Da Nang or Danang Vietnam is a popular beachside location in central Vietnam. Da Nang has its own airport and train station and is very close to beautiful UNESCO-listed Hoi An Ancient Town. Here are our top 10 things to do in Da Nang, after our last visit in 2025.
We have visited Da Nang as a young couple, as a family with smaller kids, and as an older female traveller with an older teen, so we’ll mention the things that we all enjoyed along the way.
We have based ourselves in Hoi An for 6 months and we’re in Vietnam often to keep our travel blog up to date.
Things To Do in Danang
There’s loads to see and do in and near Da Nang. These “things to do” are almost identical to those from Hoi An, the 2 are only about half an hour apart by road. First, you need to get to Da Nang, we use the company below to book all of our transport in Vietnam and have never had any problems with them.
About Danang – Things You Need To Know
Danang is a large city and heavily developed, with more development underway. I’ve read that the aim is to build “The Singapore of Vietnam” at Danang, and you can see that beginning to happen.
The city is situated on both sides of the Hàn River, with walking esplanades on the riverside. The famous Dragon Bridge spans this river, and the whole area is illuminated by night.
We found the hotels in Da Nang were very cheap and there were plenty of them, with all kinds of room configurations. Particularly those behind the beach. We used this one. If you’d rather a luxury 5-star resort, these are represented in Danang too. Take a look at The InterContinental Sun Peninsula Danang. It’s on Son Tra Peninsula (AKA Monkey Mountain), north of My Khe Beach, a stunning and more private beach setting.
Not much of Old Danang is obvious other than some beautiful pagodas, temples, and caves. This city is all about the modern. For the Vietnam of yesteryear, stay in Hoi An, it’s far more traditional. But there’s nothing wrong with seeing Vietnam, ancient and modern, right?
See Danang’s Dragon Bridge By Night
The blue illuminated Ferris wheel to the rear of Dragon Bridge is part of Sun World Da Nang.
See Lady Buddha From Danang (Linh Ung Pagoda)
Lady Buddha stands on Monkey Mountain, another name for the mountainous region of the Son Tra Peninsula to the southeast of Da Nang City. We did indeed see monkeys as we explored the gardens, monuments and shrines that Lady Buddha presides over.
Who is Lady Buddha? She is located inside Linh Ung Pagoda in the Bai But or Buddha’s Sanctuary area. It is one of the largest pagodas in Vietnam and there is a lot to see here.
Lady Buddha is 67m high, the tallest Buddha statue in Vietnam, and she is a representation of the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion, Quan Thế Âm, the Bodhisattva Guanyin.
While Guan Yin may be represented as male or female, the female form is a better representation of compassion.
From the mountain there are amazing views back over Da Nang bay.
Visit Hoi An From Danang
Hoi An is famous for its UNESCO-listed Old Town. It’s an incredible surviving piece of history. Yellow-washed houses shops and restaurants on the waterfront are transformed by night as floating lanterns take to the water and the night markets swing into action.
Hoi An is popular with tourists, and the Old Town is small, so expect crowds at peak times. We based ourselves in Hoi An for 6 months, it’s a town we know inside out, and we love it. It’s a must-see in Central Vietnam.
Hoi An is also famous for food, we recommend taking a cooking class in Hoi An. There are beaches here, An Bang being popular, the Tra Que Vegetable gardens to explore, and even snorkelling just off the coast. All of the places on this page can be visited from either Hoi An, or Danang.
See Marble Mountain From Danang
Marble mountain is much more than just a cave. It’s a must-see if you’re in Da Nang or Hoi An and it’s not far away. It’s just south Da Nang, here on the map.
The Marble Mountains are 5 limestone structures, typical karst lanscapre peaks that you can find all over Vietnam. You will see numerous pagodas, shrines and gardens on your way toward the caves.
The kids love clambering through the cave systems, but they weren’t too keen on the steps.
The main cave took my breath away, it’s beautiful. There are shrines and statues, all lit, inside the cave.
There is an admission fee for the Marble Mountain complex.
