Da Nang is Vietnam's cheapest big coastal city: the 29km beach is free, the biggest Buddha in the country costs nothing to visit, and a full bowl of mi Quang runs 30,000₫. Three days here on 400,000₫ a day is comfortable, not spartan.
The 67m Lady Buddha and the entire hillside temple grounds are free, open 06:00–21:00, with no ticket booth anywhere. The bonsai garden and 18 arhat statues face the bay; the terrace gives the best free panorama of My Khe and the Han River mouth.
A pavement cart running since the 1990s, selling one thing: pork-pate banh mi with pickled carrot and chili sauce for 20,000–25,000₫. Open 06:00–19:00. Two of them plus an iced tea keeps a lunch under 55,000₫ and locals queue three deep at noon.
Three floors of Cham-influenced sculpture, lacquer and folk art on Le Duan, and entry has been free since 2019 for all visitors. Open 08:00–17:00, closed Mondays. Air-conditioned, almost empty, and a useful two hours out of the afternoon heat.
The Bach Dang promenade, the carp-dragon statue and the padlock-covered Cau Tinh Yeu are all open-air and free at any hour. Street vendors sell sugarcane juice for 10,000₫ while the bridges switch on their colour cycles around 18:30.
Da Nang's biggest wet-and-dry market, three storeys on Hung Vuong, open 06:00–19:00. The ground-floor food court sells banh beo, nem lui and che for 15,000–35,000₫ a plate. Fabric, coffee beans and dried squid upstairs at half the tourist-shop price.
The city's signature turmeric noodle dish with pork, shrimp, quail egg, peanuts and a sheet of rice cracker, served all day for 30,000–45,000₫. Open 06:00–21:00. Plastic stools, ceiling fans and a queue of office workers from 12:00.
The yellow public bus leaves every 20 minutes from 05:30 to 18:00 and reaches Hoi An in about 70 minutes. Locals pay 30,000₫; the conductor may quote foreigners more, so hand over exact change. No booking, no agency commission.
The strip of open-air seafood shacks north of the port where clams, razor shells and grilled mackerel are sold by the kilo — 60,000–120,000₫ per plate, beer at 15,000₫. Menus in Vietnamese with prices chalked on boards facing the sea.
The 500m-high pass on the old QL1A, 20km north of the city, with the French-era bunkers and Hai Van Quan gate at the top. Riding a rented semi-automatic there and back costs about 120,000₫ a day plus 60,000₫ of petrol. No entrance fee on the road itself.
Fish-cake noodle soup with bamboo shoots and pumpkin in a clear broth, 25,000–35,000₫ a bowl, served 06:00–22:00. A local staple rather than a tourist stop, with free iced tea on every table and chili paste you add yourself.
A rock reef 17km northwest of the centre where a stone shelf appears at low tide and green moss covers it from January to March. The village behind it makes nuoc mam and fish salad. No ticket, no fence — bus 01 stops on the highway 800m away.
The boulder-strewn strip at the foot of Son Tra where the local fishing community launches its round basket boats at dusk. Free to walk, no loungers, no vendors — just the coracles, the nets and the last light hitting the Lady Buddha above.