Beaches in Da Nang

My Khe is the main city beach, a wide pale strip about ten minutes from the centre, and it is where most of Da Nang's high-rise hotels and beachfront restaurants sit. Loungers, boards and jet skis are all for hire along the front. The water is calm from around May to August and rougher outside that. It is busy at dawn, when locals swim before work.

Pham Van Dong sits between My Khe to the north and Non Nuoc to the south, at the end of the road it is named after, and it is the most public of the central beaches: free showers, changing rooms and a wide open stretch of sand. Loungers and shaded huts are for hire, and there are small eateries across the road rather than resorts.

Non Nuoc runs about five kilometres along Hoa Hai ward at the foot of Ngu Hanh Son, the Marble Mountains, roughly half an hour south of the centre. It is the resort end of the Da Nang coast, with hotels behind the sand and seafood restaurants across the road. Quieter than My Khe, and loungers can run out at peak times. Best swum at high tide.

Bac My An is about 7 km southeast of the centre, between My Khe and Non Nuoc, and most of its frontage belongs to resorts. Several stretches are still open to the public, though they are narrower than the resort sections. Swimming, kayaking and windsurfing all run from here. Useful if you are staying nearby, less so as a destination.

Bai Da Den, or Black Rock Beach, is about 20 minutes out on the Son Tra peninsula and is named for the dark rock formations along the shore rather than for its sand. The drive out gives views back over My Khe, the Marble Mountains, Ba Na hills and out to the Cham Islands. It is a barbecue and picnic spot. Swimming is possible in places, though jellyfish gather near the rocks.

Bai Bac sits about 22 km northeast of the centre on the Son Tra peninsula, a narrow bay hemmed in by forested hills with one large resort on it. It is a weekend rather than a day-trip beach. Boat trips, diving and fishing run from the bay, and walking trails lead up into the Son Tra reserve towards Monkey Mountain.

Tien Sa is on the western side of the Son Tra peninsula, ringed by fishing villages and easy to reach by motorbike because the peninsula roads stay quiet. Part of the frontage belongs to a hotel and non-guests pay to use that section. Linh Ung Pagoda and Ban Co Peak are both on the same road back into the city.

Xuan Thieu, also known as Red Beach, is about 20 minutes from the airport on the northern side of the bay, and it is where US Marines came ashore in 1965, the first American ground troops in Vietnam. Today it is a quiet stretch with a scattering of hotels, restaurants and bars. Sunrise and sunset are when the sand takes on the reddish tone it is named for.

Thanh Binh is the city's northern beach, close to the port rather than the resort strip, and it is mostly used by residents rather than visitors. The water is shallow and calm, which makes it easy for a swim, and hotels have begun taking sections of the frontage. Beach chairs are for hire. It stays quiet on weekdays.

Nam O is 15 km northwest of the centre, at the mouth of the Cu De river, and it is a working fishing village rather than a resort beach. The village is known for its nuoc mam fish sauce and for goi ca, cured fish fillets eaten rolled in rice paper with herbs. Shacks along the sand serve both. Almost no tourist infrastructure.

Lang Co is not in Da Nang: it is in Thua Thien-Hue province, roughly halfway between Hue and Da Nang and over the Hai Van Pass. That is why it is here, as the natural stop on the pass drive. A long shallow bay backed by a lagoon and mountains, mostly used by Vietnamese visitors, with a handful of resorts and very little else.