Hongseong Namdang Port for Seasonal Seafood from Cheonsuman Bay and Sunset Views

Cheonsuman Namdang Port is a national fishing port famed for its big shrimp festival

Hongseong Namdang Port is a harbor in Namdang-ri, Seobu-myeon, Hongseong-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, and is introduced as a clean fishing port located on Cheonsu Bay. Depending on the season, big shrimp, pen shells, webfoot octopus, and sea trout become the focus of festivals, and the port is known for a variety of seafood, including big shrimp, pen shells, rockfish, blue crab, and shrimp.

The background to Namdang Port becoming a place where visitors can enjoy both seafood and tourism is the development of the Marine and Fisheries Complex Center. The center was built with a total project cost of 11 billion won, a gross floor area of 7,377㎡, and two above-ground floors. Namdang Port was planned as a multifunctional fishing port with separate functions for fisheries, a complex commercial district, a waterfront park, and marine tourism and leisure.

From the 1996 big shrimp festival to seasonal seafood festivals

The Namdang Port Big Shrimp Festival is known as an annual event held every September and October since 1996. In winter, pen shells are featured, while in spring, webfoot octopus and sea trout are introduced, so the representative seafood available at restaurants and vendors varies depending on when you visit.

Sea trout is produced by placing freshwater trout in inland fish farms, gradually increasing the salinity, and allowing the fish to adapt before raising them in floating cages in Cheonsu Bay. After being raised for five months in marine farms, they are shipped for the festival. The 2024 Hongseong Namdang Port Sea Trout Festival was held from April 20 to May 7 and included cultural events, tasting sessions, and barehanded trout catching.

Festival dates may vary each year, so if you are targeting food from a particular season, it is better to plan your itinerary around the event period. The area around Namdang Port has seafood vendors and seafood restaurants, and Chungcheongnam-do introduces it as becoming livelier during festival periods with visitors seeking big shrimp, pen shells, rockfish, blue crab, and shrimp.

Combine seafood shopping and dining on the first floor of Complex Shopping Building A

The address to use when visiting is Complex Shopping Building A, first floor, 484-6 Namdang-ri, Seobu-myeon, Hongseong-gun, Chungcheongnam-do. Seafood vendors and restaurants are gathered at the Namdang Port Marine and Fisheries Complex Center, allowing you to look around the harbor, choose seafood, and then have a meal along one convenient route.

No confirmed information is available on Namdang Port’s official operating hours and main telephone number, the official website URL of the Marine and Fisheries Complex Center, or the payment methods and cash-only policies of individual vendors. Therefore, treat the address in this article as a location reference, and for the conditions of a specific store or festival, it is safest to contact the facility directly.

Namdang Port and the Namdang Sunset Observatory are free, while the Net Adventure requires a separate fee. The total number of parking spaces and parking fees for Namdang Port were also not found in public information; parking facilities and restrooms are indicated at the sunset observatory.

How to take Bus 276 from Hongseong Station and Hongseong Bus Terminal

When departing from Seoul, the train from Yongsan Station to Hongseong Station takes approximately 2 hours 8 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes. Saemaeul trains operate five times a day, and Mugunghwa trains operate nine times a day. Mugunghwa service hours are listed as 05:34–20:42.

At Hongseong Station, walk 101 m from the station, then take rural Bus 276 and get off at Namdang Stop. From Hongseong Bus Terminal, walk approximately 130 m to the terminal stop and take the same Bus 276. Public transportation from Hongseong Bus Terminal to the Namdang Port Net Adventure takes approximately 1 hour 36 minutes.

The walk from Namdang Stop to the Net Adventure is approximately 444 m. An express bus from Seoul to Hongseong takes about 2 hours, while driving from Seoul to Namdang Port takes approximately 1 hour 50 minutes. Major driving routes include the West Coast Expressway, Hongseong Interchange, National Route 29, and National Route 40. From Daejeon, the route via the Dangjin–Daejeon Expressway, Yesan Interchange, National Route 21, National Route 29, and National Route 40 takes approximately 1 hour 40 minutes.

The Net Adventure at the end of the Marine Fountain Park has a separate schedule

The Namdang Port Net Adventure is next to the Namdang Port Fish Market, at the far end of Namdang Port Marine Fountain Park. It is introduced as Korea’s first marine-style net adventure facility, with a ball park, vertical tunnels, and slides inside a structure made by layering colorful netting.

