Some exciting watersports in Da Nang have attracted a great deal of attention from locals and tourists, especially young people. Among them, Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) and paragliding are two thrilling sports that attract a large number of participants.

The SUP rowing movement in the city has gradually developed over the years. Photo: P.N

At 5:00 am, the Tho Quang Beach in Tho Quang Ward, Son Tra District begins to bustle as it becomes a meeting place for many young people who share the same passion for SUP rowing.

Mr. Tran Quang Hung, residing in Hai Chau 1 Ward, Hai Chau District, said SUP rowing was his favorite sport.

“Three times a week, in the early morning and late afternoon, I and my friends go to the beach to paddle SUP. This is an exciting sport which helps me improve my health, flexibility, and mental comfort, and provides me with the opportunity to connect with friends” he added.

Recently, many SUP clubs have been established in the city in order to meet the growing needs of both locals and visitors for improving professional skills.

According to Mr. Nguyen Manh Tuan, Chairman of the Da Nang SUP Club, SUP rowing was introduced to Da Nang in 2015. However, over the last 2 years, the SUP rowing movement has developed strongly when the number of people practicing and competing in the sport has soared.

Currently, the SUP Da Nang Club has about 40 members, of which nearly 20 members maintain regular practice.

Da Nang boasts long and beautiful beaches with rivers and streams that are very suitable for the development of SUP. To be able to play this kind of sports, players are required to have balance skills, speed mastery and endurance health. There are two types of SUP that people choose, namely SUP with inflatable or hard paddle boards.

“The most interesting thing about this kind of sports is that while rowing SUP, players can explore tourism and experience the beauty of nature" Mr. Tuan said.

In order to spread the SUP rowing movement, the Da Nang SUP Club regularly organises competitions and tournaments with the aim to create useful playground for those who are passionate about SUP rowing.

Most recently, the SUP rowing contest on the Man Thai Beach in Man Thai Ward, Son Tra District, has attracted lots of young people in the city and neighbouring provinces and cities.

“We will continue to organise such competitions to promote the development of the sports movement in the city. Currently, in addition to professional SUP players, visitors can rent paddle boards to experience this kind of sports. SUP rowing activities on the beaches of Da Nang are the basis for this kind of sports to spread more widely" said Mr. Tuan.

Aside from SUP, paragliding is a developed sport in the city. From the top of the Son Tra Mountains, paragliders fly along the beaches of Da Nang to enjoy the magnificent natural beauty.

Nguyen Hoang Khanh, a resident of Thanh Khe Tay Ward, Thanh Khe District, said "I like to explore Da Nang from above, so I and my friends often go to the top of the Son Tra Mountain to experience the paragliding service. Before flying, I was taught safety skills. The feeling of being in harmony with nature, and watching the whole city from above is very awesome”.

According to Mr. Nguyen Duc Vu, Head of the Management Board of Son Tra Peninsula and Da Nang Tourist Beaches, favourable weather conditions make paragliding attract many players in the summer.

The Management Board promotes the development of this sport in association with tourism development.

As part of the ‘Opening the Da Nang Beach Tourism Season in Da Nang 2023’ programme on the occasion of April 30 and May 1, the 'Flying over the silver sea' open paragliding tournament took place on the Son Tra Peninsula. The tournament saw the participation of professional paragliders from paragliding clubs nationwide.

Accordingly, the participating paragliders took off at the paragliding field on the Son Tra Peninsula at an altitude of 600m, and landed at the Tho Quang Beach. The competed in 3 rounds, calculating individual points to find the first, second and third prize winners.

According to Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports Nguyen Trong Thao, the movements of SUP rowing and paragliding have developed strongly in recent years in the city.

He added that the city has made every effort to create all conditions for units and localities to promote the development of the two kinds of sports.

“Compared to other localities, Da Nang has many favourable conditions such as long beaches and beautiful flight paths for the SUP and paragliding movements to spread in the community. With SUP rowing, players can invest in buying boards and rowing themselves on the allowed waters. Meanwhile, for paragliding, the municipal Department of Culture and Sports has licenced 4 units to operate paragliding service to serve people and tourists. These units develop rescue and plans to ensure the safety of players, "said Mr. Thao.

Reporting by PHI NONG - Translating by M.DUNG