Da Nang Pub Crawls

The Da Nang Nightlife Scene

Da Nang has grown quickly from a transit stop between Hoi An and Hue into a city with its own functional nightlife. The Han River is the organising geography: the bridge-lit waterfront on Tran Phu and Bach Dang streets has the rooftop bars and hotel terraces facing west, which catch the sunset and the river light. My Khe Beach, the city's main beach on the east side, has a separate strip of beach bars running along the sand from roughly An Thuong to the north end of the beach; this is the younger, louder circuit. An Thuong Street and the surrounding blocks in the My Khe area have become the main backpacker and expat bar zone, with enough variety that a full night can be done without crossing to the river.

What You'll Pay

Beer (Bia Hoi, the local draught) at an An Thuong bar: VND 15,000–25,000 (roughly $0.60–1.00). Bottled beer: VND 30,000–50,000. Cocktails at the rooftop river bars: VND 100,000–180,000. A full An Thuong evening with five drinks and street food: VND 300,000–600,000. The river rooftops run higher: VND 500,000–900,000 for the same evening with the view factored into the pricing.

Best Nights

The An Thuong beach bar strip runs consistently Thursday through Sunday. The river rooftops are busiest on weekends when Da Nang's Vietnamese domestic tourists arrive. The APEC-era bridge light shows run nightly (the Dragon Bridge breathes fire on Friday and Saturday evenings at 9pm), which pulls a crowd onto the riverfront; the bars nearby benefit from the foot traffic.

Practical

Da Nang is navigable by Grab, which operates reliably across the city. The Han River to My Khe Beach is a five-minute Grab ride (VND 30,000–50,000). Taxis and xe om (motorbike taxis) fill the gaps. The beach area and An Thuong are walkable within themselves. Cash is standard at smaller bars; the river hotels and some An Thuong restaurants accept cards. No dress codes.