8 March 2026
Another day in Da Nang city. We planned to do more shopping and sightseeing on this day. Plus, enjoying the good food that this vibrant Vietnamese city has to offer.
Bánh mì Cô Tiên.
We started the day with a banh mi breakfast. There are plenty of restaurants offering this delicious dish near our hotel and we found Bánh mì Cô Tiên.
We had to use the word found because the location of the store is off the main street and unless you are searching for the store, you will miss it. Google Map location here.
Access is via Tran Phu Street. There is a sign at the entrance of a narrow alley that seems to lead to residents’ houses. After walking in about 50 to 60m, turn left 90 degrees and we saw the brightly decorated storefront of the restaurant.
Entrance to the banh mi restaurant.
Despite being located in such an obscure place, the restaurant is actually quite well known with tourists. Thanks to the internet I supposed.
Our party of 8 persons was seated in a small private room on the 2nd storey since the ground floor was already fully occupied.
We were given a menu with English and Korean language text. Apparently there are many Koreans tourists in Da Nang and Hoi An.
My wife and I shared a Beef Ham Banh Mi and a Mixed Banh Mi.
A bottle of chilli sauce is provided on the table for us to add extra spiciness to the banh mi. The Korean dining culture is also practiced here. A pair of scissors is provided at the table for us to cut the banh mi into halves or smaller pieces for easy sharing.
Like the banh mi we had in Hoi An, the baguette in this restaurant is excellent. However, I think the fillings of the banh mi served at this restaurant were not as good as the ones we had at Madam Khanh restaurant in Hoi An.
The coffee is not bad but quite pricey. For example, the salt coffee and coconut coffee cost more than most of the banh mi in the menu.
We chose to have the simple Americano for 39,000 VND.
Shopping at Han Market
One of the entrances to Cho Han or Han Market. This one is facing the Han River.
After a satisfying breakfast, we walked to Han Market. The market is located on the west bank of the Han River. Hence, its name.
The market consists of two spacious floors with many small stores, organised based on the goods they offer. There are sections selling branded but fake sportswear like Nike or lululemon, outdoor wear like The North Face or Arcteryx, Crocs shoes and charms, leather goods, clothing on the 2nd floor. Stores offering food stuff popular with tourists such as Vietnamese coffee, dried fruits, cashew nuts, sweets, snacks and toys are located on the ground floor.
The aisles between the stores are narrow and chocked full of tourists from all over the world. We saw many Koreans, Russians and tourists from South East Asia.
The products sold in Han Market are definitely very much cheaper than the genuine branded stuff and the quality is actually quite good too. Hence the popularity of this market.
Most of the stores would offer a slight discount off the quoted price if we buy more than one item.
We did not buy any of the packed nuts as there are reported cases of scam (under weight or inferior quality) at this place. We had already bought our snacks and nuts at the local supermarket in Vincom Plaza.
After an hour or so of shopping, our group met up again at Cộng Cà Phê, a popular Vietnamese coffee chain. The cafe is located just across the street from the Han Market. Besides coffee, the menu also includes different kinds of flavoured tea.
I had the High Mountain Passion Fruit Kumquat Tea which was really refreshing.
Nice and quiet ambience at Cong Cafe
The drinks were refreshing and good.
Lunch at An Thoi Restaurant
A good place for lunch after shopping at Han Market is at the An Thoi Restaurant. The restaurant is just next to the Han Market. In fact, we had lunch at this restaurant on the day that we arrived in Da Nang and we all agreed that we should go back to this restaurant for lunch again after our shopping at the Han Market.
While we were enjoying our coffee, one of the guys kindly volunteered to go get a queue number first. There is always a queue at this popular restaurant and they do not accept reservations.
There is always a queue at An Thoi Restaurant but the queue moves fast.
He was given queue number 31 and the current queue was 13. After getting the queue number, he went to buy some cooked food from inside Han Market which he gladly shared with us later.
We were seated at the same table as before, on the second floor of the restaurant. We also ordered almost the same dishes as before since they were so good.
Fresh coconut imprinted with International Women's Day motif. International Women's Day is celebrated on this day (8 March) and we also saw many florists in Da Nang preparing bouquets for their customers.
Grilled scallops with cheese.
Once again, An Thoi served up delicious and value for money Vietnamese food. No wonder the restaurant is awarded Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2024 and 2025.
After lunch, we took taxis back to our hotel for a rest before going to the
Ling Ung pagoda at Son Tra Peninsula in the afternoon.
Ling Ung Pagoda at Son Tra Peninsula
Linh Ung Pagoda is a famous spiritual site in Da Nang and attracts a large number of tourists and Buddhists from all over the world. The most important and visible highlight of the Linh Ung pagoda is the statue of Lady Buddha. It is the tallest one in Vietnam, equivalent to a 30-floor building. I actually saw it in the distance as our plane was landing in Da Nang Airport.
Linh Ung Pagoda is situated on Son Tra Peninsula, 639 meters above the sea level and 10 kilometers away from the center of Da Nang City. The best way to get there is by taxi. Taking taxis in Da Nang is cheap and easy using the Grab mobile application.
