The Savills Blog

5 Things not to miss when visiting Da Nang

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1. Con Market (318 Ong Ich Kiem Street)

This is the “local” market in Da Nang which is the complete opposite to glitzy shopping centers with designer brands and international coffee-chains. The Con Market takes up almost an entire city-block and offers everything from clothing and toys to fresh food, tea & coffee and an abundance of fresh food produce and spices. There are also numerous food-stalls with local delicacies at a very good price.  

This market is worth visiting if you want to get an experience off the beaten track. As with most markets in the world, don't settle for the asking price, some negotiation on the prices is almost always possible. A good rule of thumb is to counter-offer the asking-price with half and take it from there.

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2. Ride over the Hai Van Pass

The Hai Van Pass is a mountainous stretch which has served as a boundary between Da Nang and its northers neighbor Hue throughout history. Driving over the pass on  either a motorbike or car is one of the most scenic activities visitor to Da Nang can undertake. The road was famously described by Jeremy Clarkson the then presenter of BBC popular Top Gear TV show as “One of the best ocean roads in the world” when they did a show set in Vietnam about 10 years ago.

Driving over the pass from Da Nang and visiting Hue can be done in a day and is highly recommended. Should you be driving in a car, then a suggestion would be to make the return-trip through the Hai Van tunnel which goes underneath the pass. 

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3. Sunday Brunch at Intercontinental Da Nang Sun Peninsula Resort

It starts with the journey, Son Tra Peninsula which has been nicknamed “the green lung of Da Nang” consists of more than 4,000 hectares of protected forest and its highest peak rests more than 690 meters above sea-level. This natural peninsula is stunningly beautiful and the long winding road which leads to the Intercontinental on the back-side of the peninsula is truly breathtaking. When it comes to resort master-pieces in terms of lay-out and design, the Bill Bensley designed Intercontinental Da Nang Sun Peninsula ranks right up there with the best thanks to its beautiful backdrop, isolated location and quirky yet luxurious design.

The Brunch at Citron Restaurant offers free-flow Champagne along with a buffet that has a selection of produce that is unbeatable in terms of quality and freshness. Prior reservations are required for the buffet, ensure you ask for one of the “pod” seats overlooking the bay. 

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4. Crossing the bridges

Da Nang is famous for and takes pride in its bridges. The Han River which runs straight through the central part of the city was once a major divider of the city, with only a small bridge left behind by the Americans after the war as a way of crossing other than by boat up until the early 2000’s. The Han River now has 6 bridges connecting the western and eastern sides of the city and some of them have become landmarks and great sense of pride for the local population. The undisputed king of the bridges is the Dragon Bridge (Cầu Rồng) which was opened in 2013, this 666 meter long bridge has quickly become the symbol of Da Nang, signifying vitality and strength.

A weekend night-time suggestion would be to have dinner and drinks at one of the many restaurants on Bach Dang Street along the river on the western side of the city followed by a 10 minute walk to the Dragon Bridge and across to the Eastern side. Make sure you have reached the Eastern side by 21:00PM as this is when the dragon comes alive breathing fire and water in a much visited show

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5. Da Nang, the golf coast

Do you know what Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Luke Donald and Colin Montgomerie has in common?, Apart from being legendary golfers, they also all have golf-courses under their design operating within a 45 minute drive from Da Nang City. With 4 world-class golf-courses in such close proximity, golf-tourism has become a major thing for Da Nang.

The fact that the courses offer very different experiences, ranging from traditional links courses to ocean, mountainous and jungle courses means that golfers have a very good selection and choices depending on which type of course they prefer to play on any given day. Don't want to play a whole round? Try out Montgomerie Links Happy Hour at the driving-range where a jug of beer and a bucket of beer will set you back less than USD$20.

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