After four weeks in Hoi An, it was time to say goodbye. Our time in Vietnam was drawing to a close, but we had one more stop before leaving the country: Da Nang. As our Grab carried us away from Hoi An, we silently said farewell to its quiet streets and the green rice fields beyond, wondering how different our final destination would feel.
Our Introduction to Da Nang
We soon discovered that Da Nang felt completely different. The quiet streets and green fields of Hoi An gave way to wide boulevards, busy traffic, modern high-rises, and a long beachfront lined with hotels and restaurants. At first glance, Da Nang looked like a typical coastal resort city.
During the next three days, however, we discovered many layers there—a place where fishing boats shared the shoreline with luxury hotels, ancient civilizations met modern entertainment, and sacred mountains rose above the busy streets below.
For our first evening, we selected a tiny café tucked into a residential neighbourhood that specialized in healthy food. It was the only place we found during our time in Vietnam serving brown rice—a pleasant surprise for us.
Afterwards, we walked back along the beach promenade. The contrast couldn’t have been greater.
The waterfront was lined with upscale seafood restaurants, their entrances filled with aquariums containing live fish, crabs, and shellfish displayed for diners to choose from.
They catered to tourists looking for a lavish seafood dinner, a world away from the modest café operating out of someone’s home where we had just eaten.
Discovering the Champa Civilization
Beyond the beachfront promenades and busy streets, Da Nang also revealed a much older story.
During our stay in Hue, we had our first glimpse of Champa culture through museum artifacts. Until then, the civilization was completely unknown to us, but it sparked our curiosity.
That curiosity grew during a private tour of My Son near Hoi An. Our guide Nguyen introduced us to Champa history and beliefs while explaining how their remarkable brick temples were built.
Walking among the forest-covered ruins felt like discovering an entirely different chapter of Vietnam’s past. By the time we reached Da Nang, visiting the Museum of Cham Sculpture felt like a natural continuation.
Seeing the sculptures up close revealed details that were easy to miss among the weathered ruins.
A Stormy Day by the Sea
Our first full day in Da Nang began under grey skies. It wasn’t the weather most visitors hope for at a beach destination, but it suited us just fine.
As we walked farther along the beach, Monkey Mountain gradually disappeared into the low clouds behind us. We were glad we had planned to hike it on another day. The cool, misty weather was ideal for a long beach walk, but it would have hidden the views from the mountain.
One of life’s simple pleasures is walking barefoot along an almost deserted beach, feeling the silky sand between your toes while playful waves chase you up the shore.
For us, it was even better without the blazing sun overhead, allowing us to simply enjoy the walk at our own pace.
The beach was almost empty—but not quite. In addition to a few fellow walkers, we came across scenes of everyday life.
Fishermen stood beside their round basket boats, repairing nets before heading back to the water.
Nearby, workers were replacing the dried palm leaves on beach umbrellas, preparing them for the upcoming high season.
While we enjoyed the cooler weather for walking, for others it was simply another day at work.
After strolling along the beach for more than an hour, we finally settled into a pair of lounge chairs to rest, listening to the rhythmic sound of the surf. This stretch of beach was open for swimming, so I happily jumped into the waves while Valery was content to watch from the shore.
Marble Mountains: Beneath the Surface
The next day, we traded the open coastline for the hidden world of the Marble Mountains.
Thủy Sơn, or Water Mountain, is the largest and most visited of the five limestone peaks, and this is where our Grab ride dropped us off early in the morning.
Under the Mountain
Shortly after entering, we crossed the Yin and Yang Bridge, guarded by the twelve animals of the Lunar Zodiac. On the other side, we stepped into the vast Am Phu Cave. Multiple staircases disappeared into the darkness, and with no idea where they led, we chose the steepest one leading upwards simply because it looked quieter.
It was quite a precipious climb on steep worn and slippery stone steps.
With each flight of stairs we passed new carvings of deities, and mythical creatures, getting higher and higher toward a dim light.
It felt like cave walls were closing in on us and we would never reach the top, when suddenly the walls parted and we emerged to a small multi-level terrace.
The change from the dimness of the cave to the bright morning sunlight was startling.
I stopped to catch my breath while the Laughing Buddha behind me seemed to be enjoying the view over Da Nang far below – I know I did. It really felt like we were on top of the world!
Getting down was even more treacherous than climbing up. The uneven steps had us stumbling and sliding, and we were grateful to have faced this challenge early in the day, before fatigue set in. No wonder this staircase was less popular with visitors than the rest of the cave.
Only later did we learn that Am Phu Cave represents the Buddhist journey through Hell, while the staircase we had climbed symbolized the ascent to Heaven. It amused us to realize that, without knowing it, we had headed straight for Heaven.
The lower part of the cave had a completely different character.
We entered a large opening where seated stone statues represented ten kings of Hell judging the souls.
Deeper inside, scenes from Buddhist Hell depicted sinners receiving punishment for their earthly deeds. I definitely preferred our accidental journey to Heaven.
We exited the cave over the same Yin and Yang Bridge, this time noticing the arms of poor sinners reaching up from the underworld.
Up the Mountain
After Am Phu Cave it was time to get up the mountain.
There was an elevator but we chose the stairs.
On the top we found multiple temples and caves to explore.
One small detail that stayed with us was the public toilet near the entrance.
Visitors were asked to remove their shoes and change into provided slippers before entering.
It was a reminder of the respect which surrounds many sacred places in Vietnam — but we decided to skip the experience.
