One of the things we were eager to see while we were on vacation in Da Nang was the Dragon Bridge Fire and Water Show. We showed up at the designated time and day, only to find out that it was canceled that night because of a fireworks show that was happening instead. But rather than moping around, we just decided to go back the following week – and I double checked with our friends at Loving Life Moore to make sure we had the right information for showtime. And spoiler: it happened and it was awesome.
Sơn Trà Night Market and the Dragon Bridge Show
We had two goals when visiting the Sơn Trà Night Market: 1) try some delicious food and 2) watch the Dragon Bridge Fire and Water show. Plus, momma wanted some passionfruit juice because it was so hot and humid it should be illegal and there’s nothing more refreshing than some ice-cold passionfruit juice. As soon as we entered the market, we were bombarded with vendors calling out to us and trying to sell their foods and products.
The markets in Vietnam are really something else. While vendors in Korea may loudly announce what they are selling and for how much, vendors in Vietnam REALLY try to get your attention – especially if you’re a foreigner. They would shout after us, “Hey! You! Come over here!” and continue yelling even as we kept walking away. They would shove menus into our hands (and we soon learned just to walk with our hands down). And if we stopped to look at something for even a second, they would try to hand our kids whatever it was we were looking at. We had to tell the kids not to grab anything that anybody was handing them, no matter how much they wanted it.
And the kids killed it. We got through the market both times without spending too much more than we had planned.
What we ate at Sơn Trà Night Market
If you’re wanting to experience a lot of different foods without the stress of visiting and ordering from a traditional restaurant, then Vietnamese markets are the way to go. After walking through all of the stands overflowing with tchotchkes, we excitedly made our way to the food stands and we weren’t disappointed – by the variety of food OR the quality.
Our first night at the market, we kept things pretty simple with passionfruit juice, coconut water (straight from the coconut because is it even a vacation if you don’t?), sugarcane juice (which was the surprising star of the show), and “fried ice cream” – which isn’t actually fried at all, but is ice cream that has been flattened on an ice-cold tray and then rolled up in aesthetic little squirls.
The second night we spent at the market, we treated ourselves to dinner. We enjoyed Vietnam’s version of street tacos, grilled spicy chicken, beef and veggie kabobs, and Bo La Lot (grilled beef wrapped up in betel leaf). We also got an assortment of fresh fruit juices and smoothies – which is 100% necessary when going anywhere in Vietnam… simply because you can. Everything was absolutely delicious and I literally dream about Bo La Lot even now. After filling our stomachs to maximum capacity (and after H got her mandatory loves from all the Vietnamese people), we headed to the Dragon Bridge to secure a good place to watch the show from.
The Dragon Bridge Fire and Water Show
The Dragon Bridge in Da Nang is over 660 meters long and is a full 6 lanes of traffic wide. It’s the most famous bridge stretching over the Han River in Da Nang – and understandably when you take one look at it. You all know how I feel about bridges – between the Golden Hand Bridge at Ba Na Hills and this incredible Dragon Bridge, I was in Heaven! We had to cross a very scary and busy road to get to the Dragon Bridge. We’d done it the week before, but hadn’t particularly enjoyed it. Thankfully, there was a Vietnamese family that saw us hesitating to cross (despite other people just going for it). The mom grabbed me by the arm and said, “Now! Go!” and crossed the road with us, guiding us as we weaved in and out of partially stopped cars, and standing our ground against oncoming vehicles. I wasn’t sure whether to be mad-impressed or terrified out of my mind – but I was grateful once we got to the other side of the road.
We got to the bridge a solid thirty minutes before the show started, so we hung out, let the kids run around until it got too dark and the area got too busy, and then waited anxiously – hoping that the show would actually happen. And when it did, it DID. Giant fireballs shot from the dragon’s mouth, releasing with them huge billows of black smoke. The bridge would shoot 5-6 fireballs in succession, then rest for a minute, before shooting off another round. All the while, onlookers beamed up at it: we were all absolutely captivated.
And then came the part that we weren’t prepared for: the water show. Shortly after the last round of fireballs, a large and violent spray of water began shooting out of the dragon’s mouth. I remember being relieved that we hadn’t taken a spot closer to the dragon’s head since everyone there was getting DRENCHED. But as it turned out, it didn’t really matter – we were close enough that the mist eventually reached us, and then turned to a torrential downpour, soaking us to our skin and leaving everyone around us panicking and laughing simultaneously.
By the time the laughter subsided, another spray of water started jetting through the air. The crowd’s response was honestly one of the funnier things I’ve seen: kids and teens excitedly running closer to the dragon to get the full force of the water; adults hysterically backing up and running away, trying to get away from any bit of water. We were in a place where we couldn’t escape even if we’d wanted to – thankfully, we didn’t want to! The kids thought it was the greatest thing ever – even H was entertained. After four water blasts, there wasn’t a single part of us that wasn’t soaked. And then that was it.
Within a minute of the last water blast, the bridge opened up for traffic again and cars immediately started filling the street – while people hurriedly got out of the road and made their way off the bridge. It was incredible how quickly the whole thing was over. From the time they closed the bridge for the show to the time when they opened it again afterwards was probably less than 15 minutes. I’m happy to report that even with such a short show, it was 100% worth the effort it took to get there (including getting there on a night when the show was canceled) to finally see it.
The Dragon Bridge show was the last thing we did before coming back home from our vacation. It was the perfect way to go out with a bang and I’ll remember it forever. If you’re ever in Da Nang, visit the Dragon Bridge and see the show – it’s something you won’t want to miss.
’til next time…
Ash
Tips for visiting the Sơn Trà Night Market and the Dragon Bridge Show
Getting there: Type “Son Tra Night Market” into Grab to hire a driver to take you there. From the market, the bridge is impossible to miss.
Fire and Water showtimes: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights at 9:00pm.
*Showtimes may change without notice – or shows may be canceled due to other festivals or unforeseen circumstances. Showtimes are correct at the time of this post according to the information available.
Tips: If you don’t want to get wet, watch the show either from the street below the bridge or from somewhere in the middle of the bridge. That being said, getting soaking wet was half the fun! Try to arrive at the bridge by 8:45pm to have your pick of places to watch from.
