Da Nang Shore Excursions: Guided Tours From Tien Sa Port

A Quick Guide to Tien Sa Port

Tien Sa Port (or Tien Sha Port, Cảng Tiên Sa, Da Nang Port) is the major seaport for Da Nang city, not far away from its centre. It’s important to both the local economy, as the 3^rd largest port system in the country, and military. In the Vietnam war, USA camps were here and then this control belonged to the Vietnam People’s Army. Additionally, it lies at one end of the East-West Economic Corridor that connects two oceans Indian and Pacific in the shortest distance.

Located by the mouth of the Han river, Tien Sa port received foreign ships and merchants from 19^th century when Nguyen kings ruled Vietnam. Traders from China saw the mountain next to it like a clam, so they called it “the Clam Harbour”. Later, this name became a popular way to call Da Nang city for Chinese people and Chinese speakers.

The turning point in the history of Tien Sa port is 1835. At that time, the 2^nd king of the Nguyen dynasty didn’t allow ships from other countries to land in Vietnam, except Da Nang. Since then, trading activities here have become busier and busier. This decision led to the decline of Hoi An harbour and then it’s replaced by Tien Sa port. Due to ideal conditions of this port and its surrounding water (Da Nang bay), French and American military ships selected it to firstly land on Vietnam.

According to local authorities, in 2021, nearly 10 tonnes of cargo was handled and some thousands of passengers passed through Da Nang port.

Fact: In Vietnamese, Tien Sa port means “the port where fairy ladies descend to earth”. Sometimes, Son Tra peninsula is noted as “Tien Sa peninsula” on the map.   

Read also: Chan May Port

Da Nang City Tour from Tien Sa Port

See details of the Da Nang city tour from Tien Sa port

Tien Sa port is inside Da Nang city, so a city tour from this port is easy to make.

A classic Da Nang city tour introduces travelers to famous sights, including the Marble Mountains, the Lady Buddha, Cham Museum and the Dragon Bridge. Of course, a Vietnamese restaurant with delicious authentic local foods is on the itinerary.

Right in the heart of Da Nang city, the Museum of Cham Sculpture is unique. It houses a collection of 2,000 sculptures carved by Cham people who owned a kingdom from 2^nd to 19^th centuries. French colonizers established it in 1919 to preserve them. Next to it, that is the Dragon Bridge, one of the most special bridges worldwide. 10 mins from these iconic buildings, the Marble Mountains (or the Five Elements Mountain) boasts its exotic landscape. They are pieces of a broken dragon’s egg in Vietnamese legend. A king built Buddhist temples on the highest mountain of them, near magnificent caves. By a dramatic coastline to the northeast of Da Nang, particularly Son Tra peninsula, the Lady Buddha is the tallest statue of the kind in the country. Its height is 67 meters. If have time, travelers can visit the Han Market for shopping.

Read also: Hai Van Pass Travel Guide

Da Nang Shore Excursion to Hoi An and Marble Mountains

See details of the Da Nang shore excursion to Hoi An and Marble Mountains

Hoi An is an ancient town inscribed by Unesco as a world heritage. It’s 35 kilometers southeast of Tien Sa port. So it means that travel time will be nearly an hour to get there. Lunch is served in a Vietnamese restaurant in Hoi An.

The history of Hoi An is interesting. It played its role as an important trading town from 15^th to 19^th centuries in Southeast Asia. Here, people of different nationalities come to exchange local products, such as silk, spices, ceramics. They are Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, English, French, Dutch, etc. That’s why how the town looks today is unique in the world. This place is known for many things, including traditional houses of the same yellow walls, lanterns, lantern festival, tailors, markets and foods. Hoi An’s local foods are delicious, prepared by local ingredients only and have their own story. Hoi An is also a paradise for shopping. See travel guide to Hoi An ancient town

On the way from Tien Sa port (or Da Nang) to Hoi An, the Marble Mountains are convenient to sightsee. It has five striking mountains and the largest one is the main sight. That hill becomes famous for its old and ornate Buddhist temples, amazing caves and peaks of panoramic views. Sightseers need to climb many stairs to get to all of them, just like monks and nuns. Around the foot of mountains, locals have crafted stone sculptures by hand for 400 years already. See travel guide to the Marble Mountains

Read also: Cham Islands Travel Guide

Da Nang Shore Excursion to My Son Sanctuary and Hoi An

See details of the Da Nang shore excursion to My Son Sanctuary and Hoi An

My Son sanctuary is a Unesco world heritage site, nearly 60 kilometers southwest of Tien Sa port. Emperors of Champa kingdom built more than 70 temples here to worship Hindu gods, chiefly Shiva – the God of destroying. The most solemn and important ceremonies of the whole of Cham’s country took place in My Son. However, after 14^th century, the temples were abandoned. French people discovered them later, giving it the nickname “the Angkor wat of Vietnam”. Some building techniques are not fully understood. Read further information in My Son sanctuary travel guide.

