Da Nang is the largest town located in central Vietnam. I had not planned to visit or stay in the city but because I was flying there to get to Hoi An I decided to make the most of my time and stay for one night.
I arrived in the morning so I had a full day ahead of me. Da Nang was a very nice surprise! Maybe because I had no expectations whatsoever… anyway I absolutely loved it!
The city is located on the coast, its sandy beaches are stunning and there is plenty of things to keep you busy. Here are the top things to do/ see in Da Nang:
Visit Phap Lam Pagoda
Lam Pagoda is probably one of my favourite pagodas in Vietnam. I saw a few pagodas during my month of travelling but this is the one I remember the most.
It has something special, maybe it is due to its location by the sea as you get an impressive view over the coast with Da Nang city in the background. The pagoda is stunning, there is a massive Buddah, dozens of trees and monkeys jumping everywhere. There are tourists of course but the site remains peaceful.
You can walk from the city but it might take about an hour, or you can go by moped. I took a Grab, Grab is the Asian version of Uber, it exists for mopeds and cars, it’s a lot more fun on a moped and also much cheaper.
When I arrived I told my grab driver not to wait for me for the return journey as I wanted to visit the Pagoda at my own pace. But when I finished the visit I saw him at the exit, waiting for me. He wanted to practice his English and suggested I visit the city centre big market.
That is one of the best things when you travel solo, people want to talk to you to improve their English, and are genuinely interested in meeting foreigners.
Admire the Dragon Bridge
The Dragon Bridge is quite an atypical bridge, it has been built in the shape of a dragon, head on one side, tail on the other. The golden dragon is illuminated every evening. And to be even cooler the dragon blows fire or spits water every Saturday and Sunday evenings at 9.00 pm, how cool!
The bridge was opened to traffic in 2013, to celebrate the 38th anniversary of the city’s liberation.
Do some shopping at Hàn Market
Han Market is the main marketplace in Da Nang, it looks very much like Bến Thành Market, the biggest market in Ho Chi Minh City. You can find pretty much anything, from clothing to food, coffee, even snake wine!
Relax at My Khe beach
My Khe beach is picture-postcard beautiful stretching for 20 miles of soft white sand. You can see Da Nang city with its buildings in the background, which gives it a bit of a Miami vibe. It is truly paradise! There are very few tourists and so relatively quiet.
Go to the Marble Mountain
I can’t say anything about this mountain as I did not have time to go but people I have met along the road said great things about it so if you have time, why not give it a go and give me your feedback?! 🙂
After Da Nang it only takes 40 minutes to reach the pretty town of Hoi An, which was my next stop.
Julia's Travels 