Da Nang is fast becoming one of the premier digital nomad destinations in the world. With its huge strip of beach, vibrant city life, and very affordable cost of living, it’s hard to see why more digital nomads haven’t flocked to this sunny Vietnamese beach side city.
I spent a few weeks in Da Nang while waiting to get suits made (this is also the premier bespoke tailoring spot in Southeast Asia). Thankfully, there’s plenty to do in Da Nang including amazing cafes to work from.
Da Nang was a part of my wider Vietnam itinerary where I went from Hanoi all the way south to Phu Quoc. Da Nang is also located next to ultra popular Hoi An so make sure to visit this cute colonial town while you’re here!
Da Nang Cafe Culture
The Vietnamese are crazy about their coffee. They are one of the largest coffee growing regions in the world and you’ll see cafes on every corner of the street. Locals and foreigners alike that call Da Nang home are constantly getting the coffee buzz on.
Western style cafes with brunch food are all over the city. In recent years, as the digital nomad boom took off, everyone tried to get in on the Aussie style cafe craze and now there are countless cafe options in the city.
While the quality of the food here cannot compare to the cafes in Bali, they are still plenty good. In addition, the food in Vietnam is so delicious that I found myself mostly eating locally and using the cafes for just coffee and work.
As Da Nang is a proper city, the cafes here aren’t as large as other digital nomad destinations I’ve been to. However, because there are so many cafes, they are never full.
Keep in mind the list of cafes here might change given how rapid the growth in Da Nang is. New cafes will open and some existing cafes are surely to close.
What are the prices of coffee and brunch in Da Nang?
Da Nang is known to be an affordable destination, especially when it comes to food and drinks. It’s probably one of the cheapest places to live in Southeast Asia with plenty of YouTubers and bloggers boasting about living in this city for under $1,000 a month. Of course each cafe will have a different price structure but you can expect to pay roughly the following:
- Espresso: VND 35-45k
- Cappuccino: VND 45-60k
- Flat White with oat milk: VND 60-90k
- Smoothie Bowl: VND 100- 150k
- Omelet: VND 80 – 120k
- Pancakes or waffles: VND 150k
My criteria for a good cafe to work from
Like I’ve mentioned already, there are many cafes and restaurants in Da Nang that are amazing and where I could definitely see myself working from. Da Nang, while not as abundantly populated with amazing work cafes as say Canggu in Bali, has more than enough options to keep you busy. Nevertheless, criteria have to be created and these are the things I’m looking for when it comes to the best working cafes in Da Nang.
I don’t take cost into consideration because most of the cafes in Da Nang charge the same prices as they are more geared towards foreigners. Expect to pay about VND 40-50k for an Americano and VND 45-60k for a cappuccino. Brunch/breakfast items will cost between VND 80k to 150k depending on the restaurant and item. I spend quite a bit at cafes in my day to day life but overall costs of living are still quite low in Da Nang.
Size and openness
Like I said above, every restaurant and cafe in looks like a place you can spend extended time in to work from. Everything is inviting in Da Nang so it’s hard to really pick the best option! For the purpose of this post, I will focus on cafes that are larger in size. The larger it is, the more likely it is that you can find a space to work from without feeling like you are taking business away from other customers.
I just work better in large open spaces; think high ceilings and bright light. Many of the cafes in cafes in Da Nang are open air with plenty of outdoor seating but in the hotter months, you’ll want to stay inside for the air condition.
Da Nang cafes are also extremely chilled out. They run on very little staff compared to the cafes in Bali which means you don’t even need to order anything and no one will bother you. Of course, don’t be that douchebag working in a cafe without buying something. Support the local businesses after all!
Wifi Speeds
For digital nomads, this is an obvious must. Don’t worry, everyone and their mothers have WIFI in Da Nang so you can expect great WIFI to work from. WIFI speeds are generally quite good and unless you are doing serious media content where you are moving gigabytes of data around, the WIFI here will more than suffice.
If the WIFI speeds are not to snuff for you, you could always just hotspot from your phone. With how cheap data plans are in Vietnam, you won’t be hurting the bank with sharing data. For reference, I pay about VND 100k for 50 GB of data.
Crowdedness
The perfect place to work means there are people that visit the cafe because you don’t want a ghost town but also a place that isn’t too hot. If it is too busy, you can’t really concentrate on your work and it will be a nightmare if you actually need to take Zoom calls. This picks up on my previous point about size and openness of the cafe because it is nice to just have your own little space.
Most of the cafes don’t get too crowded so this isn’t an issue but it also depends on the time of year you’re visiting Da Nang. In peak summer months, you can expect many of the cafes to fill up more than during the rainy season let’s say.
