While much smaller than Hanoi in the north or Ho Chi Minh City in the south, Da Nang is the largest city in Central Vietnam and a growing hotspot for digital nomads. I’ve visited Da Nang twice – once briefly back in 2015 while on a backpacking holiday around Vietnam and, more recently, to see some attractions I wasn’t aware of the first time around while working remotely. In this post I’m going to detail things to do in the area as well as some coworking spaces and coffee shops which are good to work from.
About Da Nang
Situated in Central Vietnam, the city of Da Nang is split into two main sections, one to the east of the Han River and one to the west. Da Nang has been growing rapidly and I could see a lot construction going on when I last visited. The west side felt like more of a city – it’s more developed and there is the crazy Vietnamese traffic everywhere. The east side, which is near the beach, is more laid back but building work was going on everywhere, I assume to cope with the growth in the city and increasing tourism numbers (this was pre COVID). A lot of backpackers pass through here when travelling through Vietnam from north to south (or vice versa). Da Nang is also popular for short holidays for people living in East Asia, mostly from Korea (based on the people I met on my nights out anyway – Koreans love to party!).
Getting around Da Nang
There are three main ways for getting around the city as a visitor:
Motorbike/scooter rental – these are the main form of transport in Vietnam and you won’t have trouble finding a place to rent from. Note that the traffic in Vietnam is crazy, I don’t recommend getting a motorbike or scooter unless you’re experienced at driving them.
Taxis – both Grab (similar to Uber) and normal taxis (make sure they put the meter on) are available in Da Nang. I used Grab every time I needed a taxi in Da Nang and it didn’t cost much to get around.
Walking – Da Nang isn’t a huge city. You can’t walk to all of the attractions but you can cover some of the main areas by foot. The city is split by the Han River – it’s possible to walk around a lot of places on the west side of the river and take a taxi to the east side, where the main attraction is My Khe Beach. You can walk along one of the bridges connecting the two sides in under 10 minutes, although it is a further 2-3 kilometres to the beach. Walking isn’t an option for getting to some of the most famous attractions around Da Nang, such as Son Tra Mountain, Ba Na Hills and the Marble Mountains – you’ll need wheels for them.
I should mention as well that there is a public bus system, although I didn’t make any use of it.
8 Coworking Spaces & Coffee Shops to work remotely from in Da Nang
The below are all places I worked from while in Da Nang and would happily use again. The three main things I look for are decent Wi-Fi speeds, tables that are comfortable to work on a laptop from and the availability of power sockets near said tables.
I have split this list between places on the west side of the Han River and places to the east. The places on the west are all in walking distance of each other and many accommodation options on this side of the city. The places on the east are more spread out – some of them are in walking distance of My Khe beach and the many hotels/hostels around there, others are further away but easily reachable with a cheap Grab taxi.
West Side
1. DNC Da Nang Coworking Space
Opening hours: Mon to Fri 8am-8pm, Sat 8am-6pm, closed Sundays
Hot desk price: 75,000 VND for a day pass, 990,000 VND for a full month
This was the first coworking space I tried in Da Nang and it was absolutely fine. Nothing really stood out about it to me but there were no issues. The offices are spacious and quiet and there were plenty of large desks available to use. When I visited, the majority of people working there were local but staff spoke good English and were very friendly. One point to note, the Wi-Fi speeds here were significantly lower than any of the other places I used in Da Nang (see the ‘Wi-Fi Speeds’ table further down). Having said that, I had no issues with the Wi-Fi network and the download/upload speeds per the test I ran weren’t bad (19.3 Mbps download, 19.4 Mbps upload), they just weren’t as good as the other places I worked from in Da Nang.
2. Golem Coffee
Opening hours: 7.30am to 10pm Monday to Sunday
Coffee price: 28,000-60,000 VND
Hidden (slightly) down an alley, this was a very chilled out coffee shop to work from. There are some food options as well so you could spend a whole day here if you wanted to. Seating options are quite limited if you want to be near a power socket (use the indoor section to the left when you come down the alley) but it was quiet both times I visited so I didn’t have a problem.
