Da Nang vs Nha Trang Vs Phu Quoc: Which is Best?

I had wonderful holidays at both Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc. Each of these beach cities gave me different feelings and experiences. In this article, I will compare the similarities and differences between Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc.

I’m Vietnamese and have traveled all around the country, so I hope to give you some good recommendations based on my first-hand experiences and local knowledge.

Da Nang, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc are some of the most popular beach destinations in Vietnam. It can be very hard to decide which is the better beach city to go on holiday. They have beautiful white sandy beaches, warm weather, and many luxury beachfront resorts.

Da Nang, Nha Trang, or Phu Quoc, which is better?

If you are visiting Vietnam for the first time and don’t have much time to visit all cities, I would recommend staying in Da Nang, instead of Nha Trang and Phu Quoc.

This is because Da Nang has the best combination of beaches, rivers, mountains, cultural attractions, and outdoor activities. Additionally, it is a good base to explore other famous places like Hue, Hoi An, and Hai Van Pass.

Me at the private beach of Dusit resort at sunset

Between Nha Trang and Phu Quoc, I recommend staying in Phu Quoc if you want all-inclusive resorts and island vibe. Maybe visit Nha Trang on your next visit to Vietnam.

Of course, if you have time, you can easily visit all of these three places. They are very easily accessible by different forms of transport. Daily flights are plentiful from big cities like Hanoi and Saigon.

My recommend hotels in Da Nang:

My recommended hotels in Phu Quoc:

My recommend hotels in Nha Trang:

luxury: Meliá Vinpearl
Mid-range: Liberty Central Hotel
Budget: Azura Gold Hotel & Apartment

Locations and Accessibility

Da Nang is a major city on the central coast of Vietnam, right halfway between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (around a 1,5 hour flight away). Nha Trang is located in the southern coast of Vietnam, only 1 hour flight from Ho Chi Minh City.

While both Da Nang and Nha Trang are located on mainland Vietnam, Phu Quoc is an island located in south Vietnam, around a 45 minutes flight from Ho Chi Minh City.

Phu Quoc is only accessible by airplane and High Speed Ferry. Nha Trang and Da Nang are accessible both by air and by road. Both Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc have an international airport. They all have frequent flights from major cities in Vietnam like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Da Nang airport is located 5 km away from the city center, Han River, and My Khe Beach. Cam Ranh airport is located 40 km away from Nha Trang City Center and Tran Phu beach. Phu Quoc airport is 15 km away from its main town Duong Dong and Long Beach.

From these airports, you can easily use Grab to get to each city center. Additionally, Nha Trang and Da Nang has its own train station and is located right in the city center. Many visitors like to take trains to get to these two cities.

Once you are in each city and island, you can easily get around on foot, by using Grab, guided tour, or motorbike rentals. Grab is widely available in all Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc. From my observation, I think Grab is a bit more in Da Nang, but you can find them in all of these places.

Da Nang, Nha Trang, or Phu Quoc for Beaches

Both Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc are known as the most popular beach holiday in Vietnam. They have beautiful sandy beaches with lots of water sport activities and luxury beachfront resorts.

In my experience, public beaches in Nha Trang and Da Nang are cleaner than in Phu Quoc. Most places I visited in Da Nang and Nha Trang such as My Khe Beach, Non Nuoc Beach, or Tran Phu Beach are very clean, while some sections in Phu Quoc near Duong Dong town are full of trash.

You can still find many clean beaches in Phu Quoc such as private beaches or beaches belonging to the resort. The resort will take care of it, collect trash and keep their beach clean. Beautiful beaches like Sao Beach, Starfish Beach, and Ham Rong Cape Beach are clean too.

Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc beaches are great for swimming, sunbathing, relaxing, taking a stroll along the beach, and people watching. All of them are great for sunset and sunrise. In terms of sunset views, I had the best experience watching the sunset on the Long Beach of Phu Quoc.

Both places are known for water sport activities such as jet skiing, snorkeling, and scuba diving. Da Nang is also known as a popular surfing destination. Phu Quoc and Nha Trang have more island hopping options, while in Da Nang, you can only take day trips to nearby Cham islands.

In Phu Quoc, you can take island hopping to many islands such as Gam Ghi Island, Fingernail Island, and May Rut Trong Island. In Nha Trang, you have Monkey island, Hon Tam island, and Hon Tre island.

Accommodations

My room with pool views at Dusit Phu Quoc

Both Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc are home to some of the best beachfront resorts in Vietnam. Many of these accommodations offer all-inclusive packages, with private beaches, multiple swimming pools, spas, and many buffet meals a day.

From my experience, I think Nha Trang has cheaper accommodations compared to Da Nang and Phu Quoc. I paid for a quality 4-star and 5-star hotel and resorts with less money compared to Da Nang and Phu Quoc.

