Tours
Hotels
Resorts
Support Online
Da Nang
Danang City is located in middle of Central Vietnam, between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, separated from Laos by the western Truong Son Mountains. It is surrounded by Thua Thien-Hue along the northern border and Quang Nam on the southern border. It is embraced by the East Sea with 150km of seacoast.
Topography is rather complex. The south is impressive Hai Van Pass with Mang Mountain 1,708m, Ba Na Mountain 1,487m. The east is Son Tra Peninsula, an ideal site of yellow sand beaches, historical remains, and rare bird and animal species. The south is Ngu Hanh Son (Marble Mountains). The seashore is Hoang Sa archipelago with a large fishery.
Danang is located in the zone of typical tropical monsoon, temperate and equable climate. The city's weather bears the combination of the north and the south climate characters with the inclination to the former. There are two seasons: the wet from August to December and the dry season from January to July, cold waves are occasional but they are of average and short lasting. Average humidity is 83.4%.
Average temperature is about 26ºC, the highest is 28-30ºC in June, July, August, the lowest is 18-23ºC in December, January, February. In Ba Na Mountain, the temperature is 20ºC. Average rainfall is 2,505mm per year that concentrates during October and November.
Geographically, Danang marks the end of the tropical zone in the north and offers a pleasant year-round climate. Its town is situated on the west bank of the Han River in parallel with the long, thin seaside land strip on the eastern side. Up in the northern end of the east bank are Tien Sa Port and Monkey Mountain while the northern end of the west bank is the Bay of Danang with Thanh Binh Beach and Nam O Beach embracing the west of the bay.
The sea is good for swimming all year round especially in summer from May to August because of the mild wave, the water temperature and the safeguard team that works from 5am to 8pm every day to ensure safety for tourists. Other activities here are fishing, water-skiing, diving and yacht race. Most beaches are easily accessible by means of transport.
Danang is an ancient land, closely related with the Sa Huynh cultural traditions. Many imposing, palaces, towers, temples, citadels and ramparts, the vestiges from 1st to 13th are still to be seen in Cham Museum
Danang has other various interesting attractions as Ba Na Tourist Resort, Ngu Hanh Son (Marble Mountains) as well as the Linh Ung Pagoda, Han River, and My An, Non Nuoc beaches, stretching on dozens of kilometers...
Danang is 108km from Hue, 130km from Quang Ngai, 763km from Hanoi, and 947km from Ho Chi Minh City.
The Danang International Airport is 2.5km south-west of the city center. There are domestic flights to some cities. There are direct flight from Bangkok, Hong Kong, Siem Riep, Taipei and Singapore to Danang City by Vietnam Airlines, PB Air, Siem Riep Air way, Far Transportasion and Sil Airway.
Thong Nhat Express train, which connects Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, stop in Danang.
There are marine routes to international and domestic ports. Tien Sa and Han River ports are located in a very wonderful position.
Attractions in Da Nang:
1. My Khe beach (China Beach)
2. Linh Ung Pagoda, Da Nang City
3. Hai Van Pass
4. Lang Co Beach
5. Cham Museum
6. Ba Na - Chua Mount Tourist Area
7. Marble Mountain
8. Non Nuoc Beach
9. Non Nuoc Fine art Village
10. Bac My An Beach
11. Beaches on Son Tra
12. Champa Kingdom
13. Dien Hai Citadel
14. Thanh Binh Beach
15. Tuy Loan Communal House
1. My Khe beach (China Beach)
The 900-meter-long My Khe Beach in Phuoc My Ward in Son Tra District is the most crowded beach in Da Nang, attracting both local residents and tourists.
Made famous by the American War, the actual location of the GI’s rest and relaxation area is a small section of My Khe beach, part of the long stretch of sand that runs south alongside the coast for hundreds of kilometres. Nearby, is the Furama, Vietnam’s premier first class resort hotel, the only First Class hotel within reasonable reach of Hue.
China Beach is down the sand from the Furama - it’s easy enough to spot. You can still see the old aircraft hangers at the back of the beach. The American forces used them to house bombers, unwittingly in full view of the Vietcong who maintained a spectacular network of tunnels in the Marble Mountains.
2. Linh Ung Pagoda, Da Nang City
Linh Ung Pagoda is located in Hoa Hai Commune, Hoa Vang District, Danang City. The pagoda was built during the 18th century. It was later conferred the name Ngu Che Ung Chon Tu during Minh Mang’s reign.
Linh Ung Pagoda is approximately 8 km from the center of Danang. Linh Ung Pagoda is 100 meters from Tam Thai Pagoda overlooking the South China Sea. Tang Chon Cave is also in the same area.
The name was changed to Linh Ung Pagoda in the third year of Thanh Thai’s reign. The pagoda, considered part of the beautiful landscapes of Danang, was renovated many times. Precious documents about the history of the pagoda are safely kept in the pagoda
3. Hai Van Pass
Travelling by road between Lang Co and Da Nang, you will have to get over the Hai Van Pass. This pass is created by a spur from the Truong Son Mountain Range that extends to the coast. This extremely mountainous road, with its sensational views, is the cause of many local vehicles breaking down. So if you are on one, allow yourself plenty of time. The view from the top of the pass is extraordinarily beautiful and well worth a stop to take it all in.
The train goes through tunnels at the base of the mountain and along the shoreline, so you will miss out on the spectacular views from the top. However you will see some awesome scenery nonetheless.
