Da Nang (Vietnamese: Đà Nẵng, pronounced [ɗa˨˩ naŋ˨˩˦ˀ]), also written unspaced as Danang, is the fourth largest city in Vietnam by population and the second largest by geographical area and located in the South Central Coast and Central Highlands. As one of the country's nine centrally-governed cities, it falls under the administration of the central government. Da Nang's port and its location on National Route 1 and the North–South Railway makes it a transport hub. APEC 2017 was hosted in this city. Da Nang has a Human Development Index of 0.800 (very high), ranking fifth among all municipalities and provinces of Vietnam.
The city was known as Cửa Hàn (Hàn River Estuary) during Đại Việt period when it was a small settlement, and as Tourane (or Turon) during French colonial rule between 1884 and 1945. Before 1997, the city was part of Quang Nam–Da Nang province. On 1 January 1997, Da Nang was separated from Quảng Nam province to become one of the centrally controlled municipalities. Da Nang is designated as a first class city. In a proposal announced in April 2025, which came into force starting 1 July that year, the new Da Nang city was formed by reabsorbing Quảng Nam whilst maintaining its political and administrative centres.
Names
Most of the names by which Da Nang has been known make reference to its position at the Hàn River estuary. The city's name is agreed by some to be a Vietnamese adaptation of the Cham word da nak, which is translated as 'opening of a large river'.
Other Chamic sources, with similar definitions, have been proposed. Inrasara (aka Phú Trạm), a researcher specializing in Champa, suggests Da Nang is a variation of the Cham word daknan (lit. 'the large water'); Sakaya (aka Văn Món), another Champa researcher, claims a connection with the Raglai word danang, meaning 'river source'.
Another name given to Da Nang was Cửa Hàn (lit. 'mouth of the Han [river]'). The name used by the French, Tourane, is said to derive from this name, by way of a rough transliteration. This name (spelled Cua han) appears on maps of the area drafted by Alexandre de Rhodes in 1650. The name Kean (compare Kẻ Hàn, roughly 'Han market') was another name purportedly used during the 17th century to refer to the land at the foot of the Hải Vân Pass.
Other names referring to Da Nang include:
- Vũng Thùng, a colloquial name which survives in folklore.
- Trà Úc, Trà Áo, Trà Sơn and Đồng Long Loan, literary names used by Confucian scholars.
- In Chinese, Danang is known as Chinese: 峴港; pinyin: Xiàngǎng), this is derived from the older name 蜆港 ('clam harbor').
- In chữ Nôm, used until 1945, Đà Nẵng is written as 沱灢, a simplified form of 沱㶞.
- Thái Phiên, a name used after the 1945 August Revolution, commemorating Thái Phiên, the leader of revolts during the 1916 Duy Tân Resistance.
History
Ancient
The city's origins date back to the kingdom of Champa, established in 192 AD. At its peak, the Chams' sphere of influence stretched from Huế to Vũng Tàu. The city of Indrapura, at the site of the village of Dong Duong in Quảng Nam Province (about 50 km (31 mi) from Da Nang), was the capital of Champa from about 875 to about 1000 AD. Also in the region of Da Nang were the Cham city of Singhapura ("City of the Lion"), the location of which has been identified with an archeological site in the village of Trà Kiệu, and the valley of Mỹ Sơn.
In the latter half of the 10th century, the kings of Indrapura came into conflict with Đại Việt, who were then based at Hoa Lư. As an independent kingdom, Champa found itself needing to defend its territory to contain the threat posed by the Khmer Empire in the west, and expand its territory to the north, hoping to conquer Đại Việt. In Đại Việt, with the kingdom in turmoil following the assassination of Đinh Tiên Hoàng, Champa made an unsuccessful attempt to invade Đại Việt in 979 possibly with diplomatic encouragement from China, and failed due to the defence of Đại Việt territory under the command of Lê Hoàn. In 982, escalating tensions led to Champa detaining three ambassadors sent by Emperor Lê Hoàn of the Đại Việt (founder of the Early Lê dynasty) were detained in Indrapura. Lê Hoàn decided to go on the offensive, sacking Indrapura and killing the Cham King Parameshvaravarman I. As a result of these setbacks, the Cham eventually abandoned Indrapura around 1000 AD.
