Building on its abundant marine resources, Da Nang is gradually enhancing the value of its coastal areas through diverse experiences, aiming to create a destination brand with its own unique identity and sustainable competitiveness.
Increasing value from marine resources
From morning till night, Da Nang's beaches are always bustling with locals and tourists. The coastal areas are no longer just for swimming but are becoming places for activities, experiences, and connections...
According to Mr. Phan Minh Hai, Deputy Head of the Management Board of Son Tra Peninsula and Da Nang's tourist beaches, in recent years, the sea has become the city's "outdoor living room." Locals view the sea as a "health park" with activities such as yoga, wellness exercises, and SUP paddling, while tourists are increasingly interested in the quality of services and experiences in the seaside environment.
This also represents Da Nang's transition from exploiting its scenic advantages to enhancing the value of its coastal space. While previously known for its beautiful beaches and resort system, the city is now enriched by a variety of experiences, from sports and arts to cuisine, nightlife , and community culture.
According to Mr. Le Dinh Nam, Chairman of the Da Nang Event Destination Association (DECA), beautiful beaches remain a very important advantage, but in the current context, natural landscapes alone are not enough to create sustainable competitiveness. What makes Da Nang different is its ability to transform the beach space into an experiential destination.
Mr. Nam believes that Da Nang has an advantage in combining its beaches, modern urban environment, synchronized tourism infrastructure, high-quality hotel and resort system, international convention center, and the capacity to organize large-scale events right on the beachfront. This combination creates conditions for the city to increase the value of its coastal space.
“In the future, Da Nang's competitiveness will not only lie in its natural beauty, but also in ensuring that each time tourists visit, there is an event to participate in, an activity to experience, and a story to remember. When the beach becomes a space for festivals, sports, arts, culture, and MICE, the value of the destination will be greatly enhanced,” Mr. Nam remarked.
To experience becoming a brand
Marine resources are finite, but the values created from the sea can be continuously enriched. For these values to become a brand for the destination, Da Nang must simultaneously innovate its products, improve the quality of its marine spaces, and ensure sustainable development.
According to Mr. Tan Van Vuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in light of new tourism trends, tourists are not only seeking vibrant events but also desire authentic experiences that are rich in emotion and cultural depth. This is also the reason why, in 2026, the city chose the theme "Da Nang - Touching the Original," with the aim of bringing tourists back to the original values of Da Nang's nature, culture, and people.
The revitalization of the "Enjoy Da Nang" festival over the years is clear evidence of this direction. The city continuously adds experiential activities, increasing the connection between the sea and culture, art, cuisine, and nightlife, gradually enhancing the value of the coastal space.
"The new development direction of the city's tourism industry not only strives to create attractive events, but also focuses on building in-depth experiences, with identity as the foundation, the emotions of tourists as the core value, and sustainable development as the long-term goal," Mr. Vuong emphasized.
Regarding destination development, Mr. Le Dinh Nam believes that events are the "catalyst" that helps increase the value of a destination. A beautiful beach will be more attractive when connected with unique festivals, international sporting events, quality art programs, or large-scale MICE events.
“These activities need to be developed as a long-term strategy, with linkages between accommodation businesses, travel agencies, event organizers, and support services to form a unified experiential ecosystem. In addition, maintaining branded events will create more reasons for tourists to extend their stay, return, and contribute to enhancing the competitiveness of the destination,” Mr. Nam said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Phan Minh Hai argued that the most important requirement today is maintaining a balance between exploitation and conservation. The exploitation of marine space must both meet the increasingly diverse needs of locals and tourists and ensure sustainable development. The attractiveness of a beach comes not only from its natural landscape, but also from the combination of quality services, spatial organization, and unique experiential activities.
The city prioritizes the development of coastal spaces in an open manner, creating more seaside parks, walkways, and community activities for residents and tourists to access. This direction aims to build beaches that are not only beautiful in scenery but also "breathe life," where residents still feel the sea belongs to them and tourists can experience the authenticity and intimacy of a livable coastal city.
“The sea is a finite resource, but its value extends beyond its natural landscape. Preserving the environment, public spaces, and local identity is the foundation for fostering new experiences, making the sea a brand for the destination and a sustainable competitive advantage for Da Nang,” Mr. Hai emphasized.