Da Nang wants travellers to look beyond its famous beaches and the Golden Bridge. Vietnam's central coastal city has rolled out a plan to turn its southern districts into a second tourism hub, spreading visitors away from the busy city centre and giving rural communities a real stake in the industry.

A recent "Touching Nature" programme, held along the Trường Giang River in Quảng Phú Ward, marked the shift. Six travel companies are already working on 25 tour programmes for the area, and the city's Plan No. 499 names seven priority localities — Tam Kỳ, Quảng Phú, Hương Trà and Bàn Thạch wards, plus Tam Xuân, Tam Hải and Phú Ninh communes. By 2030, officials want at least seven sites operating with signature products, 12-15 new tours and 20-30 community homestays, farmstays and agritourism stays. The target: 1.5-2 million visitors a year, staying one to two nights, with 18-20% annual growth.

The numbers so far show the interest is real. In the first nine months of 2026, the Monument to Vietnamese Heroic Mothers drew 90,000 visitors, the island commune of Tam Hải got 42,000, Lộc Yên village 35,000, Phú Ninh Lake nearly 14,500 and the Tăk Pổ area around 7,200 overnight guests.

What's on offer? Tam Hải combines island scenery with quirky heritage — a whale cemetery, two Champa-era ancient wells and a nationally recognised coastal landscape at Bàn Than. Phú Ninh Lake has water-based activities and places to stay; Sông Đầm is good for boating and birdwatching; Hương Trà is all rural landscapes and food; Tam Xuân holds Cham-era heritage; and Quảng Phú and Bàn Thạch lean on revolutionary-history sites. Planned tour themes range from ecotourism and biodiversity trips to Ngọc Linh Peak to agricultural experiences and heritage routes.

The logic is straightforward: central Da Nang already owns beach resorts, MICE travel and international hotels, while Hội An handles heritage and old-town charm. The south can slot in as the slow-travel piece — fishing villages, rivers, rice fields, unspoilt coastline and community experiences — all within short distances of each other. For travellers, that means you could realistically pair a city break with a night or two in a homestay by a lake or a fishing island, all within an hour or two's drive.

If it works, southern Da Nang becomes more than an overflow valve for crowded spots — it becomes a reason to stay longer. Early birds get the bonus of visiting before the tour buses arrive.