What to do in Da Nang, Vietnam

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for those who may wish to visit Da Nang and the many attractions the city advertises, including Ba Na Hills, The Golden Bridge, Marble Mountain, and the town of Hôi An.

Ah, tourist season. The loveliest season.

Da Nang is a city on Vietnam’s east coast. It’s tucked between Hanoi and the formerly named Saigon, known today as Ho Chi Minh City.

In daily domestic life, communications and marketing are my bread and butter. So, in confidence, I can say that the marketing team for Da Nang’s tourism industry is highly skilled, advertising attractions as paradigm-shifting sites for mostly gullible tourists.

You may wonder how I could arrive at this conclusion? After all, I’m a keen traveler. Because to the chagrin of my bruised ego, I was one of those tourists! Suckered by hysteria and Instagram to visit Vietnam’s love letter to Disneyland. The truth hurts.

Yes, there was a man in a mouse costume.

Ba Na Hills is the first culprit to influencer culture in Da Nang. It is literally called Sun World and the allusions to Disney World do not let up from the name. The “ride” starts with a twenty (yes, twenty) minute cable car adventure filled with whimsical music.

You get off at Golden Bridge.

I would imagine the bridge is the highlight of everyone’s day at Ba Na Hills. Two giant stone hands reach under the bridge, thus offering a viral-worthy snapshot. That is, if not for the throngs of like-minded tourists who are also vying for internet likes.

As one ventures further into the park the campiness and disregard for cohesion snowballs. You walk through a fabricated flower garden, a fairyland, pass a giant plaster Buddha, and around various waffle cheese vendors. After another cable car ride, you’re left staring at The Globe from Universal Studios Hollywood in a French village, then led to an underground arcade with a Jurassic Park dinosaur exhibition.

I couldn’t make this place up if I tried.

In theory, it sounds cool. To an extent it is. But the admission price doesn’t justify the experience for the backpacker budget. Go for the experience but temper your expectations at the first sunny gate.

Marble Mountain. Another attraction that is larger than life on the internet and was underwhelming in person. I can chalk this one up to my own disillusionment after seeing 40 temples in a month. Moving on.

Hôi An is an ancient town. It is a beautiful city filled with Vietnamese homes, colored tiles, and walkable streets. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, at night the city becomes alive with multicolored paper lanterns that gush romance into the wind. It is quite magical.

However, the tour guides and photographs of Hoi An fail to share the crucial detail that you are not alone. There are hundreds of visitors each night. I felt sad for the way that the lovely streets were saturated in tourism. I sat down for an hour during my visit because of the pandemonium.

My whole experience in Da Nang left me a tiny bit crestfallen. However, the city is interesting, lively, and safe. Locals in Da Nang were friendly, the food was top-notch, and the hostel delivered brochures on their tours’ scheduled itineraries. Not to mention the rooftop pool that I frequented during my day off from great sightseeing. Time permitting, I’d still recommend a visit to Da Nang if you’re in Vietnam. To avoid my one or two sucker punches, due diligence is a must before visiting the coastal metropolis with its own fire-breathing titanium awning.

---