A little Da Nang Travel Guide.

This post contains affiliate links. If you book something through these links I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read more about my disclosure and affiliate policy here.

…

I have flown to Da Nang Airport plenty of times but I was usually on my way to Hoi An, one of my favorite cities in Vietnam. I had actually never spent the night because I always wondered – is Da Nang worth visiting? Neither my friends nor Tripadvisor had a solid answer. However, when I found out that Secret Experiences now runs a Secret Cocktail Tour in Da Nang, I was more than keen to at least give Da Nang the courtesy of a stopover. 

And while it probably won’t become my new favorite city any time soon, I reckon it is worth staying a couple of nights if you are in the area. All my practical tips for your stay, what to do, and of course where to eat in this little Da Nang travel guide. 

Da Nang Travel Guide

Da Nang attractions

One of the city’s main attractions is actually the over 10 kilometer long beachfront. Coming from Thailand where we are spoilt with beautiful beaches I don’t think Vietnam’s beaches are anything to write home about. However, as far as a city with a beachfront is concerned, it is quite nice. 

Overall you will quickly notice that beyond the beach, Da Nang is not a very touristic city. Vietnamese people live and work here, and as such you won’t really find a huge amount of sightseeing in Da Nang. Most visitors use Da Nang as a jump-off point to visit Hoi An or head to the Marble Mountains, the Golden Bridge, My Son Sanctuary, or the Cham Islands.

In the city itself you will find the Da Nang Museum and the famous Dragon Bridge, the riverside and Sun Wheel, great for an overview of the city. The riverside really comes alive after dark and the dragon on the bridge breathes fire and there is a light show Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 9 pm. 

Where to find the best Da Nang food

As usual, I came to Da Nang to eat. I am a huge fan of Vietnamese food and was curious to see if there were some local specialties I had to try. I quickly learned that Da Nang is famous for bun cha ca with fishcakes (bun cha is one of my Vietnamese favorites – you can read all about it here) and I went to the highly recommended Bún chả cá 109 to try it. 

You can order your bun cha ca with crabcakes, fishcakes, and other pieces of fish, and it always comes with pineapples, tomato, rice noodles, and copious amounts of herbs and salad for you to add. While it was a lovely bowl of soup, I must admit I prefer the original. 

Obviously, Da Nang being right by the ocean there are plenty of other great seafood dishes. I however, decided to have a pro show me the ropes and booked a Da Nang food tour by motorbike with a female driver. Compared to other tours, you don’t have to walk far and get to see more of Da Nang. Another big plus: the tours are private since every person gets their own personal driver. However, this one came without the hefty private tour price tag. 

We tried some Vietnamese snacks, Banh Xeo, a yummy pancake that gets turned into a spring roll, pork belly BBQ, and coconut dessert. While the original plan was more bun cha ca, I requested a change (another advantage when doing a private tour) – Mì Quảng. Mì Quảng is a famous soup of the region but here it is a bit extra and is served with frog. 

I have only had frog once in my life at Locavore, neatly presented as frog floss, and was keen to try it properly. Unfortunately it came out looking very froggy-ish and while it does taste like a simple mix between fish and chicken, I just couldn’t stomach it. That said, the rest of the soup was delicious and I am sure other people won’t mind frog will like it. 

Tip: By the way, don’t be surprised if you are asked for your weight when booking a motorbike food tour in Da Nang. The organizers prefer to give you a male driver when you are over a certain size for safety reasons. 

Secret Cocktail Experience in Da Nang

Can you consider cocktails food? You decide but I think if it is made with fish sauce and smokey pork flavor, it can definitely count as a meal. 

I have done a few Secret Experiences in Hoi An and am a huge fan of the company’s concept. The cocktail tours are basically fancy pub crawls for adults and a great option for solo travelers who may not want to sit in a bar by themselves. 

When I learned that they now have a tour in Da Nang as well, I was keen to extend my stopover and give it a go. Just like in Hoi An you will be guided to four different venues for cocktails & snacks. These venues range from a speakeasy to local favorites and secret spots that usually don’t serve alcohol. The curation of places is truly one of a kind and tends to change with each experience so you can definitely come back and do the tour again. 

