Living abroad in Vietnam? You might want to discover a coastal city located in Central Vietnam called Danang. This metropolitan city is located near beaches, islands, and has city life. Nearby this city is the famous Old City of Hoi An making it easy to visit. Danang has a big community of international foreigners from around the globe and attracts a lot of new businesses to the city. This city is rapidly growing and is a popular spot for those wanting to move to Vietnam.
Why Danang? Danang is a coastal city located in the central part of Vietnam and has a fabulous beach and growing expat community. A rapidly growing city, attracts a lot of new businesses, travelers, and expats. Danang is growing quickly with new businesses, new condos, new skyscrapers, and is a great place to be.
Day in the life in Danang Vietnam
Where to live? In Danang, there are several areas including: Hai Chau, Son Tra, Thanh Khe, Ngu Hanh Son areas. Most of the expats live in the Son tra and Ngu Hanh Son area which is along the beach. Most locals live in either Hai Chau or Thank Ke areas. For working at schools or language center's it will all be located in the local areas. Most businesses and local markets or shoppes will all be in Hai Chau. Beachside there are more newer businesses, western restaurants, more unique places to eat, western themed bars and pubs, as well as the expat community. If you are in the main part of the city it has a completely different feeling, it is more busy. In the expat area, it is a slower pace with a lot of restaurants (western and local), but many more pubs and western bars. If you live near the beach then you have the luxury of being close to the beach at all times and it takes around 10-15 minutes drive into the main part of the city. If you live near the bridges then you are always in the middle of everything.
Cost of Living
The cost of living in Danang can vary greatly and is definitely appealing. Danang is not expensive like Ho Chi Minh city and has a balance of beach life and city life. There are local places, basic accommodations, shared houses, studio rooms, and homes you can easily rent. The budget varies depending on your accommodation of choice, however a studio averages at 4-6 million dong all inclusive. Food depends on your budget as well. Buying things from local markets and even at the Mega Mart is budget friendly, as well as eating out at local stalls. If you want Western food check out An Thoung area in Ngu Hanh Son, for many small businesses that offer a variety of Western and International cuisines, as well as many local food places. You can estimate around 60- 150 USD for a month of food expenses.
Your cost of living will vary greatly. A very local life will cost in total around $350-400 USD 8-10 million dong. An average more common amongst expats will be in total around $550-$700 USD in total for all expenses. Since Danang, is an affordable city with plenty to do, wide variety of accommodations, beaches, good food, and things to do it is easy to tell that Danang is a well rounded place to be.
The digital nomad group is growing here as new co-working spaces are popping up and cafes are becoming bigger and more friendly for quiet spaces and comfortable seating to work at. I predict that many more digital nomads will find this beachside city appealing.
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Things to do Danang will not fall short with things to do. Because of the big expat/ international community living in Danang you will find something interesting as well as other exapts here. Danang has many pubs and bars. There is a lot of live music and bands. In the tourist/expat area near the beach it is very popular for foodies with a wide variety of good local eats and western places. Of course on the beach you can swim, go surfing, water sports, yoga on the beach, and volleyball. Near the dragon bridge (Cau rong) is the Son Tra market. This is a great food market with a lot of delicious local foods and a great view of the dragon bridge for the show on the weekends. At this market often there are concerts, events, on the huge stage. In the main part of the city you can enjoy more of a local vibe, parks, streetside pho, my quang, malls, and family friendly things to do. There are ways to get active too, with local gyms, higher quality gyms, dance classes, and mountain biking.
Popular things to do
Popular things to do as a tourist or for special occasions is the Sun World amusement park, Bana Hills, Son Tra mountain, and Cham island. Danang while near the beach, is also very mountainous. If you go outside of the city you will find a lot of nature, mountains, and waterfalls.
I hope this guide helped those curious about life in Vietnam. If you want to check out more about living in Vietnam, culture in Vietnam, or teaching abroad check it out.