Operating hours are 10:00–18:00, with last admission by 17:00. It operates seven times a day, once each hour, with a lunch break from 12:00 to 13:00. It is closed every Monday, so plan in advance whether to visit only the port and observatory on Monday or include the activity facility on another day.

Admission is 13,000 won for adults and 10,000 won for children and teenagers. The inquiry telephone number is 041-633-3088. The facility is described as having been created using the nets and knotting techniques used for yacht sailing and fishing. Since it is an active facility involving movement between the first and second floors, people seeking only a quiet coastal walk may prefer to leave it out of their itinerary.

Find the splash fountain and 12 photo zones at Namdang Port Marine Fountain Park

The address of Namdang Port Marine Fountain Park is 171 Namdanghang-ro, Seobu-myeon, Hongseong-gun, Chungnam. A splash fountain that can be enjoyed with music and colorful rainbow lighting is installed in the center of the plaza, which is introduced as a place for playing in the fountain water during midsummer.

There are 12 themed trick-art photo zones on the plaza floor. Because the Net Adventure is at the far end of the park, you can visit the fish market, splash fountain, photo zones, and activity facility consecutively within one area.

No confirmed information is available on the park’s separate operating hours, closing days, or fountain play season. Therefore, if you are visiting specifically to play in the splash fountain, consider the seasonal conditions, and at night choose a time when the rainbow lighting is visible.

Meet the red Sunset Observatory at the end of the coastal path behind the fish market

The Namdang Sunset Observatory can be reached by following the coastal path connected behind the fish market. Its address is 767-10 Namdang-ri, Seobu-myeon, Hongseong-gun, Chungnam. Decks, photo zones, and a rainbow walking path have been built there, creating a walking route where you can enjoy views of the sea.

The observatory is open at all times throughout the year, and admission is free. Parking facilities and restrooms are available, and the listed activities are sunset viewing and walking. The inquiry telephone number is 041-634-7650.

The red structure appears designed to harmonize with the sky turning red at sunset. At low tide, you can see broad tidal flats, while at high tide, you can view the sea. Since Namdang Port and the observatory can be explored together, you can eat at the port and then follow the coastal path to enjoy completely different waterside scenery depending on the time of day.

How to include Jukdo Pier and the Hongseong Sky Tower in a one-day itinerary

The address listed for the pier with boats to Jukdo is 863-2 Namdang-ri, Seobu-myeon, Hongseong-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, described as being at the end of the breakwater. Jukdo is introduced as one of the attractions around Namdang Port, but sailing times and fares could not be confirmed in this material, so an itinerary cannot be finalized on the assumption that a boat will be available.

It takes approximately 5 minutes by car from Namdang Port to Hongseong Sky Tower. The tower is a 65-meter-high facility newly built on the site of the former Sokdong Observatory, and from the top you can see the scenery of Cheonsu Bay from Jukdo to Anmyeondo in the distance.

Nearby attractions include Jukdo, Eosari Sunset Park, Eden Hills Healing Park, and Anmyeondo. Hongseong County Office’s Culture and Tourism Division is listed at 041-630-1255, and the Hongju Culture and Tourism Foundation at 041-631-8840, so you can inquire about festivals and nearby sightseeing routes.

Information to leave open when planning your first visit

Namdang Port’s own operating hours and closing days have not been confirmed as being open at all times, while the Namdang Sunset Observatory is open at all times throughout the year. In contrast, the Net Adventure operates from 10:00 to 18:00, with last admission at 17:00, and is closed every Monday. Do not assume that the operating conditions for the port walk and the paid activity facility are the same.

The Namdang Sunset Observatory has decks and walking paths, but detailed conditions for wheelchair and stroller access could not be confirmed. Information was also unavailable on photography-restricted areas at Namdang Port and the Marine and Fisheries Complex Center, payment methods at individual vendors, total parking capacity and fees, the latest schedules for each event, and bus service intervals, so no definitive statements are made here.

The contact numbers are as follows: Net Adventure, 041-633-3088; Namdang Sunset Observatory, 041-634-7650; Hongseong County Office Culture and Tourism Division, 041-630-1255; Hongju Culture and Tourism Foundation, 041-631-8840. The official tourism information address is the Namdang Sunset Observatory page on the Chungnam tourism portal. Distinguishing the free walking routes that definitely connect to Namdang Port from the separately charged Net Adventure can help prevent wasted trips on site.