DA NANG

I have to state, right off the bat, that I love Vietnam, and Da Nang is one of my all time favorite cities. I can actually see myself living here, and what’s not to love? With stunning beaches, exotic temples, a delicious variety of foods, coffee shops, bars, entertainment, warm and friendly people. Da Nang is at the top of my list of places I like to return to when I need a break from traveling. In other words, it feels like home in many ways, only more affordable. 

We have a favorite place we like to stay that is near My Khe (me kay) Beach. Staying on the beach side of Da Nang, means you are pretty much in walking distance to everything you need. For us, being just a couple of blocks from a beautiful beach is a real plus. My Khe is an awesome six mile stretch of white sandy beach. One morning we were out bright and early at 6:00 am, intending to walk the beach before it got hot. Wow, were we met with a surprise. I bet there were a few thousand people on the beach. Everybody was doing some form of exercise before their work day started. They were swimming, doing Tai Chi or Qigong, using the workout equipment on the promenade, there were Zumba and line dancing classes going on. Some people were just burying themselves in the sand on the beach, this is known as earthing. Everyone from age one to one hundred was out taking advantage of the cool morning air. I was amazed and delighted by this.

There is plenty to see and do here in addition to relaxing on the beach. A visit to The Marble Mountains is a fascinating and easy half day excursion. Located about five miles from downtown Da Nang, the mountains are just a short taxi ride away. This amazing place is part historical treasure, part natural wonder, part spiritual setting and totally beautiful. This is a network of five marble and limestone mountains named after the five elements of metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. Water Mountain is the main mountain to visit and you will find multiple caves, tunnels, elaborate temples, pagodas, stunning lookout spots, and beautiful sculptures. Once sacred sites to the ancient Cham people, it still holds significant importance to Buddhists and Hindus. Inside the mountain are two caverns that also serve as temples. One is smaller, but with a high ceiling, and you have to do a little scrambling around.

The other is enormous inside. The entrance is small, but then you descend a few steps and the cave opens into something I was not expecting, a truly beautiful cathedral sized cavern. The ceiling here is well over a hundred feet high and the cavern itself is remarkable. Besides having stalactites and stalagmites, there are also two huge sculptures of the Buddha in here. This room alone is worth the visit. There is an elevator that will take you straight to the top of the mountain, but you will miss a lot if you choose to take it. If you are able to take the stairs you will be rewarded with beautiful gardens, fountains, ponds, temples, pagodas, and courtyards at various levels. The street outside the Marble Mountain entrance is lined with shops that sell beautiful pieces of carved marble. Everything from giant statues and fountains, down to jewelry sized pieces. You can watch these expert craftsman carve into these giant slabs of marble and turn them into a piece of artwork.

The most famous landmark in Da Nang is the Dragon Bridge. I never tire of looking at it, especially at night. This is one of the most iconic, and architecturally unique bridges in the world. Spanning the Han River at almost 2,200 feet long, and 6 lanes wide, this bridge connects downtown Da Nang with the beach area. Opened in 2009, this bridge showcases an undulating dragon flying towards the sea. It’s tail is in the shape of a blooming lotus blossom, the national flower of Vietnam. In Vietnamese culture, dragons represent strength and power. At night the Dragon Bridge comes alive with 15,000 color changing LED lights. It really is beautiful to sit and watch the dragon change colors. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights at 9:00 pm sharp, the dragon breathes fire into the air, then it blows a fine mist of water, this goes on at intervals for about 20 minutes. This is a huge tourist attraction as people (locals and tourists) gather to watch this display. Traffic on the bridge is shut down while the show takes place. It is really cool to watch, and it’s free! There are many food vendors out and both sides of the river are lined with a promenade, and many restaurants, cafes, and bars. It makes for a great night out. I’ve seen the show three times and I hope to see it again. 

Another fun thing to do, which goes right along with the Dragon Bridge, is a night cruise on the Han River in a dragon boat. There are at least a dozen of these big double and triple decker boats that cruise up and down the river in the evenings. You can opt to have dinner on the boat, or just drinks and the cruise. The boat takes you under all the beautiful bridges spanning the Han River. They all light up at night, and the colorful downtown skyline of Da Nang is pretty nice to cruise past in the evening as well. It all looks completely different at night. If you do a cruise on the weekend, the boats stop at the Dragon Bridge and you can see the show from the river. I prefer to be on the bridge for this experience so I can feel the heat of the dragon’s flames followed by the cool mist of the water. We have cruised the river twice, choosing the cruise with a drink option. The dragon boat cruise is a really good value at about $6.00 per person, and a lot of fun to do.

