Three days in Da Nang means making choices: Ba Na Hills or the Marble Mountains — pick one, skip the other. Five days means you don’t have to. You can do both on separate days, add My Son Sanctuary, spend a full afternoon at An Bang Beach, and still have time to sit on My Khe without a schedule breathing down your neck.
Use this order.
The short version
- Day 1 — Han Market, river walk, My Khe Beach, Dragon Bridge fire show (Fri–Sun at 9 pm, free)
- Day 2 — Ba Na Hills full day (₫970,000, depart by 7:30 am)
- Day 3 — Marble Mountains + Son Tra Peninsula and Linh Ung Pagoda
- Day 4 — Hoi An Ancient Town (₫120,000) + An Bang Beach
- Day 5 — My Son Sanctuary (₫150,000), Hai Van Pass, or a slow beach day
- Base: My Khe Beach area — beach access plus Grab range to everything else
Day 1: City, beach, and the Dragon Bridge
Morning — Han Market and the river (7:30–10:30 am)
Start at Cho Han (Han Market) on Bach Dang Street before the heat peaks. The lower floor has fresh produce — fish, tropical fruit, dried goods — worth walking through even if you’re not buying. Banh mi and bowls of mi quang are available from the perimeter stalls from about 7 am: ₫20,000–₫40,000, cash only. Da Nang’s version of mi quang uses turmeric noodles in a reduced broth with pork and crispy rice crackers; it’s distinct enough from Hoi An’s version that it’s worth trying both.
Walk south along Bach Dang Street beside the Han River for 15 minutes. You’ll pass the Dragon Bridge and the Love Lock Bridge. Save the Dragon Bridge for after dark.
Cafes are scattered throughout this area. Vietnamese iced coffee (ca phe sua da) costs ₫20,000–₫35,000 at most places and is considerably better than anything in a tourist-facing café.
Afternoon — My Khe Beach (11 am–5 pm)
Grab from the river to My Khe Beach takes 10–15 minutes and costs ₫30,000–₫50,000. The beach is wide, clean, and lifeguarded during the safe swimming season (February–August). Pick a beachfront bar, hire chairs (₫30,000–₫50,000 each, often free if you’re ordering), and stay for the afternoon.
For lunch, the restaurants along Pham Van Dong Street do grilled seafood by weight — point at what you want, confirm the price, it’s cooked in front of you. Budget ₫150,000–₫300,000 per person for a proper lunch.
Full breakdown of Da Nang’s beaches at Best Beaches in Da Nang.
Evening — Dragon Bridge fire show (get there by 8:45 pm)
The fire show runs every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 9 pm. It’s free. The dragon’s head faces east — stand on the east (Son Tra) bank of the Han River for the best view. Arrive by 8:45 pm; the good spots on weekend nights fill up.
The show lasts about 15 minutes: the dragon breathes fire, switches to a sustained water spray, cycles back and forth. It is worth watching once. After the show, food stalls along Bach Dang Street are open late — mi quang and bun cha ca (Da Nang fish cake noodle soup) are both decent late options.
If you’re visiting on a weeknight (Monday–Thursday), there’s no fire show — have dinner along the river instead.
Day 2: Ba Na Hills Full Day
Departure (7:30 am)
This is a full day and needs an early start. Ba Na Hills is about 30 km west of Da Nang on a mountain road. Grab does not reliably service this route — arrange transport the night before. A private return car runs roughly ₫600,000–₫800,000; small-group tours including transfers cost similar per person and handle the logistics.
Aim to arrive when the gates open at 7:30 am. By 9:30–10 am the tour buses arrive and the Golden Bridge queues grow noticeably.
On the mountain (8 am–3 pm)
Tickets are ₫970,000 per adult (2026), covering both cable car stages and all attractions. Buy at the entrance or online in advance if you’re visiting during Vietnamese school holidays (late June through August).
The lower cable car runs about 20 minutes. Sit by the window; the cable car view is one of the better parts of Ba Na Hills. The upper cable car deposits you near the summit complex at roughly 1,400 metres.
Go straight to the Golden Bridge before the crowd arrives. It’s a 10-minute walk from the top cable car station. On clear mornings it sits above the cloud layer; on overcast days it’s shrouded in mist, which is a different effect but also worthwhile.
