My Khe Beach (biển Mỹ Khê), in front of Da Nang's seafront hotels, can look calm on a July morning and very different on a windy afternoon in November. Before you go in, it helps to know when the lifeguards are watching, where they watch and what to do if the sea turns rough.
When and where to swim at My Khe Beach
Go in only where lifeguards are on duty. From October 1, 2026 to March 14, 2027, lifeguards at My Khe Beach are on duty from 5:00 am to 6:30 pm.
The beach runs along Vo Nguyen Giap and Truong Sa streets, about 3–5 km (2–3 miles) from the city center, or a 5–10 minute ride. Swim inside the buoy lines or between the red-and-yellow flags, which mark where swimming is allowed, and get out of the water when the lifeguards announce the end of their shift. The lifeguards wear yellow and red uniforms.
Lifeguard hours by season
Plan your swim around the season. The table shows the hours given by the Son Tra Peninsula and Da Nang Tourist Beaches Management Board, which runs the city's tourist beaches.
| Season | Lifeguard hours |
|---|---|
| Summer (March 15–September 30 in 2025) | 4:30 am–7:00 pm (2025 and 2026) |
| Winter, or low season (October 1, 2026–March 14, 2027) | 5:00 am–6:30 pm without a break; the board lists 5:00–7:30 am and 3:00–6:30 pm as its peak hours |
| Night swimming (summer 2026) | 7:00–10:00 pm at two beaches: north of East Sea Park and My An (Mỹ An) |
From October 1, lifeguards go off duty at 6:30 pm, and the board asks swimmers to leave the water when the shift ends, so do not go in after 6:30 pm in this season. The two night-swimming beaches were part of the summer 2026 arrangements; the board's October 2026 advice, as reported by Van Hoa newspaper, does not mention them.
Summer brings more lifeguards: in the 2026 summer peak, with the full lifeguard force on duty, each team at the central beaches covered about 500 m of shore.
Safety note: Always follow the lifeguards' instructions, especially where the waves are big or rip currents form. Do not swim where there are no-swimming signs, in danger areas or in rip currents, and do not swim far from shore or past the safe area the lifeguards mark. Stay out of the water in bad weather or while a danger warning from the authorities is in place. The board says children must wear a life jacket when they swim and always have an adult with them. If you see someone in trouble or need urgent help, tell the nearest lifeguard or call the board's hotline, 0236 2218 878 (+84 236 2218 878 from a foreign phone).
Waves, rip currents and closures
Take more care from September to March. Da Nang's city government says big waves usually come from September to March, and Lonely Planet warns that the water at My Khe can have a dangerous undertow, especially in winter.
The beach can close. On November 6, 2025, the board stopped swimming and water sports from 1:00 pm until further notice because of a storm, and visitors were back on the beach on the afternoon of November 9. See the best time to visit Da Nang for rain and storms by month.
Which stretch is My Khe
Know which part of the coast people mean. Da Nang's tourism portal has described My Khe in two ways: in 2024 as a 900 m stretch beside the Hoang Sa–Vo Nguyen Giap road, and in 2026 as the beach along Vo Nguyen Giap and Truong Sa streets. Several travel guides use the name for 8–10 km of sand.
The tourism portal places My Khe in An Hai ward (phường An Hải), one of the wards Da Nang has used since July 1, 2025. Older guides that give Son Tra district or Phuoc My ward are out of date; see Da Nang's districts and wards to look up an old address. Do not confuse it with the My Khe beach near Quang Ngai. For hotels near the sand, see where to stay in Da Nang.
Surfing, paddleboarding and early mornings
Come between late September and March if you want to surf. Da Nang's city newspaper names this as the best time to surf in Da Nang and lists My Khe among the spots. In 2025, it said a basic lesson usually lasts 90–120 minutes and costs 800,000–1,000,000 VND (about US$31–39) per hour, depending on group size and the type of service. Ask whether a quote is per person. Those are also the months of bigger waves, described above.
