A trip needs a few things to run smoothly. Travel documents, luggage, people. And, most importantly, itinerary. “What are the most exciting things to see and do in Da Nang in a day?” You ask. Planning on spending just one day in Da Nang? We have put together this detailed itinerary to help you plan your perfect day:
Get up early, watch the sunrise and swim at My Khe beach (5:00-6:45 am)
We know you’re skeptical about getting out of your comfy bed at such a crazy hour.
But catching the sunrise and swimming or just soaking and enjoying the beach will put you on top of the world. You’re relaxed, energised and have a great feeling of accomplishment.
There is so much life going on in Da Nang in the early morning hours. You’ll get to observe the bustling activities of the locals. Some people would be fishing while others would be doing yoga and exercising on the beach.
FYI: Forbes Magazine voted My Khe beach as one of the six most beautiful beaches in the world.
Grab Quang noodles for breakfast (6:45-8:00 am)
After spending nearly two hours at the beach, you should awaken your palate with an irresistible bowl of Quang noodles. Something about Quang noodles or ‘Mi Quang’ just floated our boat.
This dish is classic and beautiful, well-known in Central Vietnam. It’s rice noodles in a pristine broth that is made from shrimp, pork and fish.
These are some of the places that have perfected the craft of making Quang noodles. You should come and try it yourself!
- My Quang Ba Mua 95A Nguyen Tri Phuong street
- My Quang Ech Da Nang 24 Pasteur street, 441 Ong Ich Khiem street
Explore Marble Mountains (8:00-11:30 am)
It’s time to explore the nature, culture and spiritual world of Da Nang. The Marble Mountains are wonderful to visit at any time of year, however the most beautiful season to enjoy the area’s scenic spots is summer.
You can hop on a motorcycle, taxi or private car to get there and it should take about 30 minutes from the city centre. The Marble Mountains are a cluster of five separate hills named after 5 elements of nature: Thuy (water), Hoa (fire), Moc (wood), Kim (metal) and Tho (earth).
In addition, there are several magnificent and mysterious caves, especially the Hell Cave and the Heaven Cave. You should have a moderate level of fitness and wear appropriate footwear (running or hiking shoes), breathable clothing to complete these slippery and narrow steps. Don’t forget to bring a bottle of water along to keep yourself hydrated as well.
The entrance ticket fee is VND 40.000 and for elevator is only VND 15.000. Whether you get to the top by elevators or stairs, the panoramic view is awe-inspiring!
Enjoy your lunch with Banh Trang Cuon Thit Heo (Sliced pork in rice paper roll) (11:30-12:30 pm)
Now let’s enjoy another local delicacy of Da Nang. This mouth-watering combination of pork, fresh veggies inside translucent rice paper is incredibly addictive when dipped in the anchovy fish sauce. So freshhh! Where to eat these fresh yummy rolls? These are some restaurants that we highly recommend you to try:
- Dac San Tran (Tran Specialties) at 04 Le Duan Street,
- Banh Trang Cuon Thit Heo Dai Loc 97 Trung Nu Vuong Street
- Banh Trang Cuon Thit Hoang Tin 152 Hoang Dieu Street
Travel back in time at the Museum of Cham Sculpture (12:30-14:00 pm)
Located right in the heart of this vibrant city, The Museum of Cham Sculpture in Da Nang is the best choice at noon to avoid painful sunburns. It was built by the French, specializing in the collection, storage and display of relics of sculpture art of the Champa kingdom which were found in south-central coastal provinces.
What’s more? This museum is the largest scale museum of Cham artifacts in Vietnam, home to nearly 2,000 multi-shaped artifacts, around 500 of which are on display inside the museum, and the rest scattered throughout the campus and are safely stored.
Visit the Museum of Cham Sculpture to acknowledge the past, admire the timeless masterpieces carefully carved up by ancient Chams artisans. The ticket price is VND 60.000 per person.
Capture the stunning Da Nang Cathedral in your photo (14:00-15:30 pm)
The Da Nang Cathedral, known to the locals as “Nha Tho Con Ga” (Rooster Cathedral) because of its copper rooster weathervane, is located at 156 Tran Phu Street. This candy-pink building will take mere seconds to catch your eyes. It was constructed in 1923 during the French Colonial period, for French residents by Priest Louis Vallet. According to him, the rooster is a symbol related with St Peter’s story in the Gospel about repentance and awakening.
