Da Nang

Ba Na Hill Station

Bà Nà

Ba Na is 1,487 m above sea level in the Truong Son Mountains. In the 1920s, it was a French resort that boasted 200 villas, restaurants, and clubs. It is known as the second Dalat or Sa Pa in central Vietnam. Its temperate climate, unspoiled forest, and spectacular views over the South China Sea and the Lao mountains made Ba Na a popular retreat for both the French and the wealthy Vietnamese. Today the area still attracts locals and tourists alike thanks to a cable car system that was opened in 2009 and set two Guinness World Records for its height and length. Great view from the top but it's really useless to stay overnight since the accommodation options are shabby and overpriced (US$80-150 per night).

You need to get a taxi to Suoi Mo Station (US$25 one-way from Da Nang) then pay 550,000 dong per adult (250,000 dong for children between 1-1.3 m tall, free admission for children under 1 m tall) for the ticket to the cable car and the Fantasy Park

Bambino

Quiet location, good food wine selection. Australian steak grilled to order. International, French and local foods, run by a French couple. A good place for a quiet meal with friends.

Bamboo Bar 2

Popular haunt for expats. Bamboo 2's owner speaks excellent English, there are always foreigners there.

Mon-Fri 13:00-02-00 Sat Sun 11:00-03:00

Big C supermarket

Large supermarket complex with a mall beneath it and food court above. There is also a CGV cinema on the top level. The Western-style supermarket is on the third floor. The parking entrance is on Ông Ích Khiêm.

Bánh Mì̀ Bà Lan

One of the most famous sandwich carts in the city. Try their bánh mì que which is a string baguette filled with a pork pâté.

Closed · opens 4 pm·US$1 (Jan 2018)

Bún Mắm Vân

Bún mắm is an extremely pungent noodle dish made with a fermented fish sauce called mắm nêm. Mắm nêm can best be described as "smells like hell, tastes like heaven." Bún Mắm Vân is in what is called "Bún Mắm Alley" where a few bún mắm shops have congregated. You can smell this alley from a block away. Try the bún mắm thịt quay or bún mắm with roasted pork. If you are put off by the smell of strong fish sauce this is not the place for you. If you like bún mắm this place is heaven.

Closed · opens 1 pm·US$1 (Jan 2018)

Bún mắm Bé Hà

Great local place. Casual restaurant. The Bun Mam is good. The rice crackers are recommended. From afar, you can already smell the fish sauce. If you are a foreign tourist this is a good choice.

Ca Fe 49

Ca Fe 49 is a simple, family-run, outdoor cafe serving excellent coffee at a good price. Enjoy a "cà phê sữa đá Đà Nẵng" while enjoying a quiet view. The husband and wife owners are friendly. Recommend if you are out in Sơn Trà.

Closed · opens 6 am·US$1

Café Vi Lan

Comfortable, typical coffee shop that plays soft music and plays HBO movies on mute. Upper floor is air-conditioned.

Chân Gà Nướng Hai Còi - Delicious BBQ Chicken

Hai Còi is a local restaurant. There are 3 locations with the same boss. Still, the original house seems to be the best one. The stir-fried noodles are good. The chicken wings are very good, seasoned and grilled over charcoal fire.

Com Nieu Nha Do

Cơm niêu is a type of rice that's baked in a clay pot and served with any number of sides — beef, chicken, fish, hot pot — but it's the way it's served that catches your attention. Waiters come out of the kitchen bearing hot clay pots straight out of the oven, pull out hammers, smash them at your table, and fling the crusty, baked rice inside back and forth across the room. Otherwise, the food is what you'd get at a normal restaurant, but it's fun to see the show. There are many of these restaurants on Nguyen Tri Phuong St, but this one is a favourite.

Closed · opens 10 am

Cơm Nhà Linh

Delicious food, true to the homemade style, suitable for the North. The set menu is full of meat, fish, soup, vegetables, peanuts and eggs. If you are craving something local, they don't disappoint. Great experience to grill your own meat at the table. The service might be a bit slow though.

Cơm gà A.Hải

Typical basic Vietnamese restaurant. The chicken rice that the locals also enjoy is nice. Both the roast chicken and thinly steamed chicken rice are tasty. The chicken soup served first is also tasty.

Dragon Bridge

Cầu Rồng

A 2013 bridge built in the shape of a dragon, breathing fire and water each Saturday and Sunday night at 21:00.

Edo Sushi

Budget Japanese restaurant. The dishes are diverse. Most of the staff are students.

Festival Disco

The newest disco and the only one on the My Khe Beach side of the river. It's part of a complex with a restaurant and karaoke rooms. If you buy the staff a drink here (a normal thing to do in this kind of disco-night club) they can be very aggressive about drinking it fast and running up a big bill for you.

Golden Bridge

A 150m long pedestrian bridge, used as viewpoint. A notable feature is the hands sculpture that support the bridge.

