Updated: LU Cafe is still going strong and remains one my favourite cafes in Danang due to the great coffee and the fact that it is quiet and the internet is fast. LU Cafe opened in August 2009 and is located at 79 Hoang Van Thu street, turn right just before the end of Tran Phu Street.

LU Cafe is a small and intimate cafe featuring soft music, soft colors and plenty of charm. From the comfortable sofas and arm chairs to the wooden staircases, small collection of books and subtle lighting, LU Cafe is very inviting and it will surely tempt you to stay a while.

As with most coffee shops in Danang the prices are reasonable, 14,000VND for Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk (cafe sua da) with complimentary ice tea on arrival and a small Vietnamese menu of the cafe regulars, beef stew (bo kho), bread with eggs (ban mi opla), fried rice (com chien duong chau), etc…

For the amount of time I have spent at LU, 90% of the music has been in English and I have been pleased with their selection which thankfully doesn’t include any Britany Spears, Backstreet Boys or Celine Dione, instead I was pleasantly surprised to hear Jeff Buckley and Nick Cave.

The cafe never seems to be too crowded that it is uncomfortable and I have never seen it completely empty, there always seems to be a cool friendly atmosphere and the clientèle are mostly well to do middle class young Vietnamese who can afford to relax in style rather crouch on the street over a 3,000 VND coffee while taking in the fumes of the nearby traffic.

For the romantically challenged, LU cafe makes it easy for you to impress your partner, in the evening the second floor is romantically lit with candles, has soft music and is perfect for couples trying to get away from the hustle and bustle of the street.

The first floor caters to small groups or those looking for possibly the fastest wifi connection of any cafe in the city, there is a mezzanine level which has a small collection of books, the owners assure me that English language books will be coming soon.

Overall, if you can’t already tell, I am a big fan of LU cafe and wish that a few other cafes in the city would follow its lead and try to create a similar relaxed environment.

LU Cafe
79 Hoang van Thu
Danang

Thomas, the F&B Manager was a wonderful host and gave good recommendations. On Saturdays and Sundays for just 410,000VND plus taxes and service charge you are given free range over the dim sum menu which includes plenty of non dim sum dishes.

The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated and is suited for either a quiet dinner for two or full on banquet for large groups. The staff were attentive and always made sure our cups tea (included in the price) were full.

It did take quite a bit of time between dishes. To overcome this slight issue I would recommend ordering 5 or 6 dishes at a time. This Dim Sum buffet is only available on weekends but the Golden Dragon has a very extensive ala carte menu for weekdays and weekend evenings.

Mercure Danang also has special offers for Facebook fans so be sure to LIKE them on the Mercure Danang Facebook Page.

Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant

Address: 2^nd floor, Mercure Danang, Green Island, Danang.
Phone: 84 (0) 511 3797 210. Fax: 84 (0) 3797 797
Website: www.mercure-danang.com
Facebook: Mercure Danang On Facebook

What will be open and closed during Chinese Lunar New Year in Danang?

OPEN DURING TET
Billabong Pub & Restaurant From the 23rd to the 27th will be open from 4pm to Midnight. Read more: Billabong TET Openning Hours
Lifestyle Resort was open last year with no price increases. Expect the same again this year.
Montgomerie Links was open last year and will be again this year.

CLOSED DURING TET
Bread Of Life: Closes on January 21st and re-opens on February 2nd.

For expats the main concern is probably where to eat or drink during Tet. I would like the comments section of this post to be a place where you can leave the names and addresses of restaurants, cafes and bars that are open during Tet.

Most Vietnamese cafes will remain open. They do good business catering to people catching up with old friends, prices may be higher than normal but they should go back down again after Tet.

If you know of any other places that are open please let me know in the comments below.

Looking Glass Jeep Tours Vietnam are a personal tour company that can give you a memorable, unique experience while visiting local cities and tourist attractions. Their restored US Army Jeeps are the key to get you close enough to enjoy the beauty of Vietnam.

They operate most of their tours out of Danang, Hue and Hoi An believe the best way to experience the real Vietnam is from an open top jeep. They say it is amazing how friendly and cheerful people are when you drive around in a jeep. In a jeep you can interact with the locals and enjoy the mountain scenery unobstructed.

