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In the middle of the 16th century, when Hoi An was a busy center of the south, Danang was only a small port for goods in transit and ship repair. It gradually developed into a commercial port replacing Hoi An in the early 18th century, when European shipbuilding was improved and large deep draught vessels could easily enter Danang Bay.

In 1835, after King Minh Mang ordered: “European vessels are not allowed to anchor to do trade at any harbours except for Han Port”, Danang became the largest commercial port in the central region.

The local small-scale industries, including shipbuilding, preliminary processing of agricultural, forestry and fishery products, and trade, services prospered accordingly. The French colonists, after establishing their domination of the whole of Vietnam in 1889, separated Danang from Quang Nam Province and renamed the city Tourane and under the control of the Governor General of Indochina.

In the early 20th century, Tourane was developed on a European model, which focused on social infrastructure and manufacture technology. Many kinds of economic activity took shape and thrived, such as agricultural production, small-scale industries, export product procesing (tea, food, beverages, ice, alcohol, fish sauce, dried fish), ship building and repair, and services. Together with Hai Phong and Sai Gon, Tourane became an important trading center of the country.

In 1950, French gave the authority over the city to the Bao Dai government. In March 1965, American marine units landed and started to set up a big military complex. The city was defined as a centrally governed city in 1967, and accordingly American troops and the Saigon government built up Danang into a political, military and cultural center of the 1st and 2nd tactical zones. Military bases and such infrastructure as the airport, ports, warehouses, roads, public works, communication stations, and banks were constructed. Industries flourished, resulting in the substitution by industrial zones of handicraft workshops. For example, Hoa Khanh Industrial Zone was used for oxygen, acetylene and detergent production, grind and textiles industries. However, the devastating war made thousands of rural people flee in refugee camps. Urban slums appeared, social evils increased and production came to a standstill.

In 1975, after gaining complete independence, Danang (temporarily under Quang Nam – Da Nang Province) began to overcome the war’s severe consequences. Regardless of difficulties, the city’s rehabilitation and development had some results, especially after the renovation in 1986.

On 6 July 1996, the tenth session of the 9th National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam passed a Resolution separating Quang Nam – Danang Province into Quang Nam Province and Danang city, which was directly responsible to the central government. The new city of Danang consisted of the previous Danang, Hoa Vang Rural District and Hoang Sa Island District.

Danang - a picturesque city by rivers and seas

Talking about Danang City, tourists may quickly think that this is a picturesque city by the Han river, by the coast of the Eastern Sea with distinctive attractiveness compared with other sea cities...

Danang is favored by nature, situated in the middle of the three world cultural heritage sites including the ancient capital Hue, the ancient town Hoi An and the holy land My Son. Such the position highlights the Danang's role in Central Vietnam. This is the place for welcoming, serving and being the entrepot for tourists. Not only at the central point of the three world cultural heritages, Danang City has also lots of attractive spots which tourists feel unforgettable after visiting the city.

Danang has the high and dangerous Hai Van pass with full of perilous obstacles, engraved “the most grandiose beauty spots in the world”, Son Tra peninsula - an ideal rendez-vous for tourists. Surrounding Son Tra peninsula are Da stream, Bai But, Bai Rang, Bai Bac, Bai Nom - the beautiful alluvial plains which make interesting feeling for tourists on being ingulfed in splendid of dawn and the quietness of crepuscle in a picturesque land. The eco-tourism resort Ba Na - Mo Stream is considered as Dalat, Sapa of Central Vietnam and the legendary Marble Mountains - 'a beautiful landscape of the southern heaven and earth'. Mentioning Danang, tourists can not forget the poetic Han river and its bridge - the first swing one in Vietnam. This is the pride of Danang people. The Han River bridge - the symbol for new vitality and the developing desire of the city- was built with the contribution of all the city's people. It seems that all poetic features of the Han River can be only expressed deeply in the space of Han river bridge with full of wind and ventilation. It not only facilitates transport and potentials for tourism, awaking economic potentials of a vast area in the eastern city but is a cultural spot of Danang people today left behind for the future generations.

Danang is also endowed with sea - the vast tourist source of inspiration. In addition to beautuiful and clean stretching beaches, Danang seaport is one of the most well-known seaport in Vietnam.

Danang City by Han river - a poetic and beautiful sea city plus the hospitability of the city people make it a frequent destination for domestic and international tourists.

Marble mountains

Marble Mountains are seemingly familiar to everybody who heard of there or has been to Danang City. There are so well known as to be a symbol of the area. The subtle, lyric and poetical ambience of pagodas, grottoes, trees, bushes, sounds the mixed of pagoda bells and murmuring waves and the mysterious legends of sea are all that are not far from the city center, making the mountains a fairy land for tourists for ages.

