Things to do in Danang
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A
Le Bambino
Hidden away in a small residential lane, this delightful French oasis is run by a couple (French husband, Vietnamese wife) who turned their home into a restaurant and boutique hotel. The menu (available in Japanese) features hearty French fare, pizza and pasta. Upstairs, three enormous and extremely well-appointed rooms go for US$30 per night.
reviewed
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B
Christie’s Cool Spot
The bar downstairs is where US war veterans hold forth about ongoing American politics vis-à-vis the American War in Vietnam. These days they’re joined by Western expats in search of an ice-cold beer or the comfort food available in the restaurant upstairs.
reviewed
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C
Vietnamese Home
Located just off the northern tip of the riverfront promenade (the entrance is on Ð Ly Tu Trong), this restaurant is popular with locals and has an extensive seafood menu. The live seafood tanks are merrily decorated with blinking fairy lights.
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Bamboo 2 Bar
This is the kind of comfortable hole-in-the-wall joint where the walls are covered in customers’ drunken scribbles. There’s a busy pool table in the back and a Western food menu.
reviewed
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E
Han Market
Han Market is a fine place for a casual stroll or to shop in the evenings.
reviewed
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Museum of Cham Sculpture
This one’s for the history buffs: a museum with the largest collection of Cham artefacts, housed in buildings that marry French-colonial architecture with Cham elements. Founded in 1915 by the École Française d’Extrême Orient, it has more than 300 pieces on display including altars, lingas, garudas, apsaras, Ganeshas and images of Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu – all dating from the 5th to 15th centuries.
reviewed
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Ho Chi Minh Museum
Despite its huge grounds, this museum is typically unenlightening for a site venerating Ho Chi Minh. At the front is a display of the usual US, Soviet and Chinese weaponry. Hidden behind the Party buildings are a replica of Ho Chi Minh’s house in Hanoi and a museum about him.
reviewed
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G
Danang Cathedral
Known to locals as Con Ga Church (Rooster Church) because of the weathercock on top of the steeple, the candy-pink Danang Cathedral was built for the city’s French residents in 1923. Today it serves a Catholic community of 4000 – it’s standing room only if you arrive late.
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H
Bread of Life
If the heavenly smells from the bakery don’t win you over, the American menu of pancakes, pizza and other comfort foods (biscuits and gravy, anyone?) surely will. The restaurant is almost entirely run by deaf staff and proceeds go towards training activities for the deaf in Danang.
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Danang Waterpark
The enormous water park is showing its age but still can be a whirligig of fun on a hot summer day. There are plenty of slides, pools and the like to keep everyone (not just the kids) happy. It’s near the riverbank, 2km beyond the Ho Chi Minh Museum.
reviewed
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I
Phap Lam Pagoda
Recently rebuilt, this pagoda has three giant Buddha statues in the courtyard, and an equally imposing large gold one in the temple. It’s set back from the road noise and at night, a cluster of street-food stalls mushrooms outside the temple gates.
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Café Truc Lam Vien
Dine alfresco in a pretty garden courtyard or in one of the sleek wooden pavilions. Service is efficient and the menu, including local favourites such as mi quang, is available in English. The restaurant is a short walk from the Museum of Cham Sculpture.
reviewed
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Trong’s Real Easy Riders
A group of about 30 Easy Riders who operate out of Danang. Trong can arrange day trips (from around US$20) or longer tours to Hoi An and the central highlands. He’s a friendly chap who speaks good English and doesn’t drive like a maniac.
reviewed
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K
Kitsch Stores
If you're looking for a shimmering framed Ho Chi Minh portrait with a clock inset, or a plastic dragon that lights up and sings Old McDonald, check out the collection of Kitsch Stores near the corner of Ð Hung Vuong and Ð Phan Chu Trinh.
reviewed
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L
Com Nieu
Very popular with locals, this contemporary restaurant has hearty meals and affable staff. Besides its namesake dish, there’s a full spread of Vietnamese fare. Try the savoury grilled beef wrapped in seaweed, or ask about the day’s fresh seafood.
reviewed
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M
Torino
This new authentically Italian restaurant serves excellent pasta, pizza and proper espresso, as well as more exotic dishes such as frogs and crocodile. The windowless dining room takes on a better vibe at night when it doubles as a jazz club.
reviewed
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Com Tay Cam Cung Dinh
A pleasant little restaurant tucked away off an alley, serving local specialities com nieu (rice cooked in a claypot) and hoanh thanh – a wontonlike combination of minced pork and shrimp served fried or steamed.
reviewed
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Nep Café
An old trombone, a Che poster and a bicycle poking out of an exposed brick wall are just some of the oddments decorating this indie hang-out right across from Christie’s. Live bands play upstairs three times a week.
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Tea Café Cung Dinh
It's amazing what a little mood lighting can do. This garden café set in a dreary car park becomes a fairyland at night, lit by red Chinese lanterns. They serve a range of exotic teas and delicious cakes.
reviewed
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Phi Lu Chinese Restaurant
A ballroomlike space decked out in full Chinese style, this popular restaurant has very good food. Warning: splurging on multiple seafood dishes may bust your bank account.
reviewed
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Pho Da Nang Pagoda
Pho Da Nang Pagoda was built in 1923 in a traditional architectural configuration. Local people participate actively in the pagoda's lively religious life.
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Camel Club
This is pretty much Danang’s party central, if you like loud music, expensive drinks and dancing that’s quite colourful by Vietnamese standards.
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Truc Ha 2
This lush garden café hidden off a inner city laneway is an oasis of calm during the day - less so at night when the karaoke starts up.
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Au Lac
Stylish and colourful, this restaurant specialises in Vietnamese seafood, with some Western and Japanese dishes.
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Com Chay Chua Tinh Hoi
Known for the best vegetarian food in town; it's just inside the entrance gate to the Phap Lam Pagoda.
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