Hi Guys
Just had my login details approved, i've been following this thread for a while waiting to contribute as have been living in Danang for around 6 weeks now and can give you the lowdown.
So a little about me.
I'm in my early thirties, well travelled and recently left a good job in the UK to take some time out and pursue other interests abroad. I hit up China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Indonesia before setting foot in Vietnam with a view to settling down here for a couple of months.
I initially spent a few weeks in Saigon but found it a little too hot and sticky for my taste so settled on Danang as a good alternative. It's really wet here now and fairly cold by Vietnam standards, but the weather tends to improve around January and gets really hot toward September.
Danang is a friendly place, it's growing rapidly and the tourism industry is booming. There are lots of high end hotels here with many more currently being built at a rapid rate. There is lots of opportunity here; if you have any experience in the hotel industry you'd no doubt walk into a job as there's a shortage of Western managers. There's also good opportunities here for setting up bars/restaurants etc and the locals tell me these can be wholly owned by a foreigner now, although im yet to confirm this.
The nightlife is decent but nothing like you'll get in Saigon. I've hit up most of the bars here now and there's a good mix of expats, tourists and locals-although i tend to stay away from the expat haunts. If you're looking for thumping nightlife this is not the place, but the bar scene is decent most nights of the week especially at the weekends.
I would describe the food as 'ok.' There are two main supermarkets here which you'll need a motorbike to get to, but the choices are a little limited and im finding eating healthy and getting consistent levels of protein in a challenge. Luckily i've started dating a local girls who sells protein at the gym, although it's still hugely overpriced at around $70 a tub
The cost of living here is low but apartment prices are rising all the time due to an influx of foreigners. You can still get a nice one bed place for around $500 month but you'll have to sign up for at least six months, preferably 12 for the best rates, so a big commitment. Again the best advice is to make friends with some locals as two tier pricing here is rampant.
There are around 20 language schools here now so English teaching work is readily available although it's typical to work a few hours in different schools as full time posts are rare. Like most of Asia a white face, TEFL and degree is all that's required. I've met quite a few teachers now that have been here for a few years and really enjoy the city.
If you're location independent and looking for a place to chill out for a while i can highly recommend it here. As a long term place to stay im not sure if there's quite enough here compared to Saigon/Bangkok/Chiang Mai etc and these may ultimately be better bets.
So there you have it, a very quick overview of Danang-any questions fire away, and if anyone's in town drop me a message and we'll go for a beer or two.
Cheers