Golden Pine

This is a popular bar opposite Memory Lounge on the river side. Open till 04:00 or last customer, they play music on request from customers. Lots of regulars here and a casual vibe.

Green Town Bar

One of relatively few bars open past the witching hour and most expats drop in there for either an early evening or late night drink. The view is excellent with an outdoor terrace and 2 big pool tables inside. The prices are very reasonable. Food is available until 22:00.

H Coffee

Recommended is the Bo ne Viet Nam steak. Bahn mi is good. The setting is quite tranquil with open spaces in a natural setting away from the hustle and bustle of the city life. The staff are nice people.

Hai Quynh Café

Known as the "Rock Coffee Shop", where you can enjoy coffee and listen to rock music at the same time. You can request songs. Usually, they play ballads and soft rock in the daytime and hard rock and metal in the evening (very loudly).

Han Market

A typical Vietnamese market, with vendors selling everything from shoes to silk and souvenirs, candles to coffee, and candied plums. The upper part of the building is mainly dedicated to clothing, accessories and silk, while the lower part is mainly dedicated to foodstuffs. There's an extensive fruit and vegetable market on the side that's closest to the river, from which you can access the Han River promenade. Be prepared to haggle for prices, like at any neighbourhood market.

Closed · opens 6 am

Han River Promenade

The beauty of the Han River has inspired poets and composers throughout Da Nang's history, and any local will probably be able to sing you a few lines of Sông Hàn Tình Yêu Của Tôi (Han River, My Love) as they stroll the edge of the water. The promenade on the western bank of the river is well built up, stretching from the Dragon Bridge in the south to the city port in the north. The promenade passes underneath the famous Han River Bridge, a swing bridge built in the late-1990s, one of four bridges across the Han you can glimpse from here (the others are the Thuan Phuoc, Dragon, and Tran Thi Ly bridges). All of the bridges light up with colorful patterns at night, making a walk by the river a delightful (and certainly romantic) escapade. Locals often gather here in the evenings to watch the water, play hacky-sack, or bring their children for a run. During the Tet season, the promenade is festooned with sculptures and art. The annual Fireworks Festival is also based here, but you're better off seeing the show from afar, as it tends to get quite crowded.

Helio Night Market

Chợ đêm Helio

Located near the Danang Sports Hall, Helio is the largest and flashiest night market in town. Often has live music.

Kangaroo Bar and Burger

Good for brunch. The pancakes are delicious. And the yogurt and fruit menu is very good. A lot of Vietnamese people come here to eat. Excellent service, quality and kindness.

Kenta Vietnamese cuisine & coffee

Hot pho. Very good food. They offer a vegetarian version of bun (cold vermicelli noodles) on request. The lemongrass and chilli tofu is nice. Amazingly friendly service. Warm people. Nice cozy environment.

Linh Ung Temple

Chùa Linh Ứng

Located on Son Tra Mountain and clearly visible from My Khe Beach, this temple has stunning views of the sea, the sky, and a 67-m tall statue of "Quan The Am" (Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy) facing the ocean. The pagoda was built in 2010.

Long Coffee

Crazy popular cà phê cóc-style coffee shop in Da Nang that serves and sells its own brand of coffee—not the best, according to some, but very popular with locals. It's always busy, noisy and smoky, but that's part of the atmosphere. Go there with a local friend to shoot the breeze and enjoy a quintessential Vietnamese experience.

MM Mega Market

Huge supermarket, formerly known as Metro, sells most of the things you'd expect to find in Western supermarkets: a variety of groceries (including fresh, fully refrigerated meat, if you're squeamish about buying meat at the open market), clothes, home and office supplies, electronics, and more. It's a little far from the city centre, but it's easily accessible by taxi, so you can stock up and carry all your bags home easily.

Closed · opens 6 am

Marble Mountains

Ngu Hanh Son

The group includes Kim Son (Mountain of Metal), Moc Son (Mountain of Wood), Thuy Son (Mountain of Water), Hoa Son (Mountain of Fire), and Tho Son (Mountain of Earth). Several Buddhist temples have been built into the caves and grottoes, and it's a popular pilgrimage site. The real fun, though, is at the Am Phu cave, where you can make the steep climb up toward the light and a view from the top of the mountain, surrounded by approving sacred images; or head in the opposite direction, physically and spiritually, down to the crude Hieronymous Bosch-esque statues of sinners getting their due in the caverns below, with appropriately eerie lighting. Either way, wear walking or climbing shoes. Open-tour buses will stop here, but you'll be rushed along; any motorbike taxi in Da Nang or Hoi An will be happy to take you and let you set the schedule. Guides are available. Watch out for the rapacious statue-sellers outside.

40,000 dong but may enter for free if arriving before 08:00; tickets for a ride up by elevator are 15,000 dong