After the Bridge, the French Village complex has stone architecture, European-style squares, and a handful of restaurants. Give it an hour, then move on. Skip Fantasy Park unless you have children with you.
Lunch: Restaurant options at the summit are priced for captive tourists — ₫300,000–₫500,000 for a buffet. Bring snacks from the city if cost matters. You’re unlikely to want to descend for lunch and come back up.
Plan to be back at the base by 3–3:30 pm and in Da Nang by 4 pm.
Full detail at Ba Na Hills and the Golden Bridge.
Day 3: Marble Mountains and Son Tra Peninsula
Morning — Marble Mountains (8 am–noon)
Grab from Da Nang to the Marble Mountains base is 20–25 minutes (₫50,000–₫80,000). Entry is ₫40,000 per person; the lift up Thuy Son — the main mountain — costs ₫15,000 extra. Take the lift up and walk down; the steps going down give you better views at a slower pace.
The cave temples inside the mountain are the draw: Huyen Khong cave has natural skylights pouring light into an incense-filled chamber with an altar carved directly into the rock. Bring a light — some sections are genuinely dark. The top viewpoint gives a clear view over Non Nuoc Beach and the coast south toward Hoi An.
Allow two to three hours. Non Nuoc Beach is directly at the mountain’s base — if you want a swim before heading north, the water here is calmer than My Khe and the beach is quieter.
Full coverage at Marble Mountains Guide.
Afternoon — Son Tra Peninsula and Linh Ung Pagoda (1 pm–5 pm)
Grab from the Marble Mountains to Son Tra takes 25–30 minutes and costs ₫80,000–₫120,000. If you hired a motorbike for the morning (₫120,000–₫150,000 per day), ride it directly — about 35 minutes.
The road up the Son Tra peninsula climbs through dense forest to Linh Ung Pagoda, where a 67-metre white Lady Buddha stands at the cliff edge over Da Nang Bay. The views from the pagoda terrace take in the full sweep of My Khe Beach, the Han River mouth, and the mountains inland. Entry is free; dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered).
On the road up and down, look into the tree canopy for red-shanked douc langurs — orange-faced monkeys with pale blue eye patches that live in the Son Tra forest. Mid-afternoon is a reasonable time to see them; drive slowly and don’t make noise. They move through the upper canopy but sometimes descend to roadside branches.
Back in the city by 5 pm, with time for dinner near My Khe.
Day 4: Hoi An Ancient Town and An Bang Beach
Departure (8 am)
Book a Grab car the evening before. Da Nang to Hoi An takes 40–50 minutes and costs ₫350,000–₫450,000. Aim to arrive by 9 am, before the full tour-group wave.
Transport options including bus and private car are covered at Da Nang to Hoi An.
Morning — Hoi An Ancient Town (9 am–1 pm)
Buy your ticket (₫120,000) at a yellow booth on the outer edge of the ancient district. Each ticket includes five heritage site visits — choose from 22 options.
The Japanese Covered Bridge is the most photographed and worth seeing. Tan Ky Old House gives a better sense of what daily life looked like in an 18th-century merchant home — the layered Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese architectural detail is specific and interesting. The Phuc Kien Assembly Hall (Fujian Clan Hall) is large, ornate, and largely skipped by tour groups who’ve already seen enough halls.
Food to try in Hoi An: white rose dumplings (banh bao vac), cao lau noodles with pork and crispy crackers, and Hoi An banh mi — more herbs, different bread from Da Nang’s version. Phuong’s shop on Phan Chau Trinh Street is worth the walk if it’s still open when you get there (starts around 6 am, often sells out early afternoon). Prices in the old town: ₫80,000–₫200,000 per dish at sit-down restaurants; cheaper one or two streets back from the main tourist strip.
Afternoon — An Bang Beach (1:30 pm–5:30 pm)
An Bang is 4 km from the old town — ₫40,000–₫60,000 by Grab, or a 15-minute bicycle ride if your accommodation hires bikes. The beach is quieter than My Khe, backed by open-air café-bars with sun beds on the sand. Most venues give you a free chair if you’re eating or drinking with them; a grilled fish lunch and a couple of cold beers runs ₫150,000–₫250,000 per person.