4. Lang Co Beach
If you were not planning on staying in Lang Co, a drive through may change your mind. The main street is lined with palm trees enticing you to go for a swim in the crystal clear waters that lap onto fine white sandy beaches. Lang Co is on a sand spit peninsula with a sparkling lagoon on one side, and a long beach lining the South China Sea on the other. This is one of the most beautiful places in Vietnam, and is yet to be developed extensively for tourists, which is probably a good thing.
5. Cham Museum
Built in 1915, the Museum of Champa Sculpture in Danang displays an intensive and diverse collection of Champa sculpture dating from the 7th to the 15th centuries. The museum was established at the end of the 19th century by the Ecole Francaise d'Extreme Orient with a collection of artifacts gathered in central Vietnam, from Quang Binh to Binh Dinh. They were then displayed at Le Jardin de Tourane on a small hill by the Han River. This is the site of the present museum. The building was designed by two French architects, Delaval and Auclair, in imitation of the most commonly used aspects of Champa towers and temples.
In 1935 the museum was expanded to display the artifacts excavated at Tra Kieu. The museum currently has on display about 300 sandstone and terra-cotta sculptures. Most of the artifacts are masterpieces of Champa art and some are considered to be equal to works anywhere in the world.
The arts of the Champa were chiefly sculpture, but the sculptures are only part of the religious architecture. The temples and towers themselves are considered to be sculptural artifacts. They are decorated on the exterior of their brick walls with bas-relief columns, flowers and leaves and worshipping figures between brick pillars. The tympana, lintels and the ornamental corner pieces are of sandstones carved with the figures of gods, the holy animals of the Hindus and flowers and leaves.
The artifacts displayed at the museum are altars, statues and decorative works collected from Hindu and Buddhist temples and towers. Champa sculpture displays various styles. Sometimes they were influenced by other cultures but no matter at what period or in what style the Champa artifacts were made they always displayed original characteristics.
Visitors to the museum will have the opportunity to appreciate the eight centuries of evolution of Champa sculpture from its golden age to its decline. In their own way, the artifacts exemplify the rise and fall of the Champa civilization. When we stand before these artistic masterpieces we can comprehend the noblest ideal of art, the creation of the infinite from the finite.
Two periods of Champa arts are represented by the sculptures at the museum, before and after the year 1000.
The first period, from the latter half of the 7th century to the end of the 9th century, witnessed the brilliant development of Champa art, which reflected the most prosperous era of the Champa kingdom. Champa art during this period clearly exposed the Champa's aesthetic personality in a lively, fresh and liberal style.
Among the masterpieces of this period on display at the museum is the Tra Kieu Altar. The altar was used for the worship of Siva, the creator and destroyer of the universe, and the symbols of her creative ability, the Ling and Yoni, are present on it. The four scenes carved around the base of the altar tell the story of Prince Rama. He came to the citadel of Videha to try to break the sacred bow of Rudra so that he could marry princess Sita. Price Rama broke the bow, a task that had been tried by many before him, and he and the princess were wed.
The artifacts in the Dong Duong room (style of the 9th-10th centuries) create a deep impression with their vigorous, lively and exaggerated style and represent the climax of the development of Champa art. These statues of the first Champa kings, with the characteristic big eyes and noses and thick lips of the native people, show their vitality and imposing appearance. These carvings show the absolute belief that a supernatural force was supporting the rule of the Champa kings during the period when Buddhism was the dominant force.
The second period lasted from the 11th to the 15th centuries. The devastating wars from the end of the 10th century onwards took the Champa kingdom into decline, and the relocation of the capital from Tra Kieu (Quang Nam) to Tra Ban (Binh Ding) in about the year 1,000 brought about a new direction in their art. The experiences of the Champa had a direct influence on the development of Champa art. The second period of Champa sculpture had a different beauty. The decorative motifs on the animals statues became more ornate whereas those depicting humans became arid and dull, gradually losing the passionate and expressive characteristics of the early period.
The artifacts discovered at Thap Mam (style of the 12th-14th centuries) are monumental sculptures of large animals such as elephants, makara (sea monsters) and garudas (the birds of the gods) which served as protectors of the temples and towers. The Thap Mam style with its enormous artifacts represents the last efforts of a civilization on the decline. However, the exquisite talents of the sculptors can still be recognized on several statues. On the polished figures with their austere appearance are unearthly, calm smiles.
After the Thap Mam period Champa art declined. The Siva statue displayed in the Kontum room has an exhausted appearance. This was one of the last artifacts of the Champa sculptors. By the end of the 17th century the Champa aristocracy distegrated.
The eight centuries of art at the Champa museum is a thick history book reflecting the ups and downs of Champa art. From inanimate stones came living art, and from these wonderful invaluable artifacts we can get the feeling that the warmth from the Champa artists 'hand is still there, on the fine skin of the stone-timeless.
6. Ba Na - Chua Mount Tourist Area
Ba Na - Chua Mount Tourist Area is located in Hoa Vang District, 30km from the centre of Danang City. The mountain, which stands at the altitude of 1,487m above sea-level, has an average annual temperature that varies between 17 and 20°C (62.6-68°F).
Each of the four seasons appears within a single day in Ba Na: spring in the morning, summer at noon, autumn in the afternoon and winter at night. One particular characteristic is that the clouds are at the mid-height of the mountain, so the peaks are always clear. Ba Na also possesses very beautiful forests with green pine hills.