Right across from the Dragon Bridge, on the downtown side, is the Cham Sculptural Museum. Opened in 1919 by two French archeologists, the museum itself is built in Cham architectural style. This museum displays an intensive and diverse collection of Cham sculptures dating from the 4th to the 15th centuries. These sculptures clearly reflect that the Champa Kingdom owes its spiritual origins to an Indian Hindu society. These sandstone and terra cotta sculptures are really beautiful and you can easily spend two or three hours visiting all the different rooms in the museum and, admission is only $2.50 per person. To go along with a visit to this museum and get a better understanding of the Champa Kingdom, we also visited the My Son (me sun) Sanctuary. Located about an hours drive from Da Nang, the temples at My Son Sanctuary were built over a period of ten centuries, or 1,000 years. This is not only one of the most important archeological sites in Vietnam, but in all of Southeast Asia as it shows a cultural interchange with the India sub-continent where an indigenous society adapted to external cultural influences. Here we saw very impressive tower temples in what was the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom. We have seen nothing like them any where else.

One of my most favorite spots in Da Nang is the Chua Lhin Ung Pagoda and Lady Buddha Temple complex that lies just outside of Da Nang’s city limits on the Son Tra Peninsula. You can clearly see the Lady Buddha statue from the beach in Da Nang. This is the most recent addition to the pagoda complex being built in 2004. The Lady Buddha stands an impressive 220 feet tall and houses seventeen floors, each filled with Buddha images. Officially known as the Quan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, she is the patron saint of the fishermen and sailors and gives them good fortune and protection on the sea. Locals also believe that she shelters the city from disaster, such as typhoons. She has a very peaceful and serene look as she stands on top of her lotus flower pedestal. She really is very impressive to see.

There is also the Chua Loi Tower, which has seven floors of Buddhist art on display. This pagoda was originally built in 1997. The original pagoda in this complex was built in 1825 on the exact spot where a small statue of the Buddha was found sitting on a sandbank. The local people took this as a good omen and built a pagoda for the statue on that very spot. This complex has  gone through many additions over the years. Besides offering the best views of the city, surrounding mountains, and ocean, this complex has so much to see. Set on almost 50 acres you will find a monastery, convent, main prayer hall, lecture hall, library, ancestral house, meditation and prayer halls, cafeteria, and Arahat sculpture garden. The artwork, carvings, bonsai gardens, fountains, sculptures, and so much more displayed here combine to make up one of the most tranquil atmospheres I have ever found. I could wander around in wonder for hours, then just sit and gaze at the beautiful mountain and ocean surroundings.

We have been here three times and I look forward to when I can go back again. Best of all, admission is free! You will see a few monkeys around the perimeter of the property. They are not a nuisance here because, like all Buddhist temples, this is a home for stray dogs and cats. The monks take care of all unwanted animals and they really add something good to the atmosphere. Last time we went, there was a pot-bellied pig sitting in the parking lot. It was hilarious.

This place is really beautiful at night when everything is lit up and you also get to hear the monks chanting. Be careful if you go at night though. It’s easy to find a Grab (like Uber) to get there, but you may not find one for a ride back. All the Grab drivers want to be in town after dark as that is when they make the most money driving people to restaurants and night clubs. That’s what happened to us, no Grab drivers or taxis in the area when we were ready to leave. We ended up walking from the temple complex to the edge of town, before getting a Grab to pick us up. It actually turned out to be okay because the distance wasn’t that far, taking only an hour, and it was a lovely evening for a walk, so it was all good. If you are ever in Da Nang, this place is a must see!

Being beach lovers, one of the funnest things we did, several times per week, during our time here, was go to the beach. My Khe Beach was only two blocks from our apartment. We would walk over to the beach around 10:00 or 11:00 in the morning to a little kiosk that rented out lounge chairs and umbrellas. We would get ourselves planted and get a fresh cold coconut to drink, then hit the water. This is one of the best beaches we’ve ever been to, and we have been to a lot! The white sand gently slopes down into the water with no rocks or steep drop offs.

The waves are gentle, and the water is a perfect temperature. Best of all, it is one of the few beaches we have ever visited where there is no trash or broken glass on the beach or in the water. We would go back and forth doing this until early afternoon, then either get a delicious Banh Mi sandwich from a cart, or call Grab Eats for food delivery (yes, they even deliver to the beach!). Then spend the afternoon, swimming, reading, and lazing under the umbrella. People watching is always great at the beach too. The local people are so family oriented and loving with their children, I love watching them at the beach. When we were done in the sun, we would often stop for a beer at a really nice beachside lounge we found. Then head back to shower up for dinner. 

Our time in Da Nang always goes by way to fast. For a city in Vietnam, Da Nang is very manageable in size. It has all the amenities we are looking for, the people are just wonderful, and it is very budget friendly. I can see us coming back here regularly for many years to come.

As much as we love all of the things to see and do in Da Nang and enjoy spending time on the beautiful beach, one of the main things that always brings us back to Vietnam is the food and the coffee! Be sure to check out our Da Nang food blog to find out about our favorite foods and places to eat.       

Check out our Guide to Da Nang Video