Photo: 87 effective via Google
The verdict
- Best forTravellers who want the real sundown rather than the brochure beach, and a clear steer on why the famous sand is the wrong way round at dusk.
- Top pickThe Son Tra peninsula, where the west facing coves and the viewpoints above them look back over Da Nang Bay as the sun goes down.
- One thing to knowMy Khe and the city beaches face east, so they belong to sunrise, and the evening light lives on the bay side and the headland instead.
Published 3 May 2026. Last reviewed 3 May 2026
Here is the thing nobody tells you before you book a beachfront room in Da Nang and plan a sunset on the sand. The famous beach, the long golden run of My Khe and Non Nuoc, faces due east. The sun rises out of the sea in front of it and sets behind the city at your back. It is one of the great sunrise beaches in Vietnam and a poor one for sundown, and getting that the right way round changes your whole evening.
The good news is that the sundown is still here, it just lives on a different shore. Da Nang wraps a bay, and the western and northwestern side of that bay, along with the green hump of the Son Tra peninsula, faces back toward the Hai Van mountains and the falling sun. That is where the evening light pools, on the quiet coves under Son Tra and the long bay beaches of Xuan Thieu and Nam O, with the city skyline and the bridges catching the last of it across the water.
Son Tra is the standout. The peninsula's west facing inlets and the high viewpoints above them, the radar station road and the lookouts, give you the sun sinking behind the mountains over the whole sweep of the bay. It is a short ride from the city and it rewards the small effort with the best evening in Da Nang, beach or otherwise.
Below we rank the shore by how well it actually delivers a sunset, which means the bay and the headland come first and the celebrated east coast beaches come last, listed honestly for what they are. Each entry links to its full guide, and as always the light is typical rather than guaranteed, haze and cloud have the final say, and anything we cannot stand behind says to be confirmed.
Six of the best beaches for sunset in Da Nang
The bay and the headland for the sundown, the east coast for dawn.
Son Tra
The green headland north of the city and the best place to end the day in Da Nang, with west facing coves and high lookouts that gaze back over the bay as the sun drops behind the Hai Van mountains. The light spreads across the whole sweep of water with the skyline catching the last of it, and the small ride up rewards you with the finest evening on this coast. On the list at the top for the genuine sundown the famous beaches cannot give.
Da Nang Bay
The wide curve of water that the city wraps around, opening northwest toward the mountains so the sundown falls over the bay rather than behind you. The shore here looks across to Son Tra and the Hai Van ridge, and once the light goes the bridges and the waterfront pick up the glow. On the list as the easy in town sunset, walkable from a city base and paired naturally with dinner by the river.
Xuan Thieu
A long, quieter beach on the northwest side of the bay that faces back toward the mountains, so unlike the city beaches it actually sees the sun set over the water. It is a local, unpolished stretch rather than a resort row, which is part of its charm at the end of the day. On the list for travellers who want the sundown with space and calm, away from the busier eastern sand.
Nam O
An old fishing beach at the northwest end of the bay near the foot of the Hai Van Pass, where the round basket boats line the sand and the mountains rise straight ahead. The aspect catches the evening light, and the working village setting gives the sundown a real sense of place rather than a polished backdrop. On the list for a characterful, off the trail sunset with the mountains for a frame.
My Khe
The celebrated city beach, a long golden run of soft sand and easy swimming that is genuinely lovely, and faces east. That means it is a sunrise beach, not a sunset one, and we list it here to be straight about it. Come at dawn for the glowing light over the sea and the morning swimmers, and by all means walk it in the evening, but know the sun is setting behind the city at your back rather than into the water.
Non Nuoc
The southern continuation of the city beach below the Marble Mountains, broad and handsome and, like its neighbour, facing the open sea to the east. It is a fine resort beach and a beautiful sunrise spot, but it is the wrong way round for sundown, so we rank it last for sunset on purpose. Save it for a morning swim and a dawn over the water, and head to the bay when the evening comes.
East coast for dawn, bay side for dusk
The honest read on Da Nang is a matter of which way the coast faces, and it is the single most useful thing to know before you plan your evenings. The headline beaches, My Khe and Non Nuoc, run along the eastern edge of the city looking out to the open sea, so they own the sunrise and hand the sunset to the other side of town. Travellers who book an east facing room expecting a sundown over the water are quietly disappointed, and it is easy to avoid.
Turn it around and the city gives you the best of both. Get up once for the dawn on My Khe, when the light comes up out of the sea and the beach is calm and local, and save your evenings for the bay. The Son Tra peninsula is the prize, with its west facing coves and the lookouts on the radar road giving the sun a clean drop behind the Hai Van mountains over the whole bay, while Xuan Thieu and Nam O catch the same light at sand level if you would rather keep your feet on the beach.
The clearest evenings come in the dry months, roughly February through August, when the skies settle and the sundown is most reliable. Later in the year the cloud builds and afternoon storms can swallow the light, and even in the dry season haze drifts in off the sea, so treat any given sunset as typical rather than guaranteed. We keep the practical detail and the live picture on each beach guide, and anything we cannot verify says to be confirmed.
Beach clubs for the evening drink
Da Nang runs a growing scene of beach clubs and shore bars, most of them along the east coast resort strip behind My Khe, where a daybed and a sundowner come with the buzz of the city beach. For the evening light, the spots on the bay side and the rooftop bars facing west give you the actual sunset, while the east coast clubs are better for a long lazy day and a swim. Operators, opening status and any minimum spend shift through the season, so we keep the live list on the directory. Tell us your dates and the kind of evening you want and we pass the enquiry on to confirm what is open.
Book a beach club in Da Nang
Before you go
Which beach has the best sunset in Da Nang?
None of the famous city beaches, and that is the honest answer. My Khe and Non Nuoc face east, so they are sunrise beaches. For the sundown you head to the bay side and the Son Tra peninsula, where the west facing shore and the viewpoints above it look back over the water and the mountains as the light goes.
Why does My Khe Beach face the wrong way for sunset?
My Khe and the long city beach run down the eastern edge of Da Nang facing the open sea to the east, so the sun rises out of the water in front of them rather than setting into it. The light at dawn there is genuinely beautiful, which is why locals come for sunrise, but in the evening the sun drops behind the city and the mountains instead.
Where do you watch the sunset in Da Nang?
The Son Tra peninsula is the standout, with west facing coves and high viewpoints looking back over Da Nang Bay as the sun sinks behind the Hai Van mountains. The bay beaches such as Xuan Thieu and Nam O on the northwest shore also catch the sundown, and the riverside in the city glows once the bridges light up. Time it for late afternoon golden hour.
Is My Khe Beach better for sunrise or sunset?
Sunrise, clearly. Because it faces east, My Khe gives a quiet, glowing dawn over the sea that is one of the nicest free things to do in the city, with fishermen and early swimmers for company. By evening the beach is still pleasant for a walk, but the sun is going down behind you, so for a true sundown the bay and Son Tra are the move.
When is the best time of year for Da Nang sunsets?
The dry season from roughly February to August brings the clearest skies and the most reliable evenings, while the wetter months later in the year can cloud the sundown and bring afternoon storms. Haze and passing cloud change the show from day to day, so treat the conditions as typical rather than guaranteed and aim for a settled afternoon.