Moving to Da Nang

Many passports get a visa-free stay on arrival — for example 45 days for Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, the Nordic countries, Japan and South Korea. Other nationalities get shorter stays or none.

Staying longer? Most newcomers use Vietnam’s e-visa: up to 90 days, single or multiple entry, applied for online and usually ready within a few working days.

Apply only on the official government portal, evisa.gov.vn. Lookalike sites charge several times the official fee. Rules change now and then, so check the portal before you book.

You’ll want mobile data from the minute you land — for Grab, maps and messaging landlords.

• eSIM: install it at home, switch it on when you land. No queue, no paperwork.
• Local SIM: Viettel, Vinaphone and Mobifone sell tourist SIMs at the airport; you register with your passport. Cheaper if you stay for months.
• Install Zalo as well as WhatsApp — most Vietnamese landlords and agents use Zalo.

Da Nang has good private hospitals and international clinics, but treatment is often paid upfront and adds up fast without insurance.

• Many travel insurance policies only cover trips of a few weeks. Check yours before you sign a six-month lease.
• Nomad health insurance runs month by month and can be bought when you’re already abroad.
• Riding a motorbike? Most policies only pay for accidents if you hold a valid license for it.

Rent, deposits and daily life run on Vietnamese dong (VND). Rent is usually paid in cash or by bank transfer to the landlord.

• ATMs usually charge a fee per withdrawal — take out larger amounts less often.
• Paying by transfer? A multi-currency account can send VND straight to a Vietnamese bank account at the mid-market rate plus a small fee.
• Get a receipt for every deposit and rent payment — a signed note is enough.

Don’t sign a lease from abroad based on photos alone. Book a few nights near the area you like, view apartments in person and move once you’ve found the right one. Most landlords can show a place within a day or two.

Shortlist apartments here before you fly and message the landlords on WhatsApp or Zalo — then you can view several in your first days.

Da Nang is compact: most areas are 10–15 minutes apart. The real choice is beach life or city life — and how much quiet you want.

What rent costs

Typical monthly asking prices of the 500 apartments currently on DanangFlats: the big number is the median, “mostly” the middle half of all prices. Longer stays are often cheaper.

The areas

• Deposit: usually one month’s rent, paid together with the first month. Agree in writing when and how you get it back.
• Length: many places rent month by month; for three to six months you can often negotiate a lower price.
• What’s included: electricity is often charged per kWh on top of the rent — air-con makes it the biggest extra. Ask about water, Wi-Fi, cleaning and laundry too.
• Before you pay: run a Wi-Fi speed test, try the air-con and the water pressure, look for mould and ask about construction or karaoke nearby.
• Registration: your landlord has to register you with the local police and will ask for your passport. That’s normal — make sure it happens.

On DanangFlats you contact landlords and agents directly, with no booking fees. Browse apartments

• Grab and Xanh SM (electric taxis and bike taxis) are cheap and everywhere — the easiest way to get around at first.
• Monthly motorbike rentals are easy to find. To ride legally you need a license that is valid in Vietnam — an international driving permit isn’t accepted from every country.
• From An Thuong to the city center takes about 10 minutes, to Hoi An about 45.

The dry, sunny season runs roughly from February to August, with June to August the hottest months. September to December is the rainy season — the heaviest rain and the occasional storm come in October and November.