Nowadays, coming to this place, you can feel your interests with a lot of pretty villas, newly built hotels, and bungalows here. Each one has its own flower garden with many types of aristocratic flower that Frenchmen left during the 50 past years.
A modern system of cable cars helps the visitors get a bird's-eye view, very miraculous and attractive while enjoying a feeling of flying in the blue sky amidst the clouds and wind. Danang Tourism Company will build the new resorts, including convalescence homes, a three-star hotel with 100 rooms and an area for private businesses' investment. These facilities would help reduce the overload of tourists during summer time, giving the visitors a feeling of being in a fairy-land they have never seen before. Enjoying nature they will feel relaxed and healthy and have peace of mind. However, Ba Na by night is more wonderful. You can attend a friendly camping fire, drink can wine, sing and dance comfortably around the warm fire in the coldish weather. All worries of life will likely disappear, giving place for pleasures and happiness.
Every year, in the middle of July, the big tourism event “Meeting at Ba Na” is held with many exciting and attracting activities such as Procession planquine, Tug of war, Music and song, Exhibition of paints and pictures about Ba Na, displaying of birds-bonsai-fish, Calligraphy contest.
7. Marble Mountain
The Marble Mountains are located in Hoa Hai Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, about 7km from the centre of Danang City in the southeast. The Marble Mountains, also referred to as Ngu Hanh Son or Mountains of the Five Elements, consist of five marble mountains: Thuy Son (water) which is the highest, Moc Son (wood), Kim Son (metal), Tho Son (soil), and Hoa Son (fire).
Thuy Son has been exploited as a popular tourist resort because of its alluring beauty. Stone steps carved into the mountain lead to the Tam Thai Pagoda where Phat Di Lac is worshipped. At the back of the pagoda is Huyen Khong. In the past, the pagoda paid tribute to Hindu and Buddhist gods and is now dedicated to Cham deities. Huyen Khong was the base for Vietnamese revolutionaries during wartime.
The Marble Mountains are famous for traditional stone engraving activities. In Dong Hai Village close to Thuy Son, 600 families chisel stone producing statues, jewelry, and art work. Stone from the Marble Mountains has been exported to many countries.
One of the most beautiful beaches in Vietnam is located 2km from the mountains and 10km from Danang. It is Non Nuoc which is very convenient for visitors who want to go climbing and bathing.
8. Non Nuoc Beach
Non Nuoc Beach runs for 5km against the Marble Mountains in Danang City. Non Nuoc Beach is famous for its seaweed, which reaches exportation standards.
It is bound by Dien Ngoc Sea to the south and Danang to the north. The beach gently slopes towards the calm, clear, blue sea; the clarity of the water attracts people who come to bathe and enjoy the seafood. Many five-star hotels were built in Non Nuoc to accommodate the domestic and foreign tourists in the area.
9. Non Nuoc Fine art Village
Non Nuoc Fine art Village is located in Hoa Hai Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, Danang City. Perhaps no one comes to the Five Marble Mountains without visiting Non Nuoc Fine Arts Village, where nationwide and worldwide famous marble handicraft works are produced.
The Non Nuoc Fine Arts Village has a three or four-hundred-year history. This is affirmed by some steles which still remain at some ancient pagodas in the Quang Nam Province. Currently, there is a temple of the “Marble Fine Arts Founders” at the well-known spot of the Five Marble Mountains, and many ancestor anniversary activities take place largely in this village on the sixth day of the first lunar month every year.
Many gardens of statues have their back to the mountains. So, the overall artistic spaces of these gardens are arranged skillfully thanks to the outside landscape. Visitors will be very interested in and surprised by the artistic stone works exhibited here. Polished, petite and sophisticated statues are presented with both traditional and modern motives and taken to parts of the world by visitors.
Lifeless stone has become a lively thing with the human spirit through the craftsmen of the Non Nuoc Fine Arts Village. It is certain that this process takes place in many work stages, including extremely difficult ones. The happiness with the completed works, the admiration of connoisseurs and also the benefits from the job united the people of this fine arts village in their care.
10. Bac My An Beach
Bac My An Beach is some seven kilometers southeast of Da Nang, or a 15-minute drive south of the Da Nang airport, in Bac My An Ward in Ngu Hanh Son District.
The natural beach remained virtually untouched until after 1975 when local authorities decided to erect a resort for civil officials of the then Quang Nam-Da Nang Province.
In recent years, many resorts have gone up in the region. They include T18, My Da Dong 2, My Da Dong 3, Bac My An and Furama.
The five-star Furama of Furama Hotels and Resorts International and Da Nang-based Danatours has almost 200 rooms and suites, which all have balconies or open onto terraces overlooking the ocean, the tropical garden or the swimming pool.
The resort’s architecture mixes French colonial and Vietnamese traditional styles. To keep guests busy, the resort has a gym, steam baths, saunas, a massage and beauty salon and offers sailing, wind surfing, boating, boogie boarding, water-skiing, parasailing, fishing, diving and beach volleyball.
11. Beaches on Son Tra
The Son Tra Peninsula has lots of charming strips, such as Bai Bac, Bai Nam and Bai But beaches. Tourists can go swimming, fishing or sightseeing by boat or dive to explore the impressive coral reefs.
