Destination

DA NANG: GATEWAY TO CENTRAL VIETNAM

This busy seaport with nearly 1 million people is an important trade and transportation route between Hanoi in the North and the prosperous commercial center of Ho Chi Minh City in the South. Da Nang is the gateway to World Cultural Heritage sites within 100km, including Hue Ancient Capital, Hoi An Ancient Town, and My Son Sanctuary.

Today, Da Nang possesses a charming beauty known as one of the tourist cities in Central Vietnam, with the characteristic and incredible beauty of the coast and crystal blue beaches as well as experiences in the tropical hinterland. Da Nang is famous for many tourist destinations storing historical and religious landmarks from Marble Mountain, Miniature Da Lat – Ba Na Hills to Son Tra Peninsula – an ideal destination of pristine beaches.

Da Nang is the best place for authentic local cuisine, offering visitors unforgettable flavors from traditional dishes to rich seafood dishes, promising a worthwhile culinary journey.

Five miles (8km) south of Da Nang are five mountains known as marble mountains.

Mysterious caves in the mountains hide altars dedicated to Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and other genres of local folklore. Going back centuries, they still serve as sanctuaries.

Besides, these mountains are also a source of precious red, white and green marble, and at the foot of the mountain, skillful sculptors will turn them into unique souvenirs for each visitor.

It is a 45-minute drive from Da Nang or about 40km east of Da Nang. Ba Na is located at an altitude of 1,487 meters above sea level inside 8 Truong Son mountain ranges.

Ba Na was formerly a French resort in the 1920s and once boasted 200 villas, restaurants and clubs. It is known as dalat or the second Sapa in central Vietnam. With its mild climate, pristine forest and views of the South And North America An sea along with the Lao mountains, Ba Na has made Ba Na a haven for wealthy French and Vietnamese.

Today the area still attracts tourists and locals, although it takes extra effort and four-wheel drive to get to Ba Na as the road is quite rough. Come to Ba Na Hills! Visit the exclusive gem of Central Vietnam, and reach the top of Mt. Chua by the newly opened cable car on March 25, 2009 and set 2 Guinness World Records for its length and height!

Founded in the 15th century, Hoi An Ancient Town was once one of the most important trading ports in Southeast Asia and a focal point of East-West cultural exchange.

Hoi An’s ancient past is preserved in the temples, pagodas, shops and houses that made up the old town. Hoi An is 15 miles (25km) southeast of Da Nang.

The My Son Valley was once the spiritual center of ancient Cham civilization, like Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Borobudur in Indonesia and Pagan in Myanmar. A religious sanctuary from the 4th century, its history is reproduced in surviving temples and towers.

It is also home to the Cham sculpture museum, which records the cultural and historical development of the Cham people through their sculptures.

My Son Valley is 42 miles (70km) southwest of Da Nang.

The Hue Monument Complex is a good example of a fully protected capital in Southeast Asia. Hue served as the capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945.

The site includes the capital in Hue, and related monuments outside the city. Later it included the tombs of emperors: Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, Tu Doc, Duc Duc, Dong Khanh and Khai Dinh. And a string of temples, pagodas and other spiritual sites.

The capital is a complex surrounded by defensive walls. It held houses, palaces, gates along with the Forbidden City in the center.

Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park is a huge mountain reserve, stretching to the border of Laos, and is famous for its majestic Phong Nha cave – buried in the largest primeval forest in Vietnam. Phong Nha’s caves and paths extend 44.5 km into a limestone mountain.

Discovered in 1935, the underground system was opened to tourists 3 years ago, with stalactite abyss and stalagmites named ‘Road to Hell’ and ‘Road to Heaven’. Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park is about 350 km north of Da Nang.

  • Ho Chi Minh Museum: The largest war museum about the Vietnamese revolution against French and American forces in more than a hundred years.
    Address: Near the corner of Nguyen Van Troi and Nui Thanh streets.
    Open Tuesday through Sunday / 7:00 ~ 11:00 and 13:00 ~ 16:30
  • Museum of Cham Sculpture:
    It is the only museum in the world that displays a unique collection of the ancient Cham era.
    Address: Located at the corner of Trung Nu Vuong and Bach Dang streets
    Open every day / 8:00 ~ 11:00 and 13:00 ~ 17:00
  • Da Nang Church (Catholic Church):
    Address: 156 Tran Phu Street
    Opens every day at 5:00 and 17:00
  • Protestant Church:
    Address: 164 Ong Ich Khiem Street
    Open weekdays at 4:30 and Sundays at 07:00 and 19:00
  • Cao Dai Temple:
    Address: Hai Phong Street
  • Dharma Lam Pagoda:
    Address: 373 Ong Ich Khiem Street
  • Three Jewels Pagoda:
    Address: 253 Phan Chu Trinh Street
  • Han Market: The best place to shop for traditional Vietnamese
    Address: At the intersection of Hung Gardeng and Tran Phu streets

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