Dragon Bridge fire-breathing this weekend — where to sit and what time it starts

The Dragon Bridge breathes fire and then sprays water at 9 PM, only on Saturday and Sunday nights and on holidays. Fire first, water after. If you want to sit at a café and watch it, you should arrive before 8:30 PM. Around 8:45 PM, the beachfront restaurants along Bach Dang usually run out of outdoor tables, and it fills up even faster on weekends. Choosing a seat: the second floor offers a more open view than the ground floor, since it isn't blocked by the row of trees along the riverbank. The west bank (Bạch Đằng) is closer to the dragon's head, while the east bank (Trần Hưng Đạo) offers a full view of the bridge's body. A note for anyone planning to film: standing right next to the dragon's head, the fire is very bright, so the phone automatically lowers the brightness and burns out all the detail. Stepping back a bit makes the footage look much better. The coffee at these cafes is pretty ordinary, and the price is a bit higher than elsewhere — the extra you pay is for the view, not for the drink.