Danang (Ðà Nãng)
The guidebooks will tell you that there's not much to see in Danang. They may have a point. Certainly, there are no big attractions, ancient monuments, or even much shopping, but Danang has that small town charm which makes people watching an enjoyable pastime, if you like that sort of thing.
There are, however, a few notable things to see in Danang. Your first stop should probably be the Cham Museum. This museum was built by the French and houses many find sculptures collected from the ancient monuments of the kingdom of Champa. There are usually several cyclos parked around the entrance, who's drivers will offer to take you on a city tour. I'm not a big fan of cyclos, but did take a driver up on a tour to see what else the city had to offer.
There are a number of significant temples in Danang, although none of them are really notable compared to those of Hue, or even the clan houses of Hoi An. One exception is the Cao Dai temple.
There's also a war museum in Danang. Out front are arrayed many rusting remnants of American war machines along with Soviet and Chinese armaments as well. The museum is in the grounds of the Ho Chi Minh museum, which is reportedly worth a visit, but was closed on my one day in Danang.
Another "sight" of interest, as well as a possible location where you may want to stay, is Bac My An beach, which some Americans might know better as China Beach. This is actually a very long beach stretching for several kilometers. If you're a "beach person" or just like five-star luxury, then you might consider one of the many resorts on Bac My An Beach your home base for visits to Danang and Hoi An.
Other nearby attractions include Marble Mountain, a large limestone outcrop riddled with caves variously used as Buddhist temples and VC hideouts.
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Danang seems to be the main transportation hub for central Vietnam, so getting there can be accomplished in a number of ways.
Planes Danang's airport occupies the huge former American airbase and is one of only three international airports in Vietnam, although at last check it didn't actually host any international flights. Domestic flights are operated by Vietnam Airways from Saigon, Hanoi, Nha Trang and a few other popular tourist destinations.
Like much of Vietnam, hotels in Danang tend towards the functional. In Danang, there are basically two areas to choose from: the city and the beach. A location in the city is handy for walking around to see the sights, shops and restaurants, while a beach location has the beach, of course. The beach is a good 15 minutes from the city by car, so you'll need transportation if you stay at the beach but still want to see the sights.
The altar within Danang's Cao Dai temple. There are a number of significant temples in Danang, although none of them are really notable compared to those of Hue, or even the clan houses of Hoi An. One exception is the Cao Dai temple, the largest outside of the group's headquarters in Tay Ninh. The sign at the very top of the picture above reads “Van Giao Nhat Ly” which supposedly translates to “all religions have the same reason.
Your first stop in Danang should probably be the Cham Museum (Båo Tàng Điêu khác Chăm). This museum was built by the French and houses many find sculptures collected from the ancient monuments of the kingdom of Champa. The building itself is rather unique, being mostly open air. Most of the collection is actually built into the museum's structure so that you see items in some degree of context.
Sanang's climate is quite temperate with cool wet winters and warm dry summers. The best time to visit is around March or April, when the weather warms up a bit and the rains have yet to start.
Historical Weather Patterns for Danang Temperatures climb steadily from January onwards and do become rather hot from June to August.
Average Monthly Highs & Lows (°C) The rains start in September and are quite heavy through December.
