Many have gone South to Ho Chi Minh, and some have gone North to Hanoi, the country’s capital. Aside from these two cities found at the opposite ends of Vietnam, there are many other cities to see and activities to experience in the middle part of this country. One of these cities is Da Nang.
Da Nang is the connecting city of three UNESCO World Heritage sites: Hoi An ancient town, Hue Citadel, and My Son Sanctuary. This city can be enjoyed by all kinds of travelers. There are many hip bars, restaurants, and cafes for the city-traveler, there are off-site trails for trekking, there are beaches for lounging or swimming, and museums for the history-inclined travelers. If you are pressed for time, you can book an hour and twenty-minute flight; if time isn’t an issue, you can try riding a bus (about 21hrs) or train (about 17hrs) to get to this city from Ho Chi Minh. Being a coastal city, cruise ships have also docked here at Tien Sa deep seaport.
As we only had a few days to explore the city, we squeezed in a lot of activities for the duration of our stay. Our first destination was the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture. It’s the perfect first stop of the trip. Here, visitors get a glimpse of over 400 artifacts made from terracotta, metal, sandstones, and other materials. The array of sculptures covers a wide range of themes too like myths, religion, fertility, and architectures reminiscent of the Cham culture. This exhibit also showcases the skills of the Cham people who were mainly fishermen, hunters, and farmers.
After that, we headed to a nearby cafe and souvenir shop, Da Nang Souvenirs and Cafe. This place hits two birds with one stone as you can take refuge here from the afternoon heat while completing your souvenir to-buy list. It has an air-conditioned and open-air seating area.
The shop houses several local delicacies and artworks printed on different merchandise like bags, postcards, magnets, and keychains.
Next on our agenda was to visit one of Da Nang’s beaches. We went to a beach quite popular among locals and tourists alike, My Khe beach. This beach gets more people in the late afternoon towards the sunset. At this time, groups of family and friends flock to the beachside to get a good view of the sunset and to have picnics. Strips of restaurants, mainly offering seafood, are also found on both sides and across this beach, so it was easy to grab dinner after watching the sunset.
The seafood dinner was demolished quickly as all dishes tasted fresh and delicious. Our night wasn’t over yet as, after dinner, we headed to the other side of the city to get a good view of the Dragon Bridge. This bridge is believed to bring good luck to those who cross it. Bringing good luck or not, the bridge was an interesting sight to see on a weekend; at about 9 pm, it shoots fire from its mouth and is accompanied by a light show on its body. The whole presentation lasts for about 10 minutes or so, which was a nice ending to our first day.
For our second day, after lunch, we headed to Marble Mountain. This mountain sits in the southern part of Da Nang city. It is a cluster of five marble and limestone hills named Kim, Thuy, Moc, Hoa, and Tho. It’s a good thing that this was our only activity for the day as it would take some time to get to the top, and the experience is quite an exercise. It can be physically challenging, but it still is elderly friendly as they have installed an elevator to get to the first viewpoint; The entrance fee is 40,000, and you must add another 40,000vnd for the elevator ride.
It has several viewpoints that will give you a bird’s eye view of Da Nang city. There are also several trails, pagodas, and caves that you can trek. Make sure that you put on sunscreen, bring a towel, and keep yourself hydrated. Take extra care when trekking up to the top as some steps are slippery as you are walking on limestones and marbles. It might have been a struggle to climb, but the view at the top was worth it. You get to see the city as a whole and get a glimpse of the beaches as well.
On our last full day, we had to ride a cable car for 750,000vnd which also served as the ticket to enter Sunworld’s Ba Na Hills, and it was worth the price. This place is majestic. There are several areas worth checking out, and activities to try. One of the most notable places to see here would be the golden bridge. The bridge sits on two palms, which adds to the majestic feeling of the place. This area gets crowded easily, so best to visit either early in the morning, or towards the closing time of the theme park which is at 6 pm.
Another activity we truly enjoyed in Ba Na Hills was the alpine coaster. You get to ride and control the speed on your own. It can go as fast as 40km/h. The line for this experience was quite long, but the wait was worth it. For someone who is afraid of heights and couldn’t drive, this was the highlight of our Ba Na Hills visit.
To settle our rising adrenaline, we walked around the French village. This area of the park makes you feel as if you’re in a European country. You get to walk on cobblestones and stop here and there in front of different picturesque buildings. There are musical and dance performances happening around the park as well, so make sure to grab a map that shows the performance schedule and the different areas to explore.
Three days of exploration might seem short, but in just three days, we were able to experience a lot. Next time you think about traveling to Vietnam, add Da Nang to your must-visit cities.
Addresses
Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculptures
- Số 02 Đ. September 2, Binh Hien, Hai Chau, Da Nang
- Open from 7;00am – 5:00pm
Da Nang Souvenirs & Cafe
- 34 Bạch Đằng, Thạch Thang, Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng
- Open from 7:00am to 10:30pm
Dragon Bridge
- An Hải, Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng
Marble Mountains
- 81 Huyen Tran Cong Chua, Hoa Hai, Ngu Hanh Son, Da Nang
- Open from 7:00am to 5:30pm
Ba Na hills
- Tuyến cáp treo lên Bà Nà Hills, Hoà Ninh, Hòa Vang, Đà Nẵng
- Open from 7:00am to 6:00pm