Alternatively, going up the mountain on the peninsula, tourists can discover the forest with all its plants and animals in the Son Tra National Conservation Park. Among the animals are red cheek gibbons and turtles listed in Vietnam’s Red Book of endangered species.
12. Champa Kingdom
The Danang area was the center of the Cham Civilization for many centuries. The most ancient capital, Singhapura (Lion Citadel) at Tra Kieu, 40 km southwest of Danang city was built during the course of the 4th century.
The ancient site of Singhapura with its dozens of monuments, hundreds of statues and bas-reliefs, attests to the rich culture of the kingdom which once flourished here.
The sacred Buddhist-inspired site of Indrapura, now known as Dong Duong lies 60 km from Danang. The Site's scattered monuments are engraved with texts about a line of nine kings and their deeds. Many artifacts have been discovered at this site.
13. Dien Hai Citadel
The Dien Hai Citadel was formerly known as Dien Hai Fortress built in 1813 in the 12th year of Gia Long's reign by Danang's river. It was renamed in 1835, the 15th year of Minh Mang's reign, after it was moved inland and rebuilt in brick on a high mound in 1832, the 4th year of Minh Mang's reign.
In 1840 Deputy Minister of Labour Nguyen Cong Tru inspected the defenses of Danang and commanded a more powerful system for Dien Hai and An Hai citadel. In 1847 the 7th of Thieu Tri's reign the perimeter of Dien Hai was expanded to 556 m with a wall five m high surrounded by a ditch 3 m deep. The citadel was designed with two gates, the main one opening to the south and the other to the east. Inside, there were Hanh Cung (the royal step-over place), Ky Dai (high pole platform), a storehouse for food and ammunition and 30 large canon emplacement.
The citadel was built in brick in the square Vauban style of architecture Dien Hai citadel, bearing the stamp of the tradition of the struggle of the people of Danang and the nation in the persistent war against the French colonialists to protect national independence and territory, made an important contribution to the defeat of French invaders in Danang in 1858-1860.
Dien Hai citadel was classified as a national historical relic by the Ministry of Culture and Communications on 16 November 1998 and a stele was permitted to be erected on 25 August 1998.
14. Thanh Binh Beach
Located at the end of Ong Ich Khiem Street in Thanh Binh Ward in Hai Chau District, Thanh Binh Beach is another one of the city’s pretty and convenient getaways.
Services, such as water-skiing, boat rides and canoeing, have increasingly sprung up. Many hotels and hostels are under construction to meet the rising demand.
15. Tuy Loan Communal House
This communal house was built in the late 18th century and rebuilt in 1888. Like Nai Nam and Bo Ban, Tuy Loan communal house is used to worship the village tutelary god and bygone and recent time sages.
In the old days the people held a ceremony at the house to welcome spring on the 14th and 15th of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. At present Tuy Loan communal house is unique in that it's preserves 15 honours dating from Minh Mang's and Bao Dai's reign.
The house covers an area of 110 sq.m with brick walls and a pantile roof. It is decorated with two dragons flanking a moon and flying dragons encrusted with shards of pottery. The interior has three sections and there are two leantos, the rear one of which is 2.4 m wide and 2.7 m long. It has four rows of Jack tree wood pillars, each of which has six pillars from 2.5 to 4.5 m high. The pillars against the walls are decorated with pumpkin shapes. At the two sides, the roof beams and decorated with a dragon's head and the tie beams of the gable are carved with a dragon's head and designs of floating clouds, daisies and peonies reflecting their artistic value.
In the resistance war against the French, Tuy Loan communal house was the place where the local people and those in the neighboring villages of Bo Ban and Cam Toai held a demonstration and usurped the power of the district chief of Hoa Vang in August 1945.
In the anti-American war (1954-1975) the puppet government of Ngo Dinh Diem made this house a place for betraying and executing communist. Accordingly it was the place where the local people rose to oppose the Americans and the Diem's government.
On 4 January 1999 the communal house was recognized as a historical and cultural relic by the Ministry of Culture and Communication.
16. Tuy Loan Communal House
This communal house was built in the late 18th century and rebuilt in 1888. Like Nai Nam and Bo Ban, Tuy Loan communal house is used to worship the village tutelary god and bygone and recent time sages.
In the old days the people held a ceremony at the house to welcome spring on the 14th and 15th of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. At present Tuy Loan communal house is unique in that it's preserves 15 honours dating from Minh Mang's and Bao Dai's reign.
The house covers an area of 110 sq.m with brick walls and a pantile roof. It is decorated with two dragons flanking a moon and flying dragons encrusted with shards of pottery. The interior has three sections and there are two leantos, the rear one of which is 2.4 m wide and 2.7 m long. It has four rows of Jack tree wood pillars, each of which has six pillars from 2.5 to 4.5 m high. The pillars against the walls are decorated with pumpkin shapes. At the two sides, the roof beams and decorated with a dragon's head and the tie beams of the gable are carved with a dragon's head and designs of floating clouds, daisies and peonies reflecting their artistic value.
In the resistance war against the French, Tuy Loan communal house was the place where the local people and those in the neighboring villages of Bo Ban and Cam Toai held a demonstration and usurped the power of the district chief of Hoa Vang in August 1945.
In the anti-American war (1954-1975) the puppet government of Ngo Dinh Diem made this house a place for betraying and executing communist. Accordingly it was the place where the local people rose to oppose the Americans and the Diem's government.
