A return visit to Da Nang city today, to see what we missed on the walking tour yesterday, before moving on to our early evening cruise on the Han River.

The waterfront was a real pleasure to walk along, helped by the addition of Apec Park. It’s a popular spot for art enthusiasts, and frequently hosts exhibitions showcasing paintings and photographs from the region. The park sits over two levels, with beautiful flowers adorning the paths.

The park is used as an entertainment venue, with lots of space for community activities, new and beautiful design, and most importantly no admission fee. There were food trucks close by, all of which are clean and orderly, and there is a real sense of national pride. The area came alive in the evening when the streetlights on the sidewalks leading down to the marina were all lit up.

The design of the Apec Park reminds us of a similar structure we visited in Seville, Spain a few years back which also sat beneath a honeycomb shell like structure.

It’s quite the spot for tourists to stop and take photos and we spotted a father and son with traditional headdress waiting for their roll call to have their picture – so we got in there first!

Despite the rising temperature, there was a pleasant breeze from the river so we decided to walk down to where the river cruise start out so we knew where we’d be meeting later on.

The area was redeveloped about 10yrs ago and has transformed the waterfront, especially in the evening when the place is fully illuminated.

After walking for a couple of hours and getting our 10,000 steps in, we took a break at one of the cafes near the river and ordered our favourite Vietnamese Strawberry smoothie.

Post our late afternoon refreshment, we enjoyed a wander along the Northern end of the river front past Song Han bridge where the fireworks festival is currently being held.

As early evening approached we took a Grab to the marina and boarded our cruise for the hour long trip up and down the Han River.

We were pleasantly surprised to witness the spectacular nightly light shows that appear on the bridges and buildings on either side of the water.

There was a procession of boats up and down the river all lit up in the most spectacular coloured lights. Alongside this some of the larger buildings had ever changing images, notably the Vietnamese flag and messages of peace & happiness.

The Vietnamese do love a light show and Da Nang has taken it to a whole new level making the night cruise an extra special experience.

We passed under the Dragon and Song Han bridges which were both fully illuminated in the colours of the Vietnamese flag.

It was wonderful to see Da Nang this evening from the river. It really came alive in the illuminated night’s sky.

As tomorrow is our last day in Da Nang we plan to have a relaxing day at the beach.

On Friday we take a short taxi drive down to the beautiful town of Hoi An, about 45mins away, for a return visit after our brief stay a month or so back.