{"id":92039,"date":"2025-02-16T17:36:48","date_gmt":"2025-02-16T17:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/business\/insurance\/da-nang-vietnams-friendly-and-affordable-beachside-metropolis\/"},"modified":"2025-02-16T17:36:48","modified_gmt":"2025-02-16T17:36:48","slug":"da-nang-vietnams-friendly-and-affordable-beachside-metropolis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=92039","title":{"rendered":"Da Nang: Vietnam\u2019s friendly and affordable beachside metropolis"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Set beside a long, sandy beach, Da Nang offers surfing and sunbathing in abundance \u2013 as well as all the pleasures of a big city. Here\u2019s how one traveller got a taste for this bustling, cosmopolitan metropolis.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Image by Craig Hindmarsh<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Where to stay in Da Nang<\/strong><\/h2>\n

My first two nights were spent in New Sky Hotel<\/a>, located a few kilometres north of the main tourist area of M\u1ef9 An. The room cost the equivalent of 170K VND (\u00a35.50), which is incredibly cheap considering it featured air conditioning. However, given the low January temperatures, the AC remote was left well alone. The (very) thin walls and lack of windows reminded me that I shouldn\u2019t rush when booking hotel rooms! I decided to take my next room in M\u1ef9 An, where there are more restaurants, cafes and bars (and thicker walls).<\/p>\n

For the next few days I stayed in the Tehana Beachside Hotel<\/a>, which was almost as affordable as New Sky, but had the notable advantage of windows \u2013 which provide great views of the mountains to the north. The staff were extremely friendly, and the hotel was only a five minute walk from the city\u2019s excellent beach.<\/p>\n

Next I moved into the very heart of bustling M\u1ef9 An, where the Gold Time Hotel<\/a> offered rooms for about \u00a38 per night. However, the Vietnamese New Year \u2013 known as Tet (29th January) \u2013 saw rates rise by about 20%, and stay elevated for several days. On the plus side, the affable manager invited me for a New Year\u2019s Eve drink with his friends in the hotel lobby \u2013 an unexpected invite which I duly accepted.<\/p>\n

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Celebrating Tet \u2013 Vietnamese New Year \u2013 Image by Craig Hindmarsh<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What to do in Da Nang<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Marble Mountains<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A friend and I took a taxi to the Marble Mountains<\/a>, although our visit was delayed when the driver persuaded us to visit a sculpture store enroute. A lady spent 10 minutes failing to persuade us to buy everything from emerald-coloured bracelets to vast elephant sculptures. Despite the hard-sell, we had to admit many of the items were beautifully made.<\/p>\n

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Image by Craig Hindmarsh<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Marble Mountains themselves were superb \u2013 I hadn\u2019t expected them to be so vast. Inside, there are various caverns to explore, many of which feature some very odd-looking sculpted figures engaging in some rather painful activities. One of the larger caves featured a huge gong \u2013 which I took great pleasure in thwacking with the provided mallet.<\/p>\n

Those who suffer with claustrophobia might not enjoy the deeper caves, but do explore them if you can: the subterranean silence is deafening!<\/p>\n

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Image by Craig Hindmarsh<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Hit the Beach<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Da Nang beach is well loved for its reliable surfing conditions. Surf lessons and board rentals are available, so it\u2019s a great opportunity to learn this sport (if you don\u2019t know already). There are demarcated swimming zones attended by lifeguards, but these are very narrow \u2013 so I felt a little bunched in with my fellow bodysurfers. Otherwise, the chief activities are sunbathing and enjoying a cocktail at one of the many beachside bars. My favourite sundowner bar was Paradise<\/a>, where they were offering a very generous 3-for-2 deal on drinks (bringing the cost down to about \u00a31 per drink!).<\/p>\n

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Image by Craig Hindmarsh<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Visit the Bread and Butter Bakery<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I\u2019m not a big fan of cakes in general \u2013 but I was impressed by the Bread and Butter Bakery<\/a> in M\u1ef9 An. This vast cafe proffered some of the most beautiful cakes and baked treats I\u2019ve ever seen. I didn\u2019t buy anything on my first visit, but the memory of all those elaborate cakes stuck in my head \u2013 and I returned the next day for a chocolate-covered wonder (89K \/ \u00a33), consuming it in record time. The cafe has lots of comfortable seating, so it\u2019s a great place to hang out or get some work done. This is one of the fancier examples of Vietnam\u2019s vibrant cafe culture.<\/p>\n

What I loved (and didn\u2019t love) about Da Nang<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As ever, it\u2019s the people that make a place special \u2013 and Da Nang is a prime example of this. Almost every local I met had a warm and easy smile. I think Da Nang may be special in this regard \u2013 since Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, while friendly enough, were not quite as welcoming as Da Nang.<\/p>\n

The city is also considerably more affordable than the above-mentioned cities, particularly in terms of hotels. A simple \u2018banh mi\u2019 sandwich costs around 75p, as does a local coffee. Of course, you can pay two or three times this if you frequent tourist-focussed establishments.<\/p>\n

Another plus was the abundant vegetarian\/meat-free food. A highlight was a place called Loving Vegan<\/a>, where you can enjoy dishes like vegan Ph\u1edf and Pad Thai for 45-55K VND (\u00a32).<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t enjoy crossing the road: the city\u2019s thoroughfares demand that pedestrians look both ways several times. The beachside road was particularly busy and difficult to cross \u2013 although there are a scattering of \u2018green man\u2019 crossings and at least one underpass. Another slight annoyance was the local drivers\u2019 habit of honking their horns at every intersection \u2013 and given the city is mostly built on a grid system, there was a lot of honking!<\/p>\n

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Image by Craig Hindmarsh<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Top tips for visiting Da Nang<\/strong><\/h2>\n