It’ll make the perfect backdrop for a photo and your instagram feed will thank you for it!
Get a striking panorama at Linh Ung Pagoda (15:30-18:00 pm)
Having captured some gorgeous photos, take your time to venture out to Son Tra Peninsula and visit Linh Ung Pagoda. Wanna hear a story about this place?
Back in the XIX century, under the Nguyen dynasty rule, a Buddha statue drifted to the sandbank from nowhere. Believing it to be an auspicious sign, people here built a shrine for worshipping. From that point on, this region was more stabilised and the fishermen could work in peace for a long time. The sandbank was then named Bai But (aka. Buddha land on earth) where Ling Ung pagoda was built today. It’s located in an ideal position between mountains and beach.
Linh Ung pagoda is now considered as the largest pagoda in Da Nang City in both scale and architectures. It has the tallest Lady Buddha statue in Vietnam (FYI: 67m high, 35m lotus diameter, equivalent to a 30-storey building). She stands on top of the mountain and faces the ocean. One hand sprinkles holy water to bring peace and safety to people.
Enjoy seafood for dinner (18:00-19:30 pm)
As a coastal city, Da Nang has the freshest seafood all year round so you don’t want to miss out on this. Just a little heads up, the seafood restaurants in Vietnam will look quite BIZARRE to first-timers. Yes we’re talking about YOU.
Brace yourself to see all kinds of exotic sea creatures swimming inside large tanks. It would be convenient for you to have a look and choose the seafood you want and how you want it to be cooked. There are a huge variety of different cooking styles: grill, steam, fry, etc.
Check out all the cool bridges (19:30-21:00 pm)
Now that everyone is well-fed, you might want to slow down the pace and experience Da Nang nightlife.
Love-lock bridge is our first destination for the night, you’ll be surprised at how many padlocks were hung on this bridge. This is where many couples come to declare that their love is eternal and cannot be broken by attaching padlocks to the bridge and tossing the keys into the river.
Next, walk along the Dragon bridge. Make sure you plan your visit to be on the weekend, because at 9pm every Saturday and Sunday the dragon spits fire and water which makes an incredible performance.
From the Dragon bridge, on your right hand is ‘Han River’ bridge and on your left is ‘Tran Thi Ly’ bridge. ‘Han River’ bridge is known as the first modern bridge designed by Vietnamese architects and local workers, also as the first swing bridge ever in Vietnam. This bridge not only helps facilitate transports but also serves as a significant cultural spot to promote tourism and boost the growth of the city’s economy. If you want to see the bridge swings, visit every Saturday and Sunday at 23:00 and midnight.
Have a snail feast (21:00 – 23:00pm)
After some long walks, you should rest your feet and snack on snails. Snail is one of the most favorite street food in Vietnam throughout many generations. We can’t get enough of them. Friends and families gather at the table, sit on those tiny plastic stools and share this delicious treat.
There are countless types of snails and tons of ways to cook them such as steaming with lemongrass, stir-frying with butter, grilling and many more.
Food stalls will ask about the size of snails you want. If you aren’t sure about that, feel free to order a bowl of mixed snails (both small and big ones).
The chewy, salty, slightly addictive morsel of snail meat would guarantee to blow you away. Here are some stalls where many locals pick (price range ~ VND 30.000 to VND 100.000):
- Oc Len Ha Noi 176 Ong Ich Khiem
- Oc Ha 294 Ong Ich Khiem etc.
Get some drinks and wind down (23:00 – 24:00)
Many young people enjoy dancing the night away and having fun with their friends at bars. That’ll be an absolute blast. The normal price is up to about VND 40.000. You need to check out these awesome bars in Vietnam:
- OQ Longue Pub DND Da Nang at 20 Bach Dang Street,
- On The Radio Pub Da Nang at 35 Thai Phien Street,
- Golden Pine Pub Da Nang at 52 Bach Dang Street.
Sounds like a good plan? Xuan Tu private tours aim at bringing your loved ones or maybe workmates together for a jolly good time in Central Vietnam. There’ll be plenty of fun, and you don’t even have to lift a finger (only your feet). Shoot us a message and let us take care of the rest!