Da Nang was our favorite of all the cities we visited in Vietnam. We spent two weeks here following our two weeks in adjacent Hội An. It helped a lot that we chose the perfect neighborhood as our base, Ngũ Hành Sơn, which has My Khe beach on the east and the Hàn River to the west. It also had mostly usable sidewalks, less traffic than our other Vietnam locations, and tons of great restaurants around. Our apartment (review below) was small but had a good layout for us and we loved that there was a cafe with a friendly family dog on the ground floor. 

Everything felt convenient, walking usually wasn’t a chore, and the prices on everything from food to eating out to drinks on the beach to Grab continued to be so affordable that we never really thought about money (though I did continue to track our weekly budget as always, because I love doing it). We didn’t really do anything spectacular in Da Nang, other than our short trip Huế getaway, but our quality of life there was exactly what we love. 

Here are a few notable moments:

Dragon Bridge

We arrived in Da Nang on a Saturday and our host recommended we catch the Fire and Water Show at the Dragon Bridge, which is on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. We decided to incorporate it into our Sunday night date night. We took a Grab up to the tourist area and the Sơn Trà Night Market to walk around a little and scout out food options, but it was very crowded so we decided not to try to eat anything there. However, I did manage to snag a cheap pair of glasses to protect my eyes from the wind. 

The market is right next to a riverfront near the bridge. We were really impressed with the whimsical quality of the dragon design. More bridges should take on animal shapes! After taking a few photos, we popped into a casual pho restaurant with high reviews in the neighborhood for our dinner. 

The bridge “show” happens from 9 to 9:15 p.m. You can view it from the park by the Night Market or almost anywhere along the river, but we decided to go to one of the rooftop bars that advertise a good view of the show. We chose Lagoon Rooftop and arrived about 8:45 just in time to grab one of the last tables. The cocktails were mediocre but it was a great view of the bridge. However, “show” is a bit of a misnomer. Basically the head of the Dragon Bridge breathes fire 3 times in about 3 minutes, then they switch over to water, which they spray 9 times. That’s it. In fact, “that’s it?” is what the guy at the table behind us said during the display. I think calling it a show builds up too much hype.

Despite knowing the display is a little disappointing, we decided to book a river cruise for the following weekend to see it again from a boat on the river. We also figured the cruise would give us a nice skyline view. That was definitely the case and we enjoyed it. The tickets were cheap (about $7.50 each I think, booked through Get Your Guide) and included a reserved seat with water and fruit. We shared our table with a couple from Australia who were interesting to talk to. They were not prepared for the disappointment of the “show,” nor were the rest of the people on the boat, so that was kind of fun to see. It really is quite funny. I think they should rename the experience Fire and Water Display to help downplay expectations.

Monkey Mountain 

We were especially excited to check out Da Nang’s Monkey Mountain (real name Sơn Trà Mountain). It is home to macaque monkeys, which we’ve seen a lot around Asia, and also red-chested Douc Langurs, which are endangered. For our first trip out to the mountain, we decided to just visit the beautiful temple that is there, Linh Ung Pagoda. It features a huge Lady Buddha statue that you can see from the beach. It is the largest Buddha statue in Vietnam at 220 feet tall.

We used the Grab app and were picked up by a very friendly driver who had a small Lady Buddha statue on his dashboard (it’s very common for drivers to have religious symbols in their cars). He used Google translate and his limited English to talk with us and offered to wait for us at the temple and bring us back for the same price in cash, no charge for the waiting time. We’d been hoping for something like this since we weren’t sure we’d be able to call a return Grab from out on the mountain and gratefully accepted. He also told us the Lady Buddha is viewed as the same as the Virgin Mary in Catholicism. The temple and statue were very impressive and we even saw a few monkeys! A highlight was a series of posters sharing karmic lessons.

Our driver waited for us as promised and on the ride back we talked to him about driving us around the rest of Monkey Mountain the following week. We’d read there were some trails and we also wanted to go to the peak. We negotiated a price via WhatsApp based on Grab pricing and he picked us up almost on time the following weekend. However, we weren’t able to find any of the Douc Langurs. The roads to the areas marked for possible viewings of them were all washed out and impassible. We saw a few macaques again but they seemed a little aggressive, hoping for human food. It was a bit too cloudy for much of a view at the top and we didn’t see any sign of hikeable trails, but it was still an enjoyable morning. I looked into a motorbike “safari” to try to see the langurs, but we ultimately decided we didn’t care that much about seeing them. They’re cute in photos though!

Beach Times

We really enjoyed being just 10 minutes away from the beach and went on several walks and picnics there. The waves were a bit too high for swimming and at only 70 degrees out was a little chilly for my taste anyway, but the beach was really nice. Our favorite picnics were picking up poke bowls from a restaurant called Vietnom, but we also enjoyed some tasty vegetarian banh mis from 2 Ladies Kitchen. Both establishments specialized in employing deaf people and others who don’t speak aloud, which seemed like a neat concept. 2 Ladies also gives complimentary butterfly pea tea with purchase, which was fun to try (and a beautiful shade of purple!).

We also visited the beach several evenings, for beers or just to enjoy a nice walk. It was always a very chill atmosphere with lots of families and just felt very relaxing and nice. The beach was the best part of being in Da Nang.

Cham Sculpture Museum

A highlight toward the end of our stay was a visit to the Cham Sculpture Museum, which contains artifacts from Cham sights all over Vietnam, including the one we visited, My Son. We learned a lot more about the evolution of Cham beliefs from Hinduism to a brief Buddhist influence to today when most Cham people are Muslim, though some still practice Hinduism. They had displays about various Cham tools, traditions, and festivals. But the highlight was the many beautiful sculptures. 

After the museum, we walked south along the river which was very pleasant and gave us time to chat and process our museum experience.  

Interesting Food and Drink

Of course, we continued to try more Vietnamese and pan-Asian foods and drinks during our time in Da Nang. Here is a small “taste”:

Summary

We really enjoyed our time in Da Nang and would definitely stay a full month if we decide to return to Vietnam in the future. Another plus was the the airport was very convenient flying in and out – just the right size and not too busy. For other travelers, I’d advise spending more time in Da Nang with just a couple of days in Hội An rather than half and half like we did. 

Airbnb review – My husband and I had a great two-week stay in Nhung’s apartment. It is essentially a studio but feels larger because the bedroom space and kitchen space are well separated by the entry hall. We loved the location – walk 10 minutes east and you’re at the beach, 10 minutes west and you’re at the riverfront where my husband ran most days. There are tons of nearby restaurants, a Full Market grocery on the same block, and a great little coffee shop on the first floor of the building with Vietnamese coffee and fresh juices (and an adorable dog to play with!). Wifi was very fast and always reliable. Kitchen was functional for light cooking. We had great friendly communication from the host throughout our stay. We’d stay here again for sure.