sports

A short journey from the center of Da Nang is the Ba Na Mountain Range. As with other prominent ranges throughout Vietnam and the rest of South East Asia, Ba Na Mountain is a fantastic mountain trekking location.

The weather around Ba Na Mountain is mild all the year round, making this one of the less hot and sticky mountain trekking locations in Vietnam. Temperatures average from 17c to 20c throughout the year. Due to these fairly low local temperatures, people mountain trekking in this area are often gifted with several layers of cloud as they trek up the mountain. At the top, people will often find that they are actually above the cloud cover, or even right within it!

There is a cable car which takes tourist up the mountain some way, but not to the summit. The only way to reach the top is by using your own two feet. A typical trekking itinerary is as follows:

Start at De Bay Mo Station and take the cable car up to its first stop at Morin Station. Exit the cable car and walk a short distance to the old French area, and visit the De Bay Wine Cellar and the statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha. Jump back on to the cable car and head to the final stop. Continue trekking up the mountain, stopping to enjoy the view from the suspension bridge. Then continue up to the mountain peak at 1,487m above sea level. If starting early in the morning, then it is entirely possible to reach the summit by lunch time, and then head back down the mountain in the cool of the afternoon.

Overall, trekking up Ba Na Mountain is one of the less spoiled journeys of this type in South East Asia, definitely something that more energetic visitors to Da Nang should consider.

Da Nang has a fairly short dive season, running from the beginning of February through until the end of October. Do not be fooled by the fact that unlike other South East Asian destinations, Da Nang does not offer all year diving. What Da Nang makes up for in the lower number of dive days a year, it more than makes up for in sheer quality. Da Nang is a new dive spot, one which is entirely unspoiled.

The coast close to Da Nang is relatively undiscovered from a diving point of view, simply because it has yet to be over-dived. This is one of the newest dive areas in Vietnam and one which divers need to enjoy now, before it becomes too popular. The sandy beaches and close in coral reef make Da Nang an excellent beach dive location, no need for expensive days out on the local dive boat.

There are several scuba diving schools offering both PADI and SSI certification. The largest of these is the Furama Resort, which specializes in providing divers with not only tuition, but also accommodation. The resort has its own dive boat, which can take up to 20 divers out to the more inaccessible dive spots around Da Nang including Monkey Mountain and the Son Tra Peninsula.

Da Nang currently offers one of the best dive experiences to be found anywhere in South East Asia. This will change over time, as diving becomes more popular and the local coral reefs close to the beach become damaged. Once this occurs, then Da Nang divers will need to take a dive boat out to more remote sites. If you enjoy scuba diving, or simply want to learn, then take advantage of the new dive spots of Da Nang before they become too popular.

Golf in Vietnam is still a sport which has not taken off as it has in other South East Asian countries. However, this situation is slowly changing and there are a handful of good courses to be found doted around the country. One of the best is the Da Nang Golf Club.

Da Nang Golf Course is located just off Son Tra, Dien Ngox Coastal Streets. A short 15 minute journey from Da Nang International Airport. Proximity to the airport, as well as relatively cheap domestic flights makes Da Nang Golf Course accessible to golfers all over Vietnam.

The course itself is set within a dramatic landscape. Famed international golfer Greg Norman has stated that the site is breathtaking, and praised the course designers for the dramatic use of scenery.

The course is a challenging par 72, with a length of 7,160 yards from the shark tees and 5,684 yards from the ladies tees. The most notable hole is the 10th, a long par 5 with the sea to the east, playing over natural sand dunes with the mountains forming a backdrop.

The clubhouse is newly constructed and covers an area of 4,000sqm. Within the clubhouse are the Featherie Restaurant, offering an exceptional dining experience and the Niblick Bar, a traditional 19th hole.

Practice facilities and a driving range are available on site. As well as smaller refreshment facilities including the Persimmon Café. Club rental and cart hire are available on site, as well as plenty of local cadies on hand to help beat this challenging course.

If you are a golfer visiting Da Nang, then you really should consider playing a round or two at Da Nan Golf Club, few golf courses in the world are set within grounds which display such a breathtaking range of natural scenery.