Da Nang is a cool, coastal city located in central Vietnam that offers a blend of natural beauty, cultural attractions, beautiful beaches and a buzzing nightlife.

If you’re visiting Da Nang for a few days or spending a month as a digital nomad, there’s key activities to tick off from ancient temples to coffee shops to relaxing beaches.

But what exactly are the best things to do in Da Nang?

Here’s what we learned: There’s something for everyone in Da Nang!

• Want to relax? There’s gorgeous beaches.
• Want some adventure? There’s road trips with stunning views.
• Want to discover the food scene? Try local restaurants and dishes.

Here’s the thing: Many people skip visiting Da Nang and head straight to Hoi An but this coastal city might just surprise you!

Matthew and I spent a month living in Da Nang as digital nomads, experiencing all it has to offer. Tasting the local cuisine, trying coconut coffee for the first time (skeptical at first, but love it now) and visiting cool structures like the Lady Buddha on the weekend.

With so many options, we are narrowing it down to the top 10 things to do in Da Nang. You can tick all these off within a 3 day vacation or spread it out on a week-long tour.

Here’s our guide to the 10 most exciting things to do in Da Nang, complete with our personal recommendations for places, restaurants and coffee shops, best times to visit and insider tips we learned along the way.

Mini Travel Guide For Da Nang

Apart from the amazing activities in Da Nang, it’s important to get your trip in order. We share our must-have travel tips for visiting Da Nang, Vietnam.

Where To Stay In Da Nang:

The most popular area for tourists to stay is the beachfront area, close to the promenade.

If you’re staying longer than 3 days, we recommend staying in the My An area where there’s lots of nice restaurants and coffee shops.

Da Nang is very walkable (although the sidewalks aren’t great). Book a hotel in the main areas if you want to get to most spots by foot.

Top Hotels In Da Nang:

Ruby Star Da Nang ($ | 8.7 Fabulous rating): Starting from only $20, Ruby Star Da Nang is the perfect budget stay that doesn’t compromise comfortability. You can save some cash and still enjoy a nice private room with access to a rooftop pool.

HAIAN Beach Hotel & Spa ($$ | 8.9 Fabulous rating): HAIAN Beach Hotel is a mid-range hotel located close to the promenade with stunning panoramic view rooms for an affordable price.

M Hotel Da Nang ($$$ | 9.2 Superb rating): This impressive hotel is a new, modern building with an iconic rooftop pool and incredible ocean views. The rooms at M Hotel Da Nang start from $90 and it’s the best value for money on this list as breakfast is included.

Remember to book early, especially during peak seasons like summer and holidays.

Travel Medical Insurance

For peace of mind on your travels to Da Nang, we highly recommend getting travel insurance before. If you face any unexpected medical issues, flight delays or lose your belongings, the right travel medical insurance can save you the financial headache.

SafetyWing is a travel medical insurance provider we’ve used and recommend to friends. They offer affordable prices, subscription-like payments and good coverage.

It’s worth checking SafetyWing out to see if they’re right for you.

Stay Connected In Vietnam

The most popular phone provider in Vietnam is Viettel which you can grab at the airport for an overpriced plan.

Otherwise, you can use an eSIM which is really easy to do. The best eSIM provider in Vietnam is Gigago. Their GIGA7 plan is only $8.90 for 7GB of data for 8 days of travel — very affordable!

Best Time To Visit Da Nang:

The best months to visit Da Nang are March to May. This is dry season so there’s less rainfall and it isn’t ridiculously hot or humid at this time.

The worst time to visit is from September to January because of the monsoon season and July which is the hottest month and trust us, you’ll feel it.

10 Epic Things To Do In Da Nang

Da Nang is emerging as one of Vietnam’s top travel destinations, offering cultural experiences to exploring ancient caves in the Marble Mountains. This coastal city gem is perfect for tourists on vacation or digital nomads staying for a while.

Whether you’re driving along the coast or swimming at My Khe Beach, these 10 cool things to do in Da Nang will make your trip unforgettable.

1. Visit The Lady Buddha

One of the most prominent monuments in Da Nang is The Lady Buddha.

The Lady Buddha is a statue that stands 67 meters tall which is the largest Buddha statue in Vietnam. In fact, you can see her all the way from My Khe Beach near the city on a clear day.

You can take photos by the statue, see the temples and walk around the Linh Ung Pagoda complex. If you want to enter the temples, remember to dress respectfully and cover up your shoulders and knees.

