After an 18 hour bus from HCMC I arrived in Da Nang bright and early. Despite offers at the bus stop for a bike ride to the gaff I opted for a Grab taxi. It was not even 8am and thus couldn’t check in for a couple of hours, but the AirBnb hosts let me leave my bags there and recommended a nearby cafe to work/chill from for a few hours, so I did just that.
As check-in time approached I went for a wee walk to get my bearings. Just around the corner staring out at me was a beautiful blue sea (the cover photo for this post). I grew up by the Atlantic Ocean and, aside from a few months in Berlin, have always lived near the sea and feel a profound connection to it. So seeing it for the first time on my travels was amazing, especially on such a nice morning.
My travels from December through February have been more as a tourist—only spending a short time in each place—so it was good to spend the entirety of March in Da Nang, and here are some thoughts on my time here.
Great Gaffs
Da Nang isn’t as much of a tourist hotspot as other places in Vietnam, like Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, or nearby Hoi An, so—while it is popular with digital nomads—the accommodation options are great and very affordable.
Up until now I’d mostly used Booking for gaffs but I had a look on AirBnb and saw some nice options. First up was a room a Sơn Trà.
I ended up staying in two different rooms in this building. A lovely spot with great hosts and daily housekeeping. A big draw is the projector with Netflix (where I binged Archer for the first time in ages) and had some Sport TV options too (where I watched Alisson’s masterclass against PSG).
The location here is great, around the corner from the beach and nearby shops and cafes. One caveat is that the cheaper room I first stayed in doesn’t have a window, which I’m not a big fan of. The other room with the pool table was definitely better.
Groovy lights too!
After a week in this place I mixed it up with another place in Sơn Trà—ANstay Apartment. This has the benefit of a good desk and balcony to work from the room itself. It’s also right by a nice park which was good for some interval running and doing some callisthenics1. The area is okay but I did prefer the original spot.
My wee workstation
Due to some dilly dallying on booking both spots ended up being taken for the next week so I relocated to Raon Hotel—an affordable place with nice rooms that match the photos. By far the best thing about this hotel is the location—right in at the heart of the action. Literally 10 feet away from the Shamrock Sports Bar2 and close to a bunch of nice restaurants and cafes.
Cosy Cafes
On the topic of cafes, these have been a revelation. There are plenty of options but Lu Coffee would have to be my favourite. It’s been nice to head in early, get my coffee and chocolate croissant and work on the site, take the occasional break to play the NYT Crossword, and listen to the soothing jazz playlist.
Was very impressed with this ngl
Lighthouse cafe is another decent spot, and very popular with digital nomads. To show just how prevalent nomads are in Da Nang, there is even a (fantastic) restaurant simply called Nomad Kitchen.
Brilliant Beaches
Everywhere I’ve stayed is less than a 10 minute walk to the beach, which is very convenient as I spent a lot of March running up and down it. I’ve touched more on this in my March Training and Da Nang Marathon posts, but suffice to say it is nice to run up and down it any time of day—very laid back place and not overly busy.
Da Nang Beach by night
Once the marathon was over I spent some time relaxing on the beach too and took my first steps into the sea as well. It costs a couple of VND to rent a lounger and soak up the sun.
Relaxing at the beach
The Good Life
Overall, it’s been a great few weeks here in Da Nang. When I set out on my journey I had this goal in mind, of having a good base where I could call home for a while. For over a year I lived the Irish Millennial dream reality of living with my parents while in my 30s, so it’s very refreshing to have my own place over here—and I think I’ll stay another few weeks while I have the chance.
Footnotes
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