How To Spend One Day in Da Nang: Itinerary & Guide
Adding a day in Da Nang to your Vietnam plans? Discover the highlights with this easy one day Da Nang itinerary…
Da Nang was honestly a bit of an afterthought in our Vietnam itinerary. We’d already planned plenty to do in Hoi An, followed by a flight to Dalat via Da Nang airport. Initially, we’d planned to head straight from Hoi An to the airport, however our month-long Vietnam itinerary allowed us a spare day to explore in Da Nang.
I’m actually really glad we did, as while I wouldn’t say you need more than a day or two here, it was a great spot for experiencing modern Vietnamese city life. Unlike our first stop of Hanoi, it’s a much more metropolitan city with newer infrastructure and a more modern feel.
It’s also unique in the fact that the modern city is perched right on the ocean front, with 30km of sandy coastline. The beach and city combination reminded me a little of Miami, or the Gold Coast. If you’re looking for some downtime that blends city and coast, Da Nang is worth adding to your Vietnam plans.
It’s also very close to Hoi An, so ideal for a day trip, and a great place to start or end a Hai Van Pass journey before moving on to your next destination.
This itinerary covers the key things to see in Da Nang, ideal for first time visitors as a short and sweet introduction to the city.
*This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I’ll earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you)*
Da Nang: Quick Guide
Getting there: 45min taxi or shuttle bus from Hoi An, train and bus services from major Vietnam cities, fly into Da Nang airport from cities in Vietnam and Asia.
Things to do: Marble Mountains, Son Tra Peninsula, beach time, Dragon Bridge Show (9pm Fri, Sat & Sun)
Top tours:
Where to stay: Chi House Danang Hotel (££), Rom Casa (£)
Where to eat: Bếp Cuộn, Thìa Gỗ, Umm Banh Mi Cafe, Loving Vegan
Morning: The Marble Mountains
Five limestone peaks tower over the landscape just seven kilometres south of downtown Da Nang. The Marble Mountains are a historical and natural treasure, with each rocky karst named after one of the five elements.
Visiting in the early morning is recommended to avoid hauling yourself up the steps in the heat of the day!
To reach the top, you’ll need to climb up solid stone steps – to reach the main pagoda, there are 156 of them (or an elevator you can take for an extra 15,000 VND). Once you get there, you’ll forget about your aching legs, because the views are more than worth it.
As you explore the Marble Mountains, you’ll find plenty of cool caves and intricate pagodas to explore. Revered as an ancient spiritual site, you’ll see plenty of shrines amongst the ponds and bonsai trees.
If you want to get the key sights in Da Nang ticked off quickly in the morning allowing for maximum beach time in the afternoon, I’d recommend booking this half day tour that takes you to both Marble Mountains and the Son Tra Peninsula!
Lunchtime: Beach Life
After an early morning visit to Marble Mountains, the next stop on this Da Nang itinerary allows for some much needed relaxation (and lunch!). Yep, it’s beach time.
Unfortunately, the weather was pretty wet and windy when we were in Da Nang, so we didn’t get to make the most of the stunning stretch of beach beside the city. The sandy shore stretches 30km from the north of Da Nang all the way to Hoi An
There are plenty of beach bars and cafes that make for the perfect lunch spot. We perched up in the first beach bar we found with cover from the rain, watching the mist roll across on Tra Peninsula.
On a day when the weather’s more in your favour, head to one of the lively beach bars and grab a sun lounger. There are plenty of watersports vendors along the beach if that’s your vibe, offering jetski hire, parasailing, banana boats and surfing.
Afternoon: Son Tra Peninsula
If you’re looking to do something a little more active with your afternoon in Da Nang, you could also pay a visit to Son Tra Peninsula, a beautiful nature reserve at the northern end of Da Nang. To get there, you can hire a bike and self-drive, or use Grab to book a car or motorbike taxi.
The Son Tra Peninsula is also home to hundreds of red-shanked Douc Langur monkeys, so keep an eye out as you’re exploring the nature reserve. Some key spots to check out on the peninsula are:
- Linh Ứng Pagoda – home to the tallest Lady Buddha statue in Vietnam.
- Ban Co Peak – offers panoramic views of the coastline, plus some hiking trails to stretch your legs.
- Bai Nam (Obama Beach) – a tucked away beach spot for relaxing and swimming.
- The Giant Banyan Tree – almost a thousand years old, and if you’re lucky, you might spot some monkeys playing around here!
- Dong Dinh Museum – traditional wooden houses and ancient artifacts.
