Da Nang markets itself as a green, livable city, and it has a beach and a forested mountain to back that up. What it has been short of is ordinary parks: big, shady, free spaces where a family can spend an afternoon without buying anything. That isn't an outsider's complaint. The city's own officials have said it.

Last verified: October 11, 2026. Park works and opening hours change. Check before you plan a day around one.

The numbers behind the complaint

In January 2023, VnExpress reported that Da Nang had 2.64 square meters of public green space, including parks and flower gardens, per resident. Its development plan for 2021–2030 aimed to add 2.36 square meters per person by 2025. We didn't find a published figure showing whether that target was met.

The same report found the city's best-known parks in poor shape. 29/3 Park, at more than 20 hectares, had closed amusement areas. APEC Park was described as just 9,000 square meters, too small for big crowds. A planned 139-hectare cultural and historical park at Ngũ Hành Sơn hadn't been built.

The quotes were blunt. Huỳnh Văn Hùng, a former director of the city's culture department, said the city "does not yet have a park befitting a Class I urban area" (translated from Vietnamese). Phùng Phú Phong, then director of the Department of Construction, said a single park needs 700 billion to 1 trillion dong, and the city lacked the money.

The big rebuild: 29/3 Park

Money has since been found for one of them. The city broke ground on the renovation of 29/3 Park in Thanh Khê in March 2025, Saigon Giai Phong reported. The project covers about 19 hectares and costs nearly 673 billion dong from the city budget. Its centerpiece is the "Peace Ring," a design by Singapore's StudioMilou Architecture that won first prize in a 2019 competition. The plan also included a new gate on Nguyễn Tri Phương Street, landscaping, drainage and dredging of the lake.

The schedule gave it 540 days, from March 29, 2025, to September 30, 2026. That deadline has now passed, and we haven't been able to confirm whether the work is finished or which parts are open. If you know, tell us.

APEC Park, on the river

West of the Dragon Bridge on the Han River, APEC Park was built for the 2017 APEC summit. In October 2020, the city broke ground on an 8,668-square-meter expansion, with lawns, gardens, a lake with waterfalls and fountains, and a wide arched structure at its center, VTV reported. It's a good place for an evening walk, and it puts you near the Dragon Bridge's weekend show.

The parks that aren't called parks

In practice, a lot of Da Nang's public space is linear:

  • The Han River promenades. Both banks have long walkways. Read our Han River guide.
  • The beachfront. The coast road along the city beach has walking paths. Early morning and evening are the time to go. See our beach guide.
  • Son Tra. The peninsula's routes reopened in September 2025, with walking-only sections, including the path from Bãi Bắc to the heritage banyan tree, Báo Văn Hóa reported. Our Son Tra guide has the rules and hours.

Where to take the kids

For families, the shortage of big parks means planning. The beach, inside the lifeguard zones, is the city's largest free playground. Ticketed options and museums are listed in our family guide.

Why it matters

Parks are where a city shows who it's for. A resort can sell you a pool, and a café can rent you a seat. But the residents of the wards behind the beach need shade they don't pay for. The rebuild of 29/3 Park is the test of whether the money now arriving for public space reaches them.

Sources

This story was compiled by the Da Nang Voice news desk from the published sources listed above. Facts, figures and quotes are attributed to those sources; Da Nang Voice did not conduct interviews for it unless the text says so. Corrections are dated and noted at the top of the story. Read our corrections policy. Spotted an error? Tell us.