3. Brewman Coffee Concept
Opening hours: 7am to 10pm Monday to Sunday
Coffee price: 30,000-60,000 VND
Another coffee shop hidden down an alley, Brewman offers excellent coffee in an aesthetically pleasing building. They don’t have any food on offer, but Brewman is an excellent spot to work from for a few hours.
4. Mia Coffee Roastery
Opening hours: 6.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Sunday
Coffee price: 20,000-40,000 VND
This felt like more of a local place than many of the coffee shops around Da Nang and was quiet both times I visited. There are power sockets by the tables with the leather seats on the left side of this coffee shop. Although the tables here were on the low side, I found this to be a nice place to work for a few hours after lunch – there is no food available aside from cakes.
East Side
5. Enouvo Space and Enuovo Space 2
Opening hours: Mon to Fri 8am-7pm, Sat 8am-5pm (Enuovo Space 2 only), closed Sundays
Hot desk price: 12,000 VND per hour, 90,000 VND for a day pass, 1,800,000 VND for a full month
A coworking and living space, the company has grown and now has two coworking spaces, which are about a one minute walk from each other. I used Enuovo Space 2, after going to the first space and being told by the very friendly staff that they were full, one of the employees then walked me over to their second location. Enouvo also has a living space with both private apartments and dorm rooms available.
There was more of a digital nomad vibe in Enouvo compared to DNC Da Nang coworking space. If you’re looking for a long stay in Da Nang, I’d recommend this over DNC for the more social atmosphere and superior Wi-Fi although there is a notable price difference. While the day pass is only slightly more expensive than DNC (90,000 VND compared to 75,000 VND), the monthly pass is almost double (1,800,000 VND compared to 990,000 VND). Having said that, 1,800,000 VND converts to (at the time of writing) £61.04, $77.72 US or €67.11 so it’s still excellent value for money by western standards.
6. Six on Six Café
Opening hours: 8am to 5pm Monday to Sunday
Coffee price: 40,000-100,000 VND
A more expensive café, this was nevertheless a really nice and relaxed place to work from. They have food options for breakfast and lunch as well, so you could stay all day, albeit not that late as it closes at 5pm. Staff are very warm and there is a peaceful outdoor area.
7. 43 Factory Coffee Roaster
Opening hours: 6.30am to 10.30pm Monday to Sunday
Coffee price: 55,000-85,000 VND
Another expensive option, it’s easy to understand why when you see the architecture. Situated over two floors, 43 Factory offers a wide food and drink menu and they also sell a variety of coffee beans to take home. Not the best value for money, but it was my favourite café on the east side of Da Nang to work from.
8. Why Roastery
Opening hours: 7am to 10pm Monday to Sunday
Coffee price: 30,000-50,000 VND
A cheaper option on the east side of the city, this is another nice coffee shop to work from. I’d suggest taking one of the tables near the back as the tables closer to the bar are not particularly comfortable for laptop use.
It’s worth noting that the upload speed on the Wi-Fi network here was much slower than all of the other places I tried (see the ‘Wi-Fi Speeds’ table below) at 5.76 Mbps. If you need to make a video call or have large files to share, this may be a problem.
Wi-Fi Speeds
| Download | Upload | |
| DNA Da Nang | 19.3 Mbps | 19.4 Mbps |
| Golem | 86.7 Mbps | 63.4 Mbps |
| Brewman | 93.5 Mbps | 91.1 Mbps |
| Enouvo Space 2 | 66.9 Mbps | 84.2 Mbps |
| Six on Six Cafe | 54.7 Mbps | 54.2 Mbps |
| 43 Factory | 61.8 Mbps | 47.9 Mbps |
| Why Roastery | 65.8 Mbps | 5.76 Mbps |
The above is based on a test I did on my phone at each location using the Speedtest app (Mia Coffee is missing – I forgot to run a test, sorry!). I had no problems with the Wi-Fi in any of these places. In terms of my Wi-Fi requirements, most of the work I do is inside a Citrix network. I’ve had numerous experiences (not in any of these) where a Wi-Fi network which is fine for general internet browsing and video watching will constantly freeze once inside Citrix.
