In recent years, Da Nang has undergone a rapid transformation from a quiet beach city favoured by surfers and seafood enthusiasts to one of the modern and rapidly growing cities in Vietnam.
This has made it a favourite destination of tourists and locals alike, as well as a new breed of international visitor: digital nomads.
The Central Capital
Da Nang is known for its many beaches like Non Nuoc and My Khe, as the city stretches across the Da Nang bay and Han river estuary.
Complete with sunny weather, cooler temperatures (in comparison to Southern Vietnam), and the next-door Marble Mountain range renowned for its natural beauty, it’s the perfect spot for vacationing tourists and locals alike.
While Da Nang’s natural beauty attracts tourists, the city’s central location and robust infrastructure has allowed for rapid development in a 20-year span.
Situated halfway up the Vietnamese coastline along Highway 1 and the North-South railway, it has become the economic capital and transit hub of Central Vietnam. On top of this, a deepwater port allows for access to important maritime trade routes off Vietnam’s coast.
The infrastructure in Da Nang has been a focus of the government during its development. Multiple bridges, including the famous Dragon Bridge, allow for easy access from the airport and city centre to the beach district.
Additionally, the local roads are among the best in Vietnam, with the internationally renowned Hai Van Pass attracting driving enthusiasts and bikers from around the world.
For international visitors, the prices in Da Nang have also long been a major attraction. From rent to food and even transport, prices in Da Nang are on average 20-30% lower than in big cities like Ho Chi Minh and Ha Noi. This makes Da Nang extremely affordable for foreigners.
A Digital Nomad’s Dream
Da Nang has gained increasing prominence recently on international social media. Digital nomads, most often independent entrepreneurs and creatives, are consistently ranking Da Nang among the top 5 cities in the world to live in, alongside regional hubs like Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.
We spoke to Javier, a part-time Da Nang resident from Spain. He works remotely year-round, and splits his time between Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines. When asked about what makes Da Nang so attractive to digital nomads, he had this to say :
“Da Nang is definitely the chillest city in Vietnam for me. It’s a lot cheaper than big cities like Saigon, and you have the beach and the coast here, the weather is super nice too, it kind of reminds me of home a little bit.
I think what makes it so good for people like me is the rents, I can get a really nice studio in the centre of town for like 15 million a month, that’s like 500 euros. In Europe I could never even dream of getting the same apartment for that money.
The food is really nice too, and it’s cheap. Also, it’s near the Laos border if you want to do visa runs. I prefer to change countries, but it’s really good for people who do them, takes like a day.
I have to be honest though, once you live there for a while Da Nang is kind of boring. Like there’s not that much nightlife or cultural aspect like in Saigon or Hanoi.
I don’t speak Vietnamese well so it doesn’t help either, but still. I think if you want to move to Da Nang, do it soon. Because the landlords there are starting to raise the prices, some of the rents now for apartments are crazy like in Saigon.”
His sentiment seems to be mirrored by other digital nomads reviewing the city online, praising its affordability, great infrastructure and convenient location, but criticizing its lack of non-tourist nightlife, as well as the rapidly increasing rents and questionable practices of many landlords.
This is not the case for all foreigners in Da Nang however. In Youtube comments, user kozik93 said:
"I chose Da Nang, and I couldn’t have made a better decision. Even though I arrived during the rainy season and it rained almost every day, I had an amazing time during my two-month stay. Da Nang is a fantastic city, almost made for digital nomads—there are tons of meetups, language exchanges, and various workshops and activities making it incredibly easy to meet people! I’m planning to return to Da Nang in May, and I hope to get better weather this time."
For locals, the change has been largely welcome. The rapid development of the city has brought renewed economic opportunity, at the cost of the gentrification of the city centre and rising rent prices.
In some parts of the city, costs are rising to an extent that some digital nomads are expressing negative sentiment about their future in the city. User nomadinthemaking said in Youtube comments :
"The visa run is 160-180 dollars every 3 months so if you factor that into the budget rent somewhere say 240 a month all in. To live off $600 dollars a month that leaves you with $10 a day. Existing rather than living. If you have $1000 dollars a month that gives you a daily budget of $20 a day which is more like it and you can get health cover."
Complaints have also been raised about the attitude of visiting tourists, but remain secondary to the improved standard of living.