Da Nang
[key], city, central Vietnam, a port on the South China Sea. One of the
largest cities in Vietnam, it has an excellent deepwater harbor (dredged and
improved by the United States) and is a busy commercial port. Its commercial
airport, also modernized by the United States, is one of the largest in the
area. There are textile mills and machinery plants in the city. Da Nang Bay
was the scene (1535) of the first landing of Europeans in Vietnam. The city
was originally ceded to France by Annam in 1787 and became (after 1858) a
French concession. It was the site of a huge U.S. military base during the
Vietnam War; significant Agent Orange contamination at the base site was not
cleaned up until the 2010s. The city is home to the Cham Museum, and there
are many Cham ruins in the city and the surrounding area.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Vietnam Political Geography
