Introduction to Da Nang, Vietnam

Central Vietnam's dominant port and its fourth largest city, Da Nang harbours few sights beyond the exceptional Cham Museum, but is an unexpectedly amiable place and a major transport hub with air connections as well as road and rail links. In the American War it served as a massive South Vietnamese airbase and played host to thousands of US troops as well as refugees searching for work. But walking around today, it's the earlier, French presence which is more apparent in the leafy boulevards and colonial-style houses. Note that at the time of writing, Da Nang was in the process of changing its street numbers, which has led to a potentially confusing situation of both old and new numbers being used; wherever possible, new street numbers have been quoted.

Two blocks south of Cho Han market, past the soft, salmon-pink cathedral, colonial Da Nang is represented by a few wooden and stucco houses at the eastern end of Tran Quoc Toan. From here turn right along the river for 750m to reach the Cham Museum, at the south end of Bach Dang (daily 7am–5.30pm; $1.30), the most comprehensive display of Cham art in the world. Its display of graceful, sometimes severe, terracotta and sandstone figures gives a tantalizing glimpse of an artistically inspired culture that ruled most of southern Vietnam for a thousand years. Exhibits are grouped according to their place of origin: My Son (4–11C), Tra Kieu (Simhapura; 4–10C), Dong Duong (Indrapura; 8–10C), and Binh Dinh (11–15C).

Da Nang's Cao Dai Temple, on Hai Phong opposite the hospital, was built in 1956 and is Vietnam's second most important after Tay Ninh. An elderly archbishop, assisted by seventeen priests, ministers to a congregation here said to number 50,000. The temple is a smaller, simpler version of Tay Ninh, dominated inside by the all-seeing eye of the Supreme Being and paintings of Cao Dai's principal saints, Lao-tzu, Confucius, Jesus Christ and Buddha. Adherents gather to worship four times a day (6am, noon, 6pm & midnight).

Hai Van Pass
On the north – south nation highway, the Hai Van Pass is an impressive landscape. This is the highest pass in Vietnam (500m above sea level). This rugged pass is the final section of the Truong Son Range stretching to the sea. In Phu Bien Book,  Le Quy Don said that Hai Van with its foot close to the sea and its head touching the sky is the border of Thuan Hoa and Quang Nam regions. Over six centuries ago, the land belonged to the O and Ri counties of the Cham Kingdom and was given as a wedding present by King Che Man to princess Huyen Tran of the Tran dynasty. Hai Van Pass is now the border of Thua Thien – Hue Province and Danang City.

On the north – south nation highway, the Hai Van Pass is an impressive landscape. This is the highest pass in Vietnam (500m above sea level). This rugged pass is the final section of the Truong Son Range stretching to the sea. In Phu Bien Book,  Le Quy Don said that Hai Van with its foot close to the sea and its head touching the sky is the border of Thuan Hoa and Quang Nam regions. Over six centuries ago, the land belonged to the O and Ri counties of the Cham Kingdom and was given as a wedding present by King Che Man to princess Huyen Tran of the Tran dynasty. Hai Van Pass is now the border of Thua Thien – Hue Province and Danang City.

Marble Mountain
The Mable Mountains has been considered "The Landscape of the Southern Sky” (Nam Thien Danh Thang). According to the Yin and Yang theory on the five basic elements of the earth, it is called the god's gift to mankind. At the Marble Mountains, visitors can not only visit the pagodas but also enjoy the poetic beauty of nature. The caves inside the Marble Mountains are a  mysterious world. Endowed by nature, Hades Cave is considered one of the largest and most mysterious caves among others of the Marble Mountains.

Ba Na Mountain
Located in Hoa Vang province, apart from Danang 40 kilometers to southwest, Ba Na – Mount Chua is 1,487 meters high over the sea level. Average temperature is from 17 to 20 degree Celsius.

In Ba Na, there are four seasons in a day: spring in the morning, summer at noon, autumn in the afternoon, winter in the evening. For light rains, it is not as wet as in Da Lat. Although it rains around the mountain, the top is dry; furthermore, it is cloudless, and fresh. Compared with Tam Dao, Da Lat, the territory has a precedence of panoramic view. From the top of the mountain, one can have a vast view of sea, Danang city, rice fields spreading to the horizon.

