DaNang has lived through both the French colonialists and the American G.I.s who had a base nearby, and you can see the influence of both these cultures on Vietnam’s 3rd largest city. Da Nang is a large urban city half way up the eastern coast of Vietnam and situated at the mouth of the Han River. Its position affords it both a vibrant city life and calm sandy beaches together with the always present natural countryside just beyond city limits.

The Marble Mountains are not far away and there you can see Buddhist temples and cave grottos. Am Phu is the most popular of these caves where you can climb either up to the top of the mountain or down into its belly.

In the city see the Cham Museum with ancient Cham statues made by the ancient civilization – the Kingdom of Champa (7th-19th century). It is the only museum of its kind in the world. 30km from DaNang is the Bana Mountain where you can ride the world’s longest and highest non-stop cable car. Visit the Cao Dai Temple which resembles a normal western house that has been turned into a Pagoda. The temple is only open during prayer times. Teh Ho Chi Minh Museum tells the story of this revolutionary leader and the historic period he lived through. There are photos, travel documents and artifacts on show as well as military vehicles in front of the museum.

If you’re traveling with kids the Da Nang Water Park is a must see travel destination as is the Son Tra Peninsula for stunning tour excursions into the countryside and Tien Sa Beach for a laid back soak in the sun. Other stretches of sand along the coast are from Cua Dai up to My Khe as well as the Nam O Beach a little further north.