TheLoneRider
a seeker in search of Easter Eggs
Da Nang, Vietnam

Backpacking Da Nang, Vietnam Jan 12-16, 2015

Backpacking Da Nang, Vietnam

Location: Da Nang, Vietnam

Touch Down
I and Tuyen, my Vietnamese traveling partner, would have taken the bus to Da Nang from Hanoi to save up, but the thought of another 16-hour confinement on a bus was a little unsettling. With cheap flights from Hanoi,it was better to fly. We allotted 9 days for the 3 destinations - Da Nang, Hue and Hoi. An After a 1:15-hour flight, we landed in Da Nang Airport, only 10 mins from the city center.

Da Nang Heads-Up
Da Nang is the big port city in Central Vietnam lying half-way between Hanoi and Saigon. It has been voted one of the top 15 world destinations by the New York Times. With Da Nang, you also get to visit its neighbors Hue and Hoi An, both designated Unesco World Heritage Sites. Other travelers who were just passing by find themselves taking up permanent residency. Da Nang is clean, spread out, organized and relatively cheap. It's buildiing up like the rest of Vietnam, particularly with the big multi-national resort chains and hotels who are developing the beach front areas. Food in Da Nang is famous and authentic, specially seafood dishes whether they be soup noodle, a rice topping or a viand on its own.

Backpacking Da Nang, Vietnam
walking along the Dragon Bridge

My Khe Beach
Da Nang is huge on foot so we decided to stay in My Khe Beach first to get a sense of the beach life. There are no beggars here and no lottery people whose persistence could at times be annoying. With the cold weather in the north, it was a relief to walk around town in shorts again, but it wasn't warm enough for a swim at the beach. My Khe Beach is a long stretch of fine white sand with hardly any big hotel except for Holiday Beach (logo looks like Holiday Inn). It made for a nice walk. The area itself is sparsely populated with very light traffic. There is a cluster of restos and bars behind Holiday Beach where that gets active at night, but there seems little else besides that. It was difficult to get a rental bike in this area. A casual talk with Anthony, a Filipino entrepreneur running La Oliva Resto and Bar, who has taken up residency here, revealed that people who stay along My Khe Beach area are mostly expats who own businesses in the city center, which is only about 4 kilometers away. Da Nang 4 years ago was practically empty but now, signs of an upswing, like most of Vietnam, is evident. He said that speculating in land there at this point is a good idea.

Sanouva Danang Hotel, VietnamSanouva Hotel
After 2 days, we moved to the city center at Sanouva Hotel - a plush boutique hotel located in the heart of the city. I'm glad the decision-makers found value in what I was putting on the table to accept my barter deal. You walk out its doors and the city is right in front of you. The hotel is tastefully done with cheerful and pleasant staff. They offered compli bikes to guests! Whoa...I like that a lot. The bikes were well-maintained compared to most rentals. Buffet breakfast was included in the room. Our very comfortable stay in this hotel made our trip to Da Nang convenient and memorable to say the least. I would highly recommend this hotel.

Life in the City Center
With bicycles, Tuyen and I covered more ground exploring the eats of the city. She took care of where we eat, what we eat, etc. It makes a world of difference traveling with someone who knows the language and culture. Mostly, we would eat in "quans" - residential houses who open up their ground floor as a restaurant. It's an ideal compromise - it's more sanitized than street food, it's authentic as only locals frequent it, and it doesn't cost you the price of a touristy restaurant. Altogether, we ate the best food cheap money could buy.

Ride across Thuan Phuoc Bridge
A big draw in Da Nang is the giant statue of Lady Buddha which was a good 8km away. Going there, Tuyen and I rode our bikes through the longer and more elevated Thuan Phuoc Bridge - 1,850 meters long and 18 meters wide. From the top of the bridge, we could see Da Nang Harbour, the breadth of the river and the city of Da Nang itself. The ride to the bridge was already an awesome trip all to itself.

