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

The Dragon Bridge crosses the Hàn River, linking Da Nang airport with My Khe beach. It opened in 2013, on the 38th anniversary of the city’s liberation, and quickly became Da Nang’s emblem.

The dragon is the bridge

What sets this bridge apart is not its size but its structure. The steel arch does not merely carry the deck — it forms a dragon, winding along the length of the bridge, head reaching towards the sea and tail to the west.

That puts the Dragon Bridge in a rare category worldwide: a piece of transport infrastructure whose shape is a load-bearing sculpture, rather than decoration bolted on afterwards.

At night it is lit in changing colours, clearly visible from either bank.

Fire and water

Schedule: Saturday and Sunday evenings and public holidays, from around 21:00. The dragon’s head breathes fire several times, then switches to water.

A few things worth knowing beforehand:

• Arrive before 20:30. The approach roads on both sides are closed ahead of the show, and arriving late means standing far back.
• Stand on the east bank (the Sơn Trà side) to look straight into the dragon’s face; it is clearer than from the west.
• Anyone close to the head can get soaked when the water starts. Plenty of people enjoy that, but keep a camera out of the way.
• The schedule can change around major holidays or in bad weather. It is not guaranteed every week.

The Han River and its other bridges

The Dragon Bridge is one of several crossings within less than ten kilometres of river. An evening walking the bank takes in the lot:

The Han River Bridge is the only swing bridge in Vietnam. Late at night the central section rotates to let large vessels through. It usually turns around midnight, though the time can vary.

The Trần Thị Lý Bridge has a single leaning pylon carrying all the cables, shaped like a sail.

The Thuận Phước Bridge is a suspension bridge at the river mouth, the longest of the group, looking out over the bay.

Walking Bạch Đằng street on the west bank or Trần Hưng Đạo on the east is the easiest way to take it in; both have wide pavements.

What is around the bridge

The areas at both ends are where the city’s evening happens.

The west bank has Hàn market a few hundred metres away, night food streets around Bạch Đằng, and the Love Bridge with its carp-turning-into-dragon statue.

The east bank is closer to My Khe beach, with seafood restaurants and cafés looking over the river.

An evening river cruise is a popular option — the boat passes under the bridges and you can watch the fire show from the water.

The best time to see it

The bridge is at its best once it is lit, from about 18:30. By day it is still worth a look but not remarkable next to other bridges.

To see the fire you have to come on a Saturday or Sunday evening. This is worth planning around — plenty of visitors arrive midweek and regret it.

The dry season, February to August, gives clear skies and comfortable evenings by the river. In the rainy season, September to December, the show can be cancelled.

The bridge appears on the evening of day two on the three-day and four-day Da Nang itineraries, which include a river cruise.