The Điện Hải Citadel was first built in 1813 as an earthen fortress located to the north of its later position, with An Hải citadel on the east bank built by Emperor Gia Long to protect the port, and by 1819, both Điện Hải and An Hải citadels had been rebuilt in brick. In 1823, Gia Long's son and successor Minh Mạng rebuilt the original Điện Hải fortress on a mound at the later location, being upgraded from a fortress (đồn) to a citadel (thành) in 1835.
One of the first Europeans to visit Da Nang was Portuguese explorer António de Faria, who anchored in Da Nang in 1535. Faria was one of the first Westerners to write about the area and, through his influence, Portuguese ships began to call more regularly at Hội An. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, French and Spanish traders and missionaries made landfall at Hội An. An American, John White, arrived at Da Nang (then called Turon) on 18 June 1819 in the brig Franklin of Salem, Massachusetts, and was advised that the country was recovering from devastating wars, and that what little goods had been produced in the area was already allocated. Other American ships arriving after were the Marmion of Boston, and the Aurora and Beverly of Salem.
Conditions were such due to the wars that they were unable to conduct trade, and the subsequent missions of East India Company agent John Crawfurd in 1823 and the two missions of Andrew Jackson's agent, American diplomat Edmund Roberts, in 1833 and 1836 were unable to secure trade agreements due to the "exceptionally poor quality" of the port. Following the edict of Emperor Minh Mạng in 1835, prohibiting European vessels from making landfall or pursuing trade except at Đà Nẵng, its port superseded Hội An as the largest commercial port in the central region.
French Indochina
In 1847, French vessels dispatched by Admiral Cécille bombarded Đà Nẵng, ostensibly on the grounds of alleged persecution of Roman Catholic missionaries. In August 1858, once again ostensibly on the grounds of religious persecution, French troops, led by Admiral Charles Rigault de Genouilly, and under the orders of Napoleon III, landed in Đà Nẵng as part of the punitive Cochinchina Campaign.
The French overpowered the Vietnamese stationed in Da Nang, occupying the city and Tiên Sa peninsula. The occupying forces were placed under siege by the Vietnamese army under the command of Nguyễn Tri Phương, and were eventually forced to retreat in March 1860. The French were able to invade the southern stronghold of Saigon and, in June 1862, some provinces of southern Vietnam were ceded to the French as Cochinchina with the signing of the Treaty of Saigon.
Through two more decades of conflict, the French gradually strengthened their hold on Vietnam, culminating in the establishment of French Indochina in October 1887. Two years later, in 1889, the French colonists renamed the city Tourane, placing it under the control of the governor general of French Indochina.
In 1903, the colonial government authorised Société des docks et houillères de Tourane to proceed with the tramway construction, with its preliminary 9.5-kilometre stretch (between Observatory Point and Tourane Mỹ Khê) being opened on 9 November 1905. Under the state management, "Tramway de l’Îlot de l’Observatoire" opened to the public on 1 October 1907, stretching to Faifo (Hoi An) via Montagne de Marbre (Marble Mountains), operating until 31 December 1915.
Republic of Vietnam
During the Vietnam War, what is later the Da Nang International Airport was the air base used by the South Vietnamese and United States Air Forces. The base became "one of the world's busiest aircraft hubs" during the war, reaching an average of 2,595 aircraft traffic operations daily, more than any other airport and airbase in the world at that time.
Marble Mountain Air Facility, constructed in 1965, was located in Da Nang.
Since the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Đà Nẵng has had more educational institutions and economic sites.
On 24 October 2024, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly issued Resolution No. 1251/NQ-UBTVQH15 regarding the reorganization of district- and commune-level administrative units in Da Nang City for the 2023–2025 period (the resolution takes effect on 1 January 2025). Accordingly, a portion of the natural area and population size of Liên Chiểu district was adjusted and incorporated into Thanh Khê district.
Geography
Da Nang is surrounded by mountains to the west, and the South China Sea to the east. The central city is bisected by the Han River. Da Nang borders Huế across the Hải Vân Pass to the north. It is 764 km (475 mi) south of Hanoi, and 964 km (599 mi) north of Ho Chi Minh City. The city has a total land area of 1,283.42 km2 (495.53 sq mi).
Geologically, Da Nang is at the edge of a Paleozoic fold belt known as the Truong Son Orogenic Zone, whose main deformation occurred during the Carboniferous period. Da Nang's topography is dominated by the Annamite Range to the north and north-west, which features peaks ranging from 700 to 1,500 m (2,300 to 4,900 ft) in height, and coastal plains with some salting to the south and east, with white sand beaches along the coast.