Travelers will have lunch in Hoi An. As the best preserved Asian trading town in Southeast Asia, this town is another world heritage site in the region. From 15^th to 19^th centuries, people from different parts of the world came here to buy and sell local products (silk, spices, etc). The presence of these people is still seen around Hoi An nowaday, like the Japanese bridge, Chinese temples, merchant tombs, etc. That’s why it draws so many visitors. Its nicknames are “the town of lanterns”, “the capital of tailors”, “the loveliest town in Vietnam”, or “Vietnam’s food capital”. In addition, Hoi An is so perfect for photography. Read more in Hoi An ancient town travel guide.

Read also: – My Son Sunrise Tour

– My Son Day Trip from Hoi An

Da Nang Shore Excursion to Hue City

See details of the Da Nang shore excursion to Hue city

Hue was the capital city of the unified Vietnamese kingdom from 1802 to 1945. Although it doesn’t play its role as a political centre of the whole country anymore, it still has a great importance of culture and heritage preservation. Hue’s local foods are well-known, including beef noodle soup (bún bò Huế), cakes and vegetarian dishes.

A classic Da Nang shore excursion to Hue city starts at Tien Sa port, and the pick up time depends on the cruise’s schedule. After that, the car goes to Hai Van pass – Vietnam’s most spectacular coastal road. It’s 20 kilometers long, packed with scenic outlooks and surprising hairpin bends. Here, travelers can stop at some points and take pictures with beautiful scenery behind. Lang Co lagoon amazes travelers alike, featuring crystal clear water, cloudy mountains and local industry in raising oysters.  

In Hue city, travelers will have lunch and then visit the Imperial city and Forbidden purple city within it. It was the seat of power of 13 Nguyen emperors. Here, they constructed palaces, temples, residences, gardens, theatre, gates and pavilions. In 1993, this complex became a Unesco world heritage site. After learning a ton of history, the next place to sightsee is Thien Mu pagoda – Hue’s oldest and holiest Buddhist temple. Visitors enjoy one of the best views to the Perfume river. To complete “a Hue city tour”, a king’s tomb can not be missed. The Tomb of Khai Dinh king or Tomb of Tu Duc king are most popular.

Read also: Hue City Travel Guide

Da Nang Shore Excursion to Ba Na Hills and the Golden Bridge

See details of the Da Nang shore excursions to Ba Na hills and Golden bridge

Ba Na hills is a very famous tourist attraction in Da Nang. It’s 33 kilometers away from Tien Sa port, so it takes about 1 hour to get there by car and bus. Besides sightseeing, travelers will have lunch in a buffet restaurant.

Located on the top of Nui Chua mountain, Ba Na hills is a hill station established by French people in 19^th century. The colonizers built many constructions here for leisure and recreational activities, to make full use of its mild climate. Today, after being abandoned in wars, cable cars are invested to carry tourists to Ba Na hills. The first one of 4 cable cars was from 2009 and was recognized to be the world’s longest cable car. The cable car ride allows passengers to enjoy natural scenery and views. Next to small colonial buildings, Vietnamese have added huge castles above the cloud, an amusement park, temples, Buddha statues, restaurants, and cafes. By that, the hill station turns into a complex of entertainment. There are about 9 millions of visitors coming to it every year.

The Golden bridge is one of the newest additions into Ba Na hills (2018). Because of being holded by two hands, another popular name for it is the Golden hands bridge. It’s so amazing to look at, perfect for pictures and represents the hospitality of the place to visitors. Walking on it is a dream to so many travelers now, thanks to social media. Nobody wants to miss this new wonder in their Vietnam trip.

Read also: The Lady Buddha Da Nang

Customized Da Nang Shore Excursion

Our team feels happy with a customized Da Nang shore excursion, to meet all of your requirements for a perfect day trip. This is the list of places that you should know before chat with us in whatsapp number +84968009827 or email centralvietnamguide@gmail.com:

– Must visit attractions: the Marble Mountains, Lady Buddha in the Monkey Mountain, Ba Na Hills and the Golden Bridge, Museum of Cham Sculpture, the Dragon Bridge, My Khe Beach, Hai Van Pass

– Must see city: Hoi An, Hue

– Places you may like: the Pink Church, Han Market, the Love Lock Bridge, Da Nang’s Ferris Wheel, Ho Chi Minh and the Fifth Military Zone Museum

Depending on the itinerary, we will recommend a nice Vietnamese restaurant to have meals and awesome activities to do. Sure, when the plan is finalized, we let you know the best price we can make.

Read also: Private Car and Driver in Da Nang