Drive the Hai Van Pass
Just north of the city is another mountainous area known as Hai Van Pass. We had to drive through this to get to Da Nang from Hue and had to pull over multiple times sheerly to stop and gape at the views of the windy road slithering along the lush green cliffs, with the ocean lapping up against them.
It reminded us of Big Sur in California! When you get to the top, there are some ruins to explore, and a few places to get gas if you’re worried. It’s a great road trip from Da Nang but is even more fun to drive from Da Nang to Hue for the biggest adventure!
Hike + Explore the Marble Mountains
The marble mountains are a little further south in Da Nang, maybe 30 minutes from the center. It’s hard to begin to explain how cool they are! They seemingly rise like cliffs out of nowhere, with tons of caves and nooks and crannies to explore. It basically feels like you’re on Tom Sawyer’s Island in Disneyland if it was a real, ancient, historic place.
They use these mountains to make all kinds of marble statues of all sizes, trinkets, and souvenirs, which you will start seeing sold on the side of the roads when you’re getting close. Up the mountains they have everything made out of marble and pagodas all decked out with glass and porcelain mosaics.
There are a few huge Buddhas and statue areas made with white marble. As you continue, you reach a few caves, all of which are temples too. Everything is surrounded by stringy Tarzan-like vines and Jumanji-like stone structures (how many Disney references can I make in one description?)!
The biggest cave you get to just took my breath away – it’s a few hundred feet tall and has a sitting buddha inside actually carved from the stone of the cave! Marble mountains were definitely one of my favorite places.
Marvel at the Lady Buddha Statue
Right when you start driving into the Monkey Mountains from Da Nang, you get to the spectacular 67-meter-tall white standing lady Buddha statue, opulently guarding the mountains with her presence. In the area, there are also tons of marble statues of dragons and lions and some pretty extravagant pagodas and temples to see as well – all with a great ocean and city view!
Snorkeling on the Cham Islands
Did you know that one of the BEST places to go snorkeling in Vietnam is right off the coast of Da Nang? It would be silly to miss out on a trip to the Cham Islands while visiting Da Nang, one of the best things to do in Da Nang. You will feel like you just transported MILES from the city to a remote tropical island here.
These idyllic islands have super clear water and lovely reefs that are a bit more untouched than the beaches in the city. It’s actually a biosphere reserve and an UNESCO protected heritage site! Day tours here include hiking, snorkeling, sun bathing, or however you want to spend your time on these beautiful islands.
So there you have it, 9 great things to do in Da Nang on your trip through Vietnam! It was one of my favorite stops on our Vietnam itinerary and I’m sure it will be one of yours too.
If you want a half hilarious, half cringe travel story, check out how we almost didn’t get into Vietnam – another reason NEVER to forget travel insurance!
Passionate, full-time travel blogger with over 230k on social media and 150kMPV blog. Extraordinary photographer with two DSLR's + a drone with a love for capturing candid moments, epic drone shots, and magical compositions. I'm a natural-born content creator originally from California, but I've been on the road for 9 years living, working, traveling, blogging, and photographing my way around the world. I recommend the most amazingly adventurous and unique + boutique travel experiences/stays and helpful products to my audience and write comprehensive guides on my website that have helped millions of travelers so far. I love to inspire people to plan their dream trips, and many readers have given feedback as such. The reach on my platforms continues to soar, especially when combining cutting-edge social content with optimized articles on my high-authority website.
Kruse
Wednesday 22nd of June 2016
I totally agree with you! Đà Nẵng is one of the best places we should visit. Somebody advised me skip this "boring city", but i had a lot of fun there haha. I came to the beaches, drove to the mountain, tried a lot of yummy food, met friendly people. .. Moreover, i discovered Danang cuisine and culture with Danang home cooking class. I learnt to cook banh xeo, spring rolls, and tamhuu...great activity!
xotherunawaygirls
Tuesday 19th of April 2016
Our next stop is Vietnam and we only had 2 of these on our list, thank you for the extra tips!