A comprehensive travel guide to Da Nang from A to Z
Welcome to Da Nang, one of Vietnam’s fastest-growing cities and a favorite destination for travelers. This Da Nang Travel Guide will help you discover the best places to visit, eat, and stay during your trip. Whether you’re here for the beaches, cultural sites, or local food, this guide provides clear and practical information to make your visit easy and enjoyable.
✍️ Best Time to Visit Da Nang?
Da Nang is located in the transition zone between the northern and southern climates of Vietnam, but it mainly has a tropical southern climate. The year is divided into two distinct seasons: the dry season from January to July and the rainy season from August to December. Occasionally, there are mild cold spells in winter, but they do not last long or become very cold.
✒️ From late December to late March, the weather is cool and comfortable, ideal for spring trips. Hotel and dining prices are usually the most stable during this period. Visitors should bring a light jacket as evenings can be a bit chilly, and there may be occasional light drizzles.
✒️ From early April to mid-September is the best time to visit Da Nang. This is also the summer peak season, so it can be crowded and prices tend to be higher. April is special for the forest on Son Tra Peninsula turning yellow and red.
✒️ From mid-September to late December, the weather cools down and short rain showers start to appear, but they don’t last long. The peak season is over, so flight tickets, accommodation, and food services are more affordable.
✍️ How to get to Da Nang
Travelers from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City usually fly to Da Nang, with round-trip ticket prices ranging from about 1,300,000 to 3,000,000 VND, depending on the booking time. The flight takes around one hour.
+ If you have more time, taking the train is a good option to enjoy the scenery along the way, especially the Hai Van Pass when traveling from the north. Train tickets from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang cost between 600,000 and 1,100,000 VND one way, depending on the type of seat: soft seat with air conditioning or a four-bed sleeper cabin with air conditioning. The journey lasts about 17 to 18 hours.
+ If you plan to drive yourself, you should allocate at least a week for the trip and have two drivers to take turns. From Hanoi, the best time to start is around noon or early afternoon, with an overnight stop in Nghe An.
+ If you start later, you can stop in Thanh Hoa for the night and depart for Da Nang the next morning. On the way back, you may stop in Quang Binh to rest and explore a bit more.In Da Nang, renting a motorbike or car is recommended for flexible travel. Renting is quite convenient, with pick-up and drop-off available at the airport or hotels. The average price is about 100,000 VND per day for a motorbike and around 1,000,000 VND per day for a car.
✍️ Hotels and resorts in Da Nang
Tourism in Da Nang is growing rapidly. Along the coastal road, visitors can easily find hotels offering a wide range of prices. Besides hotels, the city also has various accommodation options such as homestays, apartments, and dormitory rooms located in the city center. Depending on your budget and needs, you can choose a suitable place to stay, but it’s best to book in advance to avoid fully booked rooms during weekends or peak seasons.
In early the year, Central Vietnam can be quite cold at night. Therefore, travelers should consider closed rooms with full amenities like private bathrooms, hot water heaters, hair dryers, irons, and laundry services. The price for a 4-star hotel room usually starts from around 500,000 VND per night.
Some well-known 5-star resorts and hotels in Da Nang you can consider include InterContinental Da Nang Sun Peninsula Resort, Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa, Pullman, Furama Resort Danang, Four Points by Sheraton Danang, Novotel, Hilton, Fusion Suites, and Danang Golden Bay Hotel. Room rates here range from 1,200,000 to 10,000,000 VND per night.
✍️ Must-Visit Places in Da Nang
📍 Son Tra Peninsula covers over 4,400 hectares and rises to 700 meters, acting as a natural shield for Da Nang. From the city center, you can get there by car for around VND120,000-150,000 or rent a motorbike for VND100,000-170,000 per day. The highlight is Linh Ung Pagoda with a 67-meter statue of Bodhisattva Guanyin overlooking the sea. Visitors enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and great views but should watch out for playful monkeys. Paragliding tours are available for about VND1.3 million per person.