Lady Buddha
Bodhisattva of Mercy, aka the Lady Buddha, is a white marble statue that towers 67 (65? 72?) meters on the slope of Monkey Mountain. Her statue could be seen for miles as far as Hoi An on a clear day. It is perched on an elevation overlooking the open ocean - something similar to Rio de Janiero's Christ the Redeemer. The elevation offers a stunning view. The area has a series of statues of saintly persons, or arahants (people who have become enlightened but did not attain Buddhahood). The place was flocked to by tourists, mostly on coaches or motorbikes.

Late Night Lounge Music at Tieng Duong Lam
When Tuyen last visited Da Nang, she went to a lounge music bar where singers take turns singing Vietnamese classics. We found ourselves in the same place and listened to laid-back ballad style music that was just soothing to the senses. People would give a rose to singers they like while the singer was performing on stage. It was a validating gesture the singers appreciated more than the monetary exchange of the rose. The singers can then exchange the rose with management for its assigned value. I thought it was both brilliant and useful. The singers sang one after another rendering their own version of oldies and some new popular Western hits. It was a relaxing mood night.

Off to Hue
I like Da Nang. It didn't offer the bells and whistles of other destinations but it's a good feeling that grows on you. I don't mind staying here a much longer time, but Da Nang was our initial stop to exploring Central Vietnam. After having stayed a few days, it was time to pack-up again and go to the fabled land of the Vietnam kings - Hue!

--- TheLoneRider
YOGA by Gigit Yoga by Gigit | Learn English Learn English | Travel like a Nomad Nomad Travel Buddy | Donation Bank Donation Bank for TheLoneRider

at Hanoi Airport with Tuyen awaiting our flight for Da Nang at My Khe Beach a small cluster of hotels with restos and cafes on My Khe Beach a beach library...cool! guess what this building is for! Clue: it has loudspeaker systems constantly playing bird tweets. Email me if you want the answer :) I thought I could grow my hair long...hippie style. But it was too much maintenance. Big plus - when you get your haircut in Vietnam, the barber also cleans your ears. I thought I had clean ears until he showed me what he took out! walking along the Dragon Bridge clustered boats bridges are often lit with a theme for drama in Vietnam boat trip along the Han River through the glass with Tuyen at La Oliva Resto and Bar Tuyen confident on her bike, courtesy of Sanouva Hotel very comfortable on my plush bed at Sanouva Hotel Vietnamese ballads at Tieng Duong Lam music lounge 2 imposing buildings that make up the Da Nang skyline great day for a bike ride along the River Han on the Thuan Phuoc Bridge on a bike view of the river and Da Nang City from Thuan Phuoc Bridge boats on a safe harbour passing by the Man Thai Fishing Village sumptuous buffet breakfast at Sanouva Hotel roadside bike stop on a flight of concrete steps Linh Ung Pagoda picture with the dragon inside the grounds of the Linh Ung Pagoda statue of an arahant a Buddha shrine inside the pagoda Linh Ung Pagoda, a huge bronze urn and the Lady Buddha bay view of Da Nang City and the bay with the Lady Buddha chow time! Da Nang is famous for its cuisine quans or house restaurants offer the best value in food at an outdoor cafe with Tuyen

Reader Comments:

Dave JoudreyDave Canada
(31 Jan, 2015) Dude you are like Peter Pan..... always on a new adventure..... except that you are always with the beautiful ladies!

Next stop: Exploring the Imperial City of Hue, Vietnam

DA NANG BLOGS

  1. 30-Day Mini-life in Danang, Goodbye and Thank You Dec 8, 2018
  2. The Universe Provides Dec 8, 2018
  3. Pampered Living at Sea Sand Apartment and Hotel Nov 14-Dec 8, 2018
  4. Thich Nhat Hanh in Hue, Vietnam Dec 7, 2018
  5. Goodbye Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Dec 8, 2018
  6. Beer, Burgers and Friends at CohibaR DaNang Nov 25 - Dec 6, 2018
  7. Friendship, Beer and Sausages at the German Deli Nov 20 - Dec 1, 2018
  8. Beach Yoga in DaNang, Vietnam Nov 17, 2018
  9. Danang Wall Art Nov 8 - Dec 8, 2018
  10. The Wonderful People I met in Danang, Vietnam Nov 8 - Dec 8, 2018
  11. Revisiting DaNang, Vietnam Nov 8, 2018
  12. Backpacking Da Nang, Vietnam Jan 12-16, 2015

