Da Nang is a beautiful city right on the coast of central Vietnam. It holds a special place in my heart because it is where I survived the COVID lockdown and also the first stop in my digital nomad journey.
Da Nang is the 3rd largest city in Vietnam and it’s claim to fame is it’s gorgeous My Khe beach which stretches on for miles. Da Nang also has a killer cafe scene and a bustling expat community with almost nightly social events and meetups. Some people even describe it as Chiang Mai with a beach (at the time of writing this, I’ve never been to Thailand so can’t exactly weigh in here).
Basically Da Nang has everything you could possibly need as a digital nomad and you could probably stay put inside the My An (the expat neighborhood) bubble forever and be perfectly content.
But if you are a restless, adventure seeker like me, eventually you are going to want to explore. And the good news is there are some pretty incredible day trips to take from Da Nang.
Motorbiking the Hai Van Pass
The Hai Van pass is apparently one of the most scenic motorbike stretches in the world and its approximately 45 minutes outside of Da Nang’s city center on National Route 1A.
To get there, just type in “Hai Van Pass” into google maps and follow the directions! Once you get onto National Route 1A you just keep going in that direction until you start to see ocean.
The Hai van pass is a 21 km winding coastal that weaves through the Annamite mountain range and connects Da Nang to the historical city of Hue. The views along the Hai Van pass are truly breathtaking and if you have even the slightest appreciation for nature, or adrenaline filled motorbike rides it is something you should put on your bucket list.
This stretch of highway, while open to cars and trucks and other vehicles, is one of those things that is best experienced by motorbike. Riding through the Hai Van pass is an unparalleled experience with such impressive views of mountains to your left and the gorgeous coastline on your right.
I’ve done it twice now and each time, I felt so filled with appreciation for the beautiful scenery.
One of my favorite parts of riding this motorbike pass was stopping at the little stands along the way, taking pictures and taking time to appreciate the incredible views.
There are several food and drink stands you can stop at along the drive where you can sit along the side of the road or climb up on some nearby rocks with stunning views. Sip on a coffee or a coconut while soaking in the epic scenery. Trust me, you will be so glad you did.
As a side note, the winding roads can be quite dangerous for inexperienced motorbikers. Visibility along the pass can also be compromised by mist coming up from the seaside. With all that in mind it is important to check and see if the weather conditions will be favorable and to make sure you have enough experience to safely ride the trail.
You can easily rent a motorbike for the day from many places throughout Da Nang. The prices is usually somewhere between 100,000 VND- 120,000 VND which is essentially between $4-$5. The cost of gas will likely be about $1.
I rented my bike for a month from Kolya bike rental (address: Lô 10A Hoàng Kế Viêm, Bắc Mỹ Phú, Ngũ Hành Sơn, Đà Nẵng 550000, Vietnam) , right across the street from the Avatar Hotel. You can also usually ask the front desk at your hotel or the landlord of your apartment to help you with the motorbike rental process.
The Hai Van Pass is just the beginning. To continue your adventure after this epic motorbike ride, you can carry on to two destinations on the other side, either Bach Ma National Park or Elephant Springs. If you are feeling super ambitious or got an exceptionally early start, you could even try to squeeze them both into this day trip.
Bach Ma National Park
Bach Ma National Park is home to gorgeous panoramic views from Mount Bach Ma which is the highest peak in central Vietnam at 1448m above sea level.
Bach Ma means white horse and apparently is named that way for the white clouds surrounding the summit of the mountain.
It takes about 45 minutes to get to Bach Ma from the end of the Hai Van pass. You can plug this address into your google maps to take you directly to the national park entrance(Lộc Điền, Phú Lộc, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam)
Once you get into the park, you will have to park your motorbike and rent a 4WD vehicle within the park. They do NOT allow you to take your motorbike up the summit road, and you are only allowed to hike the route on foot if you arrive prior to 8am.
The process is super straightforward to rent a vehicle and driver. It costs 750,000 VND for the day ($32), which you can split among your group. This includes all of your transportation within the park for the whole day.
The driver will take you around to all the main sites in the park including the Hai Vong Dai observation point and the Five Lakes Trail which also includes the Do Quyen waterfall. The driver will drop you off at each destination and then give you a meeting place and pickup time for your next stop. It made the whole process of touring the park so breezy, like it was all planned out for you.
The first stop is driving up the scenic Summit Road all the way to the Hai Vong Dai observation point. From where the driver drops you off, it is about a 10-15 minute walk up to the peak main observation area.
The views from the top were stunning vistas of the lush green mountains, all the way down to the ocean, although I didn’t feel like I “earned them” since we drove up most of the way. At the peak there is also a liberty bell which represented the end of the Vietnam war and some other wartime memorabilia such as letters from US soldiers. Reading these enriched the whole experience, so I recommend taking the time to appreciate the history as well as the beautiful views.
Next up, our driver dropped us off at The Five Lakes Trailhead this was an easy, flat 2km hike through a nice shaded, forest.
There were a series of small waterfalls and bright turquoise springs and overall was a fantastic way to cool down in the shade of the trees and feel the misty spray from the waterfalls. This trail itself was fun too, like a mini obstacle course where you had to climb over rocks and cross the various springs using ropes.
These all led up to a larger waterfall, the Do Qyuen waterfall. You can appreciate the overlook from the top, or if you are feeling some extra cardio, can hike all the way down the stairs to view it from the bottom. Be forewarned though, what goes down must come up. If you do hike down the steps, the only way out is to go back up, and it is quite a hike back up.
Elephant Springs
Elephant springs is another destination about 45 minutes from the end of the Hai Van pass. You can navigate here by typing this exact address into google maps (Lộc Tiến, Phú Lộc, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam), or just search for “Elephant Springs” in your maps app.
The fresh, cold springwater is a perfect place to cool down on a hot summer day in Vietnam. The springs itself is essentially a large river with a series of cold fresh water springs and big rocks shaped like elephants, hence the name.
It costs 17,000 VND to enter the springs, which is less than $1. When you park your bike and get inside the springs you can walk up or down the river to find your ideal place to stop and chill.
Some areas are a bit more crowded than others, but if you venture out far enough in either direction you will be able to find some more peaceful areas. My friends and I meandered all the way downstream to a more secluded place, which also had a bonus swing.
You don’t have to worry about bringing your own snacks because there is a local restaurant where they serve you up some delicious food and drink springside at a super reasonable price.
My favorite part about being a digital nomad is seizing opportunities like this to get out and enjoy the beautiful places I call my temporary homes. I hope you enjoyed these day trip ideas outside of Da Nang and I hope they inspired you to get out there and explore all of the more hidden gems of Vietnam.
Wondering if you should quit your job and travel the world full time like me? Use this worksheet below to help you make the decision.
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