Pre-retirement scouting report: Da Nang, Vietnam
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After a week in bustling, frenetic HCM City, Da Nang feels like a big sky, spread-out town, with wide boulevards and long sandy beaches. It’s still Vietnam— plenty of scooters flying around, but somehow … lighter.
I decided to take the overnight sleeper train from Saigon, leaving at 7PM and getting in at noon the next day. This ticket cost AUD $67 and was an easy purchase through travel site BaoLau. The big diesel trains are slow and showing their age but reasonably comfortable. The cabin slept four people, and when I woke up the next morning, what were anonymous lumps in the night become lovely fellow-passengers that I (kind of) engaged in conversation. Really, we didn’t get much past sign-language and some awkward Google Translate exchanges, but it was nice to share the ride and a few snacks along the way.
Da Nang is a beach town. It reminds me a bit of the northern gold coast, with a long band of hotel high-rises set back from the shore. Most of the hotels cater to Chinese tourists and I confirmed with locals that in fact, most of the high-rise hotels were built for and are owned by Chinese interests through a labyrinthine series of trusts and holding companies— as direct foreign ownership of coastal properties in Vietnam is technically not allowed. (reminds me even more of the Gold Coast).
During my stay there, I got the feeling that most of those buildings were very empty— likely because covid restrictions still prevent Chinese tourists from travelling abroad. This gave Da Nang a feel of a quiet seaside town; though I’m sure when restrictions are lifted it will fill up with tourists looking to take in its spectacular beaches.
To be honest, I treated this leg of my journey a little bit more like a holiday than purely looking for retirement options; of course all the visa rules and restrictions from my Saigon post also apply— we’re still in Vietnam, however much it might feel like the Goldie.
Beach chairs with drink stands pop up every hundred meters or so on the shore. Plop down in a chair and they’ll bring you a chilled coconut (AUD $2) or a beer (AUD $1.30)
Because this town has a big tourist economy, there is more touting happening. You’ll get approached by friendly hustlers offering all types of entertainment using street English. Da Nang must be a major honeymoon destination for South Koreans, as I spoke to several in the markets— they stick out a little as it seems to be a fashion trend for K-couples to match floral dresses and shirts— and more often than not the street hustlers spoke (to my ears) fluent Korean.
Some of the attractions for visitors to Da Nang include:
A massive Quan Yin statue (billed as the “Lady buddha”) overlooking the sea.
The dragon bridge in the middle of town breathes fire every Friday and Saturday night near the night markets.
The UNESCO world heritage village of Hội An. Only an hour bus ride away from Da nang and not to be missed for at least a day visit. Hội An, is also famous for its tailors. You can get a beautiful silk dress or tailored suit made for AUD $120 to AUD $320. Read this post for more information.
Why does Da Nang feel different?
With wide boulevards and foot paths, and a grid of hotel skyscrapers, you could be forgiven for thinking you’re on the Gold Coast or Waikiki.
Da Nang feels highly developed for visitors, (It’s the only place in Vietnam that I’ve seen frequent public toilets on the street) and some of this may be due to its late charismatic mayor, Nguyễn Bá Thanh. Nguyễn was a controversial leader of Da Nang for more than a decade. During that time the city went through rapid changes with a markedly pro-development stance. More than one third of Da Nang’s citizens were forced to relocate off of ancestral homes, and property was force-sold to developers for a small fraction of its actual worth. Although Nguyễn gets some credit for creating the modern city that Da Nang is today, he was embroiled in multiple corruption scandals and eventually fell from grace. Nguyễn died from cancer at the age of 62, still loved by many who embraced his pro-growth, pro-business stance for the city. Some followers of the politician even believe that he was poisoned by the government to prevent a further ascendency — but this is certainly not the offical story.
A trip to the hospital
It would be reductive to say dogs are racist, but they can definitely sense “otherness” — someone not part of the extended pack of neighbours and family. I love dogs, so I’m probably not as cautious as I should be— but I was walking down a Da Nang residential street when a yellow blur dashed over and nipped at the back of my leg. I don’t why, but I just said “ow” and kept walking. Not the brightest thing to do- it would have been smarter to assess the dog’s provenance- was it a stray, was it vaccinated for rabies etc. But I didn’t; I just said “ow” and kept walking. It wasn’t until about an hour later when I could see blood dripping down my calf that I started to think about the correct response. After doing some desktop research— yes, rabies is prevalent in Vietnam, and yes- I would need to get some shots, because nobody wants the 100% fatal, agonising death of rabies - no matter how slim the chances.
I hopped on a Grab bike with my passport and was soon fronting to the Vinmec International Hospital Emergency Room. I would need a series of 5 shots over a 6 week period, so it looks I will be seeing a bit more of the international health scene in my travels. Vinmec is a private hospital and everything went very smoothly. Both doctors and nurses had a good command of English. For this initial visit the cost broke down as follows:
Emergency room examination — AUD $21
Alcohol prep pad — AUD $0.25
First Aid Dressing — .AUD $0.02
Sterile gauze — .AUD $0.08
Hypodermic needle — AUD $0.03
Rabies vaccine (Varorab) — AUD $24
Total - AUD $45
My bill from a visit to the Da Nang hospital emergency room.
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If you haven’t ridden on the back of a motor taxi at midnight, across the Dragon Bridge after getting dosed with a rabies shot in the Da Nang hospital — can you say you’ve really ever lived?
After a couple more days of R&R and broad avoidance of anybody with four legs, I was ready to continue the trip. To be honest, I wasn’t really looking forward to another overnight trip just to get north to Hanoi. It’s sometimes deceptive just how long Vietnam is in land mass. Next time, I would take a hop on a AUD $50 Vietjet flight, which is actually cheaper than the train trip.
Would I retire in Da Nang?
Maybe. I love a holiday seaside location for a vacation, but even though it was sleepy for my stay, I can tell that Da Nang must get thronged with visitors during busy (covid-free) periods. However, if the beach is your thing, Da Nang has a beautiful one, at a small fraction of the price it would cost to be beachside in Australia, (starting at around $500 per month for a 1 bedroom apt). Here are the pros and cons as I see them:
Pros:
Beautiful beach lifestyle at a budget price
Close to world heritage Hội An, and even more beautiful beaches and wilderness
Easier to get around on wide streets and footpaths (I wouldn’t be afraid to drive a scooter here)
Good infrastructure like world class hospitals, public parks, toilets and other western amenities.
Cons:
Surely gets packed with tourists during peak periods
Kind of over-developed in a Surfer’s Paradise way
Some stray dogs, but honestly not any more than other parts of southeast Asia
Potentially dodgy property deals happening - beware if buying.
That’s a wrap for Da Nang, next stop— the capital, Hanoi. Hope you’ve enjoyed my little glimpse at Da Nang, Vietnam. While you’re here, don’t forget to try our quiz for Aussies thinking about retiring overseas. It suggests locations based on your lifestyle and circumstances.
