Da Nang is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea. It is one of the five independent municipalities in Vietnam. Đa Nang is the third largest city in Vietnam after Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi, with an area of 1,255.53 km² and a population of 806,744 (figures in 2007).
It is the largest city in central Vietnam and one of the country’s most important ports. Ringed by mountains on one side and the East Sea on the other, Da Nang has numerous sites of natural beauty and historical interest.
The city’s origins date back to the ancient Champa Kingdom, established by Indonesian settlers in 192 AD. At its peak, the Cham’s sphere of influence stretched from Hue to Vung Tau. The expansion of the Chinese, Vietnamese and Khmer led to the decline and fall of the Cham by the mid-15th century.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, French and Spanish traders and missionaries made landfall at Hội An, just south of Đa Nang. By the 19th century, Da Nang had superseded Hoi An as the most important seaport in the central region. The presence of the French in the 19th and early 20th centuries and the Americans in the 1960s, led to continued growth of Da Nang, and it is now Vietnam’s fourth largest city.
Established by French archeologists in 1936, the Cham Museum houses the world’s finest collection of Cham art. Many of the statues, sculptures and reliefs were discovered at nearby My Son, a former ancient capital of the Cham and now a UNESCO designated World Heritage site. Dating from the fourth to the 14th centuries, the sensual artwork depicts daily activities as well as Hindu and Buddhist religious artifacts. The museum itself is housed in a beautiful French colonial style villa with open-air courtyards, fruit trees and bougainvillea.
Non Nuoc Beach is a white sandy beach on the outskirts of Da Nang is renowned for both its spectacular beauty and for its history as an R&R destination for American troops during the Vietnam War. Today, the beach is home to expensive resorts, surfing and entertainment facilities.
My Son is a remarkable archaeological site dating back more than a thousand years. Located in a remote forested valley some 70 km west of Đa Nang, this former capital and religious center of the Champa kingdom once contained in excess of 70 style temples and stupas. Although badly damaged by bombing raids in the 1960s, the site still has more than 20 structures and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
 Da Nang International Airport, located at the center of the city, is the third international airport in Vietnam. It is an important gateway to access central Vietnam. Before 1972, it was one of the busiest airports in the world due to the intensive military activities around the nearby seafront airbase.The airport has several domestic connections (connecting Hanoi, Hồ Chí Minh City, Quy Nhon).