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Situated roughly half way up the Vietnamese coastline, Danang is a difficult place to pigeonhole. It is technically a city, but is small enough to walk across in a couple of hours. In itself, the city is neither attractive nor very interesting, yet it contains some worthy diversions, and Danang's environs have plenty to offer.
Start with the famous China Beach on the outskirts of town, a beautiful stretch of white sand stretching seemingly for ever. The beauty of the beach has resulted in the development of one of Vietnam's few luxury resorts here - the Furama Resort - well recommended for those who can afford its (actually very reasonable) rates. At the end of the beach lies the legendary Marble Mountain, home at different times to Buddhist monks and a Viet Cong battalion. Visitors climb through the interior of these venerable hills, following a series of passages revealing sacred sites, temples, altars etc. - a slightly exhausting but fascinating and worthwhile excursion from the town. Actually within Danang proper, there is little to see or do. The city's Cham Museum is worth a visit, although the displays of ancient relics leave a lot to be desired. To the north of Danang lies the breathtaking Hai Van Pass, a mountain top pass on the road to Hue. From this vantage point, also known as the "Pass in the Clouds", spectacular views can be had of the beach-fringed ocean to the south. Just over the pass, one finds some excellent seafood restaurants, seemingly in the middle of nowhere - worth stopping for if time isn't a priority. Finally, Danang can be a useful base from which to explore Hoi An and the ruins at My Son. Accommodation is wide-ranging and plentiful, but without some of the more refined developments of other destinations in Vietnam. Western restaurants and bars are few in Danang, and the city tends to go to bed fairly early. In fact it can be a challenge to find much open at all after 9.00pm. To explore Danang further, and for details of special deals currently on offer for ElephantGuide.com users, simply select your channel of choice at left and let The Elephant guide you.
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