I had a good deal staying at Liberty Central and Vinpearl Resort on Hon Tre island. I pay more for a similar hotel in Da Nang at Vanda Hotel and Mandila Hotel. Similar at Phu Quoc, in Dusit Princess and Seashells.

In Da Nang, most visitors will choose to stay in the city center on the banks of Han River or on My Khe Beach and Non Nuoc Beach. There are stretches of luxury resorts on Non Nuoc Beach and nice resorts on Son Tra peninsula.

In Nha Trang, you can find accommodation in Nha Trang city center and around Tran Phu Beach. Most hotels and apartments will be located within walking distance to the beach, not right on the beach. You can choose to stay in luxury resorts on Hon Tre island at Vinpearl or Marriott resort.

In Phu Quoc, most hotels and resorts are centered around the central west coast along Tran Hung Dao street, in Duong Dong town and Long Beach. You can find some nice resorts on the east coast around Khem Beach.

See more:

Da Nang vs Nha Trang vs Phu Quoc Weather

Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc all have warm weather all year round. Da Nang is located in the middle of the country, so it can have some cold months around December and January but it is not as cold as North Vietnam.

The best time to visit Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc is in their dry season. Da Nang and Nha Trang have a quite similar timeframe for the dry season, which is from January to August. Only the difference is that Nha Trang is alway warmer than Da Nang as it more belongs to the south Vietnam’s weather.

The dry season in Phu Quoc is from December to May when the island has no to little rainfall, which is perfect for outdoor activities and sightseeing.

Tropical storms and heavy rainfall can occur in all of these beach destinations. There might be storms in Da Nang and Nha Trang in the rainy season, which is typically from September to December. Hurricanes can occur in Phu Quoc from July to October during the rainy season on the island.

Da Nang, Phu Quoc, or Nha Trang for Nightlife?

Duong Dong - Phu Quoc night market — Duong Dong – Phu Quoc night market

In my opinion, Both Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc have great nightlife, enough to have a good night out. It, of course, cannot compare to the nightlife in major cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

In Da nang, you can check out rooftop bars, trendy night clubs, the area along Han River and An Thuong expat area. Nha Trang also has nice beach bars, and clubs in the city center. Phu Quoc also has some beach bars and clubs to spend a night out too.

Each of these beach destinations also have night markets, which add the lively atmosphere to the evening. You have Son Tra and An Thuong night markets in Da nang; In Phu Quoc, you can explore the night market in Duong Dong. The night market in Nha Trang is smaller and is located near Tran Phu beach.

If you are in Da Nang this weekend from Friday to Sunday, be sure to check out the water and fire show on Dragon bridge. It happens for 15 minutes from 9pm.

Da Nang vs Nha Trang vs Phu Quoc Food

These are all coastal cities and islands, so they are all known for their fresh and cheap seafood. If you are a fan of seafood, you’ll love to visit these places.

Personally, I think Da Nang is more well-known for its regional dishes such as My Quang, Com Ga, and Banh Cuon Thit Heo. In Phu Quoc, I tried Bun Quay. I didn’t try many local dishes in Nha Trang.

Da Nang, Phu Quoc, or Nha Trang for Shopping?

Da Nang and Nha Trang have more, in terms of shopping malls and big supermarkets. But, you can find similar souvenirs, local specialities, and traditional Vietnamese handicrafts, in both Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc.

In Da Nang, you can go shopping at Han Market, Con market, and Vincom Da Nang. In Nha Trang, you can check out Dam market. In Phu Quoc, you can check the Phu Quoc night market and Kingkong Mart on Tran Hung Dao street.

Cost of Living

Prices for food, and drink in Nha Trang, Da Nang, and Phu Quoc are quite similar for me. The accommodation is cheaper in Nha Trang compared to the other two.

Cultural Attractions

In addition to the beaches, both Phu Quoc, Da Nang, and Nha Trang have many cultural attractions to explore. Da Nang has marble mountains, Linh Ung pagoda, and Ba Na Hill.

Nha Trang has the stone cathedral, Long Son pagoda, Ponagar Temple, and Hon Chong Promontory. You can take a cable car ride to Hon Tre island and explore Vinwonder theme park.

Phu Quoc has Phu Quoc prison, Dinh Cau temple & lighthouse, Ho Quoc pagoda, and many farms such as Perl Farm, Sim Wine farm, Bee farm, pepper farm, and fish sauce factory. Taking a cable car though the ocean is also a must while in Phu Quoc.

Day trips

Me at the busy banks of Hoai River near An Hoi Bridge in the evening

Da Nang is the best place to go if you want to take a lot of day trips in central Vietnam. You can easily take day trips to Hoi An ancient town, Hai Van pass, Hue, My Son sanctuary and Cham islands.

Phu Quoc is an island, so you can only explore attractions on its main island, and small islands on An Thoi Archipelago. Similar to Nha Trang, there are not many choices for day trips. You can go to the countryside area in Phu Yen and explore its islands off the mainland.