A few more locations to work from
Just briefly since I didn’t try them, there are several other coworking spaces in Da Nang including Nomad Space, The Embassy (multiple locations) and TOP Coworking Space.
There’s a large number of cafes in the city – some of the others which I believe are suitable for remote work but didn’t try are Local Beans, Blue Mountain Coffee, The Coffee House (all on the west side) and, on the east, Gozar Coffee, Thanh Tam’s Coffee and Bakery and The Hideout Café.
In short, there are plenty of options to work from.
10 Things to do in and around Da Nang
1. Drive or take a tour along the Hai Van Pass
Made famous by an episode of Top Gear, the Hai Van Pass links Da Nang and the city of Hue and offers stunning views along the way. There’s isn’t much traffic along here as a tunnel under the mountains, completed in 2005, is a faster route. There are a few main spots where people stop to take in the views although, providing it is safe to do so, you can stop anywhere.
At the very top of Hai Van Pass are remnants an old French bunker. All of the tour buses stop here so this is the busiest spot. I think the nicest views are before this (if driving from Da Nang) in an area referred to as the rocks. There are food and drink stalls by the rocks (and usually a few tourists) so you can’t really miss it.
How to get here: motorbike/scooter (self-driven or on a tour) is the best option. You can arrange a tour by car or jeep, though I think it’s more fun by motorbike.
2. Visit Son Tra (Monkey) Mountain
Another part of Da Nang where you can get great views. The main spot here is Ban Co Peak, where I had an entirely serious game of chess with Confucius. Another area of note at Son Tra is a giant banyan tree, which is said to be over 1,000 years old. Despite the name, I didn’t see any monkeys here. There is a rare species of monkey called the Red Shanked Douc which can be spotted, but I understand they usually stay away from the areas visited by people.
How to get here: Drive or take a taxi. Note there is a very steep road up the mountain so, if you’re coming by scooter, make sure it has good brakes and is working well. Some of the roads are inaccessible by taxi so you can’t see everything at Son Tra this way, but taxis can get to Ban Co Peak. On the way here, you might want to make a brief stop at Man Thai Fishing Village.
3. Ling Ung Pagoda and Goddess of Mercy Statue
Situated near Son Tra Mountain is this pagoda and large statue. I thought the pagoda complex was nice. The Goddess of Mercy Statue, which is a few minutes’ walk away from the pagoda, is well, big. There isn’t much to do here besides walk around the grounds but it’s worth stopping here before or after going up Son Tra Mountain.
How to get here: See Son Tra Mountain above (minus the bit about mountain roads).
Note that there is another Ling Ung Pagoda in Da Nang at a place called Ba Na Hills, which brings us onto…
4. Visit Ba Na Hills and the Golden Bridge
Most famous for the bridge pictured below, I’m including this place as it is unusual and has some good bits, but I didn’t think that highly of it overall. Ba Na Hills is a French themed village, resort and theme park. I’m not really sure why a fake French village was built up a mountain in Central Vietnam but, it’s here, and, while it’s not for everyone, you might want to check it out – some visitors seem to love it!
To be fair, I thought there were some nice things to see around the whole complex – there are some panoramic views, a wine cellar ending in a bar, some temples and pagodas and the French village is amusing for a while. There was also a live theatrical performance at the French village which was… interesting.
Couple of things to note, this attraction is expensive by Vietnamese standards. One adult ticket, including a return cable car journey and access to almost everything in the complex, costs 750,000 VND (you can get a small discount booking online through Klook in advance).
Also, the place gets extremely busy. I went on a Monday and got to the cable cars shortly after the park’s 7am opening time. When I arrived at the Golden Bridge at the end of the cable car ride, the bridge was already busy with people taking photos. By the time I got back here to leave around midday, the bridge was packed as full as the London Underground at rush hour (for any Londoners reading, I’m talking Northern Line levels of crowding). You could spend a full day at Ba Na Hills and I understand it starts to get quieter by late afternoon, but half a day was enough for me.
How to get here: Drive or take a taxi – it’s roughly a 30 minute drive by car from the city to the cable car station (which itself looks like a big Chinese style imperial city) . Going by cable car is the only way up the mountain, there is no hiking route. I understand there used to be a road that went to the top of the mountain but this was closed (allegedly due to safety issues, though the cynic in me wonders if it was so every visitor had to pay the cable car fee).