Google Map

Da Nang (city), Vietnam

important places in Da Nang IMPORTANT PLACES

Da Nang International Airport Da Nang International Airport

hotels in Da Nang HOTEL

Sea Sand Apartment and Hotel - walk to the beach, newly opened, everything brand new, spacious units 402
46 An Thuong 3, phuong My An, quan Ngu Hanh Son, 550000 Da Nang, Vietnam

restaurants in Da Nang RESTO | bars in Da Nang BAR

CohibaR Da Nang CohibaR - Cuban resto bar, Salsa nights, DJ music, great BURGERS!
6 An Thuong 3 (1.81 km), 550000 Da Nang, Vietnam

delicatessens in Da Nang DELICATESSEN

M.Z. German Delicatessen M.Z. German Delicatessen - meticulously handcrafted by a German butcher using high quality ingredients available in Da Nang
38 Phan Tu (0.34 km), Da Nang, Vietnam

electronic gadgets in Da Nang ELECTRONIC GADGETS

FPT Shop Danang FPT Shop Danang - phone, laptop, tablet, accessories, SIM card, Apple, Huawei, Oppo, Samsung, Xiaomi
7-9 Nguyen Van Thoai, Bac My Phu, Son Tra, Da Nang 550000, Vietnam

USEFUL INFORMATION

Da Nang International Airport (DAD) to Downtown Da Nang
  1. the airport is practically on the edge of the city center about $3 by cab. Taxis from the airport taking you to the city will try to charge you VND 10,000 "airport fee" in addition to your fare. Don't pay it. The passenger coming in to the airport already paid for this. But drivers don't pay this when going out. We were victimized by a Mai Linh taxi in this manner.
FYI / Tips
  1. Da Nang doesn't seem to have a backpacker area like Bangkok's Khaosan Road. The establishments are spread out within the city but most of them are lined up along the river between Han River Bridge and the Dragon Bridge
  2. XeOm or moto taxis are cheap and not aggressive
Hanoi to Da Nang
  1. plane - Jetstar takes you there in 1 hour, 15 mins. Da Nang Airport is just on the outskirt of the city center...about $3 by cab
  2. bus - a bus may take 15-16 hours from Hanoi's Giap Bat station
  3. train - the Reunification Express makes a stop in Da Nang
How to Get around Da Nang
  • there are no tuks-tuks in Vietnam but you can rent a motorcycle, take a cab or hire a XeOm single motorcycle
  • most of the places within the city center can be reached by foot - recommended as you see more of the city on foot than on a motorbike
  • still, the best way to see Da Nang is on a bicycle. VND 50,000, it is not as cheap as Cambodia ($1), but it's still not bad. Or, you can check-in at a hotel that offers it for free - like Sanouva Hotel
Things to do, Places to go in Da Nang
  1. Lady Buddha - a 67m white marble statue on the slope of Monkey Mountain, similar to Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer
  2. Linh Ung Pagoda - same location as the Lady Buddha. Built in the 18th century and rebuilt by Minh Mang, the second ruler of Vietnam's Nguyen Dynasty
  3. Cham Museum - world's largest collection of Cham artefacts from the 7th to 15th century
  4. Danang Museum - free admission. Depicts life in Central Vietnam from 14th century
  5. Marble Mountains - see marble making at its finest together with an assortment of fine marble handicrafts. You can also explore the area for its many tunnels, caves and grottos
  6. Monkey Mountain - at 693MASL, it offers a stunning vista of Da Nang. You'll pass by the Lady Buddha on the way to the top
  7. My Khe Beach - fine white sand beach that stretches all the way along the eastern coast of Da Nang going to Hoi An
  8. Man Thai Fishing Village - a fishing village still using traditional methods
Da Nang Cost Index
  • VND 12,000 1.5 liter drinking water
  • VND 300,000 one hour body massage
  • VND 10,000 banh mi (baguette sandwich)
  • VND 25,000 noodle soup with meat
  • VND 10-12,000 coffee
  • VND 50,000 bicycle rental, 1 day (not readily available)
  • VND 30,000/kilo laundry
  • VND 380,000 sleeper bus to Da Nang from Hanoi (as of 2012)
  • VND 100,000 dorm bed