📍 Marble Mountains are a 45-minute ride from Son Tra, featuring caves, tunnels, and pagodas. The largest cave, Huyen Khong, is famous for its light beams and historical uses. Entrance is VND40,000, with an elevator costing VND15,000 one-way.
📍 The Golden Bridge at Ba Na Hills is a 150-meter-long, curved walkway held up by giant stone hands. Visitors reach it by a 20-minute cable car ride with stunning views of Da Nang’s coast.
📍 My Khe Beach stretches 10 km and is known for its clear water and white sand. Water sports like parasailing (VND500,000 for 15 minutes) are popular here.
📍 Nam O Fishing Village, about 3 km from Hai Van Pass, is famous for fish sauce made from black anchovies, producing 50,000 liters yearly.📍 Hai Van Pass offers stunning views from its 10 km peak along a winding mountain road between Da Nang and Thua Thien-Hue. Travelers should be cautious in fog.
📍 At night, Da Nang has bars like Brilliant Top Bar and Sky36, and offers a calm night cruise along the lit-up Han River.
📍 Helicopter tours provide aerial views of major landmarks, costing around VND2.14 million for 12 minutes.
✍️ What to eat
Mi Quang is a specialty originating from Quang Nam Province, which borders Da Nang. It is served widely, from street stalls to upscale restaurants.Thick, wide yellow noodles are cooked in a turmeric-infused broth with a choice of pork, chicken, shrimp, quail eggs, mussels, or eel in a beef-based soup.
To enhance flavor and texture, additional ingredients like sesame rice crackers, spring onions, basil, peanuts, coriander, lettuce, and thinly sliced banana flowers are added.You can try this dish at Ms. Mua’s stall on Tran Binh Trong Street, Ngoc Chi’s stall on Hoang Dieu Street, or Ms. Sau’s shop on Pham Quang Anh Street.A serving costs between 10,000 and 45,000 VND.
Be Thui (barbecued veal) is also famous in Da Nang, originating from Mong Bridge in Dien Ban District, Quang Nam Province.The dipping sauce is made from whole anchovies that are strained, mixed with sugar, crushed chili and garlic, a little ginger, and roasted golden sesame seeds.
The dish is served with organic herbs and vegetables from Tra Que village in Hoi An, including perilla, lettuce, mustard greens, sliced young banana, cilantro, basil, cinnamon, and bean sprouts.Slices of barbecued veal are wrapped in rice paper with the herbs, then dipped into the spiced fish sauce.You can enjoy this dish at 100 Dien Bien Phu Street or 895 Ngo Quyen Street.A serving costs between 70,000 and 110,000 VND.
In the ancient fishing village of Nam O, locals prepare a raw fish salad using fresh herring—an iconic dish that visitors should not miss.Nam O fresh herring salad is served with a dipping sauce made from boiled fish broth and fish sauce.
Though sardines or anchovies can be used, the dish tastes best with firm-fleshed herring.Herring is caught fresh daily in the Nam O area throughout the year. After being caught, the fish are cleaned, heads removed, and filleted into bite-sized pieces.The dish comes with grilled rice paper and fresh herbs.
Besides common vegetables like lettuce, bean sprouts, and banana flowers, Nam O villagers also use wild banana, mango, cucumber, and starfruit, all thinly sliced.The dipping sauce is made from boiled fish broth, Nam O fish sauce, chili, tapioca starch, and monosodium glutamate.A serving costs about 80,000 VND.
You can find this dish at Ms. Hien’s stall on Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, Ms. Thanh Huong’s stall on Nguyen Luong Bang Street, and Ms. Hong’s stall on Huynh Thuc Khang Street.
Another specialty in Da Nang is rice paper rolls filled with pork and a variety of herbs.A serving costs about 40,000 VND per person and includes thin rice papers, boiled pork cut into medium-sized pieces, and fresh raw vegetables such as different types of lettuce, perilla, onion, cilantro, cucumber, and thinly sliced mango.
The dipping sauce is fermented seafood sauce (mam nem), seasoned with chili and garlic.This dish is popular at Con Market, located at the intersection of Hung Vuong and Ong Ich Khiem streets.