Dining in Da Nang
Da Nang has plenty of places for dinner, from stylish gastropubs and upmarket eateries to more traditional local restaurants. We managed to sample a few delights, and I’ve combined these with some of the other recommendations we had to give you a few options to choose from for your day’s meals:
- Bếp Cuộn – sample traditional cuisines from north and south at the city’s best rated affordable restaurant.
- Emo’s – authentic traditional cuisine with a homely feel – we loved it here!
- Bánh Xèo Tôm Nhảy Cô Ba – specialising in crispy bánh xèo pancakes.
- Thìa Gỗ – another top rated spot, with a more modern cosy vibe.
- Umm Banh Mi Cafe – a buzzing spot for bahn mi.
- Loving Vegan – for fully vegan versions of Vietnamese specialties such as pho and summer rolls.
Evening: City Vibes
Want to see some fire breathing dragons? Of course you do. If your day in Da Nang falls on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, absolutely don’t miss the Dragon Bridge Show! Every weekend day at 9PM, this iconic bridge comes to life with a light, fire and water show.
You can head down to the riverside to watch the show, however we decided to avoid the milling crowds that gather near the bridge and head for a rooftop bar for some of the best seats in the house. And cocktails, of course. After researching the best viewpoints for the show, we settled on Dragon Ball Bar. It’s a little out of the way, but has an amazing view of the river and bridge and great cocktails. I’d recommend getting your spot at least an hour before the show – we actually arrived around two hours early to get the best seats in the house.
More night time activities in Da Nang
Visiting on a weekday? Just because there’s no show, it doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy the vibrant evening life of Da Nang.
- See the city lights by night on a Han River boat cruise (which includes the Dragon Bridge show on Fri/Sat/Sun!)
- Visit some of the city’s lively bars – we enjoyed a tasting paddle from Saigon brewery Heart of Darkness at their Da Nang outpost.
- Enjoy a traditional dance, music and light show with Charming Danang (show starts at 5pm – so this one’s a pre-dinner activity!)
More things to do in Da Nang
Spending a little more than one day in Da Nang or just want to switch up this itinerary a bit? These are some other fun activities you can do in Da Nang:
- Visit Ba Na Hills – a mountaintop resort with a variety of attractions including the Golden Bridge. Despite this being a popular tourist attraction, I didn’t recommend it as we chose not to do it, as it doesn’t feel particularly authentic and is also quite pricey for our backpacker budget.
- Snorkel the crystal clear waters of the Cham Islands.
- Walk among the ancient ruins of My Son Sanctuary (we did this as a half-day trip from Hoi An, and it’s a really beautiful and evocative place to visit)
Getting to Da Nang
The closest spot on the Vietnam tourist trail is Hoi An, around 45 minutes drive away. There are bus services that run between the two, but quite honestly, getting a cab is a much nicer experience and not too much more expensive, especially travelling as a pair or group. We’d initially used the Grab app (which I’d recommend) in Hoi An – one of the drivers gave us his Whatsapp details, and took us from our hotel in Hoi An to our hotel in Da Nang for 450,000 VND (around £12).
If you’re travelling from/to Hue, you can take the heritage train route (HD1/HD2 or HD3/HD4) via the Hai Van Pass, which takes about 2.5hrs with a photo stop. For something a bit more adventurous, check out an Easy Rider motorbike trip across the Hai Van Pass. We self-drove this route and it’s absolutely MAJESTIC by road!
For travel from further afield, Da Nang Railway Station links up with major Vietnamese cities including Hanoi (15-16hrs) and Ho Chi Minh City (16-17hrs). Budget travellers often take ‘sleeper buses’ between cities – check out my ultimate guide to Vietnam’s sleeper buses for full details on what to expect!
Looking to get around quickly? Da Nang also has an airport, with regular flights to and from major Asian cities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. To save time on our itinerary, we flew to Dalat from here and the airport experience was really smooth – worth the extra spend if you want to maximise your time and comfort!
Getting around Da Nang
We mostly explored Da Nang on foot. The city has a bus service, however the most convenient (and still affordable) way to get around is by Grab car or motorbike taxi.
Where to stay in Da Nang
On a backpacker budget, we stayed at AN House Hotel and Apartment, in a King Room with Balcony, for £10 per night. Sadly, a building blocked the sea view, but the room was clean and comfortable, fine for a one night stay. It was perfectly functional, but the beautiful foliage-filled lobby of Chi House Danang Hotel next door made us wish we’d splashed some extra cash.
If you’re a solo traveler looking for a hostel dorm, Rom Casa is well-regarded for its lively social scene. For those looking for a more relaxed hostel, Seahorse Signature Da Nang has a rooftop pool in a great central location, not too far from the beach.