Huyen Khong Cave
Another highlight of Marble Mountains was Huyen Khong Cave.
Sunlight poured through openings high in the ceiling, creating pillars of light that illuminated the cave floor.
Near the entrance stood a small Mother Goddess statue, silently watching as many visitors lined up to photograph these famous shafts of sunlight.
Deeper inside, the enormous cavern had been transformed into a temple, where a large Buddha sat beneath the sunbeams streaming through the ceiling.
Despite the number of visitors, the cave was so vast that it still felt peaceful.
Marble Mountains impressed us more than we expected.
We knew there would be caves and temples but we didn’t expect mythology, religion, and nature to blend together so seamlessly.
Looking back, we were especially glad we hadn’t visited as part of a transfer from Hue, where only an hour had been allotted for Marble Mountains. Exploring this place at our own pace gave us time to wander, get lost inside the caves, and simply enjoy being there.
Our Last Day in Da Nang
Sunrise on the Beach
On our final day in Da Nang, we started before sunrise.
We carried breakfast to the beach expecting a quiet morning. Instead, we found it already alive with joggers, yoga groups, football games, and people exercising before the day’s heat arrived. The beach belonged to the people of Da Nang long before visitors came to enjoy it.
As we walked further along the shore, we noticed dozens of people gathering with paddleboards. Soon, they ran together into the water for a sunrise stand-up paddleboarding session. It was a fascinating mix of local life and tourism — a shared space where different worlds met naturally.
At the northern end of the beach, recreation gave way to work.
We arrived as the fish market was winding down, but hundreds of boats still floated offshore while fishermen carried tubs of tiny shrimp across the wet sand on motorcycles.
It was another face of Da Nang, one still deeply connected to the sea.
The Road to Lady Buddha
Our peaceful sunrise walk ended at the northern tip of the beach, where Monkey Mountain rose ahead of us. Since Chùa Linh Ứng was less than three kilometres away, walking there seemed like the obvious choice.
It was a bad decision.
Most of the route followed a busy road with little shade and constant traffic. Under the midmorning sun, those three kilometres felt much longer than they really were. After what seemed like ages—but was probably only half an hour—we finally reached the shortcut marked on our map: a long, weathered stone staircase climbing steeply toward the temple.
At first, my spirits sank. I was already hot and tired from the road walk, and now this?
But surprisingly, the climb wasn’t difficult. Maybe it was because the staircase was shaded and offered places to rest along the way. Maybe it was because it was blissfully free of traffic.
Or maybe it was because we encountered our first monkeys in Vietnam there.
Whatever the reason, the staircase became the most enjoyable part of the entire walk.
At the top, we found what appeared to be the back entrance to the temple grounds. Or rather, a closed entrance—the gate was fenced off. Having climbed all those stairs, we weren’t about to turn back. We made our way over the fence and continued along the quiet path.
As we followed it, we spotted even more monkeys in the trees until another staircase finally led us into the temple grounds.
We were greeted by the giant Lady Buddha—and by crowds of tourists gathered around her. We were definitely back to civilization now.
We wandered around the grounds for a while, admiring the statues, landscaped gardens, and sweeping views over Da Nang and the coastline below.
It was a beautiful place, but it was also hot and busy. After nearly three months in Vietnam and visits to countless temples and pagodas, we no longer felt the need to linger.
Before long, we called a Grab back to the city.
Dragon Bridge: A Fiery Farewell
For our last evening in Vietnam, we walked to Dragon Bridge to watch its famous fire and water show.
We arrived well before the 9 PM performance and didn’t fancy standing around waiting, so we crossed the river to explore the opposite bank.
Illuminated cruise boats drifted slowly up and down the Han River, and for a moment we considered joining one of them. In the end, we decided to stay on foot.
The riverside promenade was lively, and we were perfectly content watching local life unfold as evening settled over the city.
As we made our way back over the bridge, the atmosphere began to change.
The crowds grew thicker with every step until we were squeezing our way through people standing shoulder to shoulder. All traffic had been stopped, and the entire width of the bridge was now filled with spectators waiting for the show.
Rather than joining the crowds on the bridge itself, we found a spot along the riverbank where we had a clear view of the dragon.
Finally, the show began.
The dragon first roared with fire, then belched thick clouds of smoke as the crowd cheered. The fiery performance repeated several times before suddenly stopping.
Everyone waited.
Then, without warning, a powerful stream of water burst from the dragon’s mouth, drenching everyone standing on the bridge. Screams, laughter, and squeals erupted from the crowd. It was impossible to tell whether they were sounds of delight, surprise, or annoyance—probably all three.
By the time the dragon unleashed its second shower, the crowd on the bridge had noticeably thinned.
The performance itself lasted only a few minutes and was unmistakably designed for tourists. Yet watching the reactions of the people on the bridge turned out to be just as entertaining as watching the dragon itself.
Saying Goodbye to Vietnam
Our final day in Vietnam had begun with a peaceful sunrise on the beach, watching fishermen prepare for another day at sea. It ended beneath a dragon breathing fire into the night sky while laughing spectators tried to avoid being soaked.
It was a fitting farewell to a country that had surprised us time and again. Over three months, Vietnam had taken us from imperial cities and ancient temples to quiet beaches, mountain caves, bustling markets, and countless unexpected moments.
The next morning, we boarded a flight to Malaysia, grateful for everything we had experienced and curious to discover what the next chapter of our journey would bring.
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