There are many ways to get around Vietnam, but in an open jeep you are part of the countryside. You are experiencing Vietnam, not merely passing through it.

Looking Glass Jeep Tours Vietnam

Website: Looking Glass Jeep Tours Vietnam
38 An Thuong 5, Bac My An Beach, Danang.
(Office located at Tam’s Pub & Surf Shop)

Click here for the Vietnam Airlines Air Asia Flight Information For Danang PDF download.

The Vietnam Airlines schedule does include prices (in USD) but these can vary slightly. The prices for flights to and from KL vary widely and Air Asia has frequent promotions.

I would appreciate help in tracking down a flight schedule for Asiana Airlines Vietnam flights. Is worth posting the schedule for Jetstar? Do they even have a schedule?

Have you been through the new airport yet? What did you think? I have heard nothing but positive reports, it still needs some work but is definitely a much needed improvement. I am flying to Kuala Lumpur in 2 weeks and test out the facilities, mainly Burger King, for myself.

Click here for the Vietnam Airlines Air Asia Flight Information For Danang PDF download.

I am still wating to see some confirmation from Air Asia about a rumored Bangkok – Danang flight for February 2012. I will keep you informed. Where would you like to fly to directly from Danang?

Personally I would like to see direct flights to Beijing, Bangkok, Bali and Mumbai. I am not sure of any of those would be financially viable options for airlines in Vietnam.

I also hope that as Vietnam Airlines and other carriers add flights to Danang that they manage to keep the prices reasonable. What would you expect to pay for the Danang Bangkok flight?

Just in case you missed it here is the link for the Vietnam Airlines and Air Asia Flight Schedules for Danang.

Click here for the Vietnam Airlines Air Asia Flight Information For Danang PDF download.

For live flight stats for arrivals and departures to Danang International airport check out the link below:

(DAD) Danang International Airport Stats

Thanks to Enclave GSO for letting me know of the flight stats link.

Click on the links for more details. If you know of any other events please leave a comment below.

Happy New Year Danang

Billabong Pub and Restaurant

Avalon Danang Restaurant and Bar

Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa

White Caps Beach Club and Bistro

Mercure Hotel Danang

IRIS Restaurant Danang

Waterfront Restaurant and Bar

Also, don’t forget that a few places are open and helping Hangover Recovery Efforts on January 1st: New Years Day Events

I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Wishing nothing but the happiest, luckiest and best year ever. Have a great day!

What are you plans for New Years Eve?

Address: 34 An Thuong 1, Da Nang, Viet Nam
Phone: 0511 260 2006
Map & More Information: Billabong Pub Danang
Website: Billabong Pub and Restaurant

I think in 2012 Danang’s community will continue to grow and community events such as the Santa Cruise, Stone Skimming and Surf Comp will hopefully continue to grow and encourage others to start up more events.

To help facilitate and monitor Danang’s growing events calendar I have set up InDanang Events. have a look through site to see what events, parties, promotions and holidays are coming up.

I hope that InDanang Events will be a place for you to find what is happening in Danang and also I hope gives you a bit of inspiration. For example Thursday, January 26th is Australia Day, time to start thinking of a get together or for business owners to start putting an event together.

If you know of any events, openings, parties, promotions or happy hours please let me know via the contact page on InDanang Events.

If you would like more information about any of the following Events in 2012, click the link and visit the Danang Events page.

New Years Party and Recovery
Valentines Day Special Promotions (February 14th, 2012)
Danang International Fireworks Competition 2012 (DIFC) (April 29th & 30th, 2012)
Danang International Paramotor Competition 2012 (DIPC) (May 30th, 2012)

Flights are scheduled on Wednesdays and Saturdays and are hopefully the beginning of a flood of international flights to and from Danang, Vietnam. Air Asia has hinted at the launch of Danang – Bangkok flight in February and government sources are also looking at regular flights to and from Savannaket and Beijing,

1,000 tourists are currently arriving in Danang via a growing number of Charter flights from Taipei, Shanghai, Kunming and a few other Chinese cities to Da Nang each week. I would expect that some of these Charter flights will become regular scheduled flights with the opening of the new terminal. More international flights to Danang Vietnam would greatly improve the tourism industry here and in Hoi An.

Sources:
More international flights to Da Nang
Direct Seoul–Da Nang air route opens