It's easy to see why the French would run to the hills at the first opportunity, and why the Vietnamese were less keen. As you climb the
winding road to beautiful Ba Na (admission 10,000d, per motorbike/car 5000/10.000d) you can feel the temperature and humidity dropping away. When it's 36°C on the coast, it's likely to be between l5°C and 26°C up the mountain. Rain often falls in the section between 700m and 1200m above sea level, but around she hilt station itself, the sky is usually clear, the view is truly spectacular, and the air is fresh and cool. Mountain tracks lead to a variety of waterfalls and viewpoints. Founded in 1919, of the 200-odd villas that originally stood, a few tattered, atmospheric ruins remain. Until VVWII the French were carried up the last 20km of rough mountain road by sedan chair. Near the top, the Linh Ung Pagoda (1999) is a supremely peaceful spot, with a 24m-high white seated Buddha visible for miles around. Near the pagoda a cable car (return ticket 35.000d) whisks visitors up to the hill station. The vistas are huge. The provincial government has high hopes of once again making Ba Na a magnet for tourists - branding it 'the Dalat of Danang province" and developing the site to suit do-mestic visitors. This has led to a variety of accommodation and restaurants, but also lots of karaoke, a loud PA and litter. There are no ATMs up here, but there is a small post office (tell: 791500) near Le Nim restaurant.
Sleeping & Eating
Le Nim (tell; 791504; r200,000-400,000d) For sweeping views look no further than Le Nim, situated near the top of the cable car. Many of the rooms have beautiful wood panelling and there are a number of freestanding stone bungalows. The restaurant serves up terrific fresh seafood dishes.
Ba Na By Night Resort (tell: 791056; bananight@dng.vnn.vn; r 200,000-500,000d) This has probably the best choice of rooms at Ba Na, set in rang houses (thatched-roof houses on stilts) or various villas, but you miss out on the views. Facilities include a popular bar and tennis courts. The remnants of a colonial-era wine cellar and French villa arc interesting to check out, and from here it's an easy walk down the stairs to the giant Buddha of Linh Ung Pagoda and the bottom of the cable car.
Getting There & Away
Ba Na is 42km west of Danang along a beautiful winding road that can be dangerous on a foggy day. Pay the admission fee at the Reception Centre at the bottom of the access road. From here it's a steep climb uphill, and many motorbikes won't attempt it. Shuttle buses, leaving when full, take passengers up the mountain for 20,000d (30,000d return). Otherwise you can hire a Ba Na local with a high-powered motorcycle for the trip (60,000d).
General information about Danang:
Over View 
Da Nang has been asleep for 15 years, according to a local who works in the tourism industry. And while the city's cyclos still move along the leafy avenues at a sleepwalker's pace, there is definitely some stirring going on. Glossy new apartment complexes and shopping malls line the riverfront, where the scent of new paint seems to mingle with the salty harbour air. Some of the city's more important avenues have been widened, while old buildings and hotels are continually being torn down and rebuilt -- don't be surprised if you show up somewhere to check out a room, and find the lobby covered up in scaffolding.
The name 'Da Nang' has a familiar ring to anyone acquainted with America's military action in Vietnam, and that's not just because it's easy to pronounce. During the war, it was home to one fifth of all US service-people, and a transit or R&R spot for most of the rest, making it one of the most occupied -- and heavily defended -- cities in South Vietnam. Eventually however it fell to the North Vietnamese in 1975 with hardly a bullet fired.
During the French colonial period, Da Nang was called Tourane -- a name still used by some of the hotels in the city. The French also used it as a landing point during their war in Vietnam. When the French established a garrison on the nearby Son Tra Peninsula (dubbed 'Monkey Mountain by the American troops) more soldiers died from disease building it than during the associated fighting. Today a small cemetery near Tien Sa Beach stands in their memory.
