Đà Nẵng, the central Vietnamese beach city better known for its golden sands and the Marble Mountains, is making sustainability the centre of its tourism pitch. Local officials want environmental standards to become a selling point rather than a chore, and they are backing that up with concrete measures aimed at turning the city into an internationally recognised green destination.
The city has just rolled out its Green Stay criteria for hotels and other accommodation, encouraging operators to cut energy use, manage resources carefully and reduce waste. With more than 2,400 accommodation providers and around 67,000 rooms, the potential impact is significant — and officials see green hotels as the first domino for cleaner practices across the whole service chain, from tour operators to transport.
On the ground, change is already visible. Plastic decorations and gifts at tourism businesses are being swapped for bamboo and rattan. Waste sorting is being introduced at service establishments, and regular clean-ups target hotspots like the Sơn Trà Peninsula, the Chàm Islands and the city beaches, including underwater collections to protect coral reefs. Community campaigns such as "Clean Up Sơn Trà" and waste-for-plants exchanges have helped pull residents and businesses into the effort.
Tourism companies are also building nature-based experiences: sea-linked cruises and speedboat trips around Sơn Trà, plus initiatives like Go Green Đà Nẵng pushing low-impact transport and greener urban habits. Beyond the city itself, the wider province — expanded after a recent administrative merger — now spans beaches, craft villages, mountains and heritage sites, with community tourism, ecotourism and local cuisine being developed in places like Tam Kỳ and Phù Ninh.
The bigger picture: Đà Nẵng is one of Vietnam's three main tourism growth engines, and a recent national resolution sets out a vision of tourism built on quality, smart services and green development. Tourism authority officials have urged the city to manage carrying capacity at ecologically sensitive spots — Sơn Trà, the Chàm Islands, and heritage sites like Hội An and Mỹ Sơn — rather than chasing raw visitor numbers. There's talk of blue carbon credits, upgraded waste and wastewater infrastructure, digital environmental monitoring and energy audits at big coastal hotels, plus rewards for businesses chasing net-zero.
For travellers, this matters in practical ways. Expect more eco-certified places to stay, low-plastic experiences, and a growing menu of community-run and rural tourism options west of the city — a chance to see a more local side of central Vietnam while your tourist dollars support greener practice. If you care about where you sleep and how you travel, Đà Nẵng is quietly becoming one of Southeast Asia's more thoughtful beach-and-culture destinations.
Story via Vietnam News Life.