The cocktails chosen truly represent and showcase local, seasonal flavors and are usually not something you would be able to find on your own. At the same time, you will learn about the local nightlife, what tiki culture is all about, and taste Vietnamese spirits. And yes, while there are some unusual ingredients on the menu, all of our cocktails were absolutely delicious – don’t be scared by my mention of fish sauce. In fact they were so good that I stayed on afterward to have another Vietnamese tiki cocktail. 

• Book Secret Cocktail Experience in Da Nang direct
• Book Secret Cocktail Experience via Viator

Da Nang Travel Guide – Practical tips

How to get to Da Nang & how to get around

Da Nang is in Central Vietnam on the coast of the South China Sea, about halfway between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. The Da Nang Airport is an international airport with flights to/from Southeast Asia and as far as Japan and Kazakhstan. Obviously, Vietnam Airlines flies to Da Nang but also carriers like Air Asia. Usually, the lines at immigration are quite long so it can pay off to get off the plane as quickly as possible. 

Since it is a bit hard to define where the Da Nang city center is, it is tricky to give you a distance but it took about 20 minutes to my hotel by My Khe Beach. You can either get a taxi, as your accommodation to organize a pick-up, or simply use Grab. There is a special Grab pick-up point at the airport and trips are well-organized and inexpensive. 

To get around Da Nang, I used Grab motorbikes which was a bit of an interesting one… let’s just say, that the helmets you get are quite bad and the roads invite swift driving. I stuck to shorter distances on a bike and went for a regular Grab car for longer rides. 

If you want to go from Da Nang to Hoi An I strongly recommend getting a taxi or private transfer. Prices start at $11 for an air-conditioned private car that will take you to your doorstep. Otherwise, you can book a minivan for about half that much. 

SIM card & wifi

Never was getting a local SIM card easier than at Da Nang airport. Honestly, there are so many counters and once you walk by, they will all start shouting at you. It is not the most pleasant, to be honest, but I guess it is a tough market to stand out in since they all have the same SIM cards on offer. 

Picky any one and simply tell them how many days you are staying in Vietnam and whether you want calls & data or data only. There are a few different mobile operators, however, I usually go with Viettel, the biggest one. Depending on where in Vietnam you go, they should be able to advise you.

Once you have selected your plan, you can pay either in cash or by credit card. While the whole process is so easy and even works without passport registration, I have heard a lot of SIM card scam stories aka SIM cards that stopped working after a day or so. 

I never had an issue, however, if you want to be on the safe side, I would recommed you just get yourself an eSIM from Airalo. This way you can be mobile as soon as you arrive in Vietnam and won’t have to worry about a thing. 

Wifi is readily available at most Da Nang hotels and usually quite fast.

Get an Airalo eSIM and get 15% off with this link 

Money Matters

The currency in Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong (VND) and once you see the bills you will quickly feel like a millionaire. I usually use my credit card to withdraw money from an ATM as it is always good to have some cash especially if you are eating street food or want to buy snacks and souvenirs. Many Vietnamese use payment apps for smaller amounts however there are none for foreigners yet. 

My credit card doesn’t charge for ATM withdrawals or foreign transactions, but I still have to pay a fee to the operator of the AMT. In Vietnam that ranges between 53k and 93k (btw. $2 and $3,60) – you see it can pay off to shop around if you have a choice of ATMs. 

At fancier restaurants and shops you can obviously pay with credit cards as well as in hotels. However, check beforehand as some hotels will charge a 3% fee when paying with card. 

Where to stay in Da Nang

Choosing the best Da Nang hotels and where to stay is not easy, again because Da Nang doesn’t really have a city center that is easy to grasp. Most visitors like staying at the Han River Waterfront between the Han River Bridge and the Dragon Bridge. 

If you want beach views, head to My Khe Beach where you will find many resorts or smaller guesthouses a few roads inland. I stayed at Minh Boutique a few blocks from the ocean between My Khe Beach and a part that is called Bãi tắm Phạm Văn Đồng. 

This Da Nang boutique hotel was absolutely lovely with impeccable service, beautiful rooms, a small pool on the rooftop as well as the most stunning koi point next to the lobby. Since I usually hate kois with a passion, it means a lot coming from me how much I liked this pond – it was just so cute and mystical. 

They also offer a really great breakfast where you can order Vietnamese soup or eggs as well as get a whole lot of yummy treats from the buffet. The only downside – the space is quite small so it can get quite crowded between 8 and 9 am when most people want to eat breakfast. You may have to sit very close to the kois… 

Check prices for Minh Boutique on Booking.com / Agoda