On 4 January 1999 the communal house was recognized as a historical and cultural relic by the Ministry of Culture and Communication.
Topography is rather complex. The south is impressive Hai Van Pass with Mang Mountain 1,708m, Ba Na Mountain 1,487m. The east is Son Tra Peninsula, an ideal site of yellow sand beaches, historical remains, and rare bird and animal species. The south is Ngu Hanh Son (Marble Mountains). The seashore is Hoang Sa archipelago with a large fishery.
Danang is located in the zone of typical tropical monsoon, temperate and equable climate. The city's weather bears the combination of the north and the south climate characters with the inclination to the former. There are two seasons: the wet from August to December and the dry season from January to July, cold waves are occasional but they are of average and short lasting. Average humidity is 83.4%.
Average temperature is about 26ºC, the highest is 28-30ºC in June, July, August, the lowest is 18-23ºC in December, January, February. In Ba Na Mountain, the temperature is 20ºC. Average rainfall is 2,505mm per year that concentrates during October and November.
Geographically, Danang marks the end of the tropical zone in the north and offers a pleasant year-round climate. Its town is situated on the west bank of the Han River in parallel with the long, thin seaside land strip on the eastern side. Up in the northern end of the east bank are Tien Sa Port and Monkey Mountain while the northern end of the west bank is the Bay of Danang with Thanh Binh Beach and Nam O Beach embracing the west of the bay.
The sea is good for swimming all year round especially in summer from May to August because of the mild wave, the water temperature and the safeguard team that works from 5am to 8pm every day to ensure safety for tourists. Other activities here are fishing, water-skiing, diving and yacht race. Most beaches are easily accessible by means of transport.
Danang is an ancient land, closely related with the Sa Huynh cultural traditions. Many imposing, palaces, towers, temples, citadels and ramparts, the vestiges from 1st to 13th are still to be seen in Cham Museum
Danang has other various interesting attractions as Ba Na Tourist Resort, Ngu Hanh Son (Marble Mountains) as well as the Linh Ung Pagoda, Han River, and My An, Non Nuoc beaches, stretching on dozens of kilometers...
Danang is 108km from Hue, 130km from Quang Ngai, 763km from Hanoi, and 947km from Ho Chi Minh City.
The Danang International Airport is 2.5km south-west of the city center. There are domestic flights to some cities. There are direct flight from Bangkok, Hong Kong, Siem Riep, Taipei and Singapore to Danang City by Vietnam Airlines, PB Air, Siem Riep Air way, Far Transportasion and Sil Airway.
Thong Nhat Express train, which connects Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, stop in Danang.
There are marine routes to international and domestic ports. Tien Sa and Han River ports are located in a very wonderful position.
Attractions in Da Nang:
1. My Khe beach (China Beach)
2. Linh Ung Pagoda, Da Nang City
3. Hai Van Pass
4. Lang Co Beach
5. Cham Museum
6. Ba Na - Chua Mount Tourist Area
7. Marble Mountain
8. Non Nuoc Beach
9. Non Nuoc Fine art Village
10. Bac My An Beach
11. Beaches on Son Tra
12. Champa Kingdom
13. Dien Hai Citadel
14. Thanh Binh Beach
15. Tuy Loan Communal House
1. My Khe beach (China Beach)
The 900-meter-long My Khe Beach in Phuoc My Ward in Son Tra District is the most crowded beach in Da Nang, attracting both local residents and tourists.
Made famous by the American War, the actual location of the GI’s rest and relaxation area is a small section of My Khe beach, part of the long stretch of sand that runs south alongside the coast for hundreds of kilometres. Nearby, is the Furama, Vietnam’s premier first class resort hotel, the only First Class hotel within reasonable reach of Hue.
China Beach is down the sand from the Furama - it’s easy enough to spot. You can still see the old aircraft hangers at the back of the beach. The American forces used them to house bombers, unwittingly in full view of the Vietcong who maintained a spectacular network of tunnels in the Marble Mountains.
2. Linh Ung Pagoda, Da Nang City
Linh Ung Pagoda is located in Hoa Hai Commune, Hoa Vang District, Danang City. The pagoda was built during the 18th century. It was later conferred the name Ngu Che Ung Chon Tu during Minh Mang’s reign.
Linh Ung Pagoda is approximately 8 km from the center of Danang. Linh Ung Pagoda is 100 meters from Tam Thai Pagoda overlooking the South China Sea. Tang Chon Cave is also in the same area.
The name was changed to Linh Ung Pagoda in the third year of Thanh Thai’s reign. The pagoda, considered part of the beautiful landscapes of Danang, was renovated many times. Precious documents about the history of the pagoda are safely kept in the pagoda
3. Hai Van Pass
Travelling by road between Lang Co and Da Nang, you will have to get over the Hai Van Pass. This pass is created by a spur from the Truong Son Mountain Range that extends to the coast. This extremely mountainous road, with its sensational views, is the cause of many local vehicles breaking down. So if you are on one, allow yourself plenty of time. The view from the top of the pass is extraordinarily beautiful and well worth a stop to take it all in.
The train goes through tunnels at the base of the mountain and along the shoreline, so you will miss out on the spectacular views from the top. However you will see some awesome scenery nonetheless.
