Night Squid Fishing in Da Nang: Why Unlicensed Tours Are a Warning Sign, and How to Watch Net Hauling and the Dawn Fish Market in Man Thai Fishing Village

Night Squid Fishing Tours: What to Know Before Booking

Many people search for night squid fishing in Da Nang and run into ads for afternoon departures that anchor in the bay and light lamps to draw the squid. But on 6 October 2025 the Son Tra Border Guard Station announced that it had fined several boat owners who organised squid and night fishing trips for tourists on their own, activity that had been widely promoted on Facebook and TikTok. The station judged that it carries many safety risks and breaks rules on fisheries and inland waterway transport. The management board of the Son Tra Peninsula and Da Nang’s tourist beaches also said night squid fishing has not been licensed.

For that reason this guide gives no ticket price, departure time or address for any night squid fishing tour, because none of that could be verified from an official source. If you still want an evening on the water, choose only an operator that can show a licence to carry tourists by water, a life jacket for every person and clear details of the boat. If your real aim is to touch the daily life of fishermen, the section below is the easier option and it has sources behind it: watching net hauling and visiting the fish market at Man Thai.

Where Man Thai Fishing Village Is

Man Thai sits at the foot of the Son Tra Peninsula, close to My Khe Beach, in Son Tra Ward of Da Nang. VietNamNet calls it one of the two old fishing villages left in the middle of the city. Since Da Nang reorganised its administrative units under Resolution 1659/NQ-UBTVQH15 (in effect from 1 July 2025), the former Man Thai Ward has been merged into Son Tra Ward, so you may see both names on maps.

Van Hoa newspaper reported on 23 October 2026 that fishermen still haul nets by hand amid the pace of city life, that the fish market is lively from early morning and that more and more visitors come. The same article shows the village changing along with the city: roads are widening, eateries are opening and livelihoods are shifting, so the scene you find today may differ a little from older photos.

How Beach Seine Hauling Works

According to Tien Phong (29 March 2025), hauling a beach seine is a team effort: a net that is thousands of metres long is set from nearly a kilometre offshore and pulled back to the beach, which takes more than 10 people and usually more than two hours. The fishermen pick the spot, watch the tide and work only when the sea is calm. Once the net is ashore they pick out the fish and sell it on the spot to locals and visitors. The catch most often mentioned includes anchovy, hairtail, ponyfish and squid.

Visitors have also been able to see an organised version. The Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism ran a programme called “Welcome the Dawn Fish Market” on Man Thai Beach from 5:00 to 8:00 AM on 23 to 25 July 2026, as part of the Enjoy Da Nang 2026 festival. It included hauling nets with the fishermen, touring a fish market set up on the sand, tasting seafood cooked on site and paddling on a SUP board. That was a festival-season event, not a fixed daily schedule, so do not assume it will be repeated on your trip.

Man Thai Fish Market: Hours and Sample Prices

The market sets up on the sand from about 4:00 AM and starts to wind down around 8:00 AM, according to Tien Phong, while VietNamNet describes a single session a day lasting 2 to 3 hours. Seafood fresh off the boats is sorted and laid out in baskets or trays for shoppers to choose from. The table below shows prices a family of visitors noted on 2 June 2026. Treat it as an example to give you a feel for the level, not an official price list.

Prices change with each catch and the season, so ask the price of each item and have it weighed again before you pay. If you want to take the seafood back to your hotel to be cooked, ask the property first whether cooking is allowed. If you ask a nearby eatery to cook it, ask about the processing fee from the start so you know the total.

A Suggested Early Morning Plan

1. Step 1: 04:30 leave the hotel. The market starts around 4:00 AM, so arriving before 5:00 AM means plenty of stalls and fresh catch are still there.
2. Step 2: 05:00 to 06:30 watch the net hauling and walk the market. Stand somewhere clear so the fishermen can work, then walk along the stalls to compare prices.
3. Step 3: 06:30 to 07:30 buy seafood and have breakfast. Decide what you want to eat now or take back, and ask the processing price if you use an eatery.
4. Step 4: 07:30 head back to the hotel or carry on with your day. The market starts to wind down around 8:00 AM. If you continue to Hoi An, the car can pick you up right from the beach.

Safety and Etiquette with the Fishermen

• Wear non-slip sandals and clothes you do not mind getting wet, sandy or fishy, and bring a bag for wet items.
• Do not wade into deep water while the net is being pulled. The rope and a heavy net can knock a person off balance.
• Ask before photographing people up close, and do not block the path where they carry fish up the beach.
• Heavy rain or rough seas can cancel net hauling, so check the forecast before you go. October can bring long spells of heavy rain, as when the Son Tra Peninsula management board suspended visits from 8 to 14 October 2026.
• Do not join a trip on a fishing boat that carries tourists without a licence, even if the owner is someone you know.

Getting to Man Thai and Booking a Car

Man Thai is only a short distance from central Da Nang, but the hour is very early, so book your car the day before. If you are staying in Da Nang and want to see the fish market and then go on to Hoi An, you can reserve a private car from Da Nang to Hoi An to pick you up at the hotel at dawn, and check fares in our Da Nang and Hoi An car price list. The stop at Man Thai and a pick-up time before 5:00 AM need to be arranged in advance so they can be confirmed.