In Chữ Nôm, used until 1945, "Đà Nẵng" is written as 沱灢.In Chinese, Danang is known as Xiangang ( 峴港), this is derived from the old name 蜆港 ("Clam Harbor").Trà Úc, Trà Áo, Trà Sơn and Đồng Long Loan, literary names used by Confucian scholars.Vũng Thùng, a colloquial name which survives in folklore.Other names referring to Da Nang include: Kẻ Hàn, roughly "Han market") was another name purportedly used during the 17th century to refer to the land at the foot of the Hải Vân Pass. Notably, this name (spelled "Cua han") appears on maps of the area drafted by Alexandre de Rhodes in 1650. The name used by the French, Tourane, is said to derive from this name, by way of a rough transliteration. Īnother name given to Da Nang was Cửa Hàn (lit. "the large water") Sakaya (aka Văn Món), another Champa researcher, claims a connection with the Raglai word danang, meaning "river source". Inrasara (aka Phú Trạm), a researcher specializing in Champa, suggests Da Nang is a variation of the Cham word daknan (lit. Other Chamic sources, with similar definitions, have been proposed. "Cua han" appears along the coast (upside-down, left of centre). Ī map of Annam drafted by Alexandre de Rhodes. Da Nang is designated as a first class city, and has a higher urbanization ratio than any of Vietnam's other provinces or centrally governed cities. On 1 January 1997, Da Nang was separated from Quảng Nam Province to become one of four centrally controlled municipalities in Vietnam. Before 1997, the city was part of Quang Nam - Da Nang Province. The city was known as Cửa Hàn during early Đại Việt settlement, and as Tourane (or Turon) during French colonial rule. It is within 100 km (62 mi) of several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Imperial City of Huế, the Old Town of Hội An, and the Mỹ Sơn ruins. It has a well-sheltered, easily accessible port, and its location on National Route 1 and the North–South Railway makes it a transport hub. As one of the country's five direct-controlled municipalities, it falls under the administration of the central government.ĭa Nang is the commercial and educational centre of Central Vietnam and is the largest city in the region. It lies on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one of Vietnam's most important port cities. Da Nang or Danang ( /( ˌ) d ɑː, d ə ˈ n æ ŋ, ˈ n ɑː ŋ/ dah, də NANG, NAHNG Vietnamese: Đà Nẵng, ( listen)) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population.