My Visual Travel Experience: Da Nang, Vietnam

In 2007, I used to work in the India office of a large multi national company. There was a Product Management conference in the Vietnamese city of Da Nang, for which I went. It was a two day conference and was held at one of the country's most luxurious properties, Furama Resort. Product Managers from all over South East Asia attended the conference. The conference had been organised by a Singapore based colleague of ours. She had made meticulous arrangements for not just the conference, but also for the lovely evening outings and dinners post our meetings on both days, and we all thought she did a brilliant job.

After the conference got over, I stayed on in Da Nang for an extra day and saw the city's sites. A colleague of mine from the India office also stayed back to see the city. We didn't really know each other well then, but over the years, she and I went on to become good friends. The day was spent exploring the sites of Da Nang by cycle rickshaw! It is a small enough city to have allowed that. Da Nang was interesting and had several sites that were well worth seeing.

Da Nang is located in central Vietnam and with a population of close to 1.1 million (as of 2018), it is the country’s fifth largest city. It is one of the country’s five direct controlled municipalities, after the mega cities of Ho Chi Minh City (8.5 million population) and Hanoi (7.5 million population), and the cities of Hai Phong (2.0 million population) and Can Tho (1.5 million population).

Da Nang’s history goes back to the kingdom of Champa in the 2nd century AD. The capital of Champa was in Indrapur, about 50 km from Da Nang, from the 9th century to the beginning of the 11th century. The Cham left Indrapur around 1000 AD after losing to the Dai Viet in a violent conflict. By the 15th century, the Dai Viet had taken most of the Cham territories.

In 1535, the Portugese explorer Antonio de Faria visited Da Nang. Hoi An, just south of Da Nang, became an important port for the Portugese. Gradually, Da Nang’s port grew in importance. In 1858, French troops landed in Da Nang. The French troops were forced to retreat in 1860. In 1862, the French took over large parts of southern Vietnam, in and around Saigon. In 1887, French Indochina was established after the French took more and more control over the country. The French renamed Da Nang Tourane. Vietnam proclaimed independence from the French in 1945, under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh.

Vietnam was partitioned into North Vietnam and South Vietnam in 1954. In the Vietnam War that began in 1955, Da Nang’s airport was used as a base by South Vietnam and the Americans. In 1975, after the Americans withdrew, South Vietnam (backed by the Americans and anti communist forces) was taken over by North Vietnam (supported by the Soviets and the Chinese), and Da Nang came under the control of the communists. In 1976, North and South Vietnam were reunified as a communist state.

Marble Mountains are a set of five marble and limestone hills just outside Da Nang. They are named after the five elements – metal, water, wood, fire and earth. The mountains have cave entrances as well as Buddhist structures and sculptures. Marble Mountains are also well known for stone sculptures that are bought by visitors.

Buddhist Temple, Marble Mountains

Buddha Statue, Marble Mountains

Buddha Statue inside a Cave, Marble Mountains

Buddhist Pagoda, Marble Mountains

Overview, Marble Mountains

Marble Statues on Sale, Marble Mountains

Da Nang Cathedral was built in 1923 by the French priest Louis Vallet. The cathedral has a pink façade and a 70 meter high tower. At the top of the tower, there is a rooster weathercock. The grotto in the cathedral complex is a replica of the Lourdes Grotto in France.

Da Nang Cathedral

Facade, Da Nang Cathedral

Grotto, Da Nang Cathedral

Museum of Cham Sculpture opened in 1919. The museum has a large collection of Cham sculptures. There are stone sculptures dating back to well over a thousand years.

Museum of Cham Sculpture

Ganesha, Museum of Cham Sculpture

Idol, Museum of Cham Sculpture

Da Nang has a Replica of Ho Chi Minh’s House, which stands in Hanoi. The replica stands next to the Military Museum, which has US, Soviet and Chinese weaponry.

Replica of Ho Chi Minh's House

Furama Resort is a popular luxury resort overlooking the white sandy Da Nang Beach. The resort has around 200 rooms, and 70 villas, and its list of guests include royalty, heads of state and other celebrities. It acts as a gateway to several UNESCO World Heritage sites nearby – Ho An, My Son and Hue.

Furama Resort

Beach, Furama Resort

Da Nang may not have been the first place in Vietnam I would have ordinarily visited, because Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi would have been my obvious choices. I am, however, glad we had our conference there, because it gave me a chance to visit a city I may otherwise not have traveled to. Though outside Vietnam, it is a relatively lesser known city, I did find Da Nang interesting and I enjoyed my visit.