Da Nang

Da Nang , formerly Tourane , city (1990 est. pop. 371,000), 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. The city is home to the Cham Museum, and there are many Cham ruins in the city and the surrounding area.

Da Nang or Danang the second-largest city in South Vietnam, and headquarters of the Republic of Vietnam I Corps Tactical Zone, a military zone. As a major port city with an airport capable of handling jets, it became an important logistical base for South Vietnamese and U.S. forces. The first U.S. combat units in Vietnam landed near Da Nang on March 8, 1965. During the war, refugees increased the city's population to about 500,000. Communist forces seized the city without a fight on March 29, 1975.