An Thuong is not an official district. It is the grid of numbered streets (An Thuong 1, 2, 3 and so on) a few minutes’ walk from My Khe beach, and it is where most of Da Nang’s foreign residents end up in their first weeks. A one-bedroom marketed to foreigners here runs about 14-19 million VND ($530-720) a month, against roughly 6-9 million VND ($230-340) for the same flat on a Vietnamese listing.
What Exactly Is “An Thuong”?
You will not find the name on an official map. Locals use it for the streets between roughly Nguyen Van Thoai in the north and Phan Tu in the south, running inland from the beach, and the administrative label for the area has changed over the years, so the street name in a listing is the detail you can actually use when renting.
On the beach side you get hotels. A few blocks back it turns into a mix of expat apartments, local family houses and long-stay buildings with kitchens. That mix gives the area a lived-in feel that a resort strip lacks.
A Normal Day Without a Scooter
This is the real selling point. Beach, supermarket, pharmacy, laundry, gym and a long list of cafes sit inside a ten-minute walk, which is rare in Da Nang. If you do not want to drive a scooter in your first month, this is the easiest place to start.
Remote workers are well served too: plenty of cafes have outlets and decent wifi, and there are dedicated spaces if you need a desk. I covered the coworking options in Da Nang and Nha Trang coworking, and the short version is that you rarely need a long contract here.
What a One-Bedroom Costs in An Thuong
The rent gap is the part nobody warns you about. The foreigner-facing price for a furnished one-bedroom is roughly double what a Vietnamese tenant pays. Hai Chau, the city centre, is where the gap nearly closes, and Son Tra sits somewhere between the two.
Three habits keep you from overpaying:
- Look one or two blocks inland from the beach. The price falls faster than the walk to the sand grows.
- Compare the listing with the same building on a Vietnamese platform before you negotiate.
- Ask for a discount for three months or longer. Landlords here usually prefer a stable tenant to a high headline price.
The full breakdown with real contract terms is in renting an apartment in Da Nang, and the monthly budget around rent sits in cost of living in Da Nang.
One practical trap: landlords check how long your visa lasts before signing a year lease. If you are on a 90-day e‑visa and the lease is longer, I’d take a three-month term first and plan the next entry before committing to a year, because a 90-day e‑visa is normally replaced by a new one or a border run rather than extended on the spot. The official application portal is evisa.gov.vn, and our 90-day e‑visa service covers the same application. If the dates do not line up with your lease, message me on WhatsApp before you hand over a deposit.
How Loud An Thuong Gets at Night
An Thuong has a casual bar scene of small open-air bars, some live music and a few pool tables, with no big clubs. It is social and cheap. It is also loud on weekends if your window faces a bar street.
Visit the exact flat in the evening before you commit. Ask which side the bedroom faces, and prefer a higher floor or a back-facing unit. A daytime viewing hides the problem, because a bar street looks sleepy at noon and only fills up after dark. A noisy night costs more than the extra 1-2 million VND for a quieter block.
Getting Out of the Neighbourhood
An Thuong works as a base because the sights are short rides away. Marble Mountains are about 10-15 minutes by scooter or taxi, Son Tra roughly 20-25 minutes, Hoi An around 30-40 minutes and Ba Na Hills close to an hour, depending on traffic. Of these, Hoi An is the trip that justifies living here, because 30-40 minutes is short enough to go for dinner without planning the whole day around it. The airport is a short taxi ride, so arrivals are easy.
For the school-age question, both international schools in the Ngu Hanh Son cluster are close; compare them in international schools in Da Nang.
When Another Neighbourhood Is the Better Call
Skip An Thuong if you want silence, a garden or a villa. Families usually do better in My Khe’s villa blocks or on My An’s side streets, and people planning a quiet year often prefer Son Tra. The side-by-side comparison is in best neighbourhoods in Da Nang for expats.
Landing here for the first month and moving after is a perfectly normal plan. A month in An Thuong teaches you what you actually need, and the move to a calmer street takes an afternoon.
You can handle the lease, the SIM and the registration yourself; many people do. If you would rather not track visa dates against a rental contract, BestBus Vietnam takes that part off your list, and your arrival date sent through WhatsApp is enough for me to tell you what to prepare.
Frequently asked questions
How big a deposit do landlords in An Thuong ask for? Often one to two months of rent, but it varies by building. Get the amount, the return date and the deductions written into the contract before you pay.
Who registers my stay with the local police? Your landlord or hotel normally files the temporary residence declaration. Ask who does it before you move in and keep the confirmation.
How are electricity and water billed on top of rent? Ask whether electricity is charged by meter or at a fixed rate, because some landlords bill above the standard tariff. Put the rate in writing.
Is An Thuong the same as My An? Practically yes. An Thuong is the nickname for the cross-streets inside the My An area, so the difference comes down to the street you pick.
