How many days in Da Nang is enough? 2 to 3 Days Itinerary

I visited Da Nang a few times and it is one of my favorite places to visit in the whole Vietnam. In this article, I will share with you my opinion about How many days in Da Nang is enough and the itinerary for 2 to 3 days in Da Nang.

Da Nang is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam. It is located in central Vietnam and is known for its beautiful beaches, delicious food, affordable cost of living, and friendly locals.

Da Nang has many attractions to explore including Han River, Dragon Bridge, Han Market, My Khe Beach, Linh Ung pagoda, Ban Co peak in Son Tra peninsula, Marble Mountains, and Ba Na hill. It is also a good base to explore other cities in Central Vietnam like Hoi An, Hue, and My Son Sanctuary.

The city is easily reachable by train, bus, and airplane. It has an airport located not far from the city center as well as a train station, connecting with other major cities in Vietnam.

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How many days in Da Nang is enough?

In my opinion, 2 to 3 days is enough to see the city’s major attractions, enjoy local food, nightlife, and beaches. Within 2 full days, you can explore Han River, Dragon Bridge, Han Market, Son Tra night market, My Khe Beach, Marble Mountains, Linh Ung pagoda, and Ba Na Hill.

Basically, you can spend 1 full day just wandering around the city center and the banks of the Han river, visiting local markets, trendy cafes, restaurants, night markets, and beaches.

You can spend one day in the Marble Mountains, Linh Ung pagoda, and Ban Co Peak in Son Tra peninsula. One full or half day for Ba Na Hill as it is a huge complex and away from the city center.

As I mentioned above, Da Nang is a good base for many day trips to nearby cities and attractions in central Vietnam. If you don’t plan to stay in Hue or Hoi An, you can spend extra days taking a day trip to Hue, Hoi An ancient town, My Son temple, or Cham island.

The last time I visited Da Nang, I spent 2 nights in the city, and I was able to see the most popular points of interest ( I didn’t visit Ba Na Hill this time though). I arrived at Da Nang train station in the afternoon, took a Grab taxi to get to my hotel (Vanda Hotel) near Han river.

In the first afternoon, I explore the city center on foot and by Grab. I took a leisure stroll along the banks of Han River on Bach Dang and Tran Hung Dao street. You can spot many nice sculptures and bridges such as Dragon Bridge and Love bridge. I used a Grab bike to Vincom Mall to do some shopping. At night I explored Son Tra night market, and had My Quang for dinner.

On the 2nd day, I used Grab to get to Marble Mountains, Linh Phuoc pagoda, and Ban Co peak on Son Tra peninsula. Evening, I explored the An Thuong area, which is a popular expat area in Da Nang.

The 3rd morning, I spent some time on My Khe Beach, then explored different markets including Han Market, Con Market, and Bac My An Market. In the afternoon, I booked a Grab taxi to move to An Bang Beach in Hoi An.

You can watch my short youtube video explaining how long should you spend in Da Nang, and continue reading for more detail of Da Nang Itinerary:

How to Spend 2 to 3 Days in Da Nang Itinerary

This is my suggestion for a full itinerary in Da Nang; Depending on your interests, pace of travel, you can cherry pick and re-order the itinerary to suit your preferences.

Day 1: Da Nang City center, Han River, Markets, Beaches, and Nightlife

Da Nang city center can be explored in a half day and a full day. You can visit popular markets, check out trendy cafes, take a walk along the Han River, enjoy the night at the night market or local bars.

You can easily explore the city center on foot and by using Grab bike/ taxi. After checking in the hotel, you can take a stroll around your neighborhood and observe the local life.

Han River is a beautiful area and is bustling with things to do and see. The riverfront streets such as Bach Dang Street and Tran Hung Dao street are lined with hotels, restaurants, and cafes. You can spot many bridges along the river including Dragon Bridge, Han Bridge, or Tran Thi Ly bridge. On Bach Dang street, you can see many nice sculptures and Tran Hung Dao street has lots of street food stalls.

Be sure to check Love bridge on Tran Hung Dao street, especially in the evening. It is a good spot to view the river and Dragon bridge. There are coffee shops and souvenirs stores at the Love Bridge, so you can sit for a drink or buy souvenirs.

If you want a bit of shopping, I suggest you have a look at Vincom Center located very close to the Han river. I bought some nice clothes from the H & M store here. For local vibe and souvenirs, you can visit several markets in the city center including Han Market, Con market, or Bac My Son market.

Son Tra night market — Best Things to Do & See in Da Nang

In the late afternoon, you can take Grab to head to My Khe Beach. It is only a few minutes drive from the city center. The beach has a white sandy clean water, ideal for swimming, sunbathing, and watersport such as surfing.

At night, you can visit the Son Tra night market. It is a great base for grabbing a beer, enjoying local street foods, buying fresh fruit cups/ fresh juices, or buying gifts to bring home. If you are in Da Nang on weekends or holidays, you can have a chance to watch the Dragon bridge Fire show at 9pm for 15 minutes. There are also many bars and nightclubs to check if you are into nightlife.

