Black in Da Nang: The Beach City Guide (2026)
Da Nang is the city Vietnam's expats move to when they are done with Saigon: a long clean beach, a modern city across the river, mountains on one side, Hoi An 30 minutes down the road, and rent that makes no sense. It is the easiest Vietnamese city for a first-timer and the best for a long stay. This is a city page of our Vietnam guide.
What it is actually like
Relaxed and used to foreigners — Da Nang has courted digital nomads for years. Stares are mild; the beach strip is international. The Black community is small and mostly nomads and teachers; the An Thuong "backpacker" area near the beach is where people meet. The city is safe day and night, and the biggest risk is a scooter.
Where to stay
My Khe beach / An Thuong — the beach, the cafés, the nomads. The default.
Han riverside (city centre) — the bridges, the night market, the modern city; a short ride to the beach.
Son Tra peninsula — the resorts and the quiet end of the beach; a car or scooter needed.
Hoi An — 30 minutes south; stay there for the old town and come to Da Nang for the beach.
Getting around
Grab bikes and cars; a scooter if you ride (the roads here are the calmest in Vietnam). The airport is inside the city — ten minutes to the beach. Trains and buses run north to Hue and south to Hoi An; the Hai Van pass by motorbike is the best road in the country.
Do these first
My Khe beach at sunrise, then breakfast in An Thuong.
The Marble Mountains and the Lady Buddha at Linh Ung pagoda.
Ba Na Hills for the Golden Bridge — go early, it is a theme park with a view.
The Hai Van pass to Hue for a day; Hoi An old town for an evening.
Everything bookable in Da Nang — Ba Na Hills, Hoi An tours, Cham islands, cooking classes.
What it costs
Cheaper than Saigon and Hanoi for rent and the same for food. A modern one-bedroom near the beach by the month is remarkable value; a coffee is a dollar; a beach club afternoon is the splurge.
The three rules
Helmet, licence, insurance if you rent a bike — Vietnam's roads are the number-one way trips end early.
Rainy season is October to December — storms, flooding, closed beaches. Plan for February to August.
Base here for central Vietnam. Hue, Hoi An and the pass are all day trips.
Book it
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Before you land
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