While months from May to August are the hottest period (up to 32oC) in seaside Central Viet Nam, temperature at the territory fluctuates from 17 to 20 degree Celsius, 22-25oC in maximum. It drops down to 15oC at night. With temperate climate, murmuring rivers, fluttering trees, Ba Na is as attractive as Tam Dao, Da Lat, etc. The Ba Na natural reservation zone has 544 sorts of high-level flora, 256 types of animals, in which there are 6 flora and 44 fauna of being precious recorded in Vietnamese Redbook.

One seems to be lost in clouds and smoke. For different factors and reasons, people have different judgments on Ba Na but all think that it is Ba Na that is the best place for relaxing.

With its wonderful advantages, French chose the territory as a relaxing resort and constructed hundreds of castles, villas, pleasure house and buildings here. Though natural calamities and enemy inflicted destruction for half of century sweep some traces of these ancient houses and buildings, there remains generosity of nature: primitive forests, temperate and fresh climate, fluttering sounds of pine hills mixed with songs murmured by rivers flowing over granites and then smoothly towards the forest.

Son Tra Peninsular
Son Tra is a special gift of the god to Danang. It can be seen from every places of the city. With its sea-oriented appearance, Son Tra acts as a giant screen protecting Danang from storms and cyclones coming from the sea.

10-km northeast of the city center is Son Tra Peninsula. It looks like a mushroom with its peak 693m above sea level. The cap of the mushroom is Son Tra Mountain and its stalk is the white sandy beach that affords an ideal area for bathing, playing sports, fishing and swimming.

Son Tra mountain is natural preservation area with various kinds of plants and animals. On this mountain, there still remain more than 30sq. kilometers of natural forests, nearly 300 types of plants and several hundred kinds of fauna, including rare animal. The scenery is very attractive, it is said that fairies usually chose this place for landing, singing, dancing and playing chess. The name Tien Sa (Tien: Fairy, Sa: landing) is rooted from that.

From the top of the mountain, we can see the view of our beloved city, Marble Mountains, Ba Na – Mount Chua. It is an enjoyable and peaceful vista.

Suoi Da stream lies by the side of the foot of the mountain, fine sandy surfaces run round the peninsula, several breaks of waves are running steadily up and down and washing up on the stones heaped up around the seaside. There it is quiet Bai But with groups of small, nice-looking houses, where people can sit for hours to hear the thunder of waves and view the slanginess on the far mount cliffs.

At the mount foot, there are colorful and graceful coral beaches where diving tourism can develop.

It is so majestic and it is so romantic, it is so wide and it is really beautiful. In one-day stay at Son Tra, we can enjoy living in the resplendent flow of dawn and the quietness of twilight on this fascinating landscape. And that is a time for us to realize the value of each and every moment and the true calling of our hearts.

Beautiful beaches of Danang City
Danang has a coastline of 30 kilometres long, famous for many beautiful seashores stretching from the north to the south such as Nam O, Xuan Thieu, Thanh Binh, Tien Sa, Son Tra, My Khe, Bac My An, Non Nuoc... in which international tourists came for convalescence and relaxation, recognised as the most ideal beaches of the region.

Danang has calm seas with green water during four seasons, not being polluted with 60% salination and high safety. Some seashores have coral, abundant plants and creatures along bankside and under sea. Especially, most beaches are next to the city centre, in roads easy to come and by various means of transport. The sea water is cool with little wave so tourists can bath all year's round, especialy in summer from May to August. The beaches in Danang City have hotels, pleasure-house, and various abundant services, creating favourable conditions for tourists to relax on the seashores. Most beaches are convenient for development of kinds of services for tourists such as fishing, water-skiing, diving, yatch race.

The safeguard team of Danang seashores work from 5 a.m to 8 p.m every day to ensure safety for tourists to bath and relax on the seashores.

How To Get to Danang from others City

	The Airport is 2.5km south-west of the city. Daily flights to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh city and Pleiku. Flights to Haiphong two times a week, Nha Trang four times a week, Ban Me Thuot three time a week. Vietnam Airlines Booking Offices: 35 Tran Phu St. Tel: 511-821130 *** 7 Yen Bai St. Tel: 511-826621 27 *** Ngu Hanh Son. Tel: 511-83609
	The station is at 122 Haiphong St. Tel: 511-823810. Express trains stop in Danang.
	The Long distance bus station is at 35 Dien Bien Phu St., Tel: 511-822020. Buses to Vinh , Hue, Haiphong, Quang Ngai, Hanoi, Ban Me Thuot, Dalat and Nha Trang.