Central Vietnam, without the guesswork

craft villagefish sauceDa Nang

Nam O Fishing Village — Where Da Nang's Fish Sauce Comes From

At the foot of the Hai Van Pass is a village that ferments anchovies in wooden vats for twelve months to draw off the first few drops.

Han Market — Where People in Da Nang Send You for Souvenirs

Ask anyone in Da Nang where to buy food to take home and nine will say Han Market. The tenth will say Con Market.

marketsDa Nangshopping

marketsstreet foodDa Nang

Con Market — Da Nang's Street Food Headquarters

People in Da Nang do not go to Con Market to shop. They go to eat.

Son Tra Peninsula — Da Nang's Green Lung and Its Empty Beaches

Twenty minutes from the city centre: old-growth forest, monkeys crossing the road, and beaches with almost nobody on them.

natureSon Traroad trip

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The Marble Mountains — Five Limestone Hills and a Stone Carving Village

Five limestone hills rising out of flat ground, named after the five elements. Inside them is a system of caves and temples.

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The Dragon Bridge and the Han River — Da Nang After Dark

At nine on a weekend night, a steel dragon nearly 700 metres long breathes fire over the Han River. Half the city comes out to watch.

Food

Banh Trang Cuon Thit Heo — the Dish to Eat in Da Nang

Double-skinned pork, a dozen kinds of herb, dew-dried rice paper — but what decides everything is still the bowl of fermented anchovy sauce.

mam nemrollsDa Nang

Bun Mam Nem — the Da Nang Noodle Bowl With No Broth at All

No broth, no stockpot. The whole bowl rests on one thing: a well-mixed bowl of fermented anchovy sauce.

mam nemnoodlesDa Nang

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Bun Bo Hue — the Shrimp Paste Is What Gives the Broth Its Depth

Bones for sweetness, lemongrass and chilli for aroma. That thick, lingering depth behind every spoonful — that is the shrimp paste.

Mi Quang — the Vietnamese Noodle Bowl With Almost No Broth

Do not drown it. Mi Quang needs only a little thick sauce at the bottom of the bowl — enough to coat the noodles, not enough to drink.

mi quangnoodlesDa Nang

Goi Ca Nam O — the Raw Fish Dish of a Da Nang Fishing Village

Herring straight off the boat, cured in lime, wrapped with forest leaves. A fishermen's dish, and not one for people in a hurry.

raw fishNam Oseafood

family mealmamcentral Vietnam

A Central Vietnamese Family Meal — Why There Is Always a Jar of Mam

Not a banquet. Just rice, a light soup, one savoury dish and a jar of fermented fish — and nobody tires of it.

Tours

Ba Na Hills Day Tour from Da Nang — Cable Car, Golden Bridge, French Village

Ba Na is the one place near Da Nang where going independently is not obviously cheaper — the cable car alone eats most of the cost.

tourDa NangBa Na Hills

Hoi An Afternoon Tour from Da Nang — the Old Town by Lantern Light

The cheapest of the day tours, and the smartest — it leaves in the afternoon and reaches Hoi An exactly when the Old Town is at its best.

tourHoi AnDa Nang

Cham Islands Day Tour — Snorkelling Over Living Coral

The only place near Da Nang where you can still snorkel over living coral — the water is clear enough that you need a snorkel, not a tank.

tourCu Lao ChamHoi An

My Son Sanctuary Day Tour — Cham Towers and the Thu Bon River

The most-skipped UNESCO site in the Da Nang tour range — it sits deep in a valley, with no beach and nothing to ride.

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Bay Mau Coconut Forest Tour — Basket Boats and the Spinning Show

The easiest tour in the day-trip range for children and older travellers — no climbing, no diving, just a basket boat drifting through the palms.

tourHoi AnDa Nang

Hue Day Tour from Da Nang — Imperial City, Khai Dinh Tomb, Thien Mu Pagoda

Hue is only 100km from Da Nang but a different world: slower, quieter, and a few hundred years older.

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Itineraries

Da Nang in 3 Days and 2 Nights — Beach, Old Town and the Golden Bridge

Three days is enough for the main cluster: My Khe beach, the Son Tra peninsula, the Golden Bridge and an evening in Hoi An. A moderate pace, no rushing.

itineraryDa Nang

Hue in 2 Days and 1 Night — the Imperial City, the Tombs and Court Cuisine

Two days is right for the Imperial City and two tombs. Do not try to cram all three tombs into one day — you will be tired and remember nothing.

itineraryHue

Where to eat

bun bo Huebest ofHue food

Bun Bo Hue: Six Signs of a Bowl Made Properly

Signs for bun bo Hue hang everywhere, but most places only borrow the name. These six tell you from the first bowl.

Eating Late in Da Nang: 6 Areas and What to Order in Each

Da Nang has no single late-night district. It splits by area, each with its own character. Know which area sells what and you stop guessing.

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10 Dishes to Eat in Hue, and When to Eat Each One

Hue has the most intricate cooking in Vietnam, and its own rhythm: some dishes are morning, some afternoon, some only sold at night.

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