Da Nang's Beaches: My Khe, Non Nuoc, Son Tra's Coves, the Swimming Season, and Water Sports

Da Nang's beach runs 30 kilometres from the Son Tra peninsula south to the Marble Mountains and on to Hoi An, and My Khe is the city's stretch: wide, white, backed by a promenade and the resort strip, with lifeguards, showers and rows of umbrellas from the Pham Van Dong end southwards. Non Nuoc, below the Marble Mountains, is the resort beach. Between them the sand is continuous and mostly empty on a weekday morning. The water is clean; the sand gets hot by ten.

From March to August the sea is calm and warm and the beach is the reason to be in Da Nang. From October to February the north-east monsoon brings big swell, rips and red flags, and swimming is banned on the flagged days; the sand is still walkable and the surfers come. Swim between the flags and near the lifeguard towers on My Khe; the rips off the empty stretches have caught strong swimmers. Early morning and late afternoon are the Vietnamese beach hours, when the city comes down to exercise and swim.

The Son Tra peninsula north of the city is a forested nature reserve with the Lady Buddha at Linh Ung pagoda, the last red-shanked douc langurs, and small coves reached by the coast road: Bai But with its beach club, Bai Rang, and the Tien Sa area. They are quieter than My Khe, some with snorkelling on calm days, and a motorbike or taxi ride of 20 to 30 minutes. The road loops the peninsula with viewpoints over the whole bay; combine it with the pagoda for a half day.

My Khe's operators run jet skis, parasailing, banana boats and stand-up paddleboards from the central beach in season, priced per 15 or 30 minutes; agree the price and time before starting. Surfing is an off-season sport here, with lessons on the smaller days from October to March. Snorkelling and diving are done from Cham Island out of Hoi An, not from Da Nang's beaches. Sunset SUP sessions on the calm summer evenings are the pleasant one.

Sunbeds and umbrellas are rented by the day along the resort stretch; the public stretch north of it is free. Change and shower at the beach facilities on the promenade. In summer keep midday for the pool or the Marble Mountains caves. The best time to visit page covers the months, and Hoi An's An Bang beach is the calmer family option 25 km south.