Place · Mỹ Khê beach and An Thượng

Mân Thái fishing beach (basket boats at dawn)Bãi biển Mân Thái

The working end of the city beach: round basket boats come in and the catch is sold on the sand around sunrise. Go 05:00–06:30 for 30–45 minutes, stand back from the trading, and ask before close-up photos; after 08:00 there is little to see.

go at hour · 05:00–06:30gate: n/aNot field-verified

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Key facts

Time on site: 30–45 min; p95 70 min
Price: Free
Hours: unknown; see note below
Best time: 05:00–06:30; quietest window
28″ bags: Yes; Mỹ Khê beach and An Thượng: ok
Getting there: Beach road (Hoàng Sa) at the Mân Thái section, north of Phạm Văn Đồng beach (check the access lane)

Basket boats at sunrise
A working beach
Before 06:30
Go 05:00–06:30
Free entry
Works with kids
Hard in a wheelchair

Highlights come from Voykit's own data and desk notes, not from reviews. Hover a tag to see its source.

Rules in force · 8Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore…At Mỹ Khê and the other city beaches, a red flag or an em…

Southeast Asia ↗Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar; never carry a bag or parcel for anyone.
Southeast Asia ↗Carry a passport valid for at least six months from entry with two blank pages; airlines refuse boarding on less.
Vietnam ↗Apply for the e-visa only on the official government portal; lookalike sites charge extra.
Vietnam ↗Crossing streets: walk slowly and steadily; motorbikes flow around you — do not stop or run.
Vietnam ↗Carry Vietnamese đồng in small notes; many stalls and taxis are cash-only.
Central Coast ↗September–December is typhoon and flood season on this coast: build a spare day into any plan and check the storm forecast before booking boats, passes or beach nights.
Da Nang ↗At Mỹ Khê and the other city beaches, a red flag or an empty lifeguard post means no swimming; rip currents peak from September to January.
Da Nang ↗From September to December keep one spare day in any central-coast plan: storms close beaches, the Hải Vân Pass and some flights at short notice.

Actions

Hours unknown

Map & directions

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Directions

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Plan

What to know before you go, how long it takes, when to be there

Weather here, next 7 days

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Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Time on site

minutes

Minimum

20min

Worthwhile

30min

Typical

45min

p95

70min

Open beach; the catch arrives around first light and trading is over by about 07:30 (desk estimate, varies with sea and season).

What to see, in order

Basket boats (thúng chai)

Round woven boats, sealed with resin, paddled or pulled in through the surf; dozens rest on the sand.

The dawn catch

Fish, squid and crabs sorted and sold straight off the boats to restaurants and home cooks.

Sunrise over the sea

Sơn Trà peninsula to the north, the beach strip running south.

How to do it well

1Take a car from the hotel at about 05:00; sunrise is earliest (about 05:15) in June and latest (about 06:15) in January (check the day).
2Walk the sand slowly and watch from a few metres back; buyers and boats move fast.
3Buy nothing unless you have a kitchen; restaurants on the beach road will cook seafood you choose from their own tanks.
4Combine with Linh Ứng Pagoda on Sơn Trà, which opens early, before the heat.

Facilities

toilets: None on the sand; cafés on the beach road.
tickets: Free.
shade: None: it is a dawn visit.

On the ground

Getting in, crowds, and where to go if it does not work

Getting in

Stop: Beach road (Hoàng Sa) at the Mân Thái section, north of Phạm Văn Đồng beach (check the access lane)
Exit: —
Ticket: free · official site
Stairs: beach: Steps or a ramp down to the sand at the access lanes
Shoes: Sandals you do not mind getting wet and fishy.

Crowds and switching

Crowd clock: Fishermen and buyers 05:00–07:00; photographers on weekends; empty by mid-morning.
Sensory load: 2/5
Exposure: high

Bailouts

heat
Seafood restaurants and cafés on the beach road (check which open early)
rain
Café on the beach road

Nearest rescue anchor: A — Beach access by Phạm Văn Đồng (lifeguard post, showers)

Combine in the same cluster

Linh Ứng Pagoda (car 15 min up the peninsula)
Swim at Mỹ Khê (car 10 min south)

Red lines

This is a workplace: keep out of the way of boats being hauled up and of the buying and selling.
Ask before photographing people close up; some fishermen and sellers do not want it.
Do not swim among the boats or when the sea is rough.

More on the groundPrices · Closures · Rules on site · Access and kids · Next door5 parts

Tickets and prices

2026 estimate · check the posted board

Ticket	Price	Note
Entry	Free	—
Car from the Mỹ Khê hotels	₫40,000–80,000 (≈ US$2–4) each way (2026 estimate)	—

Closed days and closures

When	Status	What it means for you
Storms and rough sea	check before you go	Boats stay out of the water in bad weather, mostly Sep–Dec: no catch, nothing to see.
Around Tết	check before you go	Fewer boats go out in the holiday days.

“Check” means the date moves year to year or is not published far ahead: confirm on the official page for your date.

Rules on site

enforced at the gate or by guards

photos: Ask first; drones are a nuisance here.
sand: Stay off nets laid out to dry.

Access and kids

wheelchair: poorstroller: poorkids: ok

with kids: Children like the boats and the fish; hold hands near the surf and the boat haul-outs.

Next door, in walking order

+3′Beach road seafood restaurants — Most open for lunch and dinner, not dawn (check).
+30′Mỹ Khê Beach — Or a 10-minute car.
+90′Linh Ứng Pagoda — Car 15 minutes up the peninsula road.

Deep dive

Questions, what is nearby, photos and sources

Questions and answers

answered by Voykit editors · dated

Can I ride in a basket boat here?

Not as a tourist activity; this is a working beach. Basket-boat rides for visitors are sold at Cẩm Thanh near Hội An.

Checked 2026-09-29 · Voykit desk

Is it worth getting up for?

If you like photography or markets, yes: 30–45 minutes, then a swim or breakfast. If not, the beach road at sunrise shows you the boats from a distance.

Checked 2026-09-29 · Voykit desk

Answers come from Voykit editors, not from other travellers.

Nearby

Straight-line distance; walk time adds 30% for streets.

Sources

officialDa Nang tourism portal
secondaryWikivoyage — Da Nang