Da Nang

Da Nang is one of Vietnam's largest cities and the country's finest beach destination, though this undersells it. The Marble Mountains, five limestone outcrops rising from the coastal plain ten kilometres south of the city, contain Buddhist sanctuaries, Hindu shrines, and caves that have been places of worship for centuries. The view from the summit of Thuy Son takes in the entire Da Nang coastline, the Hai Van Pass, and the South China Sea.

My Son, around an hour and a half southwest of Da Nang by road, is a UNESCO-listed sanctuary of Cham towers built between the 4th and 13th centuries, the longest-serving Hindu religious site in Southeast Asia outside the Indian subcontinent. Many of its towers were destroyed by bombing during the Vietnam War, and restoration continues. What remains is architecturally significant and, outside the main cluster, almost entirely unvisited.

Hoi An is forty-five minutes south by car: which makes Da Nang the logical base for central Vietnam, with beach and history in both directions. The city itself has a local food culture distinct from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City: mi quang (turmeric rice noodles with a wide variety of toppings), banh xeo (sizzling crepe), and the bun bo Hue tradition, which travels badly and is best eaten in its region of origin.

The city stretches along the Han River and a long beach, My Khe, which runs south towards Hoi An. The beach is wide and sandy, with calm water from spring to summer and strong waves in the rainy season. Early in the morning, locals swim, play football and exercise on the sand before the heat builds.

The Son Tra peninsula, north of the beach, is a protected forest home to the red-shanked douc langur, one of the most colourful primates in the world. The road around the peninsula offers sea views and quiet coves, and the Linh Ung Pagoda has a giant white statue of the goddess of mercy looking over the bay.

The Hai Van Pass, north of the city, is one of the most spectacular coastal roads in Vietnam, winding over a mountain spur between Da Nang and Hue. It marks a climatic divide between the north and south of the country, and the view from the summit, with old fortifications from the French and American eras, stretches along the coast. Travelling the pass by motorbike or car, with stops at the beaches of Lang Co below, is one of the highlights of central Vietnam.

The Ba Na Hills, a hill station built by the French in the 1920s, has been redeveloped into a large theme park reached by cable car, with the Golden Bridge, held up by two giant stone hands, as its famous attraction. It is busy and commercial, but popular with families.

The Museum of Cham Sculpture, in the city centre, holds the finest collection of Cham art in the world, with sandstone statues and carvings from sites across central Vietnam. It is an ideal introduction before visiting My Son.

The best time to visit is from February to August, when the weather is warm and mostly dry. The rainy season, from September to December, brings heavy rain and occasional typhoons, and flooding can affect roads and the old town of Hoi An.

Da Nang International Airport, close to the city centre, has flights from across Vietnam and Asia. Da Nang, Hoi An, My Son and the Hai Van Pass fit into four to five days, with more time if you continue to Hue.