“Our Da Nang” is a keyword shared on the personal blogs of many foreigners who came to the beautiful coastal city of Da Nang on a trip and then decided to start up a new life chapter here for a long time as they realised that this city brought so much happiness and inspiration to their lives. It is worth praising that their deeply sentimental attachment to Da Nang has motivated them to do more to help the community of this beloved city in a more meaningful and impactful way.

Shanti, a Swedish national now reside in Da Nang and regularly participates in community-targeted volunteer activities. (Photo courtesy of Shanti, taken in January 2021)

1. Mr. Antonio Gabrić - a Croatian travel blogger- started travelling around the world in 2015. He has been to many provinces and cities in Viet Nam, and finally, he chose Da Nang to settle down with his life and help those who plan to travel in this beautiful Southeast Asian country.

“Our Da Nang is definitely worth-living and visiting. I love every day here.”, said the man.

He shared on his personal blog that Da Nang street food is so delicious, diverse and affordable. He loves seafood and it is easy to access good restaurants here. The city is naturally bestowed with many beautiful beaches, good traffic networks, friendly inhabitants, especially many tourist attractions such as Son Tra Peninsula, Hai Van Pass, Marble Mountains Tourist Area, Quan The Am (Avalokitecvara) Pagoda and Ba Na Hills. Taking a motorcycle ride, travellers can find lots of road trips around the city.

As usual, he spends most of his time driving around the Son Tra peninsula or the Hai Van Pass. “I like Son Tra Peninsula which shows off many stunning trails and brings great driving experience to self-discovery travellers. In addition, I can have bird's-eye view of the whole city of Da Nang from the peak of the mountain. I used to guide many foreigners to explore Da Nang for free. I just want to show everyone how beautiful Da Nang is. I've been all over Viet Nam, but I can call Da Nang my home”, said Antonio.

When asked about Da Nang residents, Antonio Gabrić shared a memorable experience during which he was moved at their good deeds and hospitability.

“I unintentional crashed into a female bicycle rider in front of a restaurant where security guards were on duty. Within seconds, they immediately approached the incident scene to give assistance to our, and applied first aid medicine to our wounds. The woman I hit did not call the police. This showed me how friendly the people are here - even in an accident that was entirely my fault.”, said Antonio.

2. Da Nang Go, nestled at 54 An Thuong 2, My An Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, was created by a group of young foreigners who love volunteer activities. The team originally came together to provide emergency relief to people in Central Viet Nam who had been adversely affected by flooding following a series of severe storms in October 2020. The group organised a fundraising event during which over VND 150,000,000 (around US$6500) was raised towards the cause.

Da Nang Go was established shortly after with the mission to provide aid to those in need on a long term basis. It is on track to partners with other NGOs, orphanages and schools to create a streamlined process of recruiting and connecting volunteers to its partners.

Isis Mok, the Executive Director of Da Nang Go, said her love of travel and culture brought her to Da Nang in 2015, where she made a career in hospitality and events management, as well as a regular hobby of volunteering.

The more work she did with local charities, the more she saw an urgent need to organise volunteer acts. In time her helping hobby evolved, until she was planning everything from fund-raisers to supply runs for flood victims.

With Da Nang Go, Isis seeks to combine her passion for helping others with her professional experience, in the hope of putting like-minded helpers into places where their help is most needed.

The kind-hearted woman, on a regular basis, participates in cleaning up beaches, visiting orphanages, and supporting flood victims.

Sarah Whitecotton, coming from the UK, said, after traveling extensively throughout Europe, she visited and fell in love with Da Nang, it’s people and distinctive culture.

The woman has lived in Da Nang since 2019 and started tutoring English to those aged 2 to 15. Through her own strengths such as teaching skills, she has actively involved in building English language development programmes for local children.

As Sarah's compatriot, Jennifer Dolan stumbled across Viet Nam in 2013 and became enthralled by its beauty and culture. The Viet Nam trip itself inspired the young woman to settle down in Da Nang. She developed a strong interest in motorbike trekking which has taken her all over the country.

Having experienced the kindness and hospitality of the Vietnamese people she felt a strong desire to give back and do something meaningful for this beloved city.

Joining Da Nang Go, Jennifer aims to combine her experience and skillset to facilitate collaboration with other charitable organisations and make a difference for people in Central Viet Nam. In particular, she wants to give support in terms of waste tackling and social security issues.

Till date, Da Nang Go has connected hundreds of foreigners living and working in Da Nang to participate in many volunteer activities such as environmental sanitation, taking care of orphans and Agent Orange victims and offering welfare to mountainous people and ethnic minorities.

3. Hannah, a Mexican native, the founder of Hannah's Pub and Restaurant at 28 Ngo Thi Sy, My An Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, is determined to bring European cuisine to Da Nang.

Her restaurant serves European, Mexican, Thai and some traditional Vietnamese dishes. With the criteria of Eat in, Take away, Delivery and Catering Service, Hannah's Pub has served as “a bridge” to connecting foreign ex-pats in Da Nang with one another.

Besides her business, Hannah has offered free meals to hundreds of staff members and child patients under treatment at the Da Nang Pediatrics and Maternity Hospital for more than a year.

“I want to bring a new culinary experience to people, as well as partly relieve their difficulties. I usually cook on Mondays and Tuesdays, about 30 servings each time. The joy of doing good deeds for the community makes me want to stick with the city for a long time”, shared Hannah.

That the Da Nang government has announced a list of 17 projects that are eligible for foreign ownership really opens up long-term settlement opportunities in the city for ex-pats.

Anthony, a British young man working at InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort in Son Tra District said, he often takes his guests to the Son Tra Peninsula for admiring the red-shanked douc langurs, and increasingly love the city’s peaceful and diverse vibes.

If he has an opportunity to have housing ownership here, he will not hesitate to choose a good apartment to continue his life in the city.

Reporting by TIEU YEN- Translating by ANH THU – TRUC VY