Introduction
In 2017, living in the Twin Cities in Minnesota and fed up with working a 9-5, I decided to embark on an overseas adventure with no return date in mind.
After experiencing a job-loss, I was conflicted about working another office job and happened to stumble upon this so-called digital nomad trend---living in low-cost countries while building online businesses.
Since I was closing in on my forties with no family of my own, I decided that if I didn’t take the leap then, I would never have the chance to live an exciting life overseas.
So, I bought a one-way ticket to Southeast Asia, sold all of my belongings and landed in Chiang Mai, August 2017.
After six months of networking and working on my online projects, I moved to Da Nang, Vietnam, the liveable coastal beach city that happened to be where my parents immigrated from to Minnesota after the 1975 Vietnam War.
Da Nang Bridge is an iconic city symbol.
About Da Nang
Da Nang is a popular beach destination attracting both locals and foreigners alike.
It has about 1 million inhabitants, a strong tourism industry, and is known for its abundant local seafood and Midwestern-like people---hardworking, honest, kind, and helpful.
Da Nang is very liveable, blessed with fresh air due to its proximity to the ocean, is surrounded by mountains, and the streets are not clogged by traffic jams and pollution.
In recent years, Da Nang has been a top destination for foreigners, in particular South Koreans and Westerners seeking a reprieve from overcrowded cities such as Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Affordable hotel accommodations, resorts, and its long coastal beach make for a winning combination.
Da Nang is a very liveable, up-an-coming digital nomad destination.
Here are the top 5 things enjoyed while living there:
An Thuan foreign expat neighborhood
A stone’s throw away from the main beach area, you will find a 6-8 block neighborhood called An Thuan, where many travelers choose to be based. An Thuan caters to foreigners every need, including offering Western burger and taco eateries, drinking bars, cafes, coworking spaces, a night market, convenience stores and ice cream dessert shops.
An Thuan is very walkable to the beach and everything you need is at your fingertips--- You really don’t need to rent a motorscooter or utilize Grab (Uber) everyday.
When visiting Da Nang, this is the best area to base yourself. There are plenty of short and long-term apartment accommodations for every budget.
The only down side of living in this neighborhood is the constant construction. Since An Thuan, and Da Nang in general, are experiencing a building-boom, you may wake up to constant drilling and loud noises.
However, overall, An Thuan would still be my number one choice to be based-in handsdown.
Popular cafes make An Thuan neighborhood a convenient choice.
Beach Front
Of course, the biggest draw to Da Nang has to be its pristine beach. You can walk a few miles along the coast where it is still quite undeveloped, especially in the early mornings, and watch strollers, joggers, and people playing volleyball.
One distinct aspect I recall seeing are the several coracles dotted along the beach. These round, woven boat-like vessels are what fishermen use to paddle into the ocean
Coracles, a small, boat-like vessel dot the beach coast.
During my stay, the beach would be the starting point where I would meet my road biking buddy before heading north into the hilly terrain. The bike ride along the coast was memorable for the fresh air and scenic views.
If you are a beach person, then the sandy coast would be a must-see.
Bach Dang Riverfront
The city of Da Nang is split down the middle by the Bach Dang river, creating a Western part of the city called the “city-side” and the Eastern half called the “beach-side.”
Bach Dang river road is the central part of town along the river aligned with popular eateries, shops, bars and restaurants.
Every so often you can see people taking their walks along this route, ladies practicing their dancing workouts, and youthful skateboarders and break dancers doing their thing.
Either early in the morning or late in the afternoon, I would take a brisk walk along this river walk for my exercise.
Bach Dang riverwalk would be a great place to experience the nightlife, grab dinner and drinks, or meet friends for coffee.
On my many morning Bach Dang riverwalk strolls.
Cheap eats
Everywhere you go in Vietnam, you can get very cheap bites and in Da Nang I enjoyed plenty of $2 and $3 homecooked meals.
Some of the best-tasting and most affordable meals were from homes that turned their drive-way into make-shift lunch and dinner destinations served-up by family members.
You could tell the location was selling something good to eat by their signage advertising pho or BBQ rice plates and seeing a few occupied tables and chairs.
Eating at these makeshift restaurants is the closest you’ll get to Vietnamese home cooked meals.
Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches are a must try for only $1!
Cafe culture
One truly unique Vietnamese local cultural pastime is spending mornings at a coffee shop.
On nearly every city-block you can locate a cafe shop whether it be a mom and pop’s establishment to the more more commercialized retail chains such as Highland’s Coffee.
Vietnamese love to start their mornings with a strong, local arabica brew and spend hours on their phones while others like to people-watch.
While in the US, Starbucks prices can be a prohibitively expensive habit, but in Vietnam local coffee is usually only $1.
No matter what brings you to Vietnam, a morning-style Vietnamese coffee is a must.
A typical local cafe shop can be found only nearly every city-block.
Conclusion
Da Nang is an amazing destination whether you are spending a few days to a few months.
It is quickly becoming a digital nomad destination in its own right, challenging traditional heavy-weights, Bali, Indonesia and Chiang Mai, Thailand.
The city is liveable, has pretty much everything you would need without the big city traffic, pollution and stress.
To learn more about Da Nang, access my FREE Da Nang webinar: www.DanangWebinar.com
Or purchase my Danang for Digital Nomads book on Amazon: www.VietnamForDigitalNomads.com
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