💰 This page covers the street-level details of spending money in Da Nang: beach seafood priced by weight, Ba Na Hills tickets, the Marble Mountains and the Dragon Bridge, Grab and the airport, and which machines to use. For Vietnam-wide ATM tips, DCC warnings, tipping norms, and exchange rate advice:
Read the Vietnam Money Guide →🎧 Order Dong Before You Fly
Land with dong for the seafood shacks and Han Market. Insured delivery, 2–5 days.
Order VND → CEI Currency ExchangeDo You Need Cash in Da Nang?
Less than elsewhere in Vietnam. Da Nang is a modern, fast-growing city of high-rise hotels and wide boulevards, and cards are taken in its hotels, malls, chain cafes and most restaurants, and every Grab ride is paid in the app. Cash is still the language of the beach seafood shacks, the markets, street food and small coffee shops. Carry ₫300,000 to ₫700,000 a day. The Vietnam money guide covers the national picture.
Where You Will Need Cash
Seafood shacks along the beach and on Son Tra. Han Market and Con Market. Street food, from mi quang to banh xeo. Small cafes. Marble Mountains entry and lift tickets at the gate. Parking for scooters. Tips.
Where Cards Work Fine
Hotels on My Khe and the river. Ba Na Hills tickets. Vincom and Lotte malls and supermarkets. Chain cafes such as Highlands and Cong. Grab, in the app. Restaurants aimed at visitors.
Seafood by the Kilo: How the Beach Restaurants Charge
Da Nang's signature meal is seafood on the beach. Along Vo Nguyen Giap and Hoang Sa streets, facing My Khe beach, and out on the Son Tra peninsula, big open-air restaurants keep their seafood alive in tanks and buckets at the entrance.
You pay by weight. You choose what you want, it is weighed, and you are charged by the kilo, plus a small fee for the cooking style: grilled, steamed with beer, or stir-fried with tamarind. Clams, snails and squid are cheap. Lobster, mud crab and grouper can cost several hundred thousand dong a kilo, or well over a million for the largest lobsters.
How to avoid a surprise. Ask the price per kilo before choosing, watch the scales, and agree the total weight before it goes to the kitchen. Menus with prices are a good sign. Some restaurants take cards; many prefer cash, especially the smaller ones. Bring enough dong for a seafood dinner for two of ₫500,000 to ₫1,000,000, more if lobster is involved.
Ba Na Hills, the Marble Mountains and the Dragon Bridge
Ba Na Hills. The hilltop resort an hour west of the city, with its mock-French village and the Golden Bridge held up by two giant stone hands, is Da Nang's most expensive attraction. A ticket costs around ₫900,000 to ₫1,000,000 for a foreign adult, about $35 to $38, which covers the long cable car ride and most of the attractions at the top. Lunch buffets are sold as add-ons. Tickets are sold online and at the counter by card. Weekends and holidays bring long queues.
The Marble Mountains. Five limestone hills on the road to Hoi An, full of caves and pagodas. Entry to the main hill, Thuy Son, is a small fee paid at the gate, with an extra ticket for the lift. The stone-carving shops at the base sell everything from small statues to garden lions; shipping quotes are negotiable.
The Dragon Bridge. Free to see. On Saturday and Sunday nights at about 9pm, the steel dragon spanning the Han river breathes fire, then sprays water. The best views are from the riverside on Tran Hung Dao street or the eastern bank. Pickpockets work the crowds; keep phones and wallets in front pockets.
Son Tra peninsula. The giant Lady Buddha at Linh Ung pagoda is free to visit. The road up to the peak is steep, and a Grab car or a guided scooter tour is safer than hiring a scooter yourself.
Paying by Card in Da Nang
Da Nang is Vietnam at its most card-friendly outside Saigon. The exceptions follow the usual pattern: the smaller and more local the business, the more likely it wants cash.
My Khe beachfront
Hotels, rooftop bars and beach clubs take cards. The seafood restaurants are mixed; carry cash.
Han river and Bach Dang
Riverside hotels, restaurants and cafes are card-friendly, and the banks cluster here.
Han Market and Con Market
Food stalls, dried goods, coffee beans and clothes. Cash, and bargaining for anything without a price.
An Thuong
The backpacker grid behind the beach. Bars and western restaurants take cards; banh mi and pho shops do not.
Malls
Vincom Plaza and the Lotte Mart near the river. Cards everywhere, including the supermarket.
Son Tra and the fishing villages
Seafood shacks and drinks stalls on the peninsula. Cash.
ATMs in Da Nang
Look for these logos. Bank machines line Bach Dang and the beachfront roads.
Vietcombank
BIDV
Techcombank
VPBankATM Locations
Vietcombank, which usually charges the least, BIDV, VietinBank and Techcombank have branches along Bach Dang, Nguyen Van Linh and Le Duan in the centre, and along the beach roads in An Thuong. The airport arrivals hall has bank machines too; see our Hanoi airport guide for how Vietnamese airport machines and counters compare. Withdrawals are capped per transaction, so plan for a fee each time. Vietnam has no Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner.
⚠ Choose "Without Conversion"
Many Da Nang machines and hotel terminals offer to bill a foreign card in US dollars. The rate they apply is several percent worse than your card network's. Pick dong, or "without conversion", every time; the dynamic currency conversion guide explains why.
Grab, Taxis and the Airport
The airport is in the city. Da Nang International Airport is only about 3 kilometres from the centre and 5 to 7 from My Khe beach. A Grab car costs roughly ₫60,000 to ₫120,000, and metered taxis wait outside arrivals. Hoi An is about 45 minutes south.