4. Lang Co Beach
If you were not planning on staying in Lang Co, a drive through may change your mind. The main street is lined with palm trees enticing you to go for a swim in the crystal clear waters that lap onto fine white sandy beaches. Lang Co is on a sand spit peninsula with a sparkling lagoon on one side, and a long beach lining the South China Sea on the other. This is one of the most beautiful places in Vietnam, and is yet to be developed extensively for tourists, which is probably a good thing.
5. Cham Museum
Built in 1915, the Museum of Champa Sculpture in Danang displays an intensive and diverse collection of Champa sculpture dating from the 7th to the 15th centuries. The museum was established at the end of the 19th century by the Ecole Francaise d'Extreme Orient with a collection of artifacts gathered in central Vietnam, from Quang Binh to Binh Dinh. They were then displayed at Le Jardin de Tourane on a small hill by the Han River. This is the site of the present museum. The building was designed by two French architects, Delaval and Auclair, in imitation of the most commonly used aspects of Champa towers and temples.
In 1935 the museum was expanded to display the artifacts excavated at Tra Kieu. The museum currently has on display about 300 sandstone and terra-cotta sculptures. Most of the artifacts are masterpieces of Champa art and some are considered to be equal to works anywhere in the world.
The arts of the Champa were chiefly sculpture, but the sculptures are only part of the religious architecture. The temples and towers themselves are considered to be sculptural artifacts. They are decorated on the exterior of their brick walls with bas-relief columns, flowers and leaves and worshipping figures between brick pillars. The tympana, lintels and the ornamental corner pieces are of sandstones carved with the figures of gods, the holy animals of the Hindus and flowers and leaves.
The artifacts displayed at the museum are altars, statues and decorative works collected from Hindu and Buddhist temples and towers. Champa sculpture displays various styles. Sometimes they were influenced by other cultures but no matter at what period or in what style the Champa artifacts were made they always displayed original characteristics.
Visitors to the museum will have the opportunity to appreciate the eight centuries of evolution of Champa sculpture from its golden age to its decline. In their own way, the artifacts exemplify the rise and fall of the Champa civilization. When we stand before these artistic masterpieces we can comprehend the noblest ideal of art, the creation of the infinite from the finite.
Two periods of Champa arts are represented by the sculptures at the museum, before and after the year 1000.
The first period, from the latter half of the 7th century to the end of the 9th century, witnessed the brilliant development of Champa art, which reflected the most prosperous era of the Champa kingdom. Champa art during this period clearly exposed the Champa's aesthetic personality in a lively, fresh and liberal style.
Among the masterpieces of this period on display at the museum is the Tra Kieu Altar. The altar was used for the worship of Siva, the creator and destroyer of the universe, and the symbols of her creative ability, the Ling and Yoni, are present on it. The four scenes carved around the base of the altar tell the story of Prince Rama. He came to the citadel of Videha to try to break the sacred bow of Rudra so that he could marry princess Sita. Price Rama broke the bow, a task that had been tried by many before him, and he and the princess were wed.
The artifacts in the Dong Duong room (style of the 9th-10th centuries) create a deep impression with their vigorous, lively and exaggerated style and represent the climax of the development of Champa art. These statues of the first Champa kings, with the characteristic big eyes and noses and thick lips of the native people, show their vitality and imposing appearance. These carvings show the absolute belief that a supernatural force was supporting the rule of the Champa kings during the period when Buddhism was the dominant force.
The second period lasted from the 11th to the 15th centuries. The devastating wars from the end of the 10th century onwards took the Champa kingdom into decline, and the relocation of the capital from Tra Kieu (Quang Nam) to Tra Ban (Binh Ding) in about the year 1,000 brought about a new direction in their art. The experiences of the Champa had a direct influence on the development of Champa art. The second period of Champa sculpture had a different beauty. The decorative motifs on the animals statues became more ornate whereas those depicting humans became arid and dull, gradually losing the passionate and expressive characteristics of the early period.
The artifacts discovered at Thap Mam (style of the 12th-14th centuries) are monumental sculptures of large animals such as elephants, makara (sea monsters) and garudas (the birds of the gods) which served as protectors of the temples and towers. The Thap Mam style with its enormous artifacts represents the last efforts of a civilization on the decline. However, the exquisite talents of the sculptors can still be recognized on several statues. On the polished figures with their austere appearance are unearthly, calm smiles.
After the Thap Mam period Champa art declined. The Siva statue displayed in the Kontum room has an exhausted appearance. This was one of the last artifacts of the Champa sculptors. By the end of the 17th century the Champa aristocracy distegrated.
The eight centuries of art at the Champa museum is a thick history book reflecting the ups and downs of Champa art. From inanimate stones came living art, and from these wonderful invaluable artifacts we can get the feeling that the warmth from the Champa artists 'hand is still there, on the fine skin of the stone-timeless.
6. Ba Na - Chua Mount Tourist Area
Ba Na - Chua Mount Tourist Area is located in Hoa Vang District, 30km from the centre of Danang City. The mountain, which stands at the altitude of 1,487m above sea-level, has an average annual temperature that varies between 17 and 20°C (62.6-68°F).
Each of the four seasons appears within a single day in Ba Na: spring in the morning, summer at noon, autumn in the afternoon and winter at night. One particular characteristic is that the clouds are at the mid-height of the mountain, so the peaks are always clear. Ba Na also possesses very beautiful forests with green pine hills.