Most visitors who pass through Da Nang are on their way to Hoian - one of Vietnam's premier tourist attractions. Those who linger are most likely seeking sun at gorgeous China Beach. There's more to Da Nang than just the beach, though. Da Nang boasts the excellent Cham Museum, which is a great primer for a visit to My Son further to the south. The city also has a large Cao Dai temple, a pleasant riverfront boulevard, and wide leafy boulevards. There are some good options for eating, drinking, and getting down in the evenings, which are likely to expand as the city does. The immediate area includes attractions like Marble Mountain, Monkey Mountain (the Son Tra Peninsula) and the Ba Na Hill Station.
Many travellers who show up in Da Nang find the city dull and end up heading elsewhere. Perhaps this is because Da Nang is a more difficult city to visit than other spots in Vietnam -- you can't experience the best of it just by walking around and seeing what you find, as you can in Nhatrang or Hoi An. It's one spot where you really have to seek out the hidden corners, and some advanced preparation can truly enrich your experience. With a bit of effort, you may discover that Da Nang has a lot more going on than meets the eye.
Da Nang Orientation
The Han River flows north-south through Da Nang city, about a kilometre and a half west of the ocean. The west bank is crowded with buildings, while the east bank is sort of a no-man's land with not much of interest to tourists, though there are several hotels along the river that offer good views and a quieter setting. Wherever you're staying in Da Nang it's at least two kilometres to My Khe beach -- it takes more than half an hour to walk there, and it's not all that pleasant, so think in terms of transport. It's ten kilometres to either China Beach (Non Nuoc) to the south, or the tip of the Son Tra Peninsula to the north.
The road along the west bank of the Han River is Bach Dang street -- one-way going north. Along it are a half a dozen places to stay, which are desirable for their river views. Running parallel to Bach Dang is Tran Phu, to the west, which is a one-way road going south. Cheaper accommodation can be found here, as well as elsewhere throughout town, if you can sacrifice the river views.
As Tran Phu heads south it meets up with Bach Dang and then turns into Duong 2/9, "September 2nd Street" which commemorates the day in 1945 when Ho Chi Minh signed the Vietnamese version of the 'Declaration of Independence' -- even though it was 30 years until actual independence, and even then, half the country wasn't so thrilled about the outcome. It's also the day Ho Chi Minh died in 1969. Duong 2/9 leads past the water park and eventually winds its way towards Hoi An.
Da Nang and My Khe beach are connected via three bridges over the Han River. The southernmost, the Tuyen Son, leads from the Da Nang watermark, east to the beach, letting out near the Furama Resort. Some locals call it 'the Furama Bridge'.
Just 1.2 kilometres to the north, there's a set of two bridges. The southern-most bridge, Nguyen Van Troi, was built by the US, and allows motorbikes only. The bridge alongside it, Tan Thi Ly, was built by the French and allows heavy trucks to cross. They connect Duong 2/9, in the area of Bia Tulip and the Ho Chi Minh Museum, with My Khe Beach, letting out near Van Xuan restaurant and the My Khe 2 Hotel.
Another 1.2 kilometres further north is the main bridge, the Song Han. Le Duan, which cuts east-west through the centre of Da Nang, leads to the bridge and it's two kilometres to the centre of My Khe Beach. There is a white, modernist sculpture on the beachfront here that makes for a good reference point. This is currently the northern-most bridge, and the one to take when heading to Tien Sa and the Son Tra Peninsula from Da Nang. To get to Tien Sa beach, take a left as you cross the Song Ha bridge from Da Nang. For Son Tra, drive all the way to the beach and take a left.
If you turn right (to the south) at the beach after crossing the Song Han Bridge, My An beach 3.5 km south, Non Nuoc 8 km, Ha My beach is 18km, An Bang beach is 21km, and Cua Dai beach, outside Hoi An, is 24km.
A fourth bridge, the Thuan Phuoc, is currently under construction, and will eventually connect Da Nang with Nam O beach and the bay of Da Nang. The project went over budget, and, after six years of effort, work has ceased while they refinance. Optimistic estimates forecast the completion of the bridge some time in 2009, though with the frame of the bridge still hanging empty as of late 2008 that seems a little unlikely.
