TRAVELS TO VIETNAM PART 1 DANANG

By Gloria Jones

Vietnam is fast becoming a must-see destination and one of the most desirable places to visit in Southeast Asia. Its rich natural beauty, diverse cultural heritage, and remarkably affordable food, accommodation, and transportation form a winning combination. Fuelled in part by a shift in Chinese outbound travel, Vietnam has also been rapidly upgrading its infrastructure to support both locals and visitors, attracting investment into hotels, resorts, transport connectivity, and attractions, as well as access roads, seaports, and airports.

Year on year, foreign arrivals to Vietnam increased by 20.4 percent as of December 2025, and with Da Nang just 1 hour and 40 minutes from Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport, it felt like an obvious place to visit. So, in this first article of a series about my travels in Vietnam, let me say upfront that I wholeheartedly recommend visiting this extraordinary and fascinating country. Perhaps it might even inspire your next Songkran break.

My first impression of Da Nang was its amazing beach. Stretching for miles, it gives the city a distinctly Miami-style vibe, with great restaurants and beach clubs lining the waterfront. Getting to the beach, however, can be an adventure in itself. It runs parallel to a very busy road, and crossing it requires a certain amount of courage. You can’t hesitate, slow down, speed up, or — worst of all — stop halfway across. The trick is to “take the bull by the horns”: find a gap, step confidently into the traffic, and walk at a steady, consistent pace. The traffic — mostly motorbikes — will weave around you. It’s unsettling at first, but I quickly learned that crossing with locals and copying their approach helps. Alternatively, there’s always the Grab app, which offers very reasonably priced taxis and a far less hazardous option.

In fact, prices throughout Vietnam are generally very reasonable — once you get your head around the currency. The Vietnamese dong is worth around 0.0012 of a Thai baht, meaning that USD $10 converts to roughly 259,638 VND. It’s easy to feel like a millionaire when you visit an ATM (and there are plenty), though it’s still advisable to carry some cash for smaller stalls and vendors. Another Da Nang landmark worth mentioning is the Dragon Bridge, which spans the Han River and connects the beach area with the city centre. Inspired by the Ly Dynasty symbol of power and prosperity, the bridge is famous for its weekend night shows, when the dragon breathes fire and water, illuminated by colourful LED lights. Tourists and locals alike gather to watch the spectacle before heading off for a beer or coffee nearby. Phone: +84 236 3797 777 Website: grandmercuredanang.com

And speaking of coffee — Vietnamese salt coffee, or cà phê muối, deserves special mention. It pairs strong Vietnamese coffee with a lightly salted cream foam. While you might expect it to taste salty, the salt actually enhances the sweetness and softens the bitterness of the coffee. With strong brewed coffee at the base and airy cream on top, there’s no single “official” recipe. The cream can be made from heavy cream and condensed milk, fresh milk and condensed milk, or even with a touch of cream cheese for extra richness and tang. I found it completely addictive — one is definitely not enough. Almost like a dessert in a cup, it’s creamy, indulgent, and still delivers a serious caffeine kick. There are also coconut and egg coffee variations, but more on those when I write about Hanoi.

I really love going to the beach but if that isn’t your thing there’s plenty of natural beauty to explore in the hills surrounding Da Nang. To the west, Ba Na Hills is a mountain retreat accessed by one of the world’s longest cable cars, carrying you through misty forests to the famous Golden Bridge, held aloft by giant stone hands. On the Son Tra Peninsula (also known as Monkey Mountain), you’ll find the Linh Ung Pagoda, home to an enormous Lady Buddha statue. The Marble Mountains offer caves and tunnels carved into limestone hills, many of which house ancient shrines. I skipped these on this trip, as I had already booked an overnight train from Danang to Hanoi — more on that next month.

We stayed at the Grand Mercure Da Nang, which was first-rate — and featured the best chair I’ve ever sat in. Shaped like a slice of melon, it was an ergonomic dream that I found very hard to get out of. I eventually managed, though, to make it down to the hotel’s excellent first-class buffet breakfast, which really sets you up for the day. The Grand Mercure Da Nang is located at: Zone Of The Villas Of Green Island, Lot A1, Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng 550000, Vietnam Phone: +84 236 3797 777 Website: grandmercuredanang.com