Why craft your itinerary based on this silly little blog?

Well, I happen to know the area pretty well. What started as a one-week visit to Da Nang turned into me staying for one and a half months! And that says a lot about what kind of city Da Nang really is. It has it all! There are stunning beaches scattered along the coastline, and speaking of the city itself, it’s got a modern vibe with tall skyscrapers and infinity pools. Yet, you can just as easily wander into more humble, local neighbourhoods packed with amazing, affordable food.

Da Nang also boasts absolutely breathtaking natural surroundings that you’ll fall in love with: ocean views, lush rainforests, waterfalls, peninsulas, and dramatic mountain landscapes, to name a few! You won’t have to search far and wide to find places with rich history either; there are the stunning My Son ruins and the ancient town in Hoi An.

So buckle up, you’re about to embark on one hell of an adventure!

My Khe Beach 

My Khe Beach is one of the main attractions in Da Nang. Walk down miles and miles of tropical beach with city skyline views! In my humble opinion, this beach truly shines at night. Go for a night walk to see all the city lights reflected on the ocean surface and you might even spot the bloody red moon rising above the water. In the daytime, don’t forget to take a dip in the warm waters, your Da Nang trip wouldn’t be complete without it. Or grab one of the many surfboards for hire and go shred some waves. The conditions in Da Nang are very beginner-friendly and all the fellow surfers in the water are supportive and cheer each other on! Make sure to go early in the morning to avoid the crowds of swimmers and to catch the best waves. The best surfing conditions are before 11 am.

Go coffee shop hopping

Da Nang truly knows what it’s doing when it comes to the coffee scene. You’ll find coffee shops with incredible architecture or ones that feel like stepping into a forest. Take your pick, or just visit them all!

Xanh Design DN is my favourite. It surpasses all the others I’ve been to, yet it remains a local hidden gem. Walking into the coffee shop feels like entering the jungle; you have to duck under the tropical foliage covering the entrance. Inside, you hear running water and birds singing. Not only is this café a botanical garden, it’s also a small zoo. Besides the lush flora, there’s a huge pond in the middle filled with colourful koi fish, and even a mini forest trail. Along this trail, you’ll see tropical fish in aquariums and birds in cages and aviaries. Not only will the sights keep you entertained for hours, but the coffee is also delicious and affordable. I only paid 35.000 dong for a tasty coconut coffee, doesn’t get any better than this!

Other nature-themed cafés I recommend are Coffee Nhà Xưa and Tà Xùa Coffee, which has a mini version of the famous Golden Bridge. For coffee shops with interesting architecture, I’d recommend Login Coffee, and then just keep walking down Nguyễn Văn Thoại Street. You’ll find plenty more, and the best ones aren’t even on the map. 

Must-try coffees in Vietnam include the famous and delicious egg coffee, the refreshing coconut coffee, and the unique cà phê muối, also known as salt coffee.

Sample the local cuisine

There are plenty of restaurants to try. Most of the touristy ones are located in the city near the beach, but if you want the real deal, you should head across the river; that is where all the local good-stuff (and cheap-stuff) is at! Although, my main recommendation is the exception to the rule, Bếp Cuốn. It is located on the touristy side, but they serve some of the best food I’ve ever had, seriously! I kept coming back for the baby mango seafood salad, I must have eaten it at least 20 times, no joke! Another golden recommendation I have for you, is Mama Hot Pot Buffet for a unique Asian cuisine experience. And for dessert, you should go have the best fluffy pancakes in town, located in a charming, hidden back alleyway at Santori Tran Phu ( Fluffy Pancake & Cafe ).

Con Market

A fun, quirky market with anything you might need! You can have a fun time haggling over how much you’re willing to pay for that bánh mì t-shirt, or you could buy a set of traditional chopsticks for your sister. Get ready for it to be quite crowded and hot, though!

Go Bridge-Hopping (Dragon Bridge)

When I first arrived in Da Nang and hopped in a Grab, one of the first things the driver told me (through Google Translate, of course) was that Da Nang is the city of bridges and beaches, and oh boy, was he right. But since we have already talked about My Khe Beach, let’s focus on the bridges now. There are five main bridges connecting the two parts of Da Nang, the western and eastern sides separated by the river that snakes through the whole city.

All the way north, there is Cầu Thuận Phước. Compared to the others, it is quite a tall and long bridge that overlooks the whole city.

Further south is Cầu Sông Hàn. It is on the smaller side but nonetheless bright, literally. Every night this bridge puts on a vibrant colour show.

