Viewing Da Nang from a helicopter: a 10-minute Han River route and a 20-minute route over Hoi An

Da Nang is a city that is easy to admire from above. The Han River splits the city in two, with several bridges connecting its banks, My Khe Beach runs in one long straight line, and the Son Tra Peninsula is a solid mass of green right next to the residential areas. You can't see all of those things at once from down on the street — but from a helicopter, you'll see them all in a single loop. Sightseeing flights here take off from Nuoc Man airfield, on the Ngu Hanh Son (Marble Mountains) side, closer to Non Nuoc than to the city center — not from Da Nang International Airport, so don't go and wait at the big airport. According to information from the mid-2025 reopening, the aircraft is Airbus's EC155B1, a fairly wide-bodied model that can carry more than ten passengers, and there are two route options to choose from. The roughly 10-minute route is a city loop: flying along the Han River, past Linh Ung Pagoda with its Lady Buddha statue on the slopes of Son Tra, circling out over My Khe Beach and then back. This is the leg for those who want to see Da Nang in its most compact form — one look and you'll understand why this city was planned around its river. The leg takes about 20 more minutes of flying further south, over the Hoi An ancient town area. From above, what stands out most clearly isn't the tiled roofs but the shape of the Thu Bồn River and the strips of sand, rice fields, and lagoons interwoven between the two cities — a stretch of road where, traveling by car, you only see the roadsides. In addition to the two fixed routes, the operator also offers on-request flights to destinations farther away: Cu Lao Cham, Ly Son, My Son, and Hue. A few things you should know before booking. Helicopters depend on the weather more than any other means of transport here, so flights are often rescheduled during the rainy season and on windy days. Flight schedules, the minimum number of passengers per flight, and ticket prices all change from time to time, and the prices floating around online are often outdated. So instead of trusting the figures on just any website, contact the operator or an official agent directly to confirm the flight schedule and price before booking — and ask about the rescheduling terms in case the weather doesn't allow the flight to go ahead, before you transfer any money.