Grab is the default. Grab cars and motorbikes are cheap, quick and paid by card in the app, which removes any argument over the fare. Xanh SM, the electric taxi company, also has an app and green cars everywhere.
Scooter rental. Hotels and rental shops rent scooters by the day for cash. You need an International Driving Permit valid in Vietnam and a licence for motorcycles at home to be legally covered, and travel insurance often excludes riding without one.
Trains. Da Nang is on the north-south railway, and the line over the Hai Van Pass to Hue is one of Vietnam's great train rides. Tickets are sold online and at the station by card.
Tipping in Da Nang
Tipping is optional in Vietnam, as the Vietnam guide explains. At seafood restaurants, round up or leave ₫20,000 to ₫50,000 if a server cleaned and cracked the crab for you. Grab drivers do not expect a tip; the app lets you add one. Spa therapists and tour guides appreciate ₫50,000 to ₫100,000 or more.
Prices in Da Nang
Da Nang is cheaper than Hanoi or Saigon for hotels, and similar for food.
| Item | Price (VND) | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Ca phe sua da | ₫20,000–40,000 | $0.80–1.50 |
| Bowl of mi quang | ₫30,000–50,000 | $1.15–1.90 |
| Seafood dinner for two (no lobster) | ₫500,000–1,000,000 | $19–38 |
| Lobster, per kilo | ₫1,000,000–2,500,000+ | $38–96+ |
| Ba Na Hills, adult ticket | ₫900,000–1,000,000 | $35–38 |
| Marble Mountains entry | ₫40,000–60,000 | $1.50–2.30 |
| Grab car, airport to beach | ₫60,000–120,000 | $2.30–4.60 |
| Grab car to Hoi An | ₫300,000–400,000 | $11.50–15.40 |
| Scooter rental, per day | ₫120,000–200,000 | $4.60–7.70 |
| Beer at a beach bar | ₫25,000–60,000 | $1–2.30 |
| Mid-range beach hotel night | ₫700,000–1,600,000 | $27–62 |
USD estimates use approximately ₫26,000 = $1. Rates fluctuate.
Day Trips from Da Nang
Hoi An (about 45 minutes)
The lantern-lit old town with its ticketed heritage streets and tailors. See our Hoi An money guide.
Hue (about 2.5 hours by train over the Hai Van Pass)
The old imperial capital; the Citadel and the royal tombs each charge an entry fee, with combined tickets sold by card at the main gate.
Ba Na Hills (about 1 hour)
Book online by card to skip the ticket queue, and go early on a weekday.
Lang Co and the Hai Van Pass (about 1.5 hours)
Motorbike tours over the pass are paid by card when booked online; roadside coffee stops at the top want cash.
Da Nang Quick Reference
| Destination | Cards? | Cash Needed? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seafood restaurants | ✅ Some | Priced by the kilo | Agree the weight first |
| Ba Na Hills | ✅ Yes | ₫900,000–1,000,000 | Book online |
| Dragon Bridge show | Free | Sat and Sun, 9pm | Watch for pickpockets |
| Han Market | ❌ Cash | Bargain | Small notes |
| Grab | ✅ In the app | Airport is 3 km | Xanh SM too |
| Malls and hotels | ✅ Yes | Decline dollars | Vincom, Lotte |
| ATMs | Vietcombank, BIDV, Techcombank | Per-withdrawal cap | Decline conversion |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does seafood cost in Da Nang?
At the beachfront seafood restaurants along My Khe and Son Tra, you choose live seafood from tanks and pay by weight, plus a fee for cooking. Prawns, clams and squid are cheap; lobster, crab and grouper can run to several hundred thousand dong a kilo or more. Ask the price per kilo, watch it weighed, and agree before it goes to the kitchen.
How much is the Ba Na Hills ticket?
Around 900,000 to 1,000,000 dong for a foreign adult, about $35 to $38, which includes the cable car, the Golden Bridge and most rides in the hilltop park. Lunch buffets cost extra. Book online or at the counter by card, and go early on weekdays to avoid the queues.
Is the Dragon Bridge fire show free?
Yes. On Saturday and Sunday nights at around 9pm, the dragon's head on the Dragon Bridge breathes fire and then water. It is free to watch from the riverbanks or the bridge itself. Arrive early for a spot, and keep a hand on your phone in the crowd.
Do I need cash in Da Nang?
Some. Da Nang is more card-friendly than Hoi An: hotels, malls, Ba Na Hills, many restaurants and Grab take cards. Carry 300,000 to 700,000 dong a day for seafood shacks, Han Market, street food, coffee and small shops.
How far is Da Nang airport from the beach?
Very close. Da Nang International Airport is about 3 kilometres from the city centre and 5 to 7 from My Khe beach. A Grab car costs roughly 60,000 to 120,000 dong. Hoi An is about 45 minutes away.
Which ATMs should I use in Da Nang?
Vietcombank, BIDV, VietinBank and Techcombank have machines along Bach Dang, Nguyen Van Linh and the beachfront roads. Fees and the per-withdrawal cap are shown on screen. Avoid hotel-lobby standalone machines, and always decline conversion into dollars.
Pay Smart in Da Nang
The Wise card converts at the real mid-market rate, pays for Ba Na Hills tickets and Grab rides without a markup, and withdraws dong for the seafood shacks.
Get the Wise Card →Hero photo: the Dragon Bridge over the Han river, Da Nang, by P. Hughes, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.