5. Relax at My Khe Beach
This is the most well-known beach in Da Nang and considered to be among the most beautiful beaches in the whole country. As well as sunbathing, there are a host of water activities available including jet skiing, wakeboarding, kayaking, windsurfing, banana boats and snorkelling.
If you want to check out more beaches in Da Nang, Pham Van Dong Beach is north from here and starts where My Khe Beach ends. There is also Non Nuoc Beach several kilometres to the south of My Khe. I didn’t check out either of these – I’m not a big beach person.
How to get here: If you’re staying on the east side of Da Nang, this should be within walking distance of your accommodation. From the west, a taxi won’t cost much or you can drive here.
6. Da Nang Cathedral
Built in 1923, this is the only church in Vietnam and stands out for its pink exterior. It doesn’t take long to visit here (go early if you want to avoid crowds) and I must have walked passed this numerous times – watching the Korean tour groups and couples trying to take the perfect selfie was funny. After the crowds disappear, local kids play football in the church grounds in the evening.
How to get here: The opposite of point 5 above. If you’re staying on the west side of the river, this should be within walking distance of your accommodation. From the east, it’s a short drive away.
7. See the fire breathing Dragon Bridge
One of several bridges across the Han River, this bridge was designed to look like a dragon. And it breathes fire. Yes, actual fire. Honestly, I don’t think the fire show is that impressive but I think whoever came up with the idea deserves some credit for the craziness of it.
I feel the best place to watch the fire show from is simply in front of the bridge where most viewers gather. The dragon also spews out water so you might get a little wet! To try a higher vantage point, I also watched it from a nearby pub called the Red Dragon (temporarily closed according to Google). You can head up to the rooftop and watch it from one of the seats overlooking the river although I didn’t think it was a great viewpoint (pictured below).
The fire breathing is only on Saturday and Sunday nights and it starts at 9pm. The last time I was there it only lasted for a few minutes – I’m sure it was longer during my first trip to Da Nang back in 2015.
How to get here: The head of the dragon (i.e. the fire breathing side) is on the east side of the bridge. You can walk from the west side of the bridge to the east in under 10 minutes. From the My Khe beach area, it’s about 3 kilometres away so a scooter/taxi is best.
8. Take a day trip to Hoi An
Hoi An is my favourite place in the country and I recommend staying for several days but, if you prefer not to, you can easily visit from Da Nang for a day and see some of the highlights. I have written a separate post about working remotely and things to do in Hoi An, which you can read here.
How to get here: There’s a public bus (number 1) which goes from Da Nang to Hoi An or you can drive/take a taxi.
9. Visit the Marble Mountains
This is a group of five limestone and marble hills. Of these, Mt. Thuy is accessible to the public. There are a number of shrines and caves around Mt. Thuy, along with lots of stairs to walk up – make sure you check out the view from the summit! Note that there is a glass lift at the base of Mt. Thuy, which, for a small fee, takes you partway up the mountain. The Marble Mountains are one of the most popular attractions in the area so I suggest getting here early if you don’t want to be walking through large crowds.
Note that this is between Da Nang and Hoi An (slightly closer to Da Nang, but not a long journey regardless). If you’re going to be staying in both places, arranging a driver that takes you from Da Nang to Hoi An (or vice versa) with a stop at the Marble Mountains works well. Alternatively, you could stop here on the way to Hoi An as part of a packed day trip – I’d suggest 2-3 hours at the mountains if you want to explore thoroughly.
How to get here: rent a scooter, get a taxi or book a tour. There is also a public bus (number 1) which stops here. Depending on where you are in the city, it is roughly a 10-20 minute drive from Da Nang.
10. Take a half day trip to My Son Sanctuary
Pronounced Me Sun, this is a collection of ancient Cham ruins that were left to decay for centuries, then suffered further damage from bombing during the war between Vietnam and the US. It’s best to visit shortly after opening time to beat the crowds or, if you can handle the midday heat, early afternoon once the crowds have gone.