A word is in order about the names of beaches along the coast. Some reckon that everything from the Son Tra Peninsula to the north, to Cua Dai beach to the south, is China Beach. But a convention has arisen of calling Non Nuoc, where the Sandy Beach and Hoa's place are located, China Beach. If you say, China Beach to a xe-om, that's likely where they'll take you. This doesn't stop the Furama Resort from claiming they are also on China Beach, even though they are on My An Beach, 4.5 kilometres to the north. For organisational purposes, we've grouped all of the beaches under the general title of 'China Beach', then further divided accommodation by local names.
Da Nang's train station is located on Hai Phong street in the centre of town. The new bus station is on Dien Bien Phu, 2.5km north past the junction with highway 1A at the railroad crossing. Most maps still mark the old bus station, so don't make the mistake of heading there.
The Da Nang International Airport is located 2 km west of town, at the end of Nguyen Van Linh.
To get to or from the airport, you'll need to take a taxi or a xe om. A metered taxi to or from the city centre should be around 65,000 VND, and another 5,000 VND across the river. If you're coming from the airport, take notice that your driver resets the meter when you get in- some will try to tack the previous passenger's charge onto your ride.
While most banks in town will handle foreign currency exchange, to cash traveller's cheques at no commission, head to the main branch of the Vietcom Bank on Le Loi. ATMs are widely available throughout Da Nang, but not all of them work for foreigners -- here are some that do:
BIDV Bank: 40-42 Hung Vuong, corner of Tran Phu and 90 Nguyen Chi Thanh.
Incombank: 122 Hai Phong.
Techcom Bank: 124 Hai Phong.
Vietcombank: 68 Bach Dang, 140 Le Loi, 251 Ngo Quyen, 178 Tran Phu, 4B Tran Hung Dao.
The post office is located on Bach Dang street right next to the Song Han Bridge
There's a Vietnam Airlines and a Pacific Airlines office, on Tran Phu, just north of Le Duan.
Medical services are available at the Family Medical Practice on Nguyen Van Linh -- they have a western doctor on call and a multi-lingual staff. They work closely with most major insurers to prevent you having to go out of pocket for a visit, but if you don't have insurance, this is an expensive way to go. Try Hospital C or the new Da Nang Hospital, right next door to each other, on Hai Phong.
Internet is widely available in Da Nang, usually for less than 4,000 VND per hour. We found a good connection, computers with useful software, and good USB hook-ups for 3,000 VND per hour at Internet (that's the name!) on Phan Chu Trinh, a block and a half south of Le Duan.
As a note of caution, all telephone numbers in Da Nang have been changed to include a number '3' just after the area code. If you're trying to call a hotel or restaurant, but are having trouble getting through, make sure you've added the extra digit.
Da Nang Hospital: 124 Hai Phong, Da Nang. T: (0511) 3821 118.
Family Medical Practice: 50-02 Nguyen Van Linh, Da Nang. T: (0511) 3582 699 (available 24-hours), F: (0511) 3583 049.
Hospital C: 122 Hai Phong, Da Nang. T: (0511) 3821 483, 480
Internet: 02 Phan Chau Thrinh, Da Nang. T: (0511) 3832 896. Hours: 08:00 to 22:00.
Main Post Office: 64 Bach Dang, just south of the Song Han Bridge, Da Nang. T: (0511) 3837 407, F: (0511) 3821 278.
Pacific Airlines: 169 Tran Phu, Da Nang. T: (0511) 3817 374, F: (0511) 3843 024.
Vietcom Bank: 140-142 Le Loi, Da Nang. T: (0511) 3812 564, F: (0511) 3826 062. Hours: 07:30 - 11:00 and 13:00 - 16:30.
Vietnam Airlines: 35 Tran Phu, Da Nang. T: (0511) 3811 111, F: (0511) 3832 759. Hours: Mon-Fri 07:00 - 11:00 and 13:30 - 17:00, Sat-Sun, holiday: 07:00 - 11:00 and 13:30 - 15:30.