Another issue is noise. Most of the cafes play some sort of background music for ambiance purposes and you can’t fault them for that. If you need to take calls in a quiet area, this could be an issue. It’s impossible to rate noisiness and background music because this is so variable depending on the time of day and what that specific cafe is deciding on that day.
Availability of power plugs
While there are countless beautiful cafes all over Da Nang, you need to have an abundance of power plugs to make it a good workspace. Most cafes look like they would be perfect work spaces until you sit down, have a coffee, and realize you have no power plugs to keep you going.
Most of the cafes in Da Nang are well equipped with power plugs all over the cafe. The city knows what they’re doing trying to attract the digital nomads and the cafe owners have made sure to equip their cafes accordingly.
Availability of Water
This is not a hard requirement for me but a nice to have, especially if you’re in a country where the tap water is not safe to drink. Having water available for a long day of work is imperative for me and while I’m okay just buying bottled water, it’s hard to beat up free water.
In Da Nang, every cafe I went to provided free unlimited water that you could refill at any time. I really liked having this as it allowed me to stay hydrated in the super hot summer weather (40C+).
XLIII Coffee
XLIII Coffee is a beautiful cafe that specializes in roasting its own beans. They source coffee beans from around the world and roast it in house for you to enjoy.
Their indoor space is beautiful with high ceilings, beautiful decor, and plenty of room to get work done. It’s probably one of the most visually appealing cafes in all of Da Nang. They do not have much food to speak of however, so make sure to get your brunch fix on elsewhere.
Location: 422 Đ. Ng. Thì Sĩ, Bắc Mỹ An, Ngũ Hành Sơn, Đà Nẵng 550000
Noise Level: Quiet
Hours of Operation:
| Tuesday | 6:30am–10:30pm |
| Wednesday | 6:30am–10:30pm |
| Thursday | 6:30am–10:30pm |
| Friday | 6:30am–10:30pm |
| Saturday | 6:30am–10:30pm |
| Sunday | 6:30am–10:30pm |
| Monday | 6:30am–10:30pm |
Local Beans Cafe
Local Beans Cafe is another one of my go to cafes to work from in Da Nang. This multi level cafe brews amazing coffee onsite at all times of the day.
The 2nd floor of this cafe is and outdoor covered cafe that somehow keeps cool in the scorching Da Nang heat. It was one of the only places I could survive working in an open air environment with a fan. The third floor is a real co-working space with AC, meeting rooms, and proper tables. You’ll need to pay about 50k VND for 3h or so worth of usage.
However, I actually preferred the 2nd floor public area. It was plenty spacious, mostly quiet in the back (away from the main street), with a plenty inviting space.
Six on Six
Six on Six is a classic cafe with a welcoming interior, plenty of space/tables, and fast wifi. They also have an outdoor garden area so you have the option of sitting indoor and outdoor. The outdoor area even has a children’s playground which makes it perfect for parents that want their kids to be occupied but also to get work done at the same time.
They also serve a comprehensive breakfast and lunch menu along with great coffee.
Location: 64 Bà Huyện Thanh Quan, Bắc Mỹ An, Ngũ Hành Sơn, Đà Nẵng 550000
Noise Level: Quiet
Hours of Operation:
| Tuesday | 7:30am–9:30pm |
| Wednesday | 7:30am–9:30pm |
| Thursday | 7:30am–9:30pm |
| Friday | 7:30am–9:30pm |
| Saturday | 7:30am–9:30pm |
| Sunday | 7:30am–9:30pm |
| Monday | 7:30am–9:30pm |
Gears Coffee and Souvenirs
Another great cafe in Da Nang is Gears Coffee and Souvenirs. This little cafe has a great upstairs area that is perfect for doing work. There is an outdoor space that faces the street with plenty of seating as well as a small inside area away from the heat.
I had a coconut coffee here which was delicious and something you can only find in Vietnam. While the indoor area is not really fit for taking Zoom calls (too small), the outdoor space will work as it is not a super loud street.
Location: 161 Hồ Nghinh, Phước Mỹ, Sơn Trà, Đà Nẵng 590000
Noise Level: Quiet
Hours of Operation:
| Tuesday | 6am–11pm |
| Wednesday | 6am–11pm |
| Thursday | 6am–11pm |
| Friday | 6am–11pm |
| Saturday | 6am–11pm |
| Sunday | 6am–11pm |
| Monday | 6am–11pm |
Roots Coffee
Without a doubt, Roots Coffee seems to be the ultimate digital nomad hotspot. The few times I’ve come to this cafe, it was packed with laptops and people working.
The cafe is multi story with an enclosed 1st level full of people working, and…