You can get a Grab car to Marble Mountain, or book a tour. You’ll need at least 2 hours to explore this site. This tour is the most popular way to see Marble Mountain, Am Phu Cave and Lady Buddha (Monkey Mountain) in one day. It’s an easy way to see the major sights, and it’s cheap.
Explore Danang’s Food & Restaurant Scene
Banh trang cuon, self-assembly pork and veg spring rolls, are a Danang speciality that we didn’t really see in Hoi An. Aside from this, local dishes like mi quang, banh xeo and com ga, can all be found in Danang.
The waterfront in Danang is dominated by huge restaurants, mostly selling fish and seafood. It’s not for us, but it seems to be very popular.
While Danang isn’t as famous as Hoi An as a foodie destination, there are Danang food tours available.
Visit Ba Na Hills and Golden Bridge from Danang
Why no photos of Ba Na Hills and Golden Bridge? Because we haven’t been. We decided that this place wasn’t for us a long time ago.
Ba Na Hills is a man-made, recent, tourist attraction by Sun World, a bit like a theme park. Golden Bridge is the giant hand bridge, built for Instagram and selfies.
We did enquire about going and we were told you had to go there by cable car. I’m not sure if this is true.
If you’d like to check out Ba Na Hills and Golden Bridge, take a look here. Tell me in the comments if it’s your cup of tea, or not.
See The Hai Van Pass and Even Continue to Historic Hue
My husband is very well aquaited with the Hai Van Pass, he used to cycle it weekly as part of his Ironman training when we were based in Hoi An. It’s a great ride! He wrote about cycling the Hai Van Pass here.
The Hai Van Pass takes you north of Da Nang, over the mountain. It’s the scenic route, there is also a tunnel.
Hue is about 100 km north of Danang, and you can get there by train or bus is about 2 hours. Alternatively, take the chance to ride the Hai Van Pass with an Easy Rider motorbike tour.
You can visit Hue as a day trip from Danang, and we highly recommend it. Hue is an incredible historic Imperial City with a lot to see. Check out that Hue day trip from Danang here.
To book the train or bus from Danang to Hue, go here, this platform is our go-to in Vietnam.
See Historic My Son Sanctuary From Danang
It’s easier to visit My Son Sanctuary from Hoi An than from Da Nang, if you plan to spend a few days there. But it’s also easy enough to visit from Da Nang.
This is a private tour to My Son from Danang, it’s very affordable.
I think it would be a big mistake to not see My Son, the ruins here are from the Hindu Cham era. The 4th to 10th century BC. If the ruins remind you of Angkor Wat, they should, they were also built by the Cham. Find out more at the UNESCO website.
Visit Am Phu Cave
Am Phu Cave (Hell Cave) is part of Marble Mountain, but it’s a separate attraction and not visited as often. These caves were home to a secret Vietcong base and hospital during the Vietnam War, right under the noses of the American troops in DaNang.
You can combine Am Phu Caves with a Marble Mountain Tour very easily. Check out this tour.
Visit Da Nang’s Beaches
Danang has multiple beaches and the best is My Khe Beach (AKA China Beach, popular in wartime with American soldiers), to the east of Danang.
Non Nuoc Beach is well known, it’s south of My Khe. There is also the North Beach on the Son Tra Peninsula, along with Black Rock Beach. Biển Thanh Bình beach is on Danang’s northern coast.
Hoi An or Danang?
I prefer Hoi An. I love old buildings, history and traditions. Danang is much more geared to beaches, hotels and large scale dining. The development in Danang over the last 10 years has been extreme. That said, Marble Mountain and Lady Buddha are easier to visit from Danang and Danang is a place you should experience. Maybe stay a couple of nights as you travel to Hoi An, or break up your journey between Hue and Hoi An.
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we’re planning to stay there in January, plus Ho chi min, lots to see
Yes there is! Watch out for the rain in January. We were last there in February, plus Hanoi, Ninh Bin and Hoi An. We saw a lot of weather! Enjoy your trip!
Great Post!! Super informative!
Thank you so much!