5 places to check out in Đà Nẵng

Having finally wrapped up writing about my first tet holiday in Đà Nẵng, I felt like recommending a few places or things to do that newcomers may want to do while there. I eventually visited the city fairly frequently, along with Hoi An, and found it to be pleasant and developing quickly. But what is really worth seeing and doing there?!

As per my Hanoi list, here is a list of 5 attractions worth seeing in or around Đà Nẵng if you visit. While a city of a million people by the sea may seem like a center of partying, the actual highlights tend to be outside the city proper, with plenty to see and do if you keep your eyes peeled. Here are 5 to see, and 1 to avoid.

1. Mỹ Khê beach

Its virtually impossible to visit Đà Nẵng and not visit this gorgeous beach. By far the single greatest attraction the city has to offer, the beach runs for miles and features the giant Buddha at the end on a headland in the distance. Cemented both in history and TV, you will struggle to find a large beach better than this in Vietnam. Lacking much of the tackiness that is currently destroying a lot of Phu Quoc, or the antisocial and dodgy Russian characters of Nha Trang, its a great weekend break for those living in Hanoi and who just want to see something more than smog and grey skyscrapers. Only an hour flight from either Hanoi or Saigon.

2. Hải Vân Pass

Made famous internationally by Top Gear, this is the road less travelled nowadays since a mountain tunnel was built to drastically shorten travel time between Huế and Đà Nẵng. However, the now quieter roads make this an ideal place to take it easy and test your biking skills, taking hairpin after hairpin. The winding road ascends and descends with gorgeous blue sea views and mile after mile of green foliage ahead. You will feel like a changed person after taking the entirety of the pass, and will want a breather to take in the feat. Even if you don’t take the entire pass on, at least take a stop at the peak, where ruins and towers await as well as some of the greatest views in Vietnam.

3. Marble Mountains

I went into this in more detail in this post, so this will be a tad shorter. The mountains are relatively close to the city and yet give off a feeling of fresh air and calm as you walk around the hills jutting out of nowhere. With plenty of pagodas, a cave system, limestone formations and great views from the top, its easy to enjoy. For those that enjoy souvenirs, the marble factories at the base of the hills can offer statues and a walk around to bring some oriental treasures back home, though the don’t use the marble from the hills anymore. Definitely worth a look if you have an afternoon to spare.

4. Mỹ Sơn Ruins

This is the farthest attraction on this list from the city, but well worth the trip. One misconception I think foreigners may have about Vietnam is that most temples here must be similar to Angkor Wat due to its iconic depiction in Apocalypse Now. In truth, most temples use the Taoist template and have tall pagodas. But for those that want something close, My Son fits the bill. Considered by UNESCO as “the most important constructions of the My Son civilization”, these Cham ruins feature many similarities to their Khmer cousins in Cambodia, but with a redder colour scheme and dedicated to hinduism as opposed to buddhism. It has a few quirks of its own and can be done in an afternoon.

Take note though, this is not Angkor Wat. It is far smaller, where it can be done in an hour, and with much of it well, ruined, its not going to produce the holiday making ‘WHOAH’ out of you the same way Angkor would. Dial down your expectations to see a few ruins in the sun, and you get that. Just don’t believe the tour guides trying to sell this to you these ruins to be as good as Angkor Wat, or Vietnam’s equivalent in terms of wonder.

5. Dragon Bridge

Even if you have nothing but yourself and a camera, this is a structure worth checking out. Đà Nẵng is relatively unremarkable when it comes to architectural marvels in the city, but the Dragon bridge is a relatively new structure that looks great and fits well with the vibe of the city. Unlike the other bridges, this one is colourful, incorporates the supports into a dragon and it even breathes fire if you show up on Saturday or Sunday at 9PM! Its an example of turning the mundane into something pleasing to look at, and finally gives the city some personality beyond lit up rectangular buildings.

One to Avoid: The Sunworld resort at the Ba Na hills

This might be a controversial pick because for some reason Vietnamese tourists really seem to like the Ba Na hills resort, high up in the hills to the west of Đà Nẵng. Sure, the original station was nothing to write home about save for a pretty sweet Pagoda and view, but jayses Sunworld completely ruined a good thing here! The bridge itself is fine, made for sharing on instagram or facebook, good for that. But the bridge tends to get real crowded, real quick unless you stay the night at the resort. You have to fight for your time to get the perfect selfie while crowds gather impatiently in elaborate dresses. And the resort… It can really be summed up in one word: Tacky

The resort is full of artificial looking, plastic French buildings and British taxis oddly enough. Nothing feels genuine and it all feels like a facade. The more it tries to replicate the style, the emptier it feels, and you just feel like you are on a movie set that has nothing of substance behind it. It all feels designed with Chinese tourists in mind that think all of Europe is like this, but I just had enough with the crowds and selfie sticks. If you can, run and do the hands bridge, and run back down!

So there you have it, a quick list of places worth checking out around the area. Some other things that aren’t so specific include having cans at the beach, spending time on one of the many rooftop bars and pools overlooking the sea, riding around the city on a motorbike and enjoying some top tier cuisine (my personal favourite was a seafood mix including clams and mussels with ginger and chilli). This is the central regions largest city so there is bound to be something you like in here. Enjoy!