Da Nang is quickly catching up to Vietnam’s more popular cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh as a premiere destination for culture, nature, and history. Want to know more about this exciting coastal city? Here are the top ten things you can do on your visit:
Take in lush vistas from the Golden Bridge
Shortly after it was opened to the public in June 2018, the Golden Bridge in the Ba Na Hills resort easily emerged as a representative landmark of Da Nang. Its peculiar design is especially eye-catching—two gigantic hands made of stone holding up a 150-meter bridge to the sky. While the entire length of the bridge serves as a viewing area that gives breathtaking views of the lush forest below, part of it is connected to the cable car station to make accessing the gardens more convenient for visitors.
Book a day tour at Ba Na Hills here!
Sign up for a scooter street food tour
Put a spin to your food trip by joining a motorbike foodie tour! You will be arranged with a rider, who will take you to the best food spots around. After all, what better way to explore Da Nang than by hopping on a scooter with a local and tasting the flavors that the city has to offer?
Join a scooter street food tour now!
Learn how to cook a local dish
Join a special culinary class with fellow foodies, and learn about the Vietnamese farm-to-table approach of preparing food. This immersive and interactive class will take you to local gardens to experience farming first-hand, and then on to the farmer’s market for you to select the freshest ingredients for your dish. Once you’ve had your pick, you’ll be heading to the home of your host, who will facilitate the cooking workshop. By the end of the class, you should be able to prepare four authentic Vietnamese dishes.
Sign up for a cooking class here!
Marvel at ancient temples within the Marble Mountains
This cluster of marble and limestone hills is not just a natural wonder; it’s also a pilgrimage site. The Marble Mountains is composed of five main “mountains” that house several Buddhist sanctuaries within—Mt. Soil, Mt. Water, Mt. Metal, Mt. Plant, and Mt. Fire—all of which depict the color of the elements they are named after. Open daily from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM, the mountains is located at the heart and center of a 400-year-old traditional craft village that specializes in marble work.
Book a tour to see the Marble Mountains!
Catch the Dragon Bridge show
The most spectacular display of lights, water, and fire in Da Nang, the Dragon Bridge Show will absolutely fill your eyes with awe and wonder. Come at 9 PM on a weekend, and watch as the impressive dragon sculpture spouts water and breathes fire while changing its colors.
Step into the Da Nang Cathedral
Built by a French Priest in 1923, this charming pink church is among Vietnam’s most peculiar religious structures. Its defining feature? Its imposing belfry topped with a rooster weathercock. As the only church in Da Nang, it plays an integral role in forming and maintaining the Christian community of the city.
Check out the Museum of Cham Sculpture
Don’t let its size fool you! This museum may be small, but it is home to the world’s largest collection of Cham sculptures. It showcases over 300 prized artifacts from the 5th to 15th centuries, which include altars, lingas (phallic symbols representing Shiva), garudas (a bird-human hybrid), statues of Ganesh, and images of the gods Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu—among many others.
Stop by Central Vietnam’s largest Cao Dai temple
Central Vietnam’s largest Cao Dai is located in Da Nang. Serving about 50,000 followers, this temple is rather unassuming on the outside, but do take a peek inside. You will spot a sign saying “all religions have the same meaning” at the altar, as well as images of the five founders of the world’s major religions—Mohammed, Lao Tzu, Jesus, Buddha, and Confucius. A huge globe with the Cao Dai divine eye symbol takes the center spot behind the main altar.
Sink your feet into the sand in My Khe Beach
A coastal city, Da Nang is also well-known for its beaches. There are over a dozen in the area, but, perhaps, the best is My Khe Beach in the south. Boasting a 10-kilometer coastline that stretches from the base of the Son Tra Peninsula to the Marble Mountains, it is a picturesque paradise with powdery white sand and warm cerulean waters. The beach becomes even more stunning at sunset, when the sea mirrors the colorful sky—definitely, a mustn’t-miss, especially if you love beaches.
Book a tour and get your vitamin sea fix at My Khe Beach!
Take a day trip from Da Nang
Da Nang alone is already an exciting destination. But if you’ve got a spirit for adventure, you might want to take a day tour beyond the city. One of the places you can easily reach from Da Nang is Hoi An, a quaint city famous for its well-preserved Ancient Town.
