Da Nang

Da Nang to͞orănˈ, –ränˈ [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.

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