Da Nang

Da Nang suits remote workers who want a proper city with a long sandy beach on its doorstep. It is cleaner, calmer and more spread out than Hanoi or Saigon, the traffic is manageable, and the mix of Vietnamese families, Korean tourists and long-stay foreigners gives it an easy, unhurried feel. Many people arrive for a month and end up staying a year.

Most nomads base themselves in An Thuong, the grid of streets a short walk from My Khe Beach, where cafés, gyms and Western food are concentrated. Son Tra, across the road to the north, is quieter and slightly cheaper, while Hai Chau on the west bank of the Han River offers lower rents and a more local rhythm. For desks, Enosta Space and Seaview sit in Son Tra, Hana's Coworking and Coworking Danang are in the An Thuong and Ngu Hanh Son area, and Tiktak has branches in Hai Chau. Monthly hot desks generally run from about two to three million dong.

Getting around is cheap with Grab or a rented scooter, and the airport is barely ten minutes from the centre. Home fibre from Viettel or VNPT is fast and inexpensive, and Vietnam now ranks among the quickest countries in the world for fixed broadband, though storms can cause short outages, so a 4G or 5G backup is sensible. A furnished one-bed near the beach costs roughly US$400 to US$500 on a monthly deal, and a comfortable life including coworking comes to around US$1,300. The dry, sunny months from February to August are the best time; September to December brings heavy rain, the odd typhoon and occasional flooding.

The downsides are real but modest. The rainy season can be grey for weeks, the beach is rough in winter, and the An Thuong bubble can feel more expat than Vietnamese. Construction noise is constant as the city grows, and nightlife is limited compared with Saigon. Visas also need planning, as most nationalities still rely on e-visa runs rather than a long-stay permit.