Getting to The Lady Buddha is very quick, only a 15-minute drive. You can book a Grab taxi or take a motorbike which you’ll have to pay for parking.

TTA TIP: If you take a Grab taxi, you can ask the driver to wait for you while you tour and take you back for a flat fee. Drop off is easy but pick up can be difficult via Grab.

Matthew and I visited The Lady Buddha around 9:00am. This was early enough that the tour buses hadn’t arrived yet and it wasn’t too hot. We only spent around an hour walking around!

2. Check Out Marble Mountain

If there’s one thing most tourists visit in Da Nang, it has to be the impressive Marble Mountain. This is a group of 5 limestone hills that represent the elements: water, wood, metal, fire and earth.

The main mountain called Thuy Son is what most people see. You can climb steps or use the elevator (yes, there’s an elevator on the side of a mountain) to get up to the top.

From here, you can walk around the pagodas and check out the caves. We found it fascinating walking around the inside of the caves where you can see Buddhist and Hindu shrines. It’s very cool to walk around but be careful because it’s kind of slippery!

Here are some key details for your visit:

We found it odd because there’s different ticket booths based on which side of the mountain you choose to see. If I remember correctly, we had to pay an entrance fee for each side of the mountain and an elevator fee or something like that.

Matthew and I visited Marble Mountains around 9:00am. This was WAY more crowded than Lady Buddha even early in the morning. If you want fewer crowds, get there before 9:00am!

3. Swim & Relax At The Beach

If you see any pictures of Da Nang, you’ll likely see the stunning beaches with beautiful sand and long stretches of coastline.

There are the best beaches to swim, relax with a coconut in hand and maybe even take surfing lessons!

My Khe Beach

Our favorite beach is My Khe Beach because its got a great vibe and atmosphere. The beach stretches along the coastline for about 20 miles, giving everyone plenty of room to enjoy the beach.

Along the promenade, there’s food and drink trucks to buy coconuts, coffee or even pizza. We enjoyed getting coconut coffee from Caribou Food Truck, they’ve got small chairs to sit on as well if you don’t want to lay out.

My Khe is the most popular beach for surfing too! You can rent boards or have an instructor take you out. They are very affordable and the waves aren’t big at all.

Non Nuoc Beach

Want a quieter beach with fewer crowds? Head to Non Nuoc Beach. The waters are calm, locals are fishing in the morning and it’s a peaceful place to unwind.

TTA INSIDER TIP: Head to Premier Village Da Nang Resort and see if you can get a day pass or a pool pass. You can hang out here for the afternoon and use the amazing facilities along the beach.

4. Taste Da Nang’s Food Scene

Da Nang is most known for its fresh seafood and local Vietnamese specialties.

These are some of our favorite dishes we tried and the restaurants we recommend:

Bun Cha

Try this delicious bowl of soup and noodles at O Bun Cha.

We hadn’t heard of this dish till our first trip to Vietnam and it’s become a staple for us!

Bun Bo Hue

Think — spicy version of Pho with beef. I first tried it at Kenta and I was converted!

From now on, I always ask for Bun Bo Hue instead of Pho — which is wild to me. Please, please, please if you don’t try anything else, at least get some Bun Bo Hue for me!

Banh Xeo

This a a favorite dish amongst locals!

It’s a crispy rice pancake filled with pork, shrimp and vegetables. You can add fresh herbs or dip them in the sauce. We enjoyed trying it at this restaurant.

Fresh seafood: If you want to eat seafood in Da Nang, it’s a whole event! You can try Be Man Restaurant for a more local experience.

5. Sip On Vietnamese Coffee

If you’ve ever been on our website before, you’ll know that we are obsessed with drinking specialty coffee. We were curious to try Vietnamese coffee because it all sounds so interesting.

Before we arrived, I didn’t think I’d like coconut coffee but boy, I was wrong. Then we discovered salt coffee and it’s since become a staple for me while traveling Vietnam!

Here’s a short list of our favorite cafes in Da Nang:

1. Dng.coffee
2. 43 Factory Coffee Roaster
3. Caribou Food Truck
4. Pine coffee

Da Nang has great cafes so it’s worth a try while you’re there!

6. See Fire Show At The Dragon Bridge

The Dragon Bridge is one of the most iconic monuments of Da Nang. This must-see attraction isn’t just for display because…

…in the evening, this long bridge transforms into a fire show on the weekends.

The dragon breathes fire every Saturday and Sunday at 9:00pm and it’s free to watch!

