Hotels in Da Nang

Da Nang sits midway down Vietnam's coast with 30 kilometres of beach on one side and the Marble Mountains and Truong Son range on the other. It has grown fast into the country's third city, with a riverfront of illuminated bridges and a beachfront of resorts, but it remains far less frantic than Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City.

My Khe Beach runs the length of the eastern shore, the Dragon Bridge breathes fire on weekend nights, and the Museum of Cham Sculpture holds the world's best collection from the Champa kingdom. Up in the hills, the Ba Na Hills complex and its Golden Bridge — held up by two giant stone hands — draw a steady stream of visitors by cable car.

The location is the real draw. The lantern-lit old town of Hoi An is 30 minutes south, the imperial city of Hue is two hours north over the Hai Van Pass, and the caves of Phong Nha are within reach on a longer trip.