Da Nang

Sunrise on My Khe, fire on the Dragon Bridge

Three days in Da Nang cover the beach, the hills and the Son Tra peninsula. Spend day one between My Khe Beach, the Museum of Cham Sculpture and, at weekends, the Dragon Bridge fire show; give day two to Ba Na Hills and the Marble Mountains; ride around Son Tra on day three.

Start the first day on the sand at My Khe around 5:30am, when locals swim, play football and stretch before the heat. Breakfast on bun cha ca, then cross to the city side for the Museum of Cham Sculpture, where an hour among the carved sandstone dancers and Hindu gods will make sense of the rest of the region. In the afternoon wander Han Market or rest at the hotel, and if it is Saturday or Sunday, be on the Bach Dang riverbank before 9pm for the Dragon Bridge show of fire and water.

Day two goes up. Take one of the first cable cars to Ba Na Hills, ride past the waterfalls and forest to the Golden Bridge before the crowds, and be back down by early afternoon. Late in the day, when the heat eases, climb the steps into the Marble Mountains and explore the cave shrines, where daylight falls through holes in the rock onto Buddhas and incense.

On day three, drive or ride around the Son Tra peninsula north of the beach. The white Lady Buddha statue at Linh Ung Pagoda looks back across the bay, and the forested slopes are home to the rare red-shanked douc langur, best looked for in the early morning. Finish with a seafood dinner on the beach road.

Mi Quang bowls, fish-cake soup and seafood on Vo Nguyen Giap

Mi Quang is the dish to order first in Da Nang, a turmeric noodle bowl with just a ladle of broth. Follow it with bun cha ca for breakfast and a seafood dinner picked from the tanks on Vo Nguyen Giap. Central coast cooking is spicier than Hanoi's or Saigon's, with more turmeric and a lot of fish.

Mi Quang is the signature. Thick, yellow rice noodles come in a shallow bowl with just a ladle of rich broth, topped with shrimp, pork or chicken, quail eggs, roasted peanuts and herbs, with a toasted sesame rice cracker you break over the top. It is eaten at any time of day.

Breakfast is often bun cha ca, a clear soup with rice noodles, slices of fried fish cake, pumpkin and pineapple. Another local favourite is banh trang cuon thit heo, thin slices of boiled pork rolled at the table with herbs and rice paper and dipped in a pungent anchovy sauce called mam nem. Try it once even if the smell gives you pause.

Seafood is the evening affair. Restaurants along Vo Nguyen Giap and the beach road keep tanks of crab, squid, clams, snails and prawns; you choose, they weigh, and the kitchen grills or steams it. Check the weight and price before cooking starts. For a cheaper, livelier meal, Con Market in the centre has rows of food stalls selling noodles, sweet soups and snacks. Vegetarians are well served by the city's many quan chay, meat-free eateries that are usually entirely vegan.

Hoi An lanterns, My Son towers and the Hai Van Pass

Hoi An, 45 minutes south by shuttle, taxi or Grab, is the easiest day trip from Da Nang. My Son's Cham towers are an hour and a half away and best at opening time, the Hai Van Pass climbs north towards Hue, and Ba Na Hills, 40 km west, fills a separate morning.

Arrive late in the afternoon, walk the old town as the heat fades and stay for the lanterns over the Thu Bon River after dark. Avoid the middle of the day, when the narrow lanes are hottest and most crowded.

My Son, the ruined Cham sanctuary in a jungle valley inland from Hoi An, is about an hour and a half by car. The red-brick towers were built over several centuries, and many were damaged by bombing during the war. Go at opening time, before tour buses and heat, and visit the Cham museum in Da Nang beforehand so the carvings have context.

North of the city, the Hai Van Pass climbs over a spur of the mountains between Da Nang and Lang Co lagoon. The road over the top is a famous drive or motorbike ride with views back over the bay, while the tunnel underneath saves time on a gloomy day. Continue to Hue, three hours or so by road, or take the train, which follows the cliffs for about two and a half hours. Ba Na Hills, 40 km west, fills half a day by itself and is best done on a separate morning.