Our taxi driver dropped us off at the car park and we saw the Xa Loi Tower which has 9 levels, rising up to over 30 meters.
Xa Loi Tower as seen from the car park.
As we approached the entrance, the impressive figure of the Lady Buddha appeared, together with the Triple Gate of Linh Ung Pagoda.
The afternoon sun was behind the head of the Lady Buddha statue, forming a nice halo effect.
Once inside, there is no specific path to follow. We could roam freely around the area but my friend led us to see the Lady Buddha first.
Signage showing the overall layout of the complex. To get to the Lady Buddha statue, we had to pass through the Triple Gate and walked down a flight of steps. The steps were flanked by a pair of stone dragons, facing the sea.
Triple Gate of Linh Ung Pagoda.
The Lady Buddha is also known as the Goddess of Mercy or Guan Yin. She represents mercy and is considered a patroness of fishermen and a savior in times of fear or despair. In Da Nang, the statue is facing the sea and believed to protect the city from storms and bad weather.
The base of the statue is open to the public and people could be seen praying inside.
There are many shady trees and pots of bonsai plants in front of the statue. This is a nice place to rest and relax although there are quite a number of people (tourists and devotees coming to pray) on this day.
The statue stands facing the sea, with one hand praying and the other one holding a pitcher of nectar.
Close-up shot of the statue to see the position of her fingers.
Bonsai plant growing on top of a stone water buffalo.
Urn containing joss sticks left by devotees.
Panoramic views of Da Nang city in the distance, as seen from the high ground of this temple complex in Son Tra Peninsula.
Resting and doing some people watching.
After spending some time at the statue of the Lady Buddha, we went back up through the gate to the courtyard in front of the Main Hall. Here, there are more bonsai plants and the 18 Arhat statues.
The courtyard in front of the “Main Hall”.
Another interesting bonsai plant in front of the Main Hall.
It is worth taking a closer look at the architecture of the main hall. Dragons circled the pillars and the roof is also adorned with dragons.
The main hall is supported by sturdy pillars with encircling dragons.
One must remove their shoes before entering the Main Hall. In the center of the main hall, there is a Sakyamuni Buddha statue. To the right of the statue, there is an Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue and to the left of it, there is a Buddha Tripitaka statue.
Devotees praying inside the Main Hall.
A statue of Sun Wukong (the Monkey King) from the “Journey to the West” is featured in the surrounding temple area.
After seeing the main hall, we went to see the Xa Loi Tower. The first storey or ground floor of the tower is open for visitors to enter and pray. There is no public access to the other floors.
In front of the tower, there is a resting area where we could see a statue of the Reclining Buddha and statues of 18 Arhat.
There are also lots of bonsai trees and eighteen Arhat marble statues in front of Xa Loi Tower. It was about 5 PM when we booked Grab taxis to take us to My Khe Beach. Our taxi was actually parked at the car park. The taxis that brought visitors to the place usually hang around waiting for passengers to book their service for the return trip.
My Khe beach
My Khe Beach is located on the east of Da Nang City and it made sense to see this beach after our visit to the Son Tra Peninsula. My Khe Beach used to be called R&R (Rest and Relaxation) Beach by the American troops during the Vietnam War.
My Khe Beach in Da Nang is a very long stretch of beach with smooth sand and a slight slope.
When we arrived, it was near sunset time but since the beach faces east, the sun was actually setting behind. Morning would be the best time to come watch the sunrise and see the locals exercising on the beach.
Guys playing football on My Khe Beach.
There are many people enjoying their evening on this long stretch of beach with gentle slope and fine sand. A group of young men were playing with a football and they were actually quite good, volleying and keeping the ball up many times with the heads and bare feet.
It was nice to stroll along the beach, enjoying the sea breeze and do some people watching.
Around My Khe Beach, there are many hotels and seafood restaurants. After taking a quick look at My Khe Beach, we went in search of a seafood restaurant for dinner.
Seafood Dinner at Hải sản Hoàng Cung
We chanced upon Hải sản Hoàng Cung, located a few streets away from the seafront. Compared to Moc Quan Seafood that we tried earlier, this restaurant is fairly low-key. It seemed that many Chinese tourists frequent this restaurant as there is a Chinese menu but no English menu.
There are rows of tanks containing live seafood such as lobsters, crabs, shellfishes and live fish. As usual, we went to select the live seafood that we want for our dinner. They would be weighed in front of us and cooked to our liking.
We picked out a live grouper and also a kg of live tiger prawns. The best way to cook live seafood is to have them steamed. We also ordered some razor clams.
In addition to the seafood, we ordered a few other dishes that include oyster omelette, fried noodles, grilled lamb and pork skewers, and deep fried calamari.
Calamari deep fried in batter.
Overall, the food served in this restaurant is good. Our only “complain” was that there were guests who smoked inside the restaurant which is somehow still allowed in Vietnam.