The city's 2025 plan for water sports splits the shore along Hoang Sa, Vo Nguyen Giap and Truong Sa streets into four zones. Non-motorized craft such as surfboards, kitesurfing and windsurfing boards, stand-up paddleboards and kayaks are allowed, but in two of the four zones motorized craft are for rescue use only, so check where a jet ski operator is based before you book.
Go early for the sunrise. Da Nang's tourism portal calls the early morning, when the sun rises from the sea, the ideal time at My Khe for a walk, a run or a swim. Wait until the lifeguards are on duty before you go in. If you are up early, Man Thai beach (biển Mân Thái) has a fish market every morning, held on the sand beside the fishermen's basket boats.
Events on the beach
Check for beach events before you book. Da Nang has opened its beach tourism season every year since 2014; in 2026 the program ran from April 25 to May 3, opening at East Sea Park (Công viên Biển Đông). In 2026, the Enjoy Danang festival also ran along My Khe from July 22 to 26, and its program for July 24–26 included a show of nearly 500 lit kites on the beach north of East Sea Park.
Dates for 2027 had not been announced as of October 2, 2026. See things to do in Da Nang for more in the city.
Showers, toilets and awards
Expect showers, toilets and paid parking along the beach road. In 2019, the board listed 10 freshwater shower areas and 16 public toilets along Da Nang's beaches, and a tourism portal page last updated in 2023 says prices for parking, lockers and freshwater showers are posted at the beaches.
My Khe ranked sixth among Asia's beaches in Tripadvisor's 2024 Travelers' Choice Best of the Best awards, and it is one of the 10 beaches on Lonely Planet's list of the best beaches in Vietnam (updated June 16, 2026).
Before you go in, save the board's hotline, 0236 2218 878, and check the lifeguard hours for the season. For medical care, see hospitals in Da Nang.
Sources and how we checked
We started from the board that runs Da Nang's tourist beaches and the city's tourism portal and government site, and added dated news reports for this season's lifeguard hours, closures, surfing and events, checking them on October 1–2, 2026. Sources disagree on how long My Khe is, so we give both the portal's figure and the guides' range. US dollar amounts use Vietcombank's transfer rate of 25,800 VND per US$ on October 1, 2026, rounded to the nearest cent below US$1, US$0.5 up to US$100, US$1 up to US$10,000 and US$1,000 above that.
- Son Tra Peninsula and Da Nang Tourist Beaches Management Board (in Vietnamese): website and hotline (checked October 2, 2026); freshwater showers and parking and public toilets (April 21, 2019).
- Danang Fantasticity, the city's official tourism portal, run by the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Center: My Khe Beach (April 16, 2026, in Vietnamese); My Khe among Asia's top beaches (April 2, 2024); Danang beaches (updated July 20, 2023); mornings at My Khe (July 13, 2026); Enjoy Danang festival (July 21, 2026).
- Van Hoa newspaper (in Vietnamese): winter lifeguard hours and safety advice (October 2, 2026); summer lifeguard hours and night swimming (April 30, 2026); lifeguard hours by season and uniforms (May 18, 2025); swimming stopped before a storm (November 6, 2025); visitors back on My Khe (November 10, 2025); 2026 beach season opening (April 25, 2026).
- Other news reports (in Vietnamese unless noted): Nong Nghiep va Moi Truong, lifeguard teams (May 11, 2026); Da Nang newspaper, learning to surf in Da Nang (July 13, 2025); Xay Dung, water sports allowed under the city's plan (May 21, 2025); Tuoi Tre, Man Thai fish market (July 24, 2026); VietnamPlus, Tripadvisor 2024 ranking (April 10, 2024, in English).
- Da Nang city government, impacts of natural disasters and climate change (May 4, 2026, in Vietnamese).
- Lonely Planet, 10 best beaches in Vietnam (updated June 16, 2026).
- Travel guides for the beach's length: Kupi (undated), Vietnamnomad (March 29, 2024) and 30 Sundays (August 2026).
- Photos: Danang Fantasticity, My Khe Beach (April 16, 2026) and kites over the beach (April 29, 2026).
Updated: October 2, 2026
