Da Nang

Da Nang has one beach that runs almost the whole length of the city, from the Son Tra peninsula south past the Marble Mountains towards Hoi An. My Khe and Non Nuoc are wide, pale sand with plenty of room, and from spring to late summer the sea is warm and mostly calm, around 28°C to 29°C by midsummer. Mornings start early here: locals swim and exercise at dawn before the heat, and seafood restaurants line the road behind the sand.

The season matters. From about October to December the monsoon brings rain, strong surf and frequent red flags, and swimming is often off. Further south, An Bang and the other Hoi An beaches give a quieter alternative, and the Son Tra peninsula has a few small coves.

Eating in Da Nang means central Vietnamese cooking, which is spicier and more robust than the food of the north. Mi Quang, turmeric noodles in a little intensely flavoured broth, is the local signature, along with bun cha ca fish-cake noodle soup, crisp banh xeo pancakes rolled in rice paper with greens, and banh trang cuon thit heo, pork rolled at the table with herbs. Han and Con markets have busy food sections, and plastic-stool stalls fill the side streets from breakfast on.

Seafood is the other draw: on the road behind the beach, tanks of clams, crab and fish are picked out and grilled or steamed to order. Coffee is taken seriously, strong and iced, often with condensed milk or salted cream. International and upscale dining exists but is thin.

Da Nang is mostly a modern city, and its own sights are few but worthwhile. The Museum of Cham Sculpture holds the largest collection of Cham sandstone carving anywhere, with gods, dancers and temple altars from the kingdom that ruled this coast for a thousand years. South of the centre, the Marble Mountains are five limestone outcrops riddled with caves holding Buddhist shrines and pagodas, reached by long stone stairways.

In the city, the pink Gothic-revival cathedral dates from French times, the Dragon Bridge spans the Han River, and a giant white Lady Buddha statue looks out from Linh Ung Pagoda on the Son Tra peninsula. Most visitors find that two days cover it, and that the region's great heritage lies outside the city.

Evenings in Da Nang begin along the Han River, where people stroll the waterfront, watch the bridges light up and settle into rooftop bars with views across the city. Locals gather in big open-air beer halls and seafood restaurants over cheap draught beer and grilled shellfish, which is the most local night out.

The An Thuong area behind My Khe beach is the backpacker and expat quarter, with craft beer bars, cocktail spots and late pubs packed into a few blocks. There are a handful of clubs near the river, loud and lively at weekends. It is a relaxed, fun scene rather than a reason to come, and much of the city is quiet by midnight.

Da Nang sits between mountains and sea, and the landscape is close. The Son Tra peninsula, a forested headland on the city's edge, has winding roads, viewpoints and a population of red-shanked douc langurs, a striking and endangered monkey. To the north, the Hai Van Pass climbs over a spur of the Truong Son range with sweeping coastal views, one of the best-known rides in Vietnam by motorbike or bicycle.

Inland, the Ba Na Hills rise to nearly 1,500m and are reached by a long cable car, and Bach Ma National Park, about an hour and a half away, offers rainforest trails and waterfalls. The Cham Islands off Hoi An have snorkelling and diving, and My Khe gets surfable waves in the cooler months. Summer heat and the autumn rains limit serious hiking.

Da Nang's great advantage is what lies around it. Hoi An, about 45 minutes south, is a beautifully preserved trading port of yellow shophouses, Chinese assembly halls and the Japanese Covered Bridge, best seen in the evening when lanterns light the old town. Many visitors base themselves in Da Nang for the beach and visit Hoi An more than once.

My Son, the jungle-set ruins of the Cham kingdom's brick temple sanctuary, is about an hour and a half away. Hue, the former imperial capital with its citadel, royal tombs along the Perfume River and pagodas, is about two hours over or through the Hai Van Pass, a long but rewarding day. The Cham Islands, with fishing villages, and Tra Que vegetable village near Hoi An round out the list.

Da Nang works well for a family beach vacation. The long sandy beach has room to spread out, many resorts along it have pools and children's clubs, and Vietnamese culture is warm towards children, who get fussed over everywhere. The Ba Na Hills mountain resort, reached by a spectacular cable car, has a mock French village, the Golden Bridge held up by giant stone hands and a large indoor amusement park. In the city there is a riverside amusement park with a big Ferris wheel and a couple of water parks.

The harder parts are the traffic, where crossing streets through streams of motorbikes takes nerve, uneven or blocked pavements for pushchairs, summer heat and the rainy autumn months when the beach is mostly off limits.

Da Nang has no metro or rail network, and the city buses are of little use to most visitors. In practice people get around by app-booked car or motorbike taxi, which are cheap and everywhere, or by hiring a scooter. Distances are manageable: the river centre and the beach are a short ride apart, and Hoi An and the Marble Mountains are reached along a straight coastal road.

Walking works along the river promenade and the beachfront, but elsewhere pavements are often taken over by parked motorbikes and street stalls, and crossing busy roads means stepping out slowly and steadily into the traffic. The flat terrain makes cycling possible in quieter hours.

Shopping in Da Nang is practical rather than stylish. Han Market, by the river, and the larger Con Market are the places for dried seafood, coffee, fabrics, local snacks and everyday clothes, and both are more for locals than souvenirs. Near the Marble Mountains, the stone-carving workshops of Non Nuoc village turn out everything from small figurines to life-size statues.

The city has several modern malls with international chains and supermarkets, but no luxury street or design district. Most visitors who want made-to-measure clothes, lanterns or leather goods head to the tailors and craft shops of Hoi An.

Da Nang is a very cheap place to spend a beach vacation. A bowl of noodles at a street stall, a coffee, a short ride by app taxi or a massage all cost little by any Western standard, and comfortable mid-range hotels a block or two from the beach are good value. Local seafood restaurants are inexpensive if you eat where Vietnamese families do.

Costs rise at the large beachfront and Son Tra resorts, which charge international rates, at the Ba Na Hills mountain resort, and in the western-oriented bars and cafés near the beach, but a visitor can easily keep a stay modest.

Performing arts are a small part of Da Nang. The city keeps alive tuong, the stylised classical theatre of central Vietnam with painted faces and drums, at a dedicated theatre, but performances are irregular and aimed at locals. Live music is mostly cover bands and acoustic sets in bars near the beach.

The main spectacle in the city calendar is the international fireworks festival over the Han River, held over several summer weekends. Near Hoi An, large staged shows on the river retell the town's history for visitors, and folk music and bai choi singing games are performed in the old town in the evenings.

Massage is part of everyday life in Da Nang, with foot and body massage parlours on almost every street near the beach and spas in most hotels, from simple shophouse rooms to resort retreats on the Son Tra peninsula with treatment villas over the sea. Herbal steam baths and hot-stone treatments are common.

About 30km out of town, a hot springs park offers mineral pools, mud baths and onsen-style bathing, though it is more a leisure resort than a bathing tradition. The city's pace is easy by Vietnamese standards: early-morning swims, long coffees and quiet evenings by the river make it a calm place to slow down, if not a destination built around rest.