Dragon River Bridge

This is one of the only bridges anywhere engineered to perform a stunt on a schedule. Its steel arch-and-girder structure, more than half a kilometer long and weighing over 2,000 tonnes, is shaped and detailed to read as a dragon rising out of the Han River — and at 9 p.m. on weekend and holiday nights, the dragon's head genuinely breathes fire and water, jets of flame and mist timed to music and lighting through a system of gas lines, water nozzles and sensors built directly into the sculpture. It isn't a projection or a lighting trick layered on afterward; the pyrotechnics were part of the design brief from the start, engineered by the American firms Ammann & Whitney and Louis Berger Group and built into the bridge's structure rather than bolted on.

Opened on 29 March 2013, the 38th anniversary of the day Da Nang came under North Vietnamese control, the design draws on the dragon imagery associated with Vietnam's Lý dynasty, and doubles as a genuinely practical piece of infrastructure — it's the direct route linking Da Nang's airport to the city's beachfront, meaning tourists headed for the coast typically cross a fire-breathing sculpture without planning to see one at all.

Best time to visit

The fire-and-water show runs at 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday nights (and some holidays) — arrive on the riverbank rather than the bridge itself for the best view, and check locally, since the schedule occasionally shifts for weather or events.

Getting there

Located in Sơn Trà. Da Nang International Airport (DAD) is about 4 km away.