Nowadays, coming to this place, you can feel your interests with a lot of pretty villas, newly built hotels, and bungalows here. Each one has its own flower garden with many types of aristocratic flower that Frenchmen left during the 50 past years.
A modern system of cable cars helps the visitors get a bird's-eye view, very miraculous and attractive while enjoying a feeling of flying in the blue sky amidst the clouds and wind. Danang Tourism Company will build the new resorts, including convalescence homes, a three-star hotel with 100 rooms and an area for private businesses' investment. These facilities would help reduce the overload of tourists during summer time, giving the visitors a feeling of being in a fairy-land they have never seen before. Enjoying nature they will feel relaxed and healthy and have peace of mind. However, Ba Na by night is more wonderful. You can attend a friendly camping fire, drink can wine, sing and dance comfortably around the warm fire in the coldish weather. All worries of life will likely disappear, giving place for pleasures and happiness.
Every year, in the middle of July, the big tourism event “Meeting at Ba Na” is held with many exciting and attracting activities such as Procession planquine, Tug of war, Music and song, Exhibition of paints and pictures about Ba Na, displaying of birds-bonsai-fish, Calligraphy contest.
7. Marble Mountain
The Marble Mountains are located in Hoa Hai Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, about 7km from the centre of Danang City in the southeast. The Marble Mountains, also referred to as Ngu Hanh Son or Mountains of the Five Elements, consist of five marble mountains: Thuy Son (water) which is the highest, Moc Son (wood), Kim Son (metal), Tho Son (soil), and Hoa Son (fire).
Thuy Son has been exploited as a popular tourist resort because of its alluring beauty. Stone steps carved into the mountain lead to the Tam Thai Pagoda where Phat Di Lac is worshipped. At the back of the pagoda is Huyen Khong. In the past, the pagoda paid tribute to Hindu and Buddhist gods and is now dedicated to Cham deities. Huyen Khong was the base for Vietnamese revolutionaries during wartime.
The Marble Mountains are famous for traditional stone engraving activities. In Dong Hai Village close to Thuy Son, 600 families chisel stone producing statues, jewelry, and art work. Stone from the Marble Mountains has been exported to many countries.
One of the most beautiful beaches in Vietnam is located 2km from the mountains and 10km from Danang. It is Non Nuoc which is very convenient for visitors who want to go climbing and bathing.
8. Non Nuoc Beach
Non Nuoc Beach runs for 5km against the Marble Mountains in Danang City. Non Nuoc Beach is famous for its seaweed, which reaches exportation standards.
It is bound by Dien Ngoc Sea to the south and Danang to the north. The beach gently slopes towards the calm, clear, blue sea; the clarity of the water attracts people who come to bathe and enjoy the seafood. Many five-star hotels were built in Non Nuoc to accommodate the domestic and foreign tourists in the area.
9. Non Nuoc Fine art Village
Non Nuoc Fine art Village is located in Hoa Hai Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, Danang City. Perhaps no one comes to the Five Marble Mountains without visiting Non Nuoc Fine Arts Village, where nationwide and worldwide famous marble handicraft works are produced.
The Non Nuoc Fine Arts Village has a three or four-hundred-year history. This is affirmed by some steles which still remain at some ancient pagodas in the Quang Nam Province. Currently, there is a temple of the “Marble Fine Arts Founders” at the well-known spot of the Five Marble Mountains, and many ancestor anniversary activities take place largely in this village on the sixth day of the first lunar month every year.
Many gardens of statues have their back to the mountains. So, the overall artistic spaces of these gardens are arranged skillfully thanks to the outside landscape. Visitors will be very interested in and surprised by the artistic stone works exhibited here. Polished, petite and sophisticated statues are presented with both traditional and modern motives and taken to parts of the world by visitors.
Lifeless stone has become a lively thing with the human spirit through the craftsmen of the Non Nuoc Fine Arts Village. It is certain that this process takes place in many work stages, including extremely difficult ones. The happiness with the completed works, the admiration of connoisseurs and also the benefits from the job united the people of this fine arts village in their care.
10. Bac My An Beach
Bac My An Beach is some seven kilometers southeast of Da Nang, or a 15-minute drive south of the Da Nang airport, in Bac My An Ward in Ngu Hanh Son District.
The natural beach remained virtually untouched until after 1975 when local authorities decided to erect a resort for civil officials of the then Quang Nam-Da Nang Province.
In recent years, many resorts have gone up in the region. They include T18, My Da Dong 2, My Da Dong 3, Bac My An and Furama.
The five-star Furama of Furama Hotels and Resorts International and Da Nang-based Danatours has almost 200 rooms and suites, which all have balconies or open onto terraces overlooking the ocean, the tropical garden or the swimming pool.
The resort’s architecture mixes French colonial and Vietnamese traditional styles. To keep guests busy, the resort has a gym, steam baths, saunas, a massage and beauty salon and offers sailing, wind surfing, boating, boogie boarding, water-skiing, parasailing, fishing, diving and beach volleyball.
11. Beaches on Son Tra
The Son Tra Peninsula has lots of charming strips, such as Bai Bac, Bai Nam and Bai But beaches. Tourists can go swimming, fishing or sightseeing by boat or dive to explore the impressive coral reefs.
Alternatively, going up the mountain on the peninsula, tourists can discover the forest with all its plants and animals in the Son Tra National Conservation Park. Among the animals are red cheek gibbons and turtles listed in Vietnam’s Red Book of endangered species.
