Pick the Da Nang area by the number of days you have. A week of swimming and cafes belongs on the My Khe beach strip. A trip built around day tours or a border crossing belongs in Hai Chau. Son Tra only makes sense when the resort is the whole plan. Da Nang is bigger than it looks on the map, and moving hotels halfway through a short trip wastes a day.
The airport helps. It sits almost in the middle of the city, about 10 minutes from My Khe and 20 to 25 minutes from Son Tra, so no area is a bad choice for arrival day. The real question is what your evenings should look like.
My Khe and My An for a week by the sea
If this is your first visit and you have five to ten days, stay here. The beach is wide and clean outside the typhoon season, and the strip has everything from three-star hotels to big international chains.
Inside the strip, the mood changes. My Khe to the north is denser, with the most hotels and the most foot traffic. My An, a little south, is calmer and has the better mix of local restaurants and international kitchens. For a first stay I like My An better, because you can walk to dinner without the street feeling built for tour buses. Its An Thuong streets are where cafes, bars and coworking spaces cluster, which is why long-stayers like it. Bac My An, the southern end, is resort territory and the closest beach area to the Marble Mountains.
I would not pay extra for a “sea view” label until I had looked at recent guest photos. Some views are a slice of sea between two buildings. Read the last three months of reviews before you trust the overall score. For long stays and renting, the neighbourhood comparison in our Da Nang expat districts guide goes deeper.
Hai Chau for day trips and border runs
Hai Chau is the best base if you plan trips to Hoi An or Hue or part of your trip is a border run, since buses and early starts are easier from the city centre. It sits on the west bank of the Han River, it is the best value in town and the most underrated for travellers who do not care about sand every morning. The riverside walk takes you to Dragon Bridge and the Han and Con markets, and street food is on every block.
The honest downside: the beach is 15 to 20 minutes away by taxi or ride-hailing app, the streets look less polished, and cheap guesthouses can be noisy at night. I always ask for a room at the back there, because the street side is where the scooters and the late karaoke are. If Da Nang is only a stop on the way, this is the sensible base. Bus options to the old town are in Da Nang to Hoi An by bus.
A border run means leaving Vietnam for the nearest crossing and coming back with a fresh entry stamp. The pain is the early start, the connections and a whole day on the road. You can organise it yourself, and many people do. If you would rather not, send me your dates on WhatsApp and I will check which crossing fits them.
Son Tra for quiet and resorts
Son Tra suits honeymoons, a special occasion, or a trip where you want to barely leave the hotel. The peninsula, north of the city, has a nature reserve, the Lady Buddha statue and the city’s most exclusive hotels. The flagship is a luxury resort on the hillside with its own beach, and rooms there cost well above $200 a night.
As a base for exploring it is awkward: the centre is 20 to 25 minutes away and eating options outside the resorts are thin. Given the same budget for a Son Tra resort or a good beach hotel, I take the beach hotel unless the resort itself is the reason for the trip.
What a night costs
A night runs from about 250,000 VND ($10) for a budget room to well above $200 for the best resorts. The ranges below reflect 2024 and 2025 rates and move with the season, so check current prices before you book.
Budget rooms, up to about 750,000 VND ($30), sit mostly in Hai Chau and the north of My Khe. Expect simple rooms and uneven breakfasts, so ask what “breakfast included” means. Mid-range hotels cost 750,000 to 2,000,000 VND ($31 to $82) and fill most of the beach strip, usually with breakfast and a pool. Luxury starts at 2,000,000 VND ($82) at the beach resorts in Bac My An, while Son Tra resorts start at $150 to $200 and the flagship goes well above that.
Staying more than a week? A monthly studio near An Thuong often beats a hotel: roughly 8,000,000 to 15,000,000 VND ($330 to $620), usually furnished with Wi-Fi.
Booking mistakes that cost a week
Look at room photos before you pay. A good share of Vietnamese hotels sell rooms with a window onto an inner courtyard and no daylight. Book festival dates early: during the International Fireworks Festival, mid-range prices can double and rooms run out, so reserve six to eight weeks ahead and check the official dates, because they change every year. The rainy season starts in autumn, with the heaviest rain around October and November. Hotels drop prices then, but the beach becomes unpredictable, so take it only if the sea is not the point.
Three to four days cover the beach, the Marble Mountains, Son Tra and the dragon show on weekends. One hotel is enough for that. If you add Hoi An, it is about 30 minutes from the beach strip.
Which area to book
For a week by the sea, book My An. For day trips and border runs, book Hai Chau. Book Son Tra only if the resort is the reason for the trip. Choose wrong and you spend 40 minutes a day in taxis, which is a lot over a short stay.
Many people pick the hotel first and only then notice that their stamp runs out before their flight home. You can apply for an e‑visa yourself on the official portal at evisa.gov.vn, and a mistake in the form means a refusal and a lost fee. If you would rather hand it over, message me on WhatsApp with your arrival date and we will work out the simplest way.
Frequently asked questions
Which area is best for a first visit to Da Nang? The My Khe and My An beach strip. You get the sea, plenty of restaurants and a short ride to the airport and the main sights, so you rarely need to move hotels.
Is it better to stay on the beach or in the city centre? Beach if the sea is the point of the trip. Hai Chau on the Han River if you want local markets, cheaper rooms and an easy start for Hoi An, Hue or a border trip. The beach is a 15 to 20 minute ride away.
How much does a hotel in Da Nang cost per night? Budget guesthouses in the centre start around 250,000 VND (about $10) and run up to about 750,000 VND ($30). Mid-range hotels on the beach strip cost 750,000 to 2,000,000 VND ($31 to $82), usually with breakfast. Beach resorts start at 2,000,000 VND, and Son Tra resorts start at $150 to $200.
Is Son Tra a good base for sightseeing? Not really. It is quiet and beautiful, but the city is 20 to 25 minutes away and there is little to eat outside the resorts. Pick it when the hotel itself is the plan.
When are Da Nang hotel prices highest? During the International Fireworks Festival, whose dates change every year, and in the domestic peak from June to August. Check the official festival dates and book six to eight weeks ahead.