Next is the most famous bridge of them all, the Dragon Bridge, also known as Cầu Rồng. This bridge is shaped like a yellow traditional Asian dragon with a long, snake-like body. Every night it lights up and puts on a show of changing colours. On Saturdays and Sundays, as well as major holidays, at 9 pm the bridge’s dragon head spits fire and water. If you want to watch the show, make sure to arrive early as the whole sidewalk and road get jammed with crowds of people and traffic alike.

Just south of the Dragon Bridge is Trần Thị Lý. This bridge is especially stunning at night, lit up with red, blue and yellow lights that ripple across its cables like gentle waves. The colourful reflections dance on the river below, turning the whole scene into something pretty magical. It is one of those places where you just want to stop for a moment, take in the view, and snap a photo or ten. Simple but beautiful.

Right beside this bridge, I didn’t even count it among the five, is Cầu Nguyễn Văn Trỗi. This is a walking bridge only, offering nice views over Cầu Trần Thị Lý and Cầu Rồng. Known as the “heartbreak bridge” by some, although there isn’t much heartbreak to go around when walking this bridge. At night, big groups of locals meet here, chat, grill food and even sing together.

Last on this list is Cầu Tiên Sơn. It is not the most interesting one, but it offers nice views and an open, peaceful vibe.

If you haven’t already guessed, Cầu in Vietnamese means bridge. My personal favourite was Cầu Trần Thị Lý, there is something magical about the way the red lights dance across the cables in a wave-like motion. But don’t listen to me, go out there and see them all for yourself, and feel free to drop a comment below on which one is your personal favourite.

Son Tra Peninsula

A truly beautiful part of Da Nang and the closest natural park. Yet another place where it’s recommended to rent a vehicle of your own, but be careful, the curves are sharp. At the end of this beautiful road lies a lookout with views overlooking the open ocean ahead and the quiet jungle below. This place is especially gorgeous at night when you can get a great view of the night sky and it feels extra peaceful in the jungle. Sunrise is another perfect time to go.

Lady Buddha

Say hello to the tallest lady around, standing at a staggering 67 metres tall! She is located on the Son Tra Peninsula but you can see her all the way from Da Nang’s My Khe Beach. Lady Buddha is not only a statue, she is also a temple you can visit, she stands amidst a beautiful garden overlooking Da Nang.

Hai Van Pass

Just about a 30-minute drive from Da Nang city centre, this is a must-do. You’ll either need to rent a motorcycle or a scooter, the Hai Van Pass is a truly scenic ride. It’s quite easy and inexpensive to rent a two-wheeled vehicle in Da Nang; there are plenty of rental places to choose from, so that won’t be a challenge. And the Hai Van Pass is definitely worth it. It’s about a 30-minute ride in total, starting in northern Da Nang and finishing in beautiful Lang Co Bay. Picture evergreen mountains draped in a thick carpet of green. Incredible ocean views the whole way. And even a waterfall. And curves and bends the whole way – a rider’s paradise. This is my absolute favourite place in Vietnam, and one of my favourite places ever!

Day trip to Hoi An

If you’ve got a day to spare, you should take the trip down to Hoi An. It’s about a 40-minute drive, you can rent your own motorbike or hop on the back of a super affordable motorbike taxi, a staple Vietnam experience. This will set you back only about 135,000 Vietnamese dong.

In Hoi An you should walk around the old town and just explore. There are plenty of charming little shops and markets scattered around the river’s edge, and the historical low-rise buildings are very aesthetically pleasing.

My off-the-beaten-path recommendations

I could go on about how nice the Dragon Bridge is or how delicious the food at those restaurants was, or how pretty the historical parts of Hoi An were, but to be perfectly honest, these memories crumble in front of my off-the-beaten-path experiences where I go somewhere random that no itineraries really talks about, without any plan, just because I feel a calling to. That’s when magic happens. Some of my best memories I have, were made in the underrated and beautiful Lang Co Bay, as well as in the rural town of Khe Tre. These places, although almost unheard of, hold some of my favourite memories that I keep close to my heart. If you are interested in reading about why these places are so special to me, you can read my articles about my unforgettable experiences in these hidden, beautiful corners of the world. Maybe you will feel inspired to visit yourself! 

Or just find your own path. Look at the map and find a place that is calling out to you and just go – no plans, no expectations, just go with an open mind and open heart and see where the adventure takes you. That’s how all my best travel moments were born.