One of Vietnam's boom towns, Da Nang is an attractive coastal city with superb beaches, ultra-modern hotels, plenty of malls, and fine restaurants, along with one of the country's best museums.
By Air
Da Nang International Airport (DAD) is located in the heart of the city centre.
The small airport is overloaded and barely able to handle current volumes. If departing from DAD, arrive on time because the queues for check-in and security can be ridiculous. A badly needed new terminal is under construction, optimistically slated to open in 2017 at the cost of 3.5 trillion dong (that’s US$158 million). Whether the seagull-shaped design does anything to create efficiency remains to be seen.
Sample destinations
Domestic
Buon Ma Thuot (Vietnam Airlines)
Can Tho (Vietnam Airlines)
Da Lat (Vietnam Airlines)
Cam Ranh/Nha Trang (Vietnam Airlines)
Hanoi (Jetstar; VietJet Air; Vietnam Airlines)
HCMC (Jetstar; VietJet Air; Vietnam Airlines)
Pleiku (Vietnam Airlines)
Vinh (Vietnam Airlines)
International
Beijing (China Eastern)
Hong Kong (Dragonair; Hong Kong Express)
Kunming (China Eastern)
Macau (Air Macau)
Seoul (Korean Air)
Siem Reap (Silkair, Vietnam Airlines)
Singapore (Silkair; Jetstar)
Tokyo (Vietnam Airlines)
Currently, the airport has plenty of meter taxis and ATMs outside the arrivals hall, including an HSBC ATM. There’s money exchange, a few eateries and booths selling SIM cards.
Many hotels offer airport transfers for an additional fee or sometimes free when you book a room, so be sure to ask. A meter taxi from the airport into Da Nang should run no more than 150,000 dong, but you could try sneaking a taxi upstairs, at the departures levels, after they've dropped off passengers and are now empty. They may cut you a deal.
By Train
Danang is an important stop for both North-bound and South-bound train. The train trip is lengthy to both Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City, but many train cars are equipped with soft sleeper and air-conditioner. The ride across Hai Van Pass is an extremely photogenic one so make sure you are close to the window.
Train to Danang is served by Reunification Express trains. There are stops at Hue (40.000VND, three hours, seven daily), Lang Co (13,000VND, two hours, four daily), Quang Ngai (47,000VND, four hour, six daily), Tuy Hoa (153,000VND, seven hours, five daily) and Nha Trang (204.000VND,10 hours, seven daily)
By Bus
There are frequent bus every half hour or so between Da Nang, Hue and Hoi An. You can either head to the bus terminal to purchase your local bus ticket, or contact one of the travel agencies in Bach Dang Street. Check out bus guide.
There is a large Danang intercity bus station at Dien Bien Phu street which is 3km west from the city center. There are bus destinations to all major centers including Dong Hoi (56,000 VND, five hours, six daily), Quy Nhon (65, 000 VND, six hours, 11 daily) Hue (40,000VND, three hours, six daily) and Kon Tum (85,000VND, five hours, three daily). There are also daily buses to Hoi An cost 8,000 VND and take one hour) which depart from the local bus station.
Other To/from Hoi An
Most travellers skip Da Nang in favour of Hoi An, but a plucky few make the effort to do both. Renting a motorbike from one city or the other and returning it makes sense -- it's easy enough to find onward transport from either place. Otherwise, many travellers settle on a taxi for about 450,000 VND, or a moto-taxi for 250,000. One of the cheapest options for getting to Hoi An is to hop on one of the open-tour buses travelling between Hue and Hoi An. They stop in Da Nang throughout the day and early evening, and cost about US$8 for the trip to Hoi An. You can book through most hotels, or any tourism office in Da Nang.