Da Nang among best travel destinations for 2019: The New York Times

The New York Times, an American newspaper with worldwide influence and readership, has ranked the central coastal city of Da Nang 15th in their annual list of 52 places to go this year.

"Foodies and beachgoers are flocking to the Miami of Vietnam," it writes in a recent report.

The newspaper says that Da Nang, the third-largest city of Vietnam, has gone from a place that is "best known for being a gateway to UNESCO Heritage town of Hoi An" to an attraction "with strong foodie scene and new hotels and resorts popping up on a five-mile-long beach strip."

View from the marble mountains in Da Nang. Photo by Shutterstock/Romas_Photo.

The New York Times also describes what a day in Da Nang would look like.

"A typical day might start with a morning swim on the sandy, crescent-shaped Non Nuoc Beach and perhaps a quick stop at the Han market, then an afternoon visit to the marble mountains, where travelers can explore the temples and pagodas that look out over My Khe beach and later, dinner back in the city. Finish the day with a visit to the highly Instagrammable Cau Rong (Dragon bridge), which is illuminated every night."

Local basket boat in Non Nuoc beach of Da Nang. Photo by Shutterstock/worradirek

It also advises travelers not to leave without having a bowl of mi Quang," the justifiably famous local noodle soup," which is only $1 at any street-food stall.

First on the newspaper's list is Puerto Rico, followed by Hampi (India), Santa Barbara (U.S.), Panama and Munich (Germany).

The New York Tines' "52 places to go" list is one of their biggest efforts of the year with the newspaper enlisting writers, photographers, editors and specialists around the globe to produce it.

Each year, they choose a person to go to on a 12-month-long trip to 52 selected places around the world to get the best and most realistic experience. This year’s traveler is New York based journalist Sebastian Modak.

Mi Quang noodle, a specialty of Da Nang. Photo by Shutterstock/ngoc tran.

The number of visitors to Da Nang increased 15.5 percent on-year to 7.6 million in 2018, including 2.8 million foreigners, a 23.3 percent increase from a year earlier, according to the Department of Tourism. Arrivals by sea and air in 2018 and 2017 recorded annual increases of 66 percent and 48.7 percent respectively.

Da Nang’s revenue from travel in 2018 is estimated at VND24 trillion ($1.03 billion), representing a year-on-year jump of 23.3 percent.