Da Nang has a tropical monsoon climate with two seasons: a typhoon and wet season from September to December and a dry season from January to August. Temperatures have an annual average of around 26 °C (79 °F). Cold waves can occur. Temperatures are highest between June and August with mean temperatures of 28 to 30 °C (82 to 86 °F), and lowest between December and February (mean temperature of 18 to 23 °C (64 to 73 °F)). In Ba Na Hills, the temperatures are lower with an annual average of 20 °C (68 °F). The annual average for humidity is 81%, with highs between October and January (reaching 84–86%) and lows between June and August (reaching 75–77%). On average, Da Nang receives 2,205 mm (86.8 in) of rainfall. Rainfall is highest between September and November (ranging from 550 to 1,000 mm (22 to 39 in)) and lowest between February and April (ranging from 23 to 40 mm (0.91 to 1.57 in)). Da Nang receives an average of 2162 hours of sunlight annually, with highs between 234 and 277 hours per month in May and June and lows between 69 and 165 hours per month in November and December.
Administrative divisions
Da Nang centrally-governed city has 94 commune-level administrative units, including 23 wards, 70 communes and 1 special zone:
- 23 wards: Hải Châu (capital), An Hải, An Khê, An Thắng, Bàn Thạnh, Cẩm Lệ, Điện Bàn, Điện Bàn Đông, Điện Bàn Bắc, Hải Vân, Hòa Cường, Hòa Khánh, Hòa Xuân, Hội An, Hội An Đông, Hội An Tây, Hương Trà, Liên Chiểu, Ngũ Hành Sơn, Quảng Phú, Sơn Trà, Tam Kỳ, Thanh Khê.
- 70 communes: A Vương, Bà Nà, Bến Giằng, Bến Hiên, Chiên Đàn, Duy Nghĩa, Duy Xuyên, Đại Lộc, Đắk Pring, Điện Bàn Tây, Đông Giang, Đồng Dương, Đức Phú, Gò Nổi, Hà Nha, Hiệp Đức, Hòa Tiến, Hòa Vang, Hùng Sơn, Khâm Đức, La Dêê, La Êê, Lãnh Ngọc, Nam Giang, Nam Phước, Nam Trà My, Nông Sơn, Núi Thành, Phú Ninh, Phú Thuận, Phước Chánh, Phước Hiệp, Phước Năng, Phước Thành, Phước Trà, Quế Phước, Quế Sơn, Quế Sơn Trung, Sông Kôn, Sông Vàng, Sơn Cẩm Hà, Tam Anh, Tam Hải, Tam Mỹ, Tam Xuân, Tân Hiệp, Tây Giang, Tây Hồ, Thạnh Bình, Thạnh Mỹ, Thăng An, Thăng Bình, Thăng Điền, Thăng Phú, Thăng Trường, Thu Bồn, Thượng Đức, Tiên Phước, Trà Đốc, Trà Giáp, Trà Leng, Trà Liên, Trà Linh, Trà My, Trà Tân, Trà Tập, Trà Vân, Việt An, Vu Gia, Xuân Phú.
- 1 special zone: Hoàng Sa.
Demographics
Da Nang is the fifth-most populated city in Vietnam, with an area of 1,255.53 km2 (484.76 sq mi) and a population of 1,269,070 according to the update in 2024. Women make up 50.7% of Da Nang's population.
Da Nang's population has been growing at rates of between 2.5% and 3% during most of the years between 2005 and 2011, exceeding the national average of 1% to 1.2%. The growth rate rose to 3.6% in 2010 before returning to its long-term trend with 2.68% in 2011. This is the third fastest growth rate in the country after the two southern manufacturing centers Bình Dương Province (4.41%) and Đồng Nai Province (3.5%). Migration has been the dominant factor in the city's population growth at least since 2009, contributing 1.6% to 2.7% (2010) between 2009 and 2011. Out-migration in 2011 was at 0.79% compared to 0.34% and 0.55% in previous years, while the in-migration rate has been exceeding 2% since 2009 and was at 2.28% in 2011. Đà Nẵng's crude birth rate was recorded at 18 live births per 1000 persons. The crude death rate was measured at 6.7 per 1000 persons in 2011. Life expectancy at birth was estimated at 77.4 years for women and 72.4 years for men, or 74.8 years overall in the 2009 population census. The infant mortality rate was measured at 9.9 infant deaths per 1000 live births.