The beach gets absolutely mobbed in the evenings in Da Nang

Unlike other beaches in the world the beach here in Da Nang is mostly empty during the day. A majority of the tourists that come here are Asian and as you may already know, it is part of most Asian's culture to not want to get a tan or be in the sun for long periods of time unless they have to. Therefore the early mornings and the evenings are the most popular times to go to the beach here.

This is in stark contrast to the Western idea of how the beach is used as all of us just run the gambit of skin cancer and sunscreen it up and take our chances. In a way I think the Asian way is the more sensible one but cultural differences are always fun if you can embrace them.

It hasn't even been particularly sunny these past few days but fortunately it hasn't rained. I like the way that the clouds get stuck on that mountain in the distance. That is the location of the famous "lady Buddha" statue that overlooks the bay here in Da Nang.

Loads of people head to the beach at night and these overpriced beachfront bars and restaurants end up getting occupied with mostly westerners or Russians. The Asians once again do what I consider to be the intelligent thing and avoid these overpriced tourist traps. I was only there because it was a friend's birthday and they chose the location. Normally I would never go to these places because they charge 2-3 times as much as establishments that are just across the street.

I do kind of enjoy how the city accommodates evening swimmers by having massive spotlights that light up the beach after the sun fades in the west. There is one thing to keep in mind though: The lifeguards will make everyone get out of the water at 6pm as this is when they are no longer monitoring the sea for safety. If you wait until 630 or so you can do whatever you want and they will not stop you from doing so because they aren't even there. However, they make an announcement in multiple languages to let everyone know that they are "on their own" and that the city will not be held responsible for injury or death.

For me, I think they overrate the actual danger of the ocean here but then again, I come from a country of strong swimmers. Normally when you hear about a drowning here in Da Nang in the news, it is always an Asian that is the victim.

I suppose that is a kind of morbid way to wrap things up so I'll talk instead about what happens on the beach in the evenings.

There will be basically year round except during monsoon season, a huge amount of people on the beach from 5-7pm most days and there are all manner or beach activities going on. The city has placed multiple volleyball nets up despite the fact that they have signs at all the entrances that state that ball sports are prohibited on the beach. There are also people chucking frisbees and games of pick up soccer going on all over the place. You can jump into any of these games if you just wait next to the side. Although they are not organized per se, I have always been able to jump into a game for a bit if I just stand around watching. Someone will ask if you want to play and people are always willing to sub out. I don't think they are really keeping score so that is kind of fun that everyone is out there for the love of the sport and to get a bit of exercise.

It's pretty evident whether or not you are going to be able to compete just by observing for a bit. Since I don't often play volleyball I usually go to one of the courts near the end of the beach where all the beginners are.

So after 5 every night, get ready for a huge amount of people on the beach because that is how it is almost every day. If you prefer to have the place to yourself then bring some sunscreen and be prepared to be in in the sun. If you are a sun worshipper the likes of which are quite common in the west, almost no one is out there at all from 10am to 4pm.