Day 2: Marble Mountains, Linh Ung pagoda, and Son Tra peninsula

You can spend one full day exploring the sights that are located a little out of the city center. They include Marble Mountains, Linh Ung pagoda, and Son Tra peninsula. You can use Grab bike/ taxi or have a private driver to take you to these places and wait for you.

As I traveled solo, I took a Grab Bike to these attractions. Marbles Mountains are located in Ngu Hanh Son district, 20 minutes drive from the city center. You can buy a ticket at the entrance, I choose to buy a ticket for the lift one way and the way back just walk down.

You can spend a couple of hours in the complex, visiting different caves and temples. The most impressive cave, in my opinion, is perhaps the Huyen Khong cave. If you have energy, you can hike to the highest point of this area to have a sweeping view of Da nang all the way to Han river. The staircases are quite steep though, and hiking under hot weather can be tiring, but it is well worth it.

After exploring the Marble Mountains, I took a stroll around the neighborhood and came across very cheap and delicious local restaurants for fried rice with chicken. Then, I walked to Non Nuoc Beach to have a look.

I booked another Grab bike to get to Linh Ung pagoda, located in Son Tra Peninsula. It is a 30 minute drive away from Non Nuoc Beach along the beautiful coastline. The driver offered to wait for me while I explored the temple. It took me around 30 minutes to just look around, see different temples, a lady buddha, and have some views of the sea and the city.

The Grab driver then took me to Ban Co peak, which is located on the top of Monkey Mountain 30 mins away from Linh Ung pagoda. I paid him 200,000 VND to go to Ban Co peak and to get back to the city center. The drive itself through Son Tra Nature Reserve is very peaceful and nice with a great view of the coastline.

From its peak at Ban Co, you can view all of Da Nang, but unfortunately, by the time we arrived, it was very cloudy and we couldn’t see anything. I am still happy that I made it to this destination.

I came back to the Mandila Hotel in the late afternoon ( I moved to the beachfront hotel on the second night). I spent some time at the beach, had dinner at a local restaurant on Ha Bong Street, then headed to An Thuong area for some nightlife.

Day 3: Ba Na Hill

Ba Na Hill can do half day tours or full day tours. But I personally think you can spend one day exploring this complex. The best way to do it is to have a private driver to take you there. You can choose the time to start and finish. If you take a guided tour, you need to follow the time schedule of the agency ( which sometimes starts too early or finishes too late).

The ride from Da Nang city center to Ba Na Hill is around 45 minutes. You can buy tickets online or onsite at the complex. The ticket is VND 900,000/ foreign adult including entry fare, cable car, and fares to most games in Fantasy Park.

At Ba Na HIll, you can visit golden bridge, garden flowers, Linh Ung pagoda, have buffet lunch, as well as explore French villages, and enjoy games at the fantasy park.

Day 4: Day trip to Hoi An ancient town

If you plan to stay in Hoi An, you can skip this one. If not, you can take a day trip from Da nang to an ancient town. It is located only a 40 minute ride from Da Nang. You can take a guided tour, try Grab taxi, or use private transfer.

When in Hoi An, you can just take a stroll in the ancient town, and get lost. There are different streets with colorful shop houses, old temples, and wooden houses. Hoi An market is a nice place to visit where you can find different stands selling different goods. You can buy some unique gifts to take home.

I recommend you to try Com Ga Ba Buoi on Phan Chau Trinh street. They sell delicious chicken rice. I ate here several times and the place was clean.

Hoi An is at its best at night when all the lanterns are lit up. You can stay for a bit for the nightlife, visiting the Night Market on An Hoi island. You can take a boat tour along the river.

Day 5: Day trip to Hue

Hue is another popular destination in central Vietnam, located around a 2 hour drive from Da Nang. I think the best way to explore Hue in one day from Da Nang is by guided tour as it is further away and has lots of attractions to see in a short time.

The guided tour from Da Nang to Hue often drives across Hai Van pass and Lang Co Beach. Hue was the ancient capital of Vietnam for almost 150 years under the Nguyen dynasty.

In Hue, you will see the old royal palace, Thien Mu pagoda, as well as some royal tombs such as Minh Mang tomb, Khai Dinh tomb, or Tu Duc tomb.

Day 6: Day trip to Cham Island (Cu Lao Cham)

Cham Island is also a good option for a day trip from Da Nang. It is located 40 km from Da Nang and 20 km from Hoi An. You can take a guided tour to Cua Dai Port, then buy a ticket for canoes or boats to get to the island.

When visiting Cham island, you can try diving, snorkeling to see the coral reefs. You can relax on the beach, try local seafood, or explore local life in its fishing villages.

Day 7: Day trip My Son Sanctuary

My Son Sanctuary is a popular day trip from Da Nang and Hoi An. It is a great place to learn about the history of the Champa Kingdom and its architecture. My Son is located around 1 hour drive from Da Nang center. You can rent a motorbike, take a taxi, and use guided tours.

I haven’t had a chance to see this complex. But I visited many Cham Towers in central Vietnam including the Ponagar Temple in Nha Trang, Twin Cham Towers in Quy Nhon, and Po Shanu Cham Towers in Mui Ne. If you have time in Da Nang or Hoi An, My Son Sanctuary is well worth a visit!