On a mini Southeast Asia trip, I was really excited to have the opportunity to fly from Singapore (a bustling metropolis in Southeast Asia) to Vietnam, specifically, Danang.
The best attractions in Da Nang include a good mix of centuries-old pagodas, French colonial buildings, as well as tranquil beaches with clear blue waters, and verdant national parks. Da Nang, Vietnam, is known as the tourist capital of South-Central Vietnam, with a west coast location that makes for beautiful sunsets against an impressive backdrop of lush mountains. I also love the collection of cute and quaint cafes, and laidback vibes to this city. Love how you can stretch your dollar regarding accommodation, food, taxi travel etc. Just be careful of pickpockets and tourist traps!
Credits: https://culturephamtravel.com/marble-mountains-da-nang/
Important Tips:
You can get the Viettel SIM Card at any of the major airports and retail stores for data coverage - super handy when it comes to navigating the city.
Using Grab instead of taxis primarily would save you money. You can download the Grab app. a handy tip would be to save the contact of the Grab Driver and stay in touch with them. For the entirety of Danang, we communicated with a Grab Driver and decided on a reasonable fee when it came to visiting various tourist and meal locations in Danang, which made everything more convenient and economical.
STOP #1: Sala Danang Beach Resort
So far, this has been a very fantastic stay! We were warmly welcomed with great customer service and lemongrass drinks. We were efficiently whisked off to our adjoining room, which is huge, and decorated elegantly and in a modern manner. It is also spacious with a great design and showers. The infinity pool and views from there (City of Da Nang and beach) were really beautiful. Breakfast is also included in the stay. Overall, I am super impressed with the hospitality and quality of accommodation.
STOP #2: Bro’s Kafe
Bro's Kafe is famed for being one of the coffeeshops in Da Nang that is super popular with expats, and I can see why! The coconut Vietnamese Coffee was an absolute delight, as was the delicious and fresh green smoothie. They are also well-known for good sandwiches, baguette, croissant and salad that have good value for quality and casual price.
Coconut flavored coffee was refreshing.
For context, this meal, including an an eggs benedict sandwich (not pictured) cost around $10 CAD and was enough to feed 3 people.
Stop #3: Marble Mountains
Thuy Son or Marble of Water is also called Tam Thai mountain because there are 3 peaks located on three floors like the three stars of Tam Thai. In the 5 mountains, Thuy Son is the most beautiful and largest mountain that many tourists choose to visit and explore. To reach the top of the mountain, you can choose to climb over a hundred steps. Another way is to take an elevator with a transparent glass chamber with a two-way ticket of 40,000 VND.
Come here not only to admire the beautiful panoramic city of Da Nang from above but also you can visit many beautiful temples and caves. The interior was really peaceful and stunning, with many artifacts and places to observe.
When coming to Marble Mountains Da Nang Vietnam, Linh Ung Pagoda cannot be overlooked on Thuy Son mountain. Placed in a solemn position in the middle of the temple is a 10m high Buddha statue with two sides worshiping Lady Buddha Bodhisattva and Bodhisattva Dia Tang. This place does not only attract many tourists who love spiritual tourism. But also where you can immerse yourself in a peaceful place at Buddha’s door and away from the bustling city.
Tam Thai pagoda is also a large pagoda that many tourists choose to visit. The pagoda has a 3 door gate and according to Buddhist culture, the main gate is only for the monks while the right gate is for women and the left is for men. Over time and in war, the pagoda has been renovated many times but still retains many ancient Buddhist architectural features.
Picturesque views of Danang City
Stop #4: An Spa
A popular Korean-owned Spa, you can go to their website linked to explore various options.
I found the spa and message quite enjoyable and of course the settings were luxurious, but the service itself was nothing out of this world.
Stop #5: Moc Seafood
This place was absolutely bustling with locals and tourists. It is also super highly rated on Trip Advisor, in particular, the seafood dishes. Morning glory, chili prawns and specially requested tofu were standouts, while the rest were all right. The waiter was super kind to peel the prawns in front of you, and overall, it was just really attentive and amazing service! The total bill came down to an affordable price, considering the amount of food, especially seafood, that was ordered.