12. Champa Kingdom
The Danang area was the center of the Cham Civilization for many centuries. The most ancient capital, Singhapura (Lion Citadel) at Tra Kieu, 40 km southwest of Danang city was built during the course of the 4th century.
The ancient site of Singhapura with its dozens of monuments, hundreds of statues and bas-reliefs, attests to the rich culture of the kingdom which once flourished here.
The sacred Buddhist-inspired site of Indrapura, now known as Dong Duong lies 60 km from Danang. The Site's scattered monuments are engraved with texts about a line of nine kings and their deeds. Many artifacts have been discovered at this site.
13. Dien Hai Citadel
The Dien Hai Citadel was formerly known as Dien Hai Fortress built in 1813 in the 12th year of Gia Long's reign by Danang's river. It was renamed in 1835, the 15th year of Minh Mang's reign, after it was moved inland and rebuilt in brick on a high mound in 1832, the 4th year of Minh Mang's reign.
In 1840 Deputy Minister of Labour Nguyen Cong Tru inspected the defenses of Danang and commanded a more powerful system for Dien Hai and An Hai citadel. In 1847 the 7th of Thieu Tri's reign the perimeter of Dien Hai was expanded to 556 m with a wall five m high surrounded by a ditch 3 m deep. The citadel was designed with two gates, the main one opening to the south and the other to the east. Inside, there were Hanh Cung (the royal step-over place), Ky Dai (high pole platform), a storehouse for food and ammunition and 30 large canon emplacement.
The citadel was built in brick in the square Vauban style of architecture Dien Hai citadel, bearing the stamp of the tradition of the struggle of the people of Danang and the nation in the persistent war against the French colonialists to protect national independence and territory, made an important contribution to the defeat of French invaders in Danang in 1858-1860.
Dien Hai citadel was classified as a national historical relic by the Ministry of Culture and Communications on 16 November 1998 and a stele was permitted to be erected on 25 August 1998.
14. Thanh Binh Beach
Located at the end of Ong Ich Khiem Street in Thanh Binh Ward in Hai Chau District, Thanh Binh Beach is another one of the city’s pretty and convenient getaways.
Services, such as water-skiing, boat rides and canoeing, have increasingly sprung up. Many hotels and hostels are under construction to meet the rising demand.
15. Tuy Loan Communal House
This communal house was built in the late 18th century and rebuilt in 1888. Like Nai Nam and Bo Ban, Tuy Loan communal house is used to worship the village tutelary god and bygone and recent time sages.
In the old days the people held a ceremony at the house to welcome spring on the 14th and 15th of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. At present Tuy Loan communal house is unique in that it's preserves 15 honours dating from Minh Mang's and Bao Dai's reign.
The house covers an area of 110 sq.m with brick walls and a pantile roof. It is decorated with two dragons flanking a moon and flying dragons encrusted with shards of pottery. The interior has three sections and there are two leantos, the rear one of which is 2.4 m wide and 2.7 m long. It has four rows of Jack tree wood pillars, each of which has six pillars from 2.5 to 4.5 m high. The pillars against the walls are decorated with pumpkin shapes. At the two sides, the roof beams and decorated with a dragon's head and the tie beams of the gable are carved with a dragon's head and designs of floating clouds, daisies and peonies reflecting their artistic value.
In the resistance war against the French, Tuy Loan communal house was the place where the local people and those in the neighboring villages of Bo Ban and Cam Toai held a demonstration and usurped the power of the district chief of Hoa Vang in August 1945.
In the anti-American war (1954-1975) the puppet government of Ngo Dinh Diem made this house a place for betraying and executing communist. Accordingly it was the place where the local people rose to oppose the Americans and the Diem's government.
On 4 January 1999 the communal house was recognized as a historical and cultural relic by the Ministry of Culture and Communication.
16. Tuy Loan Communal House
This communal house was built in the late 18th century and rebuilt in 1888. Like Nai Nam and Bo Ban, Tuy Loan communal house is used to worship the village tutelary god and bygone and recent time sages.
In the old days the people held a ceremony at the house to welcome spring on the 14th and 15th of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. At present Tuy Loan communal house is unique in that it's preserves 15 honours dating from Minh Mang's and Bao Dai's reign.
The house covers an area of 110 sq.m with brick walls and a pantile roof. It is decorated with two dragons flanking a moon and flying dragons encrusted with shards of pottery. The interior has three sections and there are two leantos, the rear one of which is 2.4 m wide and 2.7 m long. It has four rows of Jack tree wood pillars, each of which has six pillars from 2.5 to 4.5 m high. The pillars against the walls are decorated with pumpkin shapes. At the two sides, the roof beams and decorated with a dragon's head and the tie beams of the gable are carved with a dragon's head and designs of floating clouds, daisies and peonies reflecting their artistic value.
In the resistance war against the French, Tuy Loan communal house was the place where the local people and those in the neighboring villages of Bo Ban and Cam Toai held a demonstration and usurped the power of the district chief of Hoa Vang in August 1945.
In the anti-American war (1954-1975) the puppet government of Ngo Dinh Diem made this house a place for betraying and executing communist. Accordingly it was the place where the local people rose to oppose the Americans and the Diem's government.
On 4 January 1999 the communal house was recognized as a historical and cultural relic by the Ministry of Culture and Communication.