Framed by mountains to the north and south, Da Nang beach sits on a gently sloped coastline and can generally be separated into four named beaches Son Tra Peninsula, My Khe, My An and Non Nuoc. The views here are truly scenic with the stark white figure of the Lady Buddha surrounded by jungle and perched below Son Tra Peninsula watching the beach-goers and fishermen. The white mists of cloud pass over the mountaintops in the afternoon and out to the ocean and unbroken blue horizon.
Visitors and locals walk up and down the shoreline throughout the day taking in the still relatively undisturbed natural beauty. For a rest, local women run refreshment shops that offer a beach chair in the shade of a palm frond umbrella for 20.000d per day. They also chop open coconuts and serve cool beers and smoothies.
There’s always some activity happening on My Khe and My An Beach and much of it is free to the public. The surf here can get pretty big in the mornings and evenings. Lines of surfers bob in the water and on some days catch a nice ride. There’s also a small community of kite-surfers who call Da Nang home and go out in the right conditions.
Fishermen are spaced out along the shoreline all day long. When the sun begins set locals come out to exercise and play beach soccer and volleyball at the free goals and nets. A well kept boardwalk runs along the sandy beach and as the sun sets couples arrive and occupy the stone benches. The road along the boardwalk is home to a number of local seafood restaurants with live fish, shellfish and crabs in tubs and cooked to order.
Later venues serving beer and showing live music open and are filled with locals and tourists alike. Da Nang’s long coastline allows for peaceful and relatively uncrowded enjoyment of the sea. My Khe Beach is the most well known and acts as lifestyle center of Eastside Da Nang. It’s a beautiful place to spend a few days, a few weeks, or a few years.