  • VND 200,000 double bed in a fan room, shared toilet
  • VND 3,000 internet cafe
  • VND 80,000 taxi from airport to city center by the river
  • VND 460,000 Jetstar flight from Hanoi to Da Nang (no baggage)
  • VND 150,000 seafood pasta in a decent restaurant
Vietnam FYI / Tips / Dos and Don'ts
  1. Hanoi Grapevine HCMC Update - for the latest events in Vietnam
  2. Vietnam establishments will not accept US dollars, unlike Cambodia. You have to use Vietnam Dong (US$1 = Vietnam Dong VND 23,255 = Php 53.20 as of Aug 1, 2016)
  3. Vietnamese smokers will smoke in air-conditioned establishments, air-conditioned buses packed with people including women, children and babies. They also smoke inside hospitals with no smoking signs.
  4. Vietnam ranks almost the same as Thailand and Cambodia for cheap price. Laos, Myanmar and Malaysia cost more
  5. internet speed is generally fast and reliable but during important events like Tet holiday, election, etc., it slows down
  6. Vietnamese generally do not speak or understand much English. It will be a challenge.
  7. best to dress appropriately, not revealing too much skin (Saigon is an exception - the ladies there set the trend in very short shorts)
  8. remove your shoes when entering a home or place of worship
  9. ask first before taking someone's picture. If they say no, don't persist or offer money
  10. best to carry your hotel's business card with you when going out. You can just show it to the cab driver or XeOm driver if they don't understand English
  11. leave your valuables, passport, travel tickets, etc. with the hotel's safety deposit box
  12. when lying down, don't point your feet or the soles of your shoes to anyone or to a family altar
  13. carry only enough cash for your needs that day
  14. don't lose your temper in public - Vietnamese people are warm, generous and polite. They look down on people who lose their composure
  15. don't take pictures of military installations - you can go to jail
  16. refrain from taking videos of minority people until permitted to do so
Lesser-Known Vietnam Destinations
  1. Phu Yen Province - by the beach
  2. Hoa Binh Lake - locals' alternative to Halong Bay
  3. Ninh Binh - Trang An Grottoes, Tam Coc, Mua Caves, Bai Dinh Pagoda, Van Long Nature Reserve
General Travel Tips
  1. arrive early - in case there is a snag (visa snag, documentation snag, transport ticket snag, etc.), you will have ample time to troubleshoot the problem if you arrive early (to the airport, to the bus terminal, etc.)
  2. put detailed itinerary on the Calendar apps of your smart-phone according to timelines - this is where you do all your thinking and planning. Once written down, you don't have to think anymore while you are on the journey...you just follow the steps. This frees your mind for something else that might happen while you are already en route
  3. avoiding scams - as a general rule, I ignore the touts or anyone I don't know who call out to me. The calling comes in many forms - "Hi! Where are you from?", "Excuse me! Excuse me!", "Where are you going?". I don't look them in the eye and I remain non-verbal with them. If you reply to them, you just gave them an 'in' to hound you. In order not to look rude, I smile and wave the 'not interested' hand to them, without looking at them.
  4. power bank - hand-carry your power bank. Do not check it in. You can be called in when you are already inside the plane to go all the way to the loading dock so you can personally remove the power bank...and chances are, you'll have to surrender it to them. And you might delay the plane departure!
Currency Converter
Currency Converter

»» next Traveling story: Exploring the Imperial City of Hue, Vietnam
»» back to Traveling
»» back to Homepage

ARCHIVE: 2024 | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR

1970 | 1973 | 1975 | 1976 | 1979 | 1981 | 1996 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ALL BLOGS