Almost two hundred years ago, King Minh Mang came here. He named the mountain, grottoes and pagodas. Nobody knows why names such as Ngu Hanh Son, Huyen Khong, Hoa Liem, Lang Hu, Tang Chan, Van Nguyet, Thien Long put King deep in thought, despite of dwelling on to national development, the King kept in his mind the picturesque landscape of the mountains as the pride of the beautiful southern land.

Cultural and historical stamps can be seen on every pagoda and tower built in the 19th century, and on Champa sculptures of the 14th and 15th century. There are written-on-stone poets of the Le and Tran Dynasty, a grave of Capital Tran Quang Khai’s mother, a temple worshiping Ngoc Lan princess (Minh Mang King’s younger sister) and such evolutionary relics as Da Chong tunnel, Ba Tho cave, Kim Son mount, Am Phu cave, etc… All are persuasive evidences to the legendary Marble Mountain and the land endowed with the people of great talent.

Like other landscapes, these mountains have many different mysterious legends. The poetical ambience plus echoes of my mysterious legends gives mountains their own characters that it is difficult to find on other places. In ancient oriental philosophy; metal, wood, water, fire, earth were five elements that created the universe. Five is the paramount important number in thinking and lives. The coincidence of the five peaks: metal, wood, water, fire, earth still keeps them mysterious.

The natural grottoes and pagodas on the mountains combine both heaven-endowed and man-made to create the harmonious beauty. The feature the attractive characters that keep tourists surprised and emotional on the way traveling.

On hot summer days, let us imagine you and your friends going up the 108 steps to Ling Ung pagoda, sitting at Vong Giang tower to look to green Truong Giang murmuring slightly in the sunset or standing on Vong Hai tower to look far to sandy beaches flirted by the sea waves. In the late afternoon, city dwellers rush to the seaside, fishermen group by group patiently push their boats offshore, and on the greasy paths leading to the grottoes and inside pagodas the sandalwood exhales its fragrance. One day staying at the in Marble Mountains makes life more beautiful and meaningful.

The Hai Van Pass - Hai Van Gate

On a journey through the land, Hai Van is always an attractive landscape. Hai Van is highest pass in the country, full of perilous obstacles and is the last spur of the Truong Son Range reaching to the sea. In “Phu Bien Tap Luc”, Le Qui Don, the Vietnam scholar who lived in the XVII century wrote that Hai Van with its foot standing in the sea surface and its summit covered with clouds. The pass standings as a borderline divide Thuan Hoa and Quang Nam provinces.

On the top of the pass are the vestiges of long ago, a fortified gateway. The gate facing to Thua Thien province is inscribed with the three words “Hai Van gate” and the other gate looking down on Quang Nam province is engraved “the most grandiose gateway in the world”. In the XVI century this land belonged to Cham Kingdom and was given to the Dai Viet as an engagement present for the Princess Huyen Tran of the Tran Dynasty. The old story is only a memory, old vestiges covered with green moss, among vast spaces vast of plants and trees, tourists are filled with the emotions of the past.

Hai Van means winds and clouds. Winds like a herd of horses galloping a number of miles, clouds like pouring from haven. Cao Ba Quat, the poet living in the XVII century only respected apricot blossom (Nhat sinh de thu bai mai hoa) was surprised when he was before the landscape: Nhat bich ngung vi gioi – Trung van nhieu tac thanh. On the summit of Hai Van pass, a panorama of the Danang city, Tien Sa port, Son Tra peninsular, Cu Lao Cham and a long white sandy beach can be seen.

Whatever endowed by nature, time by time and by hands of man will be something of humanitarian values. Coming to Hai Van is to come to the sanction of two land, to satisfy the peak-conquering philosophy, to mix ourselves in to echo of heroic songs of Vietnamese ancients when they went to find new lands to be emotional to prolong past of the Center region where suffering a lot of losses in the course of finding and protecting the nation.

Beautiful beaches of Danang City

Danang has a coastline of 30 kilometres long, famous for many beautiful seashores stretching from the north to the south such as Nam O, Xuan Thieu, Thanh Binh, Tien Sa, Son Tra, My Khe, Bac My An, Non Nuoc... in which international tourists came for convalescence and relaxation, recognised as the most ideal beaches of the region.

Danang has calm seas with green water during four seasons, not being polluted with 60% salination and high safety. Some seashores have coral, abundant plants and creatures along bankside and under sea. Especially, most beaches are next to the city centre, in roads easy to come and by various means of transport. The sea water is cool with little wave so tourists can bath all year's round, especialy in summer from May to August. The beaches in Danang City have hotels, pleasure-house, and various abundant services, creating favourable conditions for tourists to relax on the seashores. Most beaches are convenient for development of kinds of services for tourists such as fishing, water-skiing, diving, yatch race.

The safeguard team of Danang seashores work from 5 a.m to 8 p.m every day to ensure safety for tourists to bath and relax on the seashores.