Things to do in Da Nang

The Cham Museum is the main attraction of Da Nang and is worth the trip, even if you’re coming all the way from Hoi An for it alone. This old sandstone building houses the world’s largest collection of Cham art and sculpture, and was established in 1919 by the Ecole Francais d’Extreme-Orient (EFEO). Da Nang was chosen as the location due to its proximity to the former kingdom of Champa, My Son ... Read more about Cham Museum .

A side trip to the Marble Mountains located midway between Hoi An and Da Nang is on its own merits an awesome experience, but there is a lesser travelled path that is consistently overlooked when going to see the main big one. Marble Mountain has four little sisters, all within a five-minute walk and included in the 15,000 VND entrance fee, which offer some smaller but equally impressive caves ... Read more about The other Marble Mountains .

Although not nearly as impressive as the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi, if you’re not heading further north it’s worth taking a look at the small three-room display of photographs and text about the life of the nationally loved ‘Uncle Ho’, complete with small replica of his stilted house in Hanoi with pond. Otherwise pay your 20,000 VND entry and bypass it to head straight to the adjoining ... Read more about Ho Chi Minh and the Fifth Military Zone Museum .

The towering 70-metre, Gothic-styled cathedral was constructed by priest Louis Vallet in 1923 and was the only church built in Da Nang by French colonialists. Locals call it con ga (rooster church) due to the weathercock sitting on the top of its steeple. It’s not a standout attraction, but as the city’s skyline gives way to more modern, highrise architecture it makes for an interesting look ... Read more about Da Nang Cathedral .

Located in a busy neighbourhood in central Da Nang, the local Cao Dai temple is worth a quick visit, though it’s not nearly as spectacular as the temple at the sect’s headquarters in Tay Ninh. It’s simple from the outside, and an inattentive passerby could easily miss it. Try to take a peek inside though. The most colourful time to visit is when noon prayer is taking place, but do be ... Read more about Cao Dai Temple .

Over the years the scenic Son Tra Peninsula has undergone many guises. So enraptured were the French during their occupancy in the 19th century that they gave it the title Tien Sa – Angels’ Landing, which is now the name of the main seaport. American soldiers tagged the 13.5 kilometre-long mountain pass Monkey Mountain. Son Tra was recognised in 1997 as a natural reserve and the habitat of ... Read more about Daytrip: Son Tra Peninsula .

Located about 45 kilometres west of Da Nang, Ba Na Mountain was used during the French colonial period as a summer retreat. In the old days, the French colonials used to be borne up the winding, 16-kilometre road to the top on palanquins. Nowadays, the road is well paved, but still very steep. At the top are the remains of some French villas -- there isn’t much left of them, but the ones ... Read more about Daytrip: Ba Na Mountain .

Nam O beach borders on the Bay of Da Nang, about 17 kilometres northwest of Da Nang city, north of the Son Tra peninsula -- you can get a good view of it from Monkey Mountain. At high tide it resembles most of the coastline that runs between Da Nang and Hoi An, but at low tide a large area of rock and white sandy shoreline is exposed, other than a few wooden stilted restaurants that serve ... Read more about Daytrip: Nam O Beach .