If you want to get a good viewing spot, we recommend arriving 15 minutes earlier to secure your place. The best place to watch is about 100 meters from the dragon’s head!

Afterward, we suggest heading over to the Son Tra Night Market to get some food and try delicious Vietnamese food.

7. Explore Ba Na Hills

Ba Na Hills has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Vietnam. This hilltop is most famous for the Golden Bridge, a 150-meter-long pedestrian bridge that looks like it’s floating in the air.

But guess what?

This area is also an amusement park aka Sun World! Totally random but I think most people just think that it’s a bridge in the mountains but really — you are also buying entry tickets to the amusement park with gardens, a French-style village and an indoor arcade.

🥶 TTA TIP: Take a light jacket with you! Even on warm days, it can get chilly up at Ba Na Hills.

If you want to beat the lines, we suggest buying a ticket in advance on Klook. They have good options in case you want to include a private driver. Otherwise, you need to negotiate with your Grab to do a return trip for you.

8. Snorkeling Tour To Cham Island

Looking for an island adventure?

Cham Island is a beautiful island off the east coast of Da Nang filled with vibrant marine life and blue waters. This is a popular day trip option for tourists who enjoy snorkeling.

The boats from Da Nang take anywhere from 40-60 minutes to reach Cham Island. If you want to snorkel, a group tour is great because you get the snorkeling gear provided, boat tickets, a delicious lunch and time to chill at the beach.

Take it from us…

Before going on a tour like this, it’s worth getting travel medical insurance that protects you and offers peace of mind 

If you’re not sure which one, we recommend checking out SafetyWing for reliable and affordable travel medical insurance to see if it’s right for you.

This is a full-day tour so keep that in mind when planning your itinerary. If you have less than 3 days, this is tricky to add to your list of things to do in Da Nang.

9. Visit The Cham Museum

Are you the museum type?

Cham Museum is the spot for you! This museum has the biggest collection of Cham sculptures in the world. Inside, you’ll see the fascinating stone carvings and discover how truly skilled the Cham artists were.

If you’re interested in learning about Cham culture and history, this is the spot. It doesn’t get crowded, it’s air-conditioned (perfect for a hot day) and it’s not too big — you can spend an hour here.

10. Scenic Drive Along The Hai Van Pass

The most epic thing to do in Da Nang is driving along the Hai Van Pass.

The best way to enjoy the Hai Van Pass is by motorbike. You can hire a motorbike in Da Nang, we hired ours from Quang Nga Motorbikes and recommend them! Make sure to have the appropriate license as we’ve heard cops patrol the area.

Please be careful when driving on your own, some areas can be steep and windy!

Or you can hire a driver to take you so you can be a passenger princess in the back. A highly-rated company is called Easy Riders Vietnam. You have to check their route options to see if any of them work for you.

Monkey Mountain is also a highlight of the Hai Van Pass which was named for the troops stationed here during the Vietnam War. But the monkeys all around are also what really give this mountain its name. Be careful, they are cheeky so keep your belongings close and don’t feed them.

This stunning coastal drive on the Son Tra Peninsula rewards you with spectacular views, beautiful nature and wildlife.

Bonus: Day Trip To Hoi An

Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is only located 30 minutes away from Da Nang.

When we were living in Da Nang, we took several day trips to Hoi An (at least 3 times a month). It’s easy to get there with a Grab car (or motorbike if you have one). It’s perfect to explore for a day trip or even a half-day trip.

From the iconic yellow buildings to the colorful lanterns, this charming town is a must-visit! 

You can try the local specialty called Cao Lau, we enjoyed them at Nostalife Restaurant.

Hoi An is famous for its tailors and shops. You can get suits, dresses and everyday clothes made within 1-2 days — it’s nuts how talented they are!

I’ll be straight with you: it’s crowded. Now whatever you imagined ‘crowded in Hoi An’ meant, I want you to double it. We were slightly overwhelmed as it was hard to walk across the bridge, especially in the afternoon. Just prepare yourself!

Enjoy All Da Nang Has To Offer

Da Nang is often overlooked as a travel destination in Vietnam. But this coastal city is worth a second look because it might just surprise you!

The things to do in Da Nang range from chilling at My Khe Beach to adventurous activities like driving along the Hai Van Pass.

We think Da Nang is a great base to explore central Vietnam. You’ve got Hoi An only 30 minutes away and Hue a few hours drive away.

Whether you want to relax or seek adventure, Da Nang delivers on every front.

Frequently Asked Questions