Note that if you are also going to be staying in Hoi An, the driving distance from Hoi An to My Son is roughly the same as from Da Nang to My Son. I went on a small group sunrise tour to My Son while staying in Hoi An – this was easy to arrange at one of the many tour agents in Hoi An and I imagine it will be very similar in Da Nang.
How to get here: rent a scooter, get a taxi or book a tour. Note that it is around a 1 hour drive by car, so a taxi could get expensive. Joining a group tour will be cheaper.
Accommodation
During my last trip to Da Nang, I stayed in one hostel and one hotel:
Seahorse Hostel & Bar – Costing me £4.50 a night for a dorm bed, this was good for the price. The dorm rooms were a bit small but the beds all had curtains so you can get some privacy. There is a café downstairs which had live music some nights. This is on the west side of the Han River and within a 15 minute walk of all the cafes/coworking spaces I detailed on this side of the river. Side note: the same company has a nearby hotel and coworking space called Seahorse Office & Hotel for roughly three times the price.
Green Garden Residence – A budget hotel option near My Khe beach, I paid just under 750,000 VND for three nights here. There wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy about this place other than it being good value for money. From the hotel, it’s a ten minute walk to the beach.
Getting to/from Da Nang
Sleeper Bus – Probably the most popular method for backpackers to get around Vietnam, you can catch a sleeper bus from many locations to Da Nang. The sleeper buses aren’t just for long distance trips – you can catch them for relatively short journeys like Hue to Da Nang (approximately 2 hours).
Train – Again, you can catch a train from many locations around Vietnam to Da Nang. Note that Hoi An doesn’t have a train station, so this isn’t an option if you’re travelling between these two places.
Plane – On my second trip to Vietnam, I arrived by plane to Da Nang from Thailand. The airport is only about 4 kilometres from the main area on the west side of the Han River and about 6 kilometres from My Khe Beach on the east side. Getting from the airport to the city by taxi is cheap but make sure you use Grab here – see below for why.
Scam warning: The taxi drivers at the airport all seem to make the same hilariously bad attempt to rip foreigners off, which you could be fooled by if you have no idea about local prices. When I arrived by plane, a taxi driver helpfully pointed me to the nearest ATM at the airport, then followed me and quoted 500,000 VND to get to the city, which I knew was wildly more expensive than it should be. The driver had his phone in hand and, when I told him I would use Grab, he immediately showed me a price of roughly 500,000 VND on Grab. I knew something was up and walked away, then received the same quote/trick by another driver before I got a chance to check for myself. After looking at Grab on my phone, I saw that the actual price to my hostel was around 50,000 VND, a tenth of what those two drivers tried to charge me. I showed this to the next driver who approached me and quoted the same as the others. With me STARING AT THE SCREEN, he scrolled through the different Grab options on my phone to some VIP service costing about 500,000 VND, then acted like this was proof that his quote was fair and not ten times the normal price – how stupid does this guy think people can be!? Needless to say, I scrolled back to the 50,000 option and booked it. I’m used to silly quotes from taxi drivers at airports, train stations etc. but this really took the piss.
The Hai Van Pass – As mentioned earlier, travelling by motorbike between Hue and Da Nang along the Hai Van Pass is a popular activity. Some companies offer motorbike rental from one city and drop off in another. If you want to do this but you’re not an experienced motorbike driver, you can book a private tour and sit on the back of the bike while a local drives.
From/to Hoi An – Close enough for travel by taxi or public bus, you can get bus number 1 between Hoi An and Da Nang. As suggested earlier, hiring a driver and making a stop at the Marble Mountains is a good option – there are tour companies in both Da Nang and Hoi An that offer this.
Finally, is Da Nang a good destination for digital nomads?
I didn’t get the best impression from Da Nang on my first trip but, after spending more time here, I think it currently makes a good destination and will improve in the future. Like most of Vietnam, the cost of living is very low. There are beaches, mountains and other attractions around the city and Hoi An is only a short journey away. If I was given a choice between Hoi An and Da Nang as a digital nomad destination, I would personally pick small town Hoi An but, for something bigger, I prefer Da Nang to the chaos of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
This is a take a look at the ERP-CRM relationship. Carline Clemmy Edgerton