Stay late afternoon, when it is cooler and less crowded.
Return Grab to Da Nang: ₫350,000–₫450,000, about 45 minutes.
Day 5: My Son Sanctuary (or your alternative)
Option A: My Son Sanctuary
My Son is roughly 70 km southwest of Da Nang — about 1.5 hours each way by road. A return Grab with waiting time runs ₫900,000–₫1,000,000 total; confirm the driver will wait before leaving. Alternatively, join a guided day tour from Da Nang or Hoi An — most include transport and a guide for ₫400,000–₫600,000 per person.
Entry is ₫150,000 per adult foreigner, covering site access and an electric cart to the central temple groups. Open from 6:30 am; arriving before 9 am beats the tour buses.
My Son is a cluster of Hindu temple ruins built by the Champa Kingdom between the 4th and 13th centuries. Heavy American bombing in the 1960s damaged several temple groups but Groups B and C have intact towers with carved lintels and stone relief work that’s worth examining closely. Start with the museum; otherwise the temple groups can blur together. Allow two to three hours on site.
One honest note: if you’ve recently visited Angkor Wat or a similarly large Southeast Asian temple complex, My Son will feel modest by comparison. If you haven’t, it’s historically significant and the jungle setting makes it distinctive.
More day-trip options from Da Nang at Day Trips from Da Nang.
Option B: Hai Van Pass and Lang Co
If you’d rather drive a mountain road than visit a temple site, the Hai Van Pass north of Da Nang is 21 km of switchbacks with the Da Nang coastline spread out behind you. Lang Co village — a narrow peninsula with East Sea on one side and a calm lagoon on the other — sits at the far end. A return day by private car or Easy Rider guide runs ₫1,200,000–₫2,000,000 depending on arrangement. The pass and timing details are in the Da Nang to Hue Day Trip Guide even if you’re not going all the way to Hue.
Option C: Slow beach day
Four full days of activity is enough to earn a fifth day with no plan. My Khe or Non Nuoc, a chair, a book, and the sea. Both beaches are within easy Grab range.
Practical notes
Getting around
Grab handles city trips and most routes reliably. Ba Na Hills and My Son Sanctuary are exceptions — prebook a private car or use a tour for those two days. Motorbikes are ₫120,000–₫150,000 per day and make sense for Son Tra and Marble Mountains if you’re comfortable in city traffic.
Full transport breakdown at Getting Around Da Nang.
Timing advice
- Ba Na Hills is best mid-week (Tuesday–Thursday) — weekends bring large domestic tour groups. Book tickets online during Vietnamese school holidays (late June through August).
- My Son is best before 9 am; tour buses arrive late morning.
- Dragon Bridge fire show: only Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Accommodation
Staying near My Khe Beach puts you a short Grab from the river and close to the sand. Browse options at /hotels/.
FAQ
How many days do you actually need in Da Nang? Three days covers the main sights if you pick between Ba Na Hills and Marble Mountains. Five days lets you do both, add My Son or the Hai Van Pass, and pace Hoi An properly. If you have fewer than three, you’re doing a sampler, not a trip.
Is Ba Na Hills worth it on a 5-day trip? Yes. It’s the most visually distinctive thing near Da Nang and nothing else in the region looks like it. Go mid-week, leave early, and give it a full day.
Can you visit My Son Sanctuary as a day trip from Da Nang? Yes — it’s about 1.5 hours each way. You need two hours minimum on site, so factor four to five hours total with travel. A guided tour handles logistics if you’d rather not organise your own transport.
Is Hoi An better as a day trip or an overnight stay? A day trip from Da Nang covers the old town and An Bang Beach without much lost. If you want the evening atmosphere — lanterns on the Thu Bon River, the old town after day-trippers leave — one or two nights is worth it. For a 5-day trip based in Da Nang, the day trip is the practical call.
What’s the best order for the 5 days? As laid out above: city first to get your bearings, Ba Na Hills second while you’re fresh, Marble Mountains and Son Tra third, Hoi An fourth for a change of pace, My Son last. It distributes the long-travel days and puts the most relaxed afternoon (An Bang) in the middle of the trip.
When does the Dragon Bridge fire show happen? Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 9 pm